It was a warm summer evening as 12-year-old Andrew sat at his computer playing his favourite video game while his mother was away at her night class. He had grown to an age where his mother was confident at leaving her young son at home for a short time giving her the opportunity to take the extra classes she needed. The college was only a mile away and Andrew was such an intelligent young fellow.
Mom hadn’t been gone but 15 minutes when Andrew heard a loud crash coming from downstairs. Thinking his mother had returned, he walked out into the hallway to look down the stairway to the living room.
Terror gripped him as he noticed two men appeare in the shadows of the low lit room below his hidden viewing spot upstairs. They have broken into the house but they do not know I’m here, he thought as his breathing became heavy and body trembled in fear.
Without hesitating he quickly grabbed the phone sitting on the end table and hurried into the bedroom closet, closing the door so quietly as to not bring attention to his secure hiding place! Sitting on the closet floor and frozen, he listened in hope that the two men hadn’t heard him upstairs. He could hear them; talking and laughing while they walked about in confidence that they were able to pick and chose items around them to steal.
So, so quietly, Andrew dialed 911! “This is 911, what is your emergency?”
“They are in my house; they are downstairs,” he says, also whispering that he is in a bedroom closet. “Please send help!”
The 911 operator stayed on the phone with Andrew while he listened to the suspects rummaging around downstairs for what seemed to be hours to the panic-stricken young boy.
“Does it sound like they are coming up to your bedroom?” asked the 911 operator.
“No, I think they’re downstairs in the kitchen right now,” Andrew responds.
The scary situation turned even more terrifying when the boy realized that the two suspects had come up the stairs. Suddenly the closet door swung open and the two men with full face toques were face to face with hm.
“Please don’t hurt me,” the boy screamed as the 911 operator listened to the commotion.
“Hello, hello, are you ok Andrew, are you ok?” the 911 operator asks. “Yes, they’re running…….they saw me…..What do I do?
By the time the suspects reached the door to run, the police had surrounded the home. According to Police, a 36-year-old male and another 31-year-old male were arrested and charged with multiple felonies. As it turned out, both men have criminal records.
Luckily Andrew was not hurt. He and his mother were so very grateful for Andrew’s quick thinking in the midst of such terror and panic.
They would never forget this day and realize how quickly their peaceful lives can change to one of survival against the unexpected! Even at only 12 years old Andrew may never feel that sense of childhood innocence again!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/locked/
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT 
Another informative post Pat. Keep up the great work.
When I was young and in grade school my friends and myself would intentionally lock ourselves in our bedroom closets until the coast was clear. Our fathers were WWII vets and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress problems. At the time this was not recognized as a situation worthy of medical intervention.
Parental suqabbling, yelling, swearing, drunkeness and a host of other stress related problems were commonplace, everyday occurrences.
The closet for many of us was our refuge from the storm. The sliver of light tht got into our private sanctuary from the crack at the bottom of the door somehow assured us that we would be safe.
We also brought flashlights and comic books and snacks with us to ride out the anger sessions.
It was no permanent solution but it did fill our need at the time.
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Thank you so much for sharing this gc. I hope you will write about this very interesting memory in your blog. Isn’t it amazing how a story from one person can trigger memories like this for others? I always love your comments. 🙂
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