When I was around nine years old, the young filly that lived across the street from me told this story. He told it to me as a first hand experience, but as the years have gone by I have heard a variation of this story and realize it may be an urban legend. All the same, it truly still gives me chills thinking about it, as his mother backed up his account of the story.

It was an overcast Tuesday afternoon, and my neighbor Dinky had stayed home from school for the day. She was asleep when her mother, Derpy, entered the room and told him that she had to run to the grocery store. She was not old enough at the time to stay at home by herself, so she had no choice but to go to the market with her. She rolled out of bed and ran outside where her mother sat. They decided to take a taxi. Her mother was in a hurry, hoping to be home before her other child got home from school/  She hurried Dinky threw the super market, and toward the cash register.

Dinky bounded out of the store, racing ahead of her mother and her shopping cart toward the taxi cart. The cart was parked just outside, but it wasn't until he was around ten feet from the cart that Dinky saw it. She stopped dead in his tracks before her mother saw it too. There was an old woman at the reins of the cart, who appeared to be in a hospital gown or something of the sort. She was staring straight ahead, seemingly unaware that there were two people staring at her through the drivers seat window. Her hair was messy and disheveled, and her skin was green.  Ditzy recognized the old mare as Granny Smith.

Ditzy looked at Dinky. "I want you to stay here. I'm just going to talk to her." His mom approached the cart, stopping about a foot from it.  "Can I help you, Granny Smith?"

Granny Smith's head swung around toward her mother quickly, and she smiled eerily at both of them. She did not respond. She just smiled, with an almost blank look in her eyes. Dinky caught herself take a step back as his mom repeated, "Excuse me, ma'am. Can I help you?"

It took a moment, but Granny Smith finally responded. Her voice was shaky. "Get in." She said beckoning toward them. Her mother quickly replied, holding up her hoof toward her daughter, as if telling her to stay back, "Granny Smith. I'm very sorry, but is there someone we can get to come get you?" There was a pause, before Granny replied "I live very close, and I just need a lift home. Please. Get in." Again, she beckoned them toward the vehicle.

"Granny, I'm sorry but I can't give you a ride. You're pulling the cart.  But I would be happy to call someone that can come get you. Okay?" The woman now seemed mildly agitated, and her retort was extremely forceful and sharp, "GET IN."

Nothing about this felt right to Dinky, and apparently her mother felt the same way. She turned to her daughter and told her to run back inside and tell the manager to call the police. She ran. He told the manager exactly what was happening, and without taking a breath, she instructed him to call 911. Not wanting to leave her mother alone outside with this seemingly unstable woman,

Matthew dragged the manager with him back into the parking lot. Her mother was still trying to negotiate with this woman, who was becoming more and more aggressive in her demands. "GET IN THE CART!"

The police arrived very quickly. Two male officers arrived on the scene in under ten minutes, and quickly approached Dinky and her mother to ask for the details. After getting the story from his mom, the officers approached the vehicle and began to speak to the woman. "Ma'am. Please step out of the vehicle."

The woman did not respond. "Ma'am, please come with us. We need to speak to you," Still nothing from Granny Smith. The officer motioned toward his partner who drew his weapon and nodded. He approached her slowly. "Ma'am?" He put his hoof on her shoulder. "Let's do this the easy way, okay? Now, step out of the cart." She looked at him, wild eyed, but said nothing.  The officer lifted his hoof from her shoulder and grabbed Granny's leg and slowly pulled the woman away from the cart.

And then chills went up Dinky's spine. Not when she saw the first officer drag Granny Smith out of the vehicle, not when she locked eyes with her and smiled that awful smile. It was when the second officer revealed what the woman had been hiding in her gown.

A small hatchet.

To this day, I still think of Dinky and her mom, and those chilling words.

"Get in."