Stranger Danger

I've decided to go back and look over all that I've written in my daybook for class. For some reason, I'm reflecting on many different things in my life. I've actually noticed that I do this every once in a while (maybe this is how I keep my ego in check). However, I chose the entry that I titled "Stranger Danger" which is about an event in my childhood that changed my life.

When I was seven years-old, I was playing in the driveway of my house. I then noticed a man taking pictures of houses just on the other side of the street. Out of curiosity, I approached him and asked him what he was doing. In response, he said that he was a photographer and he's trying to find the construction area that is further into our neighborhood (I am seven so that didn't sound weird at the time).

I chose to help him out and show him where the construction area was.

The walk itself isn't far from my house, it's just down the road and to the left. I took him to the corner just before someone would take a left and pointed out the construction area. He then asked me if I wanted to join him on exploring.

This is the part where I thank god for instincts. All that I knew at the time was that something was wrong. So, I told him the most convincing lie I have ever spoken to this day. I said to this man that I had to get back and eat lunch otherwise my parents get the neighbors to help look for me. Therefore, after saying goodbye to him, we went our separate ways.

Immediately, I went home and told my dad about him because I knew that he was acting strange. My dad called an officer who then came down to take my statement. The stress I was under and the fear that I was in the wrong caused me to tell the officer that he took a picture of me and ran off (He did ask for a picture of me before we went our separate ways, by the way). I think if I said what really happened then the officer would have done a patrol of the neighborhood or something. Instead, he left and I never heard anything about this man again.

All that I heard were rumors that my friend at the time told me. Rumors suck, just so you know.

I was told that they caught the same guy taking pictures of little kids at a pool just down the street. I decided not to think about it at the time. Yet, it all came back to me during middle school when another friend of mine described a scary event that took place just a few days prior.

He told me about how this little girl, that looked exactly the way I did when I was seven, was following him around the neighborhood. They came across this homeless man that fit the description of the man who I remember. This homeless man (which I now believe isn't the same person) had seen the little girl and started to come towards them. They called the police once they got away and there was nothing else.

However, when my friend told me this, I had a near panic attack. All those thoughts and memories of the close call I had came back and I was left with a large puddle of confusion, guilt, and much more. At the time, I felt as if I put a guilty man away or that the man was guilty and went after someone who looked like me. I was so confused and I didn't know what to do. I had an anger management problem at the time and that got worse because of all of this.

Now, however, I know better than to doubt that this stranger from my past wasn't in the wrong and was, in fact, up to no good.

I had to figure out if I had to live with the thought of putting an innocent man in trouble with the police or not. I had to figure out if I was a good person and where I stand in life, morally. I had to figure all of this out in middle school because leaving it alone would have caused me to become an emotional wreck. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever gone through.

The good that came out of this though was that I came out stronger, more mature, and wiser. I know better now and that shows in everything I do. The confusion and guilt I went through are remembered but I don't experience that at all anymore. It has made me stronger but I always am amazed at how close I came to having something really bad happen to me.

To think all of these thoughts and emotions were caused just by a close call. I am so glad that nothing else happened because I think that I wouldn't have been able to handle the aftermath as well as I had.

I had to get this out because I'm in one of my reflecting moods once again and I like to see what will make me into a better person. I also want to tell you all my short story on this traumatic event (for a seven year-old). It's incredible how short events that really don't physically harm you can have such an impact on your lives. Especially when those events occur during your childhood.