One summer evening more than 11 years ago I found myself reading well into the early hours of the morning. That summer I had discovered the joy of reading. So much so I couldn't let a night go by without clutching a book and sticking my nose between the pages. I would usually stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning reading. I loved to read and seriously I still can not believe it took me that long to discover the written word.
That night was no different. I went out with friends until 10 or so then headed home, chatted with my mom for a little bit and then proceeded to read. Sometime after 1 am I needed to readjust my position and in doing so something had caught my eye out the window. I froze. My heart began racing. OH.MY.GOD. Was that what I think it was? A man staring at me through my window just a mear 2 feet away. No way, I thought. My mind must have playing with me. I waited. The man, I think, was as surprised as I was because he waited and then checked again. HOLY SHIT. I was so scared I couldn't even scream because even in those brief seconds thoughts came flying at me. If he wants to kill me and I scream I am going to die because that man is only feet away from me. So as my heart raced and my thoughts soared I had to make a plan. What was I going to do? In seconds I had decided not to scream and to run for my door once I was at my door I would run up two flights of stairs and wake my dad. I felt like I only had seconds because if this man was there to rob us and had a weapon he may use it on me if I feel the need to confront him. So I ran. I ran to my door. I proceeded up the stairs, taking 3 stairs at a time, my heart racing; I have never ran that fast up the stairs in my life.
That night was no different. I went out with friends until 10 or so then headed home, chatted with my mom for a little bit and then proceeded to read. Sometime after 1 am I needed to readjust my position and in doing so something had caught my eye out the window. I froze. My heart began racing. OH.MY.GOD. Was that what I think it was? A man staring at me through my window just a mear 2 feet away. No way, I thought. My mind must have playing with me. I waited. The man, I think, was as surprised as I was because he waited and then checked again. HOLY SHIT. I was so scared I couldn't even scream because even in those brief seconds thoughts came flying at me. If he wants to kill me and I scream I am going to die because that man is only feet away from me. So as my heart raced and my thoughts soared I had to make a plan. What was I going to do? In seconds I had decided not to scream and to run for my door once I was at my door I would run up two flights of stairs and wake my dad. I felt like I only had seconds because if this man was there to rob us and had a weapon he may use it on me if I feel the need to confront him. So I ran. I ran to my door. I proceeded up the stairs, taking 3 stairs at a time, my heart racing; I have never ran that fast up the stairs in my life.
By the time I reached my dad I was out of breath, scared for my life and inarticulate. MAN.IN. MY.WINDOW. After a few minutes I had calmed down enough to explain and although he could tell I was shaken he had a really hard time believing me. Even to this day I think my dad still brushes the event off. He thinks it was one of my brother's friends. I know it wasn't. I have that man's face burnt into my memory for the rest of my life. It was not a friend of my brothers, it was not some one from school. It was a man, about 5'10", white blond with dark features, large eyebrows and no real expression. I could point him out in a line up even today, eleven years later.
I wish we had called the police. I mean what on earth was a person doing walking around our house in the middle of the night on one of the rainest nights we had that summer? Was he attracted to the light I had on? It seems to me it had to be deliberate because my parents house is neither on a main road or next to any other houses. Was that the first time? I know it was the last because the next day my dad took me to get blinds for my window.
After that I spent a lot of time sleeping on the floor of my parents bedroom. I never really felt safe sleeping by myself next to a window after that. The experience still shakes me when I am alone in our home or after I watch something scary. Talk about burning an image into my mind. Even writing this entry makes me shake. I hope I never have to face the man in the window again.
3 comments:
I had a reaccuring dream growing up that involved a man showing up in a blue van. He had long grey hair that bounced as he ran at me. Can't even imagine if this was real because the dream was enough to unnerve me. I watched the first 2 minutes of this exact episode last night and had to turn the channel for the fear that the blue van would return to my dreams and make me wake in a panic.
Wow, that is a scary one. I don't doubt it was real at all. It sure makes you wonder what he was doing there. There was a girl abducted out of her window around my age when I was little. She lived across town, but to this day I hate sleeping on the first floor and won't let my kids. Weird what sticks with us. I'll watch out for that creepy man though!!
Lesley
creepy!!! you creeped me out just reading it! i would have been so scared. i got my dad up many a night because i thought i heard something outside. he would always go out and look around which freaked me out even more. now that i have kids it is even scarier because we have heard stuff outside and dh has seen someone walk by my ds window with a flash light before and when he went outside the guy took off into the woods across the street freaky!
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