Let me tell you a little story that happened in a time not to far back from now about a little girl and her friend from under the stairs. Ester French was the little girls name and she had a friend who loved under the stairs. Her parents (When they had the time of course as they were very busy people.) often laughed and told her to go play upstairs and keep out of their way, when they caught her playing under the staircase in the dark cupboard. She would shake her head and plead to stay downstairs. Her parents just shook theirs back and pointed to the stairs. Esters friend said his name was Jericho.

She had found him one day when she ventured into the cupboard to retrieve her bouncy ball that she had dropped. He was sat down wearing his top hat and dressed in his finest eveningwear, she at first was scared but grew very fond of him. He had suddenly appeared one day and was a very good friend to her. But after every visit he told her to shut the door, he also warned her not to tell her parents about him or he would be very cross and they would take him away from her. That was something Ester didn't want. She would visit him everyday as she had promised him, he told her he loved her unlike her parents who again had hardly anytime for her.

But he could never go play with her in her room or anywhere else but the cupboard under the stairs. This made Ester sad and a little wary of him. But as a child with not many friends she wasn't going to loose him. When she got back from nursery her parents were just about to go out or getting ready to go out, leaving her with a babysitter often Jennifer Figgs a teenager who didn't bother much with Ester. She would come in make her some food before slouching on the couch and watching TV till it was time to put her to bed. This gave her ample opportunity to go see Jericho for longer. They would play games that she brought down from her room, tell stories and draw pictures of each other. She would often sneak him food from the kitchen or share hers with him when Jennifer came to baby-sit her.

But one day Jericho seemed very sad when she found him. He was crying a little and Ester tried to comfort him. He told her he was sad because he wanted to go outside and play in the sunshine with her. Ester was pleased in a way to hear that he wanted to play in the sunshine with her and was willing to do anything to help him with this."What do you need me to do?" She asked him. She crossed her little fingers in hope there was a way for her to help him. Jericho looked up again and as usual in his finest evening ware.

"I need you to make me a coat as I am very allergic to the sun." He smiled at her. Ester nodded and listened to his instructions carefully. She slowly crept out of the cupboard and began fetching Jericho his list of items he needed for his coat.

She went up to her mothers room and got her sewing kit, placing it in her little rucksack. She crept outside in the dark (something she didn't like doing.) and into her fathers shed to get the pliers and some very strong glue. She then went into her fathers study to get the stapler and her mothers craft scissors. Before finally stopping off in the kitchen. She looked up and opened the third draw, even though her parents forbid her from ever opening it. She grabbed the first knife she came across and placed it in her bag. Before returning to Jericho who was still under the stairs. He smiled as he looked over all the items. He congratulated her before giving her a hug and telling her to go to bed early and wait for him to come find her with his new coat. Ester nodded and darted out of the cupboard in a flash to tell Jennifer she wanted to go to bed early.

Jennifer tucked Ester into bed. Making sure she had a glass of water and for the first time she read her a bedtime story before turning her little TV set on. Ester watched the TV bored, looking at the clock frustrated by Jericho not coming. She eventually felt sleepy and felt her eyes slowly close. Whilst asleep she dreamt of her and Jericho skipping merrily through a meadow picking daisies. But Ester was shook awake by someone. She opened her eyes and turned hoping to see Jericho but was very disappointed to see her Mothers face. She was going to try and go back to sleep when she saw her mother crying. Ester sat up in bed and asked he what was wrong, when she heard sirens and saw a policeman stood in the entrance to her door.

Ester was scooped up by her mother who walked her downstairs. Ester wriggled around trying to get free to go to the cupboard to see if Jericho was ok only to see that the cupboard under the stairs was cornered off by yellow tape. As was the living room. Ester confused began to worry a little about Jericho, wondering if he had done something very naughty. As the police only came for naughty girls and boys or so her mother had told her on many occasions. Her mother set her down outside and told her not to move from that spot. Ester obeyed her mothers command and sat down on the grass.

She pulled up fists full of the lawn before been disturbed by a paper airplane landing neatly on her lap. She opened it up to see something scrawled on it. She could make out Jericho's name scribbled in red writing and was delighted to see he was ok. She looked around to try and see him, but she couldn't. She disobeying her mother ran over to the nearest policeman. As she couldn't read very well she thought that the policeman would read it to her. She tugged on his trousers and passed him the note and told him that her friend had thrown it to her. She watched as the policeman's face turned to horror as he called over some more policemen and her parents. She was picked up by her father who clutched her tightly to his chest and whispered in her ear."It's Ok Ester your safe now." Ester confused felt sleepy and fell asleep in her fathers arms.

When she woke up she was in a hotel and soon forgot about he incident as she was only a young child. She believed the lies her parents told her. She always did wonder about what happened that night though concerning Jericho and why he ran off and didn't meet her in her room. But soon she forgot about him and it wouldn't be till later on that she found out the truth about him.

The note she got from him was scrawled in Jennifer Figgs blood after he had killed her and ripped her skin off. It read;

Thank you Ester for all the help. I now have my new coat but I have to go I am very sorry but I am sure we will meet again one day.

Your friend Jericho.

Jericho was indeed allergic to the sun, his skin blistered and he couldn't breath so instead he fashioned himself a new skin….. Made out of his victims skin. If it wasn't for him been caught the hood of his coat would have been made of Ester French.