Shannon
could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home. The thought of
being followed made her heart beat faster. "You're being silly," she
told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe she began to walk
faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back
and she was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God
please get me home safe." She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest
of the way to her house. Once inside she leaned against the door for a moment,
relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if
anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty.
After
tossing her books on the sofa she decided to grab a snack and get online. There
she could talk to strangers without being afraid. After all, none knew who she
really was and couldn't hurt her. She logged on under her screen name
ByAngel213. Checking her Buddy List she saw GoTo123 was on.
She sent
him an instant message:
ByAngel213:
Hi I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was
really weird!
GoTo123:
LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live
in a safe neighborhood?
ByAngel213:
Of course I do LOL I guess it was my imagination cause didn't see anybody when
I looked out.
GoTo123:
Unless you gave your name out on line You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213:
Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123:
Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213:
Yes and we won!!
GoTo123:
That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213:
We played the Hornets LOL.. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees LOL
GoTo123:
What is your team called?
ByAngel213:
We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really
kewl.
GoTo123:
Do you pitch or what?
ByAngel213:
No I play second base. I got to go.. My homework has to be done before my
parents get home. I don't want them mad at me Bye
GoTo123:
Catch you later.. Bye
GoTo123
decided it was time to teach Angel a lesson. One she would never forget. He
went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up he
highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down
what he knew about Angel so far. Her name: Shannon, Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
age:13 State where she lived: North Carolina Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating
and going to the mall. Besides this information he knew she lived in Canton. She
had just told him, He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 every afternoon
until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday
afternoons on the school team and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her
favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh
grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in the
conversations they had on line. He had enough information to find her now. "She'll
be so surprised," he thought, "she doesn't even know what she has
done."
Shannon
didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park
that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home
from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the
worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers
and sisters her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By
Thursday Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. Her game was
in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that
the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man
watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he
smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed
the fear she had felt.
After
the game he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his
smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He
noticed her name on back of the shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly he
walked a safe distance behind her. He didn't want to frighten her and have to
explain what he was doing to anyone. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home
and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go
to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time
to make his move.
Shannon
was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.
"Shannon,
come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine
why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the
sofa. "Sit down," her father began, "This man is a policeman and
he has just told us a most interesting story about you." Shannon moved cautiously
to a chair across from the man. How could he tell her parents anything? She had
never seen him before today!
"Do
you know who I am Shannon?" The man asked.
"No"
Shannon answered.
"I
am your on line friend, GoTo123."
Shannon
was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14 and he
lives in Michigan!"
The man
smiled. "I know I told you all that but it wasn't true. You see Shannon
there are people on line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while
others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do
it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how
dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on line. You told me
enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school
you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number
and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze." Shannon was
stunned.
"You
mean you don't live in Michigan?"
He
laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so
far away, didn't it?"
She
nodded.
"I
had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy
found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to
tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on line. The wrong
people trick you into giving out information a little here and there online. Before
you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even
realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't
do it again."
"I
won't," Shannon promised solemnly.
"Will
you tell others about this so they will be safe too?"
"It's
a promise!"
That
night Shannon and her dad and Mom all knelt down together and prayed. They
thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic
situation.
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