something to think about
By Johnny Angel
PLEASE READ AND PASS IT ON TO YOUR KIDS (and friends)
Something to think about...
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 on
line. There she could talk to strangers without being afraid. After all,
no
one 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 I
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
GoThere123: 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.
N Prayer,
Johnny <*}}}><