Abby Connolly
Were you part of a family that was big into walks? I’m not just talking about the walks we all took during the COVID-19 pandemic to get out of the house, but walks around the neighborhood with your parents and/or siblings in the mornings or evenings as a way to spend time together.
One woman’s story of an evening walk she took with her mom that turned terrifying makes me want to think twice before leaving the house after dark.
This was back in the 80s when she was a high school student. She lived in a suburban fringe with her mom, dad, and brother. A suburban fringe is a suburban area or community that is often part of a more rural area.
So as she described her neighborhood, there were houses in the area but no sidewalks or streetlights. In addition, the houses in her neighborhood were surrounded by a wooded area.
That night, she and her mom decided to “walk-off dinner” and go on a nice stroll by themselves while the boys watched TV. It became pitch black outside on their walk, and all they had was one flashlight for getting around.
“Just as we turned the corner onto our street, we suddenly heard footsteps behind us,” she remembered.
“This was a bit weird, as we had just come from that way and hadn’t seen or heard anyone walking on that street or coming down the driveways.”
They brushed it off as a neighbor walking back to their house. But when she turned on the flashlight and pointed it at the person to see who it was, the mysterious figure did the exact same thing with their flashlight. That way, no one could see their face.
The stranger said nothing, so they continued to walk. Then, they heard the footsteps getting louder and closer, sounding like the footsteps of a man. She shined the light on him one more time. Once again, he shined a light right back into her face.
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