Hey, welcome back to the podcast.
I really hope you enjoy this episode and if you'd like to
hear more. Stories like these.
With a different background sound.
Please check the. Description to check out my.
Other two podcasts. And if you want to get rid of.
All of the ads. You can subscribe for just 299 a
month. Last thing.
I really appreciate you being. Here and I'd really love.
If you would follow the. Podcast and come back again
soon. Thank you so much, I hope you
enjoy. Approximately 2.
Years ago I was. Working as an engineer for a
relatively new company in my area, I hadn't been out of
school very long, but I was excited that my degree at least
seemed to be paying off so far the company.
I worked for had a. Large local client base and one
of our new contracts was developing and designing a new.
Set of exhibits for our local zoo.
On paper, it seemed like a fairly simple job, but one that
I found to be quite unique. Coming out of school, I didn't
ever think I'd. Be working for or.
At a zoo on a job, I always envisioned larger, more
commercial properties. For this job, we were going.
To have to work overnight so that the construction didn't
upset the animals during the day when the.
Zoo was filled with guests. We worked for about two weeks or
so. With no issues.
We did have to make a few adjustments to our original
plans or design, but it wasn't anything the construction team
couldn't handle. Every night around 3:00 AM we
would head to a local diner for a lunch break and some needed
food. But on this specific night.
I decided to stay back. And work on one of the more
complex locking mechanisms for one of the newly constructed
exhibits. I remember finishing up about 45
minutes later and noticed the crew had not.
Arrived back yet I started. Cleaning up my area when I
suddenly heard a noise almost sounding like someone bumping
into a workstation, like a scrape against the.
Floor, I just figured. It was one of my crew finally
getting back from their longer than normal break and continued
picking up my tools and scrap supplies.
No more than 30 seconds. Later I started to hear.
More noises. This time it sounded like
banging on the side of a door. Slightly annoyed, I made my way
to the door to make sure it wasn't a staff member or worse,
someone who should not be on the.
Property. I opened the door.
And saw nobody. Nothing was there.
I made my way through. The door over to the cafeteria
where chairs were out of place. And several tables have been.
Flipped over at this. Point.
I thought maybe a group of teenagers had snuck into the
property as it was well known to the public that our company was
working overnight construction at the zoo.
I yelled out and asked. Who's there?
To no response. At this point I began to get
angry because any damage that occurred on my watch would be my
responsibility and I knew my. Team would be careful.
To not disrespect our client and leave a mess.
Like this, as I proceeded through the cafeteria, I started
to hear little. Shuffles coming from the kitchen
area behind the counter. I was about. 10 feet from the
counter when my. Heart felt like it, literally.
Stopped beating in my chest. What I saw made me freeze in
fear. It almost felt like I could not
move. Like I was.
Stuck in a dream standing in front of me was 4 monkeys or
apes From what I remember. I counted at least four and they
seemed to be exploring the kitchen area.
My yelling must have alerted them because one or two of them
were staring at. Me, I tried to slowly.
And calmly make my way. Back toward the door.
The animals weren't enormous. But they were a good size.
And I had no idea if they were violent or docile when I was.
Just a couple. Feet from the door, the monkey
started howling and screaming like crazy.
They were screeching and started banging on the walls.
I turned and ran as fast as I could into the main office, to
my horror. At least two of the apes had.
Followed me and we're now banging on the door that I had
just shut behind myself. The sound of their cries and
wailing was so unsettling. I actually was starting to fear.
For my safety from the office I called my Co workers and told
them what happened and to stay at a safe distance upon their
return and I also called zoo management.
The authorities so they could. Handle what seemed to be wild
animals loose at the zoo after only about 10 minutes.
The proper authority showed up to take care of the situation.
At that point, the monkeys were no longer in my line of vision,
so I'm not. Sure how they captured them.
And got them back. To their exhibit after an.
Investigation into the matter It turns out that some of the work
that was being done at the zoo caused an electrical
malfunction. Which allowed a few.
Doors to come open at some of the exhibits.
Every time this story gets brought up, someone says that
the lion exhibit. Was left open.
And I am lucky it didn't escape and try to eat me.
Alive. I also get made fun of because
of my terror and reaction to the event.
Made the. Staff think that I was being
chased by 1000 LB gorillas when in reality it was a much smaller
species as much as. People like to joke about the.
Situation. It was a truly horrifying
experience. I know that this.
Is not your typical scary story, but when you're.
Staring at a wild animal. And they are looking right.
Back at you. It is completely rational to.
Fear for your safety. Or even your life.
Let me first. Preface this by saying that
terrible things don't just happen in the.
Movies, but in fact. They do happen in everyday
normal life. Most people are lucky enough to
go through life without any major encounters.
I had an experience that I would like to.
Share to see what people. Think was I rational in my
choices? Did I overreact?
What would you have done? I think hearing responses will
be therapeutic and perhaps help me get past the events of this
story. Last year, I attended college at
a major university on the southeastern coast of the
United. States I loved it so.
Much mainly because I didn't have to deal with snow or the
cold weather. I basically at hot or.
Warm weather every day, which was a huge change from the
climate I grew up in on this particular spring break from
school. I.
Decided to go home and visit my parents back in Maine.
I decided that I was going to. Try to drive the over. 20 hour
drive straight through, perhaps stopping for brief naps or food
along the way. At first this.
Seemed like an awesome idea. I could get there relatively.
Quickly and spend most of the time at home rather than
traveling. I spent most of the drive
listening to music and catching up on some of my favorite
podcasts, unfortunately. The trip would take a.
Terrible turn in Pennsylvania. I was driving through
Pennsylvania shortly after midnight and well.
My eyes started to get a little heavy.
And I was having a lot of trouble focusing on the road and
anybody who has driven through Pennsylvania knows.
That it's a hard drive. Even when you have complete.
Focus. It's always foggy.
And very mountainous with many twists and turns.
I decided that at the next. Rest area I would pull.
Over and at least rest my eyes. For an hour or two, just to be
safe. Well, I never made it to the
rest area. I dozed off for a second.
And I lost control of my small car and went right.
Off the side of the road through a guardrail.
And down to a small drop off Miraculously I wasn't injured
too badly, but my. Car was destroyed.
And I was completely surrounded by trees.
Not sure how to get back up and onto the highway.
Of course it was pitch. Black outside and the trees
consumed the entire area, blocking out most or pretty much
all of any natural light. I tried to remain calm and
ignore the terrible pain I was experiencing to try and call and
get some help. One problem, I could not find my
phone, it was in my cup. Holder, but after the crash it
was so dark. I couldn't find it anywhere
inside or outside of my car. I didn't think I was injured
badly as previously mentioned, but I wanted to use the
flashlight on my phone to make sure I didn't have any major
cuts or anything. I then decided my best course of
action at this point would be to see.
If it was possible. To climb back up the slight
decline that my car had fallen off of.
It seemed impossible in my condition and with the limited
visibility, it just wasn't a height I could reach at the
moment. And truth be told.
I was. Lucky that I was not injured
further after my car dropped down this thing.
Thankfully, the guardrail slowed my car down enough.
Realizing that climbing, driving or calling anybody was not an
option, I began to yell and scream for help, but as you can
imagine, it did nothing. There was no one around.
I slouched. To the side of my car and
finally started to feel real emotion.
I was scared. And cold.
And now the real fear finally started to make my.
Eyes fill up with. Tears.
I had no survival. Skills.
What was I going to do until morning, Just sit in a ball in
the fetal position? I decided that walking through
the wooded area until I can find an area to climb where maybe
there was a slight hill instead of the drop off where my car
was. Of course now in hindsight, my
best bet would have probably been to just stay put because
somebody in the morning would have noticed the accident and
phoned it in. Maybe even someone passing by in
the night and noticing the damage at.
The side of the road. As I grabbed some items from my
car, I heard a noise. It sounded.
Like the rustling of tree branches in footsteps.
Wait, footsteps. I hid on the other side of.
My car paralyzed in fear. What kind of animals did they
have in Pennsylvania? My first thought was a bear or
something like that. Is that how it was going to end?
Mauled. By a bear, however, what?
Actually presented itself in front of me was even.
More shocking, it was 3. Men coming out of the trees.
I couldn't make too much out, but all three of them had huge
beards. Looked like their clothes were.
Completely dirty and were carrying some kind of hunting
rifles. I wasn't.
Sure if I should yell for help or try to stay.
Hidden from these men for some crazy reason, my instincts were
telling me. To stay hidden, which seems like
the exact. Opposite thing you should do in
this situation. One of the men who.
Looked like the tallest of the three yelled.
Out in a raspy, rugged. Voice has anyone out there?
They didn't have any flashlights or anything.
So I decided to quietly. Sneak around to the other side
of my car and make a run for it into the woods.
As I. Slowly and very quietly made my
way around the. Car I was.
Wrestling with the idea in my. Head that these people probably.
Just wanted to help me and I was probably putting myself in more
danger by running into these. Woods, but the.
Demeanor and possibility of getting.
Shot was a. Chance that I did not want to
take. I was about 5 feet.
Cleared from the car when I started to Sprint and of course
in no time at all I brought noise and attention to myself.
The same man as. Before caught a glimpse.
Of me as I ran into the woods and screamed.
Hey get back here. I swear I heard the loud.
Boom of a. Gunshot I didn't hear.
It hit a tree or anything, I just remember hearing a loud
boom. I don't know what else it could
have been. I was terrified.
I. Heard them following me from
what seemed like several directions.
I heard one of them yelling something about private property
or restricted land or something of that nature.
I just kept running and running for about an hour until I
finally saw faint light shining through the trees.
It was a road that looked like it led.
To a small town. Or at least a few stores with
lights. I walked.
Into the gas station, feeling and looking bloody, battered and
bruised. The worker inside looked
baffled. And disgusted.
I told him to please call the police.
The police. Showed up in no time and my
parents were notified they were going to drive down and pick me
up as soon as they could, the police insisted.
I go to the local. Hospital, so my injuries.
Could be assessed. When talking to the police, I
told them everything about the three guys that came to the
scene and chased me with weapons.
Into the woods, the police. Said they would locate my car
and take a. Look.
To see if they could find anything or anyone.
My car was empty, everything had been stolen out of it.
Even some of the interior car parts had been removed.
Nothing else really came from this instant.
I didn't have any major injuries and my insurance.
Took care of the car. I now live back home with my
parents and attend school locally.
I try not to drive. At night if I don't have to.
I guess I have a. Phobia or something.
Now I am thankful. To be alive and well but still
have anxiety and terrible thoughts.
Pertaining to that night, spring break has always been one
of my favorite times of the year.
As a child, I. Used to vacation to the ocean or
sometimes even Disney World, and now as an adult, my wife and I
go on vacations together around the time the children are out of
school for spring break. For me, there is no better place
than the ocean at night. The way the moonlight glows on
the waves of the. Water.
And the sound of the waves crashing always gives me peace
of. Mind well this particular year.
My wife and I saved up a little extra money and rented a private
house right on the ocean. It was absolutely amazing.
Drinking my coffee on the ocean every morning and enjoying an
alcoholic beverage every night as the moon rose was truly
amazing. One day I passed out on the
beach. For a couple of hours.
Only to awaken with horrible nightmares.
They were strange and the only thing I remember is darkness and
screaming. A lot of.
Screaming my wife. Asked me if I was.
OK. And I said.
Yeah, just a little bit shook up.
That night, my wife. Went to bed fairly early.
But I could not sleep. Not sure if it was the long nap
I had taken earlier in the day or the horrible nightmares that
woke me from said nap. Either way, I wanted to clear my
head. So I decided to go for a.
Walk on the beach. As I kept.
Walking on the desolate beach, I approached something that
appeared to be glowing in the sand.
I started to approach quickly, but with a little bit.
Of caution. It was some sort of glowing red
ball. It's kind of.
Hard to describe, but I will do. The best I can.
It didn't look like cheap. Plastic it.
Literally. Was a glowing red.
Ball of light that didn't. Seem to have any actual?
Shape I. Stared rather intently until it.
Flashed so bright that it knocked.
Me down into the sand. The ball.
Flew up into the air. And shot.
Itself, out into the ocean and as.
It reached the horizon. There was a huge blast of light.
Within seconds, the sky. Looked as if it was.
Storming, but there was no. Rain.
I saw all. Sorts of colors in the sky and a
lot of red. Flashes that I could.
Only describe as looking like heat.
Lighting, but these flashes were.
Lighting up the entire sky. As I.
Watched all the intense. Flashes of light.
Before I knew it. I blacked out completely.
The next thing I remember is my wife waking me up the next
morning in a frantic panic because she didn't.
Know where I was I. Tried explaining to her what I
had witnessed but. She said I was just.
Dreaming and was upset with me that I wandered off last night,
accusing me of getting drunk and passing out.
But it's important to note that I don't get drunk and I would
never just wander off and not come back.
Something I can't explain happened that night.
Can someone let me know what I experienced?
Could it have been just a vivid dream?
That I passed out has. Anyone else experienced
something similar? Either way, I know that I don't
have the same affinity for oceans and vacations.
As I did before this occurrence during the early 2000s when I
was attending law school, I worked nights delivering pizza
for one of the national chains. I had done something similar
when I was younger and attending my local Community College.
Anytime I found myself sorely in need of quick cash, that was the
avenue I would choose. Despite the many stories I have
heard questioning the safety of the job, I never had a single
run in with a thief. I'm sure back in the early days
it could be a little dangerous, but by the time I joined the
game, companies have learned that implementing practices such
as limiting the driver to $20 lowered the chance of hold UPS
drastically. Even though I was never a victim
of a robbery, I did have one or two scary incidents I could
write about. The worst of these happened to
me back in the 2000s. I was very familiar with the
city I was living in at the time.
Moving there after junior college and delivering for
several places over the last five years had made me intimate
about almost every nook and cranny of the place.
However, one evening I would be called to an address that I, nor
any of the other drivers even knew existed.
When the order came in, I went straight to the map to find the
address, but it wasn't there. Not even the GPS on my phone
showed it. We didn't have any no delivery
areas at that time so I had to take it despite my misgivings.
Theoretically the place would have existed if the road
continued for 10 more blocks. So I turned on to said Rd. a
block before it's ending and followed it S Sure enough, a
newly paved Rd. began where the old one should have ended.
For what seemed like miles, I continued on this new section of
Rd. Nothing stood on either side of
it, and I didn't pass another car the whole time.
How the state managed to build it without a single report of
its creation leaked to the media had me bewildered.
The five years I've been driving all over this city, I've not
known this part existed. In one way I was very excited
seeing all of it, like a Victorian explorer tracing the
source of the Nile, but at the same time a deserted Rd. popping
up out of nowhere gave me a chill down my spine.
It must have been a good 10 minutes before the house in
question appeared in the distance.
I couldn't understand why someone would build a house out
here in the middle of nowhere with no way to reach it.
When I got closer, I could see that the house had to be at
least 15 years old or more and probably had not been repaired
since then. No cars were around and for a
moment I thought the house was abandoned, but I could see that
the front door was wide open behind the rickety old screen.
Everything looked to be above board, so I grabbed the pizza
and headed for the door. I knocked on the screen door but
got no answer. I could see what appeared to be
a young female walking around the kitchen.
When I knocked a second time, I heard a female voice say to come
in. Despite my reservations, I
stepped just inside the house and waited in a small foyer.
I had learned from other drivers early on not to enter an
unfamiliar house, but I had yet to see anything to concern me.
I assumed the woman would be coming out soon to pay me.
Instead, I overheard an unseen man whisper call him into the
kitchen. When I heard that, I fled from
the place as fast as I could. I was so freaked out.
I got back to the restaurant and half the time it took me to get
to the house. After I told my boss what had
just occurred, he called the police.
All the excitement had me rattled, so my boss sent me home
for the day. My phone rang a few hours later.
It was the police. They had called to let me know
what they had found. Whoever had been there was gone.
Even though the place had more than likely been abandoned for a
while, they did find evidence that people had just recently
been inside. This was stuff my boss had
already told them. However, they did shed light on
where the road came from and why the house was the only building
on an otherwise deserted area. The state had been trying to
purchase the land on which the new section of road and house
were for 20 years, but the landowner would not sell.
They even tried to use eminent domain to get it, but a judge
blocked it around 2 years before the owner passed and his
children finally sold the land to the state.
They were so happy to get the land after all that time.
The construction on the road was started immediately.
It technically had yet to be formally open, but locals had
already began using it anyway. This was good to know, but I
still wondered how the two people knew about the empty
house sitting in the middle of nowhere.
This was something the officer didn't know, of course.
We could only assume they drove past it and decided it would be
as good a place as any to ambush a delivery driver.
Even $20.00 is a good score if you're desperate enough, he
said. From personal experience, people
had killed for much less. The officer left me with one
good piece of news, though. The county had slated the old
house to be demolished in the coming week, so no other poor
delivery driver would be let out there to be robbed or worse.
Two days later I was driving down the brand new road which I
was now using as a shortcut across town and witnessed the
houses destruction. A load was being lifted from my
shoulders right before my eyes. Never again would I enter a
customer's home or even deliver to an area in which I was not
well versed. Because my parents had separated
before I was born, I spent my time growing up between each of
their houses. Each summer until I turned 19, I
stayed with my dad in rural Missouri.
He had grown up in the area himself and most of his family
still live there. Without much to do, like going
to the movies and stuff, I would fill my days hanging out with my
older cousin and getting into mischief.
Many of our long summer days were taken and wandering the
surrounding woods. On one of these journeys, we
came across a Big Lake setting quietly by itself out in the
middle of nowhere. The water was crystal clear and
filled with tons of monstrous fish.
We asked the adults if they were aware of its existence, but none
had heard of it. That was probably the reason for
it having so many large fish. No one living in the area had
fished it and any who had in the past allowed its location to be
lost. We would fish the pond 3 or 4
times, coming away with a Stringer full of lunkers on each
occasion. On the 5th occasion we hoped to
accumulate enough for a big family fish fry.
The summer holiday was starting to wind down and we figured a
fish fry would be a great way to cap it off.
It was a warm Saturday morning when we headed out.
We started about an hour before sunup because the walk in took
over an hour. Besides, the fish stopped biting
by the hottest part of the day and we hoped to get back to my
dad's house by early afternoon. The beautiful side of the pond
came into view around dawn. It didn't take long for us to
get our first bites, and for the next three hours the fish came
quickly one. After another our limit.
Was caught by 10:45 and I was rearing to get going.
We had a 90 minute walk back with 2/5 gallon buckets packed
to the top with fish, so I imagined another 30 could be
added to that. To my displeasure, my cousin
thought it would be refreshing to take a dip in the lake before
we left. He tried to pressure me into
joining him but I didn't know how to swim at the time.
I just wanted to get back, but he was older than me so he was
in charge. I plopped my tail onto a rock
and waited while he did his thing.
There was an old rope tied to a tree, probably from 100 years
ago, and he wanted to swing from it.
It looked unsafe to me. However, my concerns were
laughed off and he stripped down to his boxers, setting his
clothes on the ground next to me.
He climbed the tree a little way and grabbed the rope, pushing
off. He swung out just a short
distance before the ropes snapped right above him.
He had made it out far enough to hit the deep water, but probably
not as far as he intended. When he hit the water, his body
made a dull thud sound. It certainly didn't sound normal
and likely hurt. I was planning on laughing at
him and saying I told you so. But as the seconds passed, he
never resurfaced. The situation was quickly
becoming scary. I looked around to see if he
came up somewhere farther away, perhaps floating unconscious
because of the hard contact with the water, but still nothing.
I was beginning to panic and waited out as far as I dare,
looking into the water for him. Unfortunately, the water became
so cloudy with every step I took and made it impossible to see.
Soon it was clear to me that he had drowned.
How, I had no idea. Perhaps if I could have swam
back then, I may have been able to help him, but it was too late
now. I was helpless to do anything
more than pick up and head home. On the entire walk back, a small
nugget of hope lingered in the back of my mind that maybe he
had tricked me and he would pop out at some point.
This did not happen, however, and the dread I carried of
telling my family grew with each step.
I tried several times to find the words, but with each attempt
I would break down and choke on my tears.
Ultimately, I could only manage. Mark drowned.
They got the point and after once I was able to pull myself
together, I LED my dad and my uncle back to the pond.
Mark's body was still nowhere to be found.
With no other options, we went into the Sheriff's Office to
report the drowning. When I realized where we were
headed, I started freaking out. In my young mind, I thought I
was going to get in trouble or be blamed for my cousin's death.
It took a few minutes, but they were able to convince me that I
was not in trouble. Even after they had.
I couldn't help but feel guilty every time I looked at my uncle,
regardless of what he claimed. I couldn't believe that he did
not blame me, even if it was just a small amount.
I explained what happened to the sheriff and the search began the
next morning. Just by chance, that was the day
I was going back to my mom's. That Monday night, my mom sat me
down to tell me that a team of divers had found Mark's body
earlier that day. When they discovered him, one of
his feet were hung up on a sunken log, so they assumed that
was why he never surfaced. I wish I could say this made me
feel better, but it didn't. It did, however, serve as a
catalyst to learn how to swim. The guilt of not being able to
help My cousin stayed with me for most of my life, and I never
wanted to be in the position of not being able to help another
person ever again. So in a twisted kind of way, his
death had a positive impact on my life.
However, if I had the choice, I'd prefer that he still be with
us. This is the story of the day I
learned to really trust my instincts.
What I refer to is nothing metaphysical.
But rather an. Educated gut feeling based on
our life lessons and general alertness.
I say that because my family made sure to teach me about bad
people, but I think it was my own instincts that potentially
saved me from a terrible trauma. When I was around six or seven,
my grandparents lived in a big city on an apartment building
that had three apartments per floor.
My grandma was good friends with the next door neighbor, which
was a middle-aged woman named Marley.
She lived with her also middle-aged husband, who I'll
call Theo. When I say next door, I mean
their door was glued to my grandma's.
The corridor was small and cramped, with a security metal
door separating my grandma's and Marley's door from the rest.
Since the town was very dangerous, this metal door
served as extra protection for both apartments.
Theo was a big, quiet man with a round belly.
He had a classic mustache and never really visited my
grandma's apartment when Marley did.
Therefore, I don't think my parents nor grandparents were
that familiar with him. I used to visit my family every
weekend and sometimes my 5 year old cousin would be over as
well. We were both generally quiet
girls and we often played together around the apartment.
Being the eldest, I was always given the responsibility to take
care of my cousin. She could be very difficult to
control sometimes, but I tried my best and thank God I did.
One afternoon we were playing when my grandma announced that
she was going out with Marley. I don't remember where my
parents and granddad were, but they were not home.
It was OK for me to stay a few hours by myself since my grandma
wouldn't take long and my mom had taught me from an early age
to be very independent. The apartment wouldn't be locked
though, because the outer metal door would.
My grandma used to say that if I ever needed any help, I could
call Marley or Theo. I never wanted to actually need
them because that would mean an emergency or something scary
like that, but I felt a sense of safety knowing there were adults
nearby. That sense of safety could not
be more wrong. Everyone left and me and my
cousin stayed by ourselves. It was really hot that day and
we were wearing light summer clothes.
I don't recall the exact reason, but sometime.
Later, my cousin decided. She would go over to Marley's
apartment and play over there. I guess she was bored or
something like that and decided to venture over to the unknown
as she put it. Instantly I knew this was a bad
idea. I had never been over to their
place, but something hit my gut the wrong way when my cousin
suggested that. I can't explain that feeling of
dread, but I do remember how unwilling I was to go and how I
tried to convince her otherwise. My cousin, however, didn't
listen to me and just ran over, knocking on their door.
I heard Theo's deep voice inviting us in, and we did.
The apartment itself was very standard for the 90s.
Wooden furniture, bad art on the walls, dinner table with some
ugly centerpiece, et cetera. Nothing creepy about it.
What was creepy, though, was how Theo stared at us from the
start. He was sitting on a lounge
chair, wearing a white buttoned shirt with the top buttons
opened. He was sweaty and it showed on
his clothes and hair. I remember this in detail
because I felt immediately grossed out.
Without taking his eyes off of me, Theo greeted us, inquiring
about our visit and whatnot. Trying to appear friendly.
I held my cousin's hand as we stayed in the middle of the
living room, kind of testing the ambiance I wanted to bolt out of
there. But my cousin was very curious
and started to walk around exploring the cabinets, tables,
and decor. All the while Theo was rambling
on about things I don't really recall.
My cousin was still exploring and answering things
sporadically. Suddenly, Theo said something
that made my chest explode with a sudden release of tension.
He called me pretty, cute and polite.
He asked if I wanted to sit on his lap and smiled.
I hate to recall this moment because it felt like some kind
of violence was imminent. My instincts were screaming that
this was a dangerous place to be.
Finally, I managed to say no thanks and turned around.
My cousin was nowhere to be seen.
Anger and fear boiled inside of me.
What if this huge sweaty man decided to grab us?
What if he did something bad or locked us up forever?
These were possibilities in my head while I looked for my
cousin and called her name. I finally found her looking at
something in the kitchen. She asked why I was crying and
that's when I realized it myself.
This was how nervous I felt around Theo.
I think he might have been calling for us, trying to lure
us back closer to him, but I don't remember.
I guess he had a bad leg or knee because he didn't move much or
get up. All I know is that I didn't run,
but firmly grabbed my cousin by her arm and dragged her back to
our grandma's apartment. I couldn't lock the door so in
my childish desperation I created a barrier with a bunch
of chairs and waited until my family came home.
My cousin was upset but she quickly forgot about it.
When my mom arrived I was very nervous but managed to tell her
for some weird reason I felt really ashamed.
However, she wasn't mad at me but was incredibly concerned and
told me I did the right thing because any adult who did
something like that was not to be trusted.
Of course, we were consequently prohibited to go over to Marley
and Theo's apartment or even talk to them.
I didn't mind one bit. I actually welcomed this
decision. So far, the encounter would have
been creepy enough to any child or teenager, but it got worse.
A few years later, after my mom had a chance encounter with
Marley when she was on vacation, my mom was traveling with my
aunt and they were having breakfast at the hotel when they
spotted Marley from a distance. Mom tells me that she didn't say
hello, just pointed Marley out to my aunt and nothing more.
But then my aunt casually mentioned that Marley was alone
because her husband Theo had been arrested a few years back.
He had been given a long sentence, so the case was pretty
serious. He was arrested for being a
predator. My mom was shocked because she
had no idea he was in jail. She called me right away and
told me I was already a teenager but still felt a knot in my
stomach. Remembering that afternoon with
my cousin. Marley even tried to say hello
to my mom, but my mom just ignored her and stepped away.
It serves Marley right, because the story is that she knew what
Theo did and kept quiet. To this day, whenever I think of
that tense, dreadful encounter with Theo, I am drenched with
disgust, but thankfully, also with relief.
Yeah. Yeah.