[Music] [Music] [Music] one morning when I was in elementary school probably third or fourth grade I was awoken by my mom in a rush she had overslept and since she always woke me up in the mornings this meant that I too had overslept and now there was no way I would be ready in time to catch the bus my school started at 8 a.m. and the bus pickup time was around 7:00 but it was already 6:40 and I was still in my pajamas and I hadn't even had breakfast yet so my mom decided that today
she would just tell the bus driver to go ahead and she would take me to school that day which would give me plenty of time to get ready so I'm sitting there in the dining room eating breakfast stealing my pajamas and it's now around 6:50 we hear the bus pull up about 10 minutes earlier than usual my mom Peaks her head out of the door into the foggy morning and waves the bus on she closes the door and comes back inside but the bus does not pull away a short time later we hear a knock
at the door my mom opens it and finds a man in a bus driver's uniform he explains that he's a substitute driver because the regular guy called in sick he tells my mom he knows he's a few minutes early explaining that he wanted an early start since he didn't know the route too well my mom explains to him that she's going to take me to school herself since we had woke up late the man gets visibly upset and says that he could wait for a few minutes since he's already running ahead of schedule my mom
insists and says that I won't be ready to go in a few minutes and tells him to go on ahead I remember that the man seemed angry about this but turned around got back on the bus and left I returned to eating my breakfast and I still don't have my school clothes on at this point but at 7:00 a.m. sharp another bus pulls up to my house mom thought it was weird and goes outside to talk to them she comes back inside looking absolutely terrified but doesn't say anything about it and just tells me to
finish up and start getting ready for school at the time I didn't know what happened but Mom would end up explaining a few years later when she went to the second bus she found that it was being driven by the regular bus driver and it was full of the other kids that are usually on my route the other bus was empty by the way my mom asked the driver about the substitute and about him calling in sick I never called in sick there's no substitute driver on my route he said the driver immediately called dispatch
in a panic and told my mom to go back inside and call the police to report this incident which she did without me knowing there was absolutely no one covering for my bus driver that day whoever it was was most likely a kidnapper who had targeted me I never heard anything about it again or even if someone else have been abducted by this mysterious fake bus driver but chances are if my mother hadn't overslept that day I would have never made it to school or back home this happened in the 9s when I was growing
up my mom was a horrible addict she barely took care of me as a kid at the time of this incident I was around 6 or 7 years old so my awareness and understanding of things may not totally make sense one night my mother and I were on a car ride I wasn't sure where where we were going but it was late at night looking back now I assume it was very late because there weren't many other cars on the road and I was resting in the back seat I don't even remember getting into the
car my mom drove up to some sketchy house and left me in the back seat for what felt like forever suddenly the car door swung open and someone violently grabbed me by my arm and yanked me out of the car I began screaming crying until the man looked at me in my eyes and said be quiet don't try to run or I'll kill you he had a scruffy beard and he looked absolutely insane I was scared to death So I listened he held me tight by my arm shut the car door and walked with me
down the street I looked back at the house my mom was in hoping that she would come out at the last second and save me I stared at the house for as long as I could as the man dragged me further and further away as I walked down the street I wanted to cry but I was still in shock and too scared to do anything I didn't even know what I was supposed to do so I sniffled and cried as the man tightened his grip and yelled at me I can't even describe just how frightened
and confused I was we walked for a little while longer and ended up in the projects it was a bunch of buildings crammed together in a very shitty neighborhood we walked into one of the buildings and up a flight of stairs my legs and feet were hurting like hell at this point but I was still too scared to stop moving or complain we climbed up another flight of stairs when I saw some random guy smoking a cigarette in the hallway then without warning the guy that had kidnapped me fell to the ground happened so fast
the next thing I remember the man that was smoking the cigarette was punching and kicking the kidnapper in his head and his face he then knocked him out cold the cigarette Guy picked up the kidnapper by the back of his jacket and threw him down the stairs a little kid witnessing this kind of violence an unconscious man being thrown down the stairs to this day I still have a fear of falling down the stairs once he hit the bottom blood was everywhere I still have no idea how the cigarette guy knew I needed help but
I'm glad he did maybe he saw the tears in my eyes maybe he just picked up on something and had a bad Vibe but he acted quickly the cigarette guy was now pacing back and forth swearing at himself gritting his teeth and clenching his fists I thought maybe he was angry with me so I started to cry he then looked at me and said okay okay okay shut up and stop crying I wasn't as scared of the cigarette guy but I still didn't want to test him he began to ask me questions why are you
out here this late where are your parents and why would you talk to strangers I was in so much shock and confusion I couldn't answer his questions correctly he then asked if I knew my way home and I told him I didn't in so many words I tried to tell him about what happened and somehow with the information I gave him he knew where my mom's car was I think he knew the area well enough to figure out where I needed to go he told me he would take me back if I promised over and
over that I wouldn't tell the police that I saw him or anyone that looked like him this guy had an attitude but I didn't care I just wanted to go back to my mom so I agreed I followed him down the stairs the bearded man was still lying on the floor not moving at all for all I knew he was dead the cigarette guy stepped over him and I followed he walked outside and nervously looked around I remember him telling me the cops don't like me very much he walked me out of the complex he
was going so fast that I basically had to jog to keep up with him I started crying again and he asked me what was wrong I told him that my feet hurt and I remember him sucking his teeth and begrudgingly picking me up and awkwardly carried me in his arms we walked down the street for a while I then remember him swearing and running behind a house as a cop car was driving down the road he put me down and he told me to run to the police cruiser I tried but my legs could barely
move and continued down the road before I could even remotely get close to it the cigarette guy kept swearing under his breath as he picked me up again he took me behind a lot of the houses and hid from every cop car that drove by in retrospect I assumed the police were looking for me he carried me in both arms running fast down the road when I saw my mom at her car in the distance she was surrounded by the police the cigarette guy set me down and told me to run to where my mom
was upon seeing her I got so excited that the pain of my legs disappeared I ran toward the police and my mother she picked me up and hugged me tight after I was reunited with her the police began to ask me and my mother questions I don't remember much about their questioning but I do remember my mother telling them some convoluted story that didn't make any sense she basically told me not to say anything and being a kid I didn't I just sat there and cried we went home after that a few days later my
dad comes and picks me up I told him everything and after I did I never stayed with my mom again looking back to that day as an adult I never forgave my mom not like long ago I asked my dad what he remembers about the situation and he told me what he thinks happened was that my mom was there to buy drugs and I was kidnapped by somebody who just happened to be walking down the street the person that saved me probably had warrants and was not angry with me but was just frustrated with the
situation that he had to deal with imagine being a criminal on the run and now you have to help a kidnapped girl after you just beat up her kidnapper and possibly killed K him if he would have gotten caught with me he may have been charged for kidnapping with my mom lying and me being in shock and confused I likely wouldn't have been able to tell the police that the cigarette guy was the one that helped me despite whatever crimes the cigarette guy committed in his past he was the one that helped me that night
and for that I'll be forever grateful [Music] up until I was in kindergarten my mom used to put me in daycares or at neighbors houses so that she and my father could go work one summer my mom asked this lady in our neighborhood to babysit me for the summer I don't know what possessed my mom to choose this woman maybe it was out of desperation maybe it was just pure stupidity perhaps a combination of both but either way my mother entrusted me with this woman for most of the day this lady had no business being
around children let alone being responsible for one I honestly believe that this woman was an alcoholic mainly because she always looked sick and tired her eyes were always red and her breath smelled like vomit every time she spoke the worst thing however was that she was almost never around basically leaving me unsupervised for hours she would only ever be around when my mom dropped me off or picked me up otherwise she was locked up in her bedroom once she had me clean her bedroom as a punishment for breaking a few of her picture frames which
I didn't the moment I stepped inside I saw several glass bottles strewn all over the floor this lady had two nieces that were staying with her for the summer I don't remember their names nor if they were sisters or cousins but I do remember their ages the younger niece was around 8 years old and the older niece was 11 they were the most horrible children I have ever met the younger one was a disgusting rude brat and the older one was a manipulative liar and a complete sadist when I first met them I was friendly
toward them at first they were friendly back but things soon began to change the older niece began to bully me and the younger one soon joined in at first it was name calling then it was teasing then it was stealing then blaming things on me and just one week things had escalated to the point where both nieces began to physically abuse me the younger one liked to dump dirt and food on my head and pull on my hair she would also steal my lunches there was this one time she even peed on the floor and
then blamed it on me and I was the one who got in trouble the older niece lik to throw glass bottles at me she once put broken glass in my cereal and almost tricked me into eating it when I asked her why she did that she said that she wanted to see what would happen if I ate it she would also push me into walls and furniture and dragg me around by my hair I couldn't fight her off because she was much bigger than me plus the younger niece would join in and beat up on
me as well every day I came home with bruises cuts and stuff in my hair my nights were spent trying to pick out stuff from my skin bandaging my cuts and washing out whatever stuff was thrown on my head that day my parents never noticed not even the bruises and cuts that were on my face and arms I also began to experience panic attacks at this point every morning when I would wake up I would cry hysterically knowing that I would have to go to that house and be stuck with those two Psychopaths all day
it was only then that my mother finally noticed that something was off one morning my mother asked me why I hated going to that house I told her about how the girls were beating me up and throwing things in my hair I showed her my cuts and bruises as well as the burn marks from where they had set my ponytail on fire my mother took off a work that day and drove to the house to confront the lady and her nieces she showed the woman my bruises and cuts and demanded an explanation the lady called
her nieces over and had them tell my mother their side of the story The nieus claimed that I was hurting myself and breaking things to get them into trouble they didn't even know why I hated them so much and that they still wanted to be my friends believe it or not not my mother believed them and got angry at me for lying so she made me apologize to the nieces and the lady then took me home and spanked me from that day on my mother just ignored whatever state I was in when she came to
pick me up no matter how badly bruised or cut up I was all because she assumed that I was doing this for attention so I continued to endure the endless abuse and the nieces continued to get away with all of it I wanted to leave in any way I could I wanted my mom to believe me but I knew I couldn't make her the only thing I could do was nothing so I began to zone out and basically became numb eventually so numb that I practically felt nothing by late summer I had been subjected to
this for 3 months this was also around the time the lady set up a swimming pool she decided to allow the three of us to use it likely because she didn't want us to bother her anymore so she asked my mom one morning if I could bring my bathing suit my mom told the lady that I didn't know how to swim yet so she wasn't sure if I should the lady assured my mother that she would supervise me and make sure that I stayed in the shallow end so the next day my mom packed back
to my bathing suit and brought me to the house for once I felt optimistic the thought of swimming in a pool excited me and I looked forward to it even with the nieces there when I got there the lady told me to change into my suit and meet her and the nieces by the pool when I got there she lit out the rules before I went in the lady told me to stay in the shallow end of the pool she also told the girls that because I didn't know how to swim I wasn't allowed near
the deep end she then went into the house to make a phone call thus leaving me unattended when she was gone thees walked to the deep end of the pool but strangely didn't jump in instead they sat on the edge I went to the shallow end and pleed by myself surprisingly they left me alone for about 15 minutes I was splashing in the water blowing bubbles and just having a good time for the first time in weeks I smiled and laughed I was having so much fun that I forgot the nieces were still there I
then heard one of them calling out my name the nieces decided to taunt me into going into the deep end they kept saying that I was a big chicken for being afraid I tried my best to ignore them and kept playing but a few minutes later I had enough and I got out of the pool I guess this didn't sit well with either of them because as soon as I got out the younger niece ran inside and locked me out I ran to the glass door trying to get it open while the younger niece stuck
her tongue out at me from behind the glass it was then that I felt two arms wrap around my head and shoulders the older niece had come from behind and grabbed me she started dragging me by the hair away from the door and toward the pool the next thing I knew I was tossed into the water I panicked as soon as I realized that I was in the deep end I tried desperately to stay above water but I couldn't the few times I did manage I heard the girls laughing at me the older niece then
jumped in the pool nearly landing on top of me I felt her arms grab onto my head pulling me down I know this because my knees had scraped the bottom I was flailing about desperately trying to fight her off and get above the water it wasn't until I felt my hand hit something that I was finally let go by that point we were both in the shallow end of the pool so I managed to get my footing and my head above water I surfaced to hear the sounds of the lady yelling and the older niece
howling in pain the lady charged into the water and yanked me she pushed me into a chair and stared me down with her bloodshot eyes what the hell is wrong with you I told your stupid ass not to go into that side of the pool now look what you've done the lady then pointed at her older niece who had blood running down her nose and was crying through coughs and tears I tried telling her that the older niece had thrown me into the pool but the lady wasn't having any of it she demanded that I
apologized for hitting her niece but I refused and screamed no I hate her the lady soon got in my face and started yelling at me she told me about how I was a stupid girl for not listening to the rules and that had been nothing but trouble for both her and her nieces and that my mother left me with her because she hated me I screamed back at her telling her that I wasn't stupid and that her nieces were mean that I hated being there so much and I wish they would all die the lady
then flew into a rage and slapped me across the face I was too shocked to even cry at that point she then took the opportunity to tell me how wrong I was about her nieces and what a horrible child I was how dare I tattle on her nieces for my mistakes trying to get them into trouble how dare I not listen to her directions about the pool how dare I I attack her niece when she was trying to save me how could I be so ungrateful when I owed my life to them and that because
of my behavior I would never be welcomed at her house ever again the lady then stormed into the house and called my mom to come pick me up when my mom got there she apologized to both the lady and her nieces then took me home she was absolutely pissed as soon as we got back she immediately yelled at me for making her get into trouble with her boss for having to take off work to come get me and told my dad what happened my father came home fuming telling me that I shouldn't have been a
brat I was then grounded for a month I haven't been to that house since this incident I drive past that house on my way to work and every time I see it I get sick to my stomach I have never told my parents about what truly happened that day they'll probably dismiss it as kids just being kids or me just being a brat I've had years to think about it and this creepy feeling always pops into my mind I can't help but think that the older niece's plans of throwing me into the pool were on
a far more Sinister level than just bullying I honestly believe that the old older niece was trying to kill me and that the younger niece was acting as a lookout for her when the plan went South the younger niece went to go fetch the lady just so that she could get me into trouble for being in the deep end and heading the older niece I'll probably never know if that was the case though it makes me shudder to think about what kind of adults those two girls grew up to be I don't consider myself to
be a hateful person person but I sincerely hope that lady's liver has failed her and that the two nieces are rotting away in a prison cell or locked up in a mental institution there's always a reason to be afraid [Music]
