I woke up to a faint noise from outside the bedroom. I looked to my side, my two siblings are sleeping beside me. No one else was in the house, who or what could have made that noise?
I was just 12 years old. My parents had to travel for a night for a long sought opportunity, it could not be helped.
“We will be back, tomorrow. Take good care of your younger ones.” they said.
I locked the whole house and locked ourselves in the room as well.
I have always been a light sleeper, even faint sounds can wake me up from sleep. I didn’t know exactly what woke me up yet, but it was not long I figured out. I could hear noises… someone is in the house! I looked at my younger ones, they are soundly asleep.
Who is in the house? What do they want?
What is even more horrifying is that the sound gets louder, which could only mean one thing- the intruder is moving closer to our room! I look around the house, the only thing I can figure out in the dark room is an umbrella. Hardly a weapon. But it is the best I could lay my hands on.
Is the person a thief? Or worse? Do they know there are no adults in the house? Most likely, since this is the first time I’ll experience having an intruder in the house. The sound gets louder, I picked up the umbrella and moved stealthily to the back of the door. I’ll strike as hard as I could, maybe target the head. The room is dark, but I knew it like the back of my hand. An advantage for me, hopefully.
I am shaking. Did I mention I was 12? Besides, now that I think about it, what damage can an umbrella possibly do? The intruder will be stunned at most, but he’ll surely regain his composure. So what will I do then? I looked again at the bed, my siblings are my responsibility, I can’t forgive myself if anything happened to them.
*Fight or Flight? There is no where to take flight to. *
However, this is too much for me to handle.
The sound started growing fainter, and eventually I didn’t hear it anymore. I stood there for what seems like an hour. I can not make out what the time was, and I can’t put on the light else I’ll risk blowing our cover. After a long time it was obvious the intruder had left.
It was such a long night, the morning light took forever to brighten. I didn’t know when I slept off. I woke up to the sound of our neighbor fetching water. It was bright morning. I unbolted the bedroom door to narrate what happened to him. There is no change in the living room, so what- wait, the laptop is gone!
So it was a thief, I looked up and saw an opening in the ceiling. I unlocked the doors and stepped out to meet our neighbor. He was shocked, he entered and saw the ceiling.
“When did it start, what did you see? We’re you scared?” Asked Mr. Neighbor. I took the time to explain it all to him, he has always been a friend.
Immediately he put a call through to my parents, I explained that we are all fine. They would get back in the afternoon.
A lot of “what ifs” played out in my head as I grow up. What if the intruder had decided to force open the bedroom door and enter? What would I have done? I certainly would not be a match.
However, at such tender age I had to feel the need to protect my siblings, not from bullies in school but an intruder in the midnight.
It was a fight I couldn’t have run from.
Sometimes, you have to fight when you are a man. Sometimes you just can’t turn the other cheek.