| The following story appeared on an e-mail-based chat forum, with
no notice of copyright. If you have rights to this story, contact us.
This story makes such a compelling point, we felt it was worth posting without obtaining
the owner's written consent. 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 ran the rest of the way to her house.
Once inside, 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 on-line. 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 on-line. 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
kewl.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I 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 p.m. 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 seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this
in the conversations they had on-line. 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 moved cautiously to a chair across from the man. 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
on-line 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 to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to
people on-line. 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 on-line.
The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line.
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."
"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly. "Will you 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 prayed. They thanked
God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
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