The Incident
The day had drawn to a close, the sun had settled behind the buildings and the moon was shining brightly in the sky with the stars. Zia had spent the day visiting her family and after having tea was now ready for bed in her pajamas. She wasn’t tired enough to sleep yet so she was happy to be spending the evening lazing on the couch watching some show she didn’t know on TV.
Her friend Tom was due to drop any time so she kept the wire door unlocked. Normally all the front doors would be locked and all the blinds closed, especially at night, but tonight she thought as the breeze was nice and she was content, the blind could stay up and the front wooden door open as well.
The only noise that could be heard apart from the wind outside was the sound coming from the TV. There had been times in her life that she had felt something was wrong or sensed something. Tonight she sensed something had changed, maybe it was the change in the wind but something was definitely different.
She slowly took her eyes off the screen and glanced around her. As her eyes went back to the show she was watching, a realization came. It dawned on her that something was different. Something had changed.
She glanced again to the right towards the unlocked wire front door and it took a few seconds, but she realized there was nothing but eyes starting back at her.
Sometimes you can tell just by looking into someone’s eyes if they’re male or female, well these eyes were definitely male. She took the briefest of moments to take her eyes off of his to search his face. While in this act she realized she could see nothing but his eyes. Something was covering his hair, cheeks, nose and mouth. For what seemed like hours, which was in actual fact, was only seconds; she continued to stare into those cold unblinking eyes.
As she was staring she thought, “Am I really seeing this? I am imagining this? Something must be holding these eyes up, something must be around those eyes.” She started to look toward the ground and just as she was half way down, she saw something that will never leave her memory. It was now forever etched into her mind. The man at the door was not moving except for his hand that was rapidly stroking his penis, up and down, up and down. Terror filled every part her, “he could get in anytime he wanted,” she thought. Fortunately the thought of breaking in didn’t seem to occur to him.
“AHHH!” Zia screamed as she leapt off the couch reaching out to slam the front wooden door. The split second she moved, he took off. She wasn’t sure where he ran to but he ran. Having him gone was one thing; him being able to see her still through all the open blinds wasn’t going to happen. Zia herself then ran around the house, shutting all the blinds, making sure all the windows and doors were locked and she found herself again near the front door.
At this point images ran through her mind as she fell to the floor with tears streaming down her face. With her back leaning against the wooden door she started to shake. A sudden thought flashed into her mind was that Tom wasn’t far away so she rang him on his mobile.
The first thing Tom told Zia to do upon hearing what happened was to hang up ring the police then ring her sister. Zia was to tell her sister, Cassie, what happen and to keep talking until either himself or the police showed up. She did as Tom said and through the terror, shaking and the tears, she made the calls she needed to.
While Cassie was trying to calm her down over the phone, there was a knock on the door so she told Cassie she would ring her back. Cassie being concerned it was the man again told her not to hang up until she knew who it was. She stayed on the phone to her sister and although she knew whom it would be, she didn‘t want to answer it for fear that the man with those cold, staring eyes was actually back. She looked through the peephole and told Cassie that Tom was here. She unlocked the doors and happily let him in.
As soon as he was through the door, he made sure that she was all right and said that he would be back in a minute before taking off at a run. Just as she was about to shut and lock the front doors she saw a police car pull up near the driveway. Tom stopped running and went to the car to let them know which house the call was for. Tom considered continuing to look for the man who he wanted to feel just as scared as his friend Zia did.
While Zia waited for the police to come to her door, there was no way was she going outside in the dark, she told Cassie the police were here and hung up the phone. Once everyone was inside she locked the door and sat on the couch waiting to explain again what happened. The woman taking her statement sat by her side and started asking her questions.
“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?” the policewoman, Anita, asked her. While trying to keep calm and breathe Zia told her that she was ok and no he didn’t physically hurt her. “Tell me what happened.” Guided Anita. “Well I turned to look out the door, which was unlocked and saw someone staring at me. He didn’t blink, he didn’t move, nothing. Then I saw that he was…” she trailed off, suddenly a little embarrassed. “Yes we know it’s ok. What happened next?” Anita said. “Well, then I rang Tom and the police.”
It was then a few more questions were asked and then she found out something she never knew. Apparently the old railway line out the back of her set of units was notorious for this sort of thing. Although she also lived next to a large paddock she never thought that this would happen to her. Sure she had heard about it and read about it but surely this couldn’t happen to her.
If you were to stand on the road you would see right into the lounge room and be able to see what was being shown on the TV. Zia lived in a set of about 40 single floor units, with the driveway to most of the units in a U shape and another single driveway in between the entrances. The single driveway lead to 2 units and this was the only way in or out of these 2 units apart from jumping the neighbors’ fences.
It turned out her neighbor had heard someone in the lawn section between the units behind ours. When she went out to look for the noise she saw a man running up the driveway towards the road. She saw Zia and asked if she was ok. As other neighbors had now come out to see what had happen, she felt safe enough to venture out of the house. While talking Zia found out one of the people there had heard a noise to the side and back of her unit and when she went out the back to see, a man was jumping over her back fence that abutted a large paddock.
Armed with all this information she realized the man must have been watching her from the road for a while to see if anyone else was home. Once he realized no one else was home, he grabbed the opportunity to get a cheap thrill at this young woman’s expense. The next day Zia and Tom went and brought a sensor light that screwed straight into the light socket. From now on anyone who approached the front door would set off the light, even though all her blinds and doors would be shut tight.
For weeks and months afterwards he walked with her back to the wall if she was walking in the dark from the carport to the front door. She was scared still but didn’t want to let him beat her. She was not going to place her life on hold because of those eyes, those cold, not blinking but staring at her eyes. She would get on with her life, she would continue to do the things she liked doing and wasn’t going to stay at home like a scared little rabbit afraid to come out of it’s hole.
Cindy Richmond (C) 18 August 2011
Her friend Tom was due to drop any time so she kept the wire door unlocked. Normally all the front doors would be locked and all the blinds closed, especially at night, but tonight she thought as the breeze was nice and she was content, the blind could stay up and the front wooden door open as well.
The only noise that could be heard apart from the wind outside was the sound coming from the TV. There had been times in her life that she had felt something was wrong or sensed something. Tonight she sensed something had changed, maybe it was the change in the wind but something was definitely different.
She slowly took her eyes off the screen and glanced around her. As her eyes went back to the show she was watching, a realization came. It dawned on her that something was different. Something had changed.
She glanced again to the right towards the unlocked wire front door and it took a few seconds, but she realized there was nothing but eyes starting back at her.
Sometimes you can tell just by looking into someone’s eyes if they’re male or female, well these eyes were definitely male. She took the briefest of moments to take her eyes off of his to search his face. While in this act she realized she could see nothing but his eyes. Something was covering his hair, cheeks, nose and mouth. For what seemed like hours, which was in actual fact, was only seconds; she continued to stare into those cold unblinking eyes.
As she was staring she thought, “Am I really seeing this? I am imagining this? Something must be holding these eyes up, something must be around those eyes.” She started to look toward the ground and just as she was half way down, she saw something that will never leave her memory. It was now forever etched into her mind. The man at the door was not moving except for his hand that was rapidly stroking his penis, up and down, up and down. Terror filled every part her, “he could get in anytime he wanted,” she thought. Fortunately the thought of breaking in didn’t seem to occur to him.
“AHHH!” Zia screamed as she leapt off the couch reaching out to slam the front wooden door. The split second she moved, he took off. She wasn’t sure where he ran to but he ran. Having him gone was one thing; him being able to see her still through all the open blinds wasn’t going to happen. Zia herself then ran around the house, shutting all the blinds, making sure all the windows and doors were locked and she found herself again near the front door.
At this point images ran through her mind as she fell to the floor with tears streaming down her face. With her back leaning against the wooden door she started to shake. A sudden thought flashed into her mind was that Tom wasn’t far away so she rang him on his mobile.
The first thing Tom told Zia to do upon hearing what happened was to hang up ring the police then ring her sister. Zia was to tell her sister, Cassie, what happen and to keep talking until either himself or the police showed up. She did as Tom said and through the terror, shaking and the tears, she made the calls she needed to.
While Cassie was trying to calm her down over the phone, there was a knock on the door so she told Cassie she would ring her back. Cassie being concerned it was the man again told her not to hang up until she knew who it was. She stayed on the phone to her sister and although she knew whom it would be, she didn‘t want to answer it for fear that the man with those cold, staring eyes was actually back. She looked through the peephole and told Cassie that Tom was here. She unlocked the doors and happily let him in.
As soon as he was through the door, he made sure that she was all right and said that he would be back in a minute before taking off at a run. Just as she was about to shut and lock the front doors she saw a police car pull up near the driveway. Tom stopped running and went to the car to let them know which house the call was for. Tom considered continuing to look for the man who he wanted to feel just as scared as his friend Zia did.
While Zia waited for the police to come to her door, there was no way was she going outside in the dark, she told Cassie the police were here and hung up the phone. Once everyone was inside she locked the door and sat on the couch waiting to explain again what happened. The woman taking her statement sat by her side and started asking her questions.
“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?” the policewoman, Anita, asked her. While trying to keep calm and breathe Zia told her that she was ok and no he didn’t physically hurt her. “Tell me what happened.” Guided Anita. “Well I turned to look out the door, which was unlocked and saw someone staring at me. He didn’t blink, he didn’t move, nothing. Then I saw that he was…” she trailed off, suddenly a little embarrassed. “Yes we know it’s ok. What happened next?” Anita said. “Well, then I rang Tom and the police.”
It was then a few more questions were asked and then she found out something she never knew. Apparently the old railway line out the back of her set of units was notorious for this sort of thing. Although she also lived next to a large paddock she never thought that this would happen to her. Sure she had heard about it and read about it but surely this couldn’t happen to her.
If you were to stand on the road you would see right into the lounge room and be able to see what was being shown on the TV. Zia lived in a set of about 40 single floor units, with the driveway to most of the units in a U shape and another single driveway in between the entrances. The single driveway lead to 2 units and this was the only way in or out of these 2 units apart from jumping the neighbors’ fences.
It turned out her neighbor had heard someone in the lawn section between the units behind ours. When she went out to look for the noise she saw a man running up the driveway towards the road. She saw Zia and asked if she was ok. As other neighbors had now come out to see what had happen, she felt safe enough to venture out of the house. While talking Zia found out one of the people there had heard a noise to the side and back of her unit and when she went out the back to see, a man was jumping over her back fence that abutted a large paddock.
Armed with all this information she realized the man must have been watching her from the road for a while to see if anyone else was home. Once he realized no one else was home, he grabbed the opportunity to get a cheap thrill at this young woman’s expense. The next day Zia and Tom went and brought a sensor light that screwed straight into the light socket. From now on anyone who approached the front door would set off the light, even though all her blinds and doors would be shut tight.
For weeks and months afterwards he walked with her back to the wall if she was walking in the dark from the carport to the front door. She was scared still but didn’t want to let him beat her. She was not going to place her life on hold because of those eyes, those cold, not blinking but staring at her eyes. She would get on with her life, she would continue to do the things she liked doing and wasn’t going to stay at home like a scared little rabbit afraid to come out of it’s hole.
Cindy Richmond (C) 18 August 2011