Sunday, October 9, 2005

I want Emily to read this. I don't think I have sent this to you
before.....




Footsteps Online ...
>
> 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 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 online. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213.
>
> She checked her Buddy List and 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
cuz'
> I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
>
> GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out online. 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
>
> GoTo123: What is your team called?
>
> ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our
> uniforms. They are really cool.
>
> GoTo123: Did you pitch?
>
> ByAngel213: No, I play second base. I've 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
>
> Meanwhile ..... GoTo123 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 because
she
> had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 PM 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 eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him
all
> this in the conversations they had online. He had enough information
to
> find her now.
>
> 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 the back of her shirt. He knew
he
had
> found her.
>
> Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. 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 has just told us a
most
> interesting story about you." Shannon sat back. 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 a police officer and your online 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 online 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 and to teach you how
> dangerous it is to give out too much information to people
online.
>
> 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 online. 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. 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
> thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a
tragic
> situation.

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