An Eventful Night

As I so boldly told everyone in my last post, Josh is gone for the weekend. My blog is private, and as far as I can tell, no one reads it that I don't trust. After last night though I'm beginning to think I'm entirely too trusting in general.

Alia and I headed down to bed at about 10:20 with not a care in the world. I've been doing much better about sleeping when I'm home alone, so I wasn't nervous or afraid at all. I know better than to feel that way again. I read for awhile while Alia fell asleep and promptly started snoring very loudly. I decided I'd had enough of that at midnight so I moved her outside my bedroom door. I went back to bed and fell deeply asleep. Seemingly minutes later, I woke up to Pepper's odd barking. She didn't even sound like the same dog. Her bark was very low, and she didn't let up at all. Usually she'll bark about five times, stop until you're almost back to sleep again, and then bark four or five more times for what seems like forever. She barely stopped growling even when she was taking a breath. I decide I'd better get up, and let her in before the neighbors called to complain.

I turned the light on in the garage and went over to the door to make sure it was closed since last time I let her in there she was out all night from the door not being shut all the way. It was closed securely and locked so I opened her doggy door and let her in. She was shaking like a leaf, poor baby. As I went down the stairs I turned around to talk to her and love on her a minute and she wouldn't let me go back up the stairs. I said, "Fine!", shut the light off and came inside locking the door behind me. As I was closing the laundry room door, I heard a noise that sounded like the wind had picked up and was blowing our patio table and chairs around. I froze in the hallway and just listened. It was quiet for a second, and then Pepper started going crazy again. I ran to my room, got a flashlight and the phone and started to come up the stairs. When I got to the landing I was looking at the shadows of the branches on the stained glass on either side of the door, and they were completely still. No hint of wind. About that time I started to get scared. As I was standing there, the screen door was flung open like the wind had caught it and someone started banging on my door.

I flipped the outside light on, and the guy didn't even flinch. I put my hand on the doorknob, and then thought to myself "Are you INSANE?? You're not going to open this door!" So I put both hands against the door instead and asked the man if there was something I could do for him. He said, "Um, a gallon of gas?" To make a long story short, I repeated myself often saying "I'm sorry but you're going to have to go to the next house. I don't have any gas to give you." He seemed confused about which house I was wanting him to go to, and kept looking across the highway instead of the street in front of my house. He kept saying "I don't see another house over there. I'm so embarrassed. I'm sorry for having woken you up. Are you sure you can't just open the door and get me a gallon of gas?" I told him to turn around and go the opposite direction he was facing. He didn't make a move to leave and kept asking me, "Please, I just need a gallon of gas. Are you sure you don't have any?" I finally just stopped talking to him, and I saw him turn around and go down the sidewalk. I ran up the stairs and looked out the window and never saw him again. I'm pretty sure he went around to the driveway. As I walked into our living room I saw lights from squad cars. Two were surrounding his vehicle on the highway in a triangle as he had left his van in the middle of the road on a bridge where there was little or no shoulder. They had obviously been there the entire time he was at my house. As I was dialing 911 a fire truck and ambulance arrived. During the call they loaded someone into the ambulance on a gurney. The dispatcher asked me all kinds of questions and told me that the man still hadn't been located, and he had left someone who needed medical attention alone in the vehicle. They asked me to call them right away if he came back, and to not answer the door. I called my mom as soon as I hung up. She headed over here right away, and talked to me the whole time. A squad car pushed the van onto the street in front of our house to get it out of the road, and left it in front of our field. Four police cars had search lights on driving up and down the side streets. An officer came to my door, and told me that they would stop by or call if they found the guy. Right before my mom arrived they had gotten out of their vehicles and were walking all around our property with the police dogs and powerful flashlights. They stayed outside my house until about 2:45 a.m. Between about five and six this morning, someone came and took the van. We don't know if it was towed or if the man came and got it. As far as we know, he still has not been found. I do praise the Lord for safety. He could have very easily gotten in if he really wanted to.

I am now fully prepared for unexpected visitors in the middle of the night. I'm armed with pepper spray, and a dog who's had enough of people prowling around. BEWARE!