1 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: I lived in Upper Canada at the time, in a 2 00:00:07,519 --> 00:00:11,519 well sized cabin type home. The holiday season was always 3 00:00:11,519 --> 00:00:13,919 my favorite time of the year, as my family would 4 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,519 gather at one of our homes and celebrate Christmas together. 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,760 Living alone, this was always something to look forward to. 6 00:00:21,679 --> 00:00:24,320 I didn't mind being alone, but it was just nice 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,679 to see some friends and family, sometimes being in a 8 00:00:27,719 --> 00:00:31,480 relatively sizable home. Our small family would often either gather 9 00:00:31,519 --> 00:00:34,880 at my place or my brother's place, usually taking turns 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,320 each year. This year it was my turn to host 11 00:00:38,359 --> 00:00:41,799 the family gathering. Most of my family lived on the 12 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,479 other side of Canada, though, making it a long drive 13 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,920 or a costly plane ride. Typically, though, everyone tries to 14 00:00:49,039 --> 00:00:52,759 arrive on Christmas Eve, so come December twenty third, I 15 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:54,799 called up my brother to make sure everything was going 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,159 as planned. He informed me that our parents may arrive 17 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,759 early Christmas morning due to a flight delay, but he 18 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:03,560 was driving and should make it by the night of 19 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,400 Christmas Eve. Wishing him safe travels, I said good night 20 00:01:07,439 --> 00:01:10,920 and went back to bed. Now, if you've ever lived 21 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:14,519 in Canada, especially further north, you know the winters are 22 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,879 brutally cold and long, often snowstorms and blizzards. Can form 23 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,079 suddenly and last for a varied amount of time. That 24 00:01:23,239 --> 00:01:26,760 being said, the next day, heavy snowfall covered the grounds 25 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,599 in the morning and was accompanied by rushing winds in 26 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,040 the afternoon. I received a call from my brother around 27 00:01:33,079 --> 00:01:35,480 six pm notifying me that he was going to have 28 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,480 to stay at a motel for the night due to 29 00:01:37,519 --> 00:01:41,200 the snowstorm covering the roads. I agreed that it was 30 00:01:41,239 --> 00:01:43,760 the safe decision, though I was a bit upset that 31 00:01:43,799 --> 00:01:46,519 I'd have to spend the day before Christmas alone, but 32 00:01:46,599 --> 00:01:49,480 I tried to stay positive, looking forward to Christmas Day 33 00:01:49,519 --> 00:01:52,959 with my whole family. At ten o'clock, I got ready 34 00:01:52,959 --> 00:01:55,439 for bed and set an early alarm for five a m. 35 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,120 Just in case my parents arrived at the airport early. 36 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,159 The wind howl outside the house gave me trouble falling 37 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:04,840 asleep as it was shaking the whole room and making 38 00:02:04,879 --> 00:02:08,080 the whole house creak. But as I lay there, annoyed 39 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:12,039 and awake, a soft and rhythmic sound approached from outside 40 00:02:12,039 --> 00:02:16,319 the cabin. The wind blowing in all directions at random speeds, 41 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,879 made the soft one to two of the footsteps stand out. 42 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,280 They were slow, as you would expect in this kind 43 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,199 of weather, but they continued all the way until they 44 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,680 reached the wall on the left side of my house. 45 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,080 I just laid there with my eyes open, listening to 46 00:02:33,159 --> 00:02:36,280 this strange person walking during a blizzard in the middle 47 00:02:36,319 --> 00:02:39,960 of the night. A lot of things ran through my head, 48 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:45,360 such as complete confusion and fear of a possible attack. However, 49 00:02:45,479 --> 00:02:48,840 I began wondering if it was my brother. Maybe something 50 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,159 had happened and his phone didn't have service, maybe he 51 00:02:52,199 --> 00:02:55,800 couldn't find a hotel. The more I had these thoughts, 52 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,680 the more I felt I had to find a way 53 00:02:57,719 --> 00:03:01,360 to see who it was. In wather like this, nobody 54 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,000 could last more than an hour without serious consequences, and 55 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,680 I definitely didn't want my brother and his family stuck 56 00:03:07,719 --> 00:03:11,360 out there. As I was putting on some heavier clothes, 57 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,919 a knock came from downstairs. The odd thing about it 58 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,240 was that it was a single knock, and it didn't 59 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:23,199 come from the front door. Hesitantly, I opened my bedroom 60 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,520 door and peeked down the stairs. It was far too 61 00:03:26,599 --> 00:03:28,759 dark to see anything, but I didn't want to give 62 00:03:28,759 --> 00:03:31,719 away my position if it was someone dangerous, so I 63 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:35,439 left the lights off. I walked blindly down the stairs 64 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,919 still listening for any footsteps or sound, but heard nothing 65 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,520 aside from the strong winds. As I got to the bottom, 66 00:03:42,719 --> 00:03:45,520 I made my way to the front door. While the 67 00:03:45,599 --> 00:03:48,080 knock didn't seem to come from the front, I didn't 68 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,439 really know what else to do. I'm not sure why, 69 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,000 but this was when I really started to get nervous, afraid. 70 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,159 Even I don't usually say I scare easy, but something 71 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,599 just felt very wrong. Approaching the door in silence, I 72 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,159 leaned forward and moved the small blinds on the side 73 00:04:06,159 --> 00:04:10,120 of the window. A man stood there looking at the door, 74 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,719 looking calm and emotionless, but as soon as he noticed me, 75 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,959 he began screaming for me to help him, banging on 76 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,759 the window. As he stared me in the eyes, I 77 00:04:20,879 --> 00:04:25,480 jumped back, not expecting such a sudden reaction. My heart 78 00:04:25,519 --> 00:04:29,519 started pounding my chest. The man didn't look well as 79 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,399 in he looked crazy, and he had one hand in 80 00:04:32,399 --> 00:04:35,879 his pocket like he was hiding something. I didn't feel 81 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,879 at all comfortable opening the door, but I also didn't 82 00:04:38,879 --> 00:04:40,839 want to have the man's blood on my hands for 83 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,360 not helping him during a storm like this. Uh, what's wrong? 84 00:04:45,879 --> 00:04:49,600 How did you get here? I yelled? A few second 85 00:04:49,639 --> 00:04:53,560 pause followed before the man answered calmly, I got lost. 86 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:58,120 I just needed somewhere to shelter. His shift in attitude 87 00:04:58,199 --> 00:05:01,839 was alarming. I stood there thinking for a bit before 88 00:05:01,879 --> 00:05:04,560 the man asked me again to let him in, then 89 00:05:04,639 --> 00:05:08,480 again and again, getting more aggressive with each word, before 90 00:05:08,519 --> 00:05:11,839 beginning to hit the door, pounding on it over and over. 91 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,120 I ran to the other room to grab my pistol 92 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,040 that I kept in cases of home defense. Then I 93 00:05:17,079 --> 00:05:19,759 went back to the front door, though I stood a 94 00:05:19,759 --> 00:05:22,839 good distance away and held my ground, hoping he would 95 00:05:22,879 --> 00:05:26,680 just leave if I ignored him. He continued banging for 96 00:05:26,759 --> 00:05:30,319 well over a minute, but as I stood there anxiously waiting, 97 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,959 I heard again the crunch of footsteps walking around my house. 98 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,920 Knowing now that this was for sure a bad situation, 99 00:05:39,399 --> 00:05:42,800 I ran upstairs and locked myself in my bedroom. I 100 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,199 heard two men start talking soon after, followed by a 101 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:52,279 window shattering and footsteps entering my home. The footsteps scattered 102 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:57,600 around downstairs. I heard things moving and objects clattering before 103 00:05:57,759 --> 00:06:01,800 someone began climbing the stairs. My bedroom was the only 104 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,879 room upstairs aside from a half bathroom in closet, shaking 105 00:06:06,959 --> 00:06:10,399 uncontrollably and praying in my head. I held my gun 106 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,000 up and aimed at the door as a man approached 107 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,480 the other side. Yeah, he's got to be in here, 108 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,079 the man yelled, almost in a cheerful way. He punched 109 00:06:21,079 --> 00:06:23,920 the door once, though it sounded heavy, as if he 110 00:06:23,959 --> 00:06:26,920 had hit it with a hammer or maybe even a gun. 111 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,600 I couldn't help but make a quiet gasp from the 112 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:34,040 terror of it. The man let out a sick, chuckling laugh. 113 00:06:34,519 --> 00:06:37,399 Then the other man downstairs yelled something, and both of 114 00:06:37,439 --> 00:06:42,519 their footsteps faded away. I sat there with my gun 115 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,560 held at the door for probably fifteen minutes, with nothing 116 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:50,519 but the sounds of winds blowing downstairs. Clearing the house carefully, 117 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,839 I made sure they were gone, then put a small 118 00:06:52,879 --> 00:06:55,680 wooden board over the broken window to keep the snow out. 119 00:06:56,639 --> 00:06:59,079 The men had taken a few expensive things around the 120 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:01,920 house and a bit of a mess, but no other 121 00:07:01,959 --> 00:07:06,120 harm was done. The blizzard had settled by morning, and 122 00:07:06,199 --> 00:07:08,759 I informed my family and the police of the encounter. 123 00:07:10,079 --> 00:07:12,319 My brother was angry at himself for not having been 124 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,680 there for me, but I assured him it was okay, 125 00:07:14,759 --> 00:07:16,480 and he made the right call to not drive in 126 00:07:16,519 --> 00:07:21,199 a snowstorm. Despite having the most horrifying encounter in my 127 00:07:21,399 --> 00:07:24,439 entire life, I actually had a really enjoyable Christmas with 128 00:07:24,519 --> 00:07:28,959 my family. People these days are cruel and awful humans, 129 00:07:29,439 --> 00:07:32,160 and to do something like that, To put someone through 130 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:36,120 something like that, especially during the holiday season, is just 131 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:47,480 another level of insanity. Christmas was always a big event 132 00:07:47,519 --> 00:07:50,360 in my family. Every year, we'd drive out to my 133 00:07:50,399 --> 00:07:52,360 aunt and uncle's house, where I'd get to see all 134 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,879 of my cousins as well as my grandparents. There's one 135 00:07:55,959 --> 00:07:58,560 year I still think about a lot, though, because something 136 00:07:58,639 --> 00:08:02,079 happened that I still can't get out of my head. 137 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:04,879 I was only ten at the time, and I was 138 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,480 a relatively shy kid, so meeting new people wasn't enjoyable 139 00:08:08,519 --> 00:08:11,839 at all. This year, though. When we arrived at my 140 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,879 uncle's house, my oldest cousin introduced all of us to 141 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,839 her boyfriend, Drew. Apparently they'd been together for a few 142 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,800 years and things were getting pretty serious, so she wanted 143 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,720 the whole family to get comfortable with him. From what 144 00:08:24,839 --> 00:08:27,160 I heard, they met at the college they both went to, 145 00:08:27,439 --> 00:08:30,000 which wasn't far, but Drew was from out of state, 146 00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:32,200 so my uncle offered him to stay at his house. 147 00:08:32,279 --> 00:08:36,440 During winter break. Anyway, over the next couple days, I 148 00:08:36,519 --> 00:08:39,720 remember avoiding him as much as possible. I really didn't 149 00:08:39,759 --> 00:08:41,960 want to talk to some stranger I didn't know, and 150 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,000 I definitely didn't want him to act like he was 151 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:48,159 my big brother. However, my younger brother, who was only six, 152 00:08:48,639 --> 00:08:51,399 was talking to him all the time. It was like 153 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,960 they had just become best friends in just two days. 154 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:56,919 My parents thought it was cute that my little brother 155 00:08:57,039 --> 00:08:59,080 was looking up to him, but I found it to 156 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,480 be weird. I don't know, something about it just made 157 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,960 me feel uncomfortable. During the nights, I shared a room 158 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,720 with my brother, and I'm assuming Drew my cousin shared 159 00:09:09,759 --> 00:09:12,559 a room on the other side of the house. I 160 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:14,759 asked my little brother as we were getting ready for bed, 161 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,639 why he like Drew so much, and he just talked 162 00:09:17,639 --> 00:09:21,120 about how cool he was. I don't really know what 163 00:09:21,159 --> 00:09:23,840 I expected my six year old brother to say, but 164 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,559 when he responded, it kind of clicked in my mind 165 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,120 that I really should be wondering why Drew wanted to 166 00:09:29,159 --> 00:09:32,000 talk to my brother so much, not the other way around. 167 00:09:33,399 --> 00:09:35,279 I know this all sounds like it may just be 168 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,159 taken into bad context when it could just be a 169 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,559 loving soon to be cousin in law. But it was 170 00:09:40,639 --> 00:09:42,840 just a feeling in my gut that told me something 171 00:09:42,919 --> 00:09:46,200 was off. And just four days after we had arrived, 172 00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:49,360 and on the night of Christmas Eve, my gut feeling 173 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,600 was proven to be right. I specifically remember going to 174 00:09:53,639 --> 00:09:56,639 bed that night noticing my brother having a lot more energy, 175 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,240 way more than he should have at that time of night. 176 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,240 I thought it was because he was excited about Christmas morning, 177 00:10:03,639 --> 00:10:06,399 as I was too, and I went to sleep soon after. 178 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,639 Some time hours later, I woke up. I don't know 179 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,279 what actually woke me up, as the house seemed silent, 180 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,440 but I instantly noticed my brother was not in his bed. 181 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,639 My eyes widened and I looked all around the room, 182 00:10:20,879 --> 00:10:24,440 calling out his name in a whisper. I felt protective 183 00:10:24,519 --> 00:10:27,600 of my little brother, and I was really worried about him. 184 00:10:27,919 --> 00:10:30,360 I almost wanted to cry when I saw that his 185 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,879 jacket was missing. We both had been hanging them up 186 00:10:33,919 --> 00:10:37,639 on the handles of the closet door, but his was gone. 187 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,519 I grabbed mine and rushed downstairs. From the bottom of 188 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,919 the steps was a hallway. On one side was the 189 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,240 front door, and on the other was the back door. 190 00:10:46,879 --> 00:10:49,759 Looking at the back door, The screen door was closed, 191 00:10:49,879 --> 00:10:54,399 but the actual door was open. I remember being scared, 192 00:10:54,639 --> 00:10:56,759 but more than anything, I wanted to make sure my 193 00:10:56,799 --> 00:11:02,679 little brother was okay. So I walked outside. Out in 194 00:11:02,759 --> 00:11:05,840 the field behind the house, I could see two figures, 195 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,879 one large and one small. They seemed to be walking 196 00:11:09,919 --> 00:11:12,000 away from the house, but it was dark and hard 197 00:11:12,039 --> 00:11:15,879 to tell. I walked a bit closer, then gathered the 198 00:11:15,919 --> 00:11:20,039 courage to yell my brother's name. Both figures stopped for 199 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,159 a moment, and then the smaller one started running towards me. 200 00:11:24,039 --> 00:11:27,720 My baby brother ran into my arms. His eyes were watery. 201 00:11:28,519 --> 00:11:30,919 I looked back up and the other figure was still 202 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,559 standing in the field, looking in our direction. I led 203 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,240 my brother back inside and up to our bedroom. I 204 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,519 asked what had happened and what he was doing outside. 205 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:43,480 All he would say was that he was scared of 206 00:11:43,519 --> 00:11:47,080 the dark, but Drew wanted to play a game. I 207 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,600 didn't know what that meant, but I didn't care. Waking 208 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:52,840 up a six year old and leading them outside in 209 00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:56,399 the middle of the night was not okay. I kept 210 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,840 my brother close for the rest of the holiday, but 211 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,799 now I wish I had told someone about it. I 212 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:03,639 was a shy kid that didn't want to be the 213 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,440 center of any drama, and I didn't think anyone would 214 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:08,759 believe me, so I kept my mouth shut about it. 215 00:12:09,799 --> 00:12:12,519 That was a horrible Christmas, though, and I think about 216 00:12:12,519 --> 00:12:16,080 it a lot. I've asked my brother years later what 217 00:12:16,159 --> 00:12:19,360 that Drew guy was doing, but even now he says 218 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,200 he doesn't remember. He only remembers being scared. My cousin 219 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,919 never brought him to any more gatherings, so I'm assuming 220 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,320 things didn't work out. I'm glad I saved my brother 221 00:12:30,399 --> 00:12:32,960 from whatever was going to happen that night, but I 222 00:12:33,039 --> 00:12:35,840 think back to it a lot, wishing that I had 223 00:12:35,879 --> 00:12:49,120 done more. Christmas for my family is probably similar to 224 00:12:49,159 --> 00:12:52,320 most other families. My wife and I tell our son 225 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,039 that Santa brings presence on the night of Christmas Eve, 226 00:12:55,519 --> 00:12:57,759 and then on Christmas Morning we wake up our son 227 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:02,279 and let him open the presence. It's a very typical Christmas. So, 228 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,600 of course, on Christmas Eve, my kid wanted to make 229 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,039 cookies for Santa, and we left out a small plate 230 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,960 alongside a cup of milk before I sent him to bed. Then, 231 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,639 after waiting an hour to make sure he was asleep, 232 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,480 I began putting all the gifts under the tree. Once 233 00:13:17,519 --> 00:13:19,720 I was finished piling them up, I went over to 234 00:13:19,759 --> 00:13:22,000 the small coffee table and took a few bites of 235 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,440 the cookies to make it look like Santa came. Feeling 236 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,279 satisfied with my work, I turned all the lights off 237 00:13:28,279 --> 00:13:31,399 and joined my wife in bed. The next morning, my 238 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:33,519 wife woke our kid up, and he ran downstairs to 239 00:13:33,519 --> 00:13:37,840 open his presence. He was so excited, screaming that Santa came. 240 00:13:38,799 --> 00:13:41,440 I always loved seeing his reaction to the gifts, but 241 00:13:41,639 --> 00:13:44,360 it was over after about an hour. He went off 242 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,240 to play with his new toys, and my wife and 243 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,159 I started cleaning up the wrapping paper and boxes. But 244 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,720 that's when I noticed the cookies, well, the lack of cookies. Actually, 245 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,279 they were all gone. We had put out a whole 246 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:01,799 plate and I had only eaten one. Confused, I walked 247 00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:04,240 over to my wife and asked her about it, though 248 00:14:04,279 --> 00:14:07,360 I knew she was in bed the whole time. She 249 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:09,759 laughed at me, making a joke as if I ate 250 00:14:09,799 --> 00:14:13,320 the entire plate, but her smile faded when she realized 251 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,399 my concern. I went over to my son and asked 252 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,799 him if he had some cookies this morning, but his 253 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:23,279 response only frightened and confused me more. He said he 254 00:14:23,279 --> 00:14:27,159 saw Santa eat them last night. Of course, I asked 255 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,639 him what he meant, to which he replied that he 256 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:31,519 woke up in the middle of the night and saw 257 00:14:31,559 --> 00:14:35,039 some one eating the cookies. I acted calm in front 258 00:14:35,039 --> 00:14:37,120 of him, making sure not to give the big secret 259 00:14:37,159 --> 00:14:40,240 away as he was only six, But I was seriously 260 00:14:40,279 --> 00:14:44,720 worried now by the looks of it. My wife was too. 261 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,000 It's such a weird, silly situation, but in reality it 262 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,600 was also terrifying knowing that some one was inside our home. 263 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,200 I took a quick look around upstairs, then searched the 264 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:01,399 main floor before going over to the basement. Honestly, I 265 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:04,879 hadn't been in the basement for months. It was unfinished, 266 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,840 small and dirty. The year before, we had our washer 267 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,759 and dryer moved from the basement to the ground level floor. 268 00:15:12,679 --> 00:15:15,159 Ever since, we had no reason to go down there, 269 00:15:15,399 --> 00:15:19,240 so we just left it as an empty storage room. Anyway. 270 00:15:19,519 --> 00:15:21,679 I opened the door and turned on the dim lights. 271 00:15:22,559 --> 00:15:25,919 I waited several seconds before going down, thinking that if 272 00:15:25,919 --> 00:15:29,360 someone was there, they would make themselves known with no 273 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:34,759 other noises. I descended into the basement. From my initial look, 274 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,320 I didn't see anything out of ordinary. There were boxes 275 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:42,399 and dust just like it had been left, But looking closer, 276 00:15:42,639 --> 00:15:46,399 a stack of the boxes seemed strangely put together. It 277 00:15:46,519 --> 00:15:48,399 kind of reminded me of when I was a kid 278 00:15:48,559 --> 00:15:51,200 and would position boxes to make a fort or a wall. 279 00:15:52,519 --> 00:15:55,399 I took a few steps closer before I could hear 280 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,799 heavy breathing from behind the wall of boxes. I frozen, 281 00:16:00,679 --> 00:16:04,399 shocked and scared, hoping that whoever was there stayed hidden 282 00:16:04,559 --> 00:16:07,200 so I could peacefully go back upstairs and call the police. 283 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:12,600 I was not so lucky, though. A disgusting, scrawny, middle 284 00:16:12,639 --> 00:16:15,799 aged man stood up, looking me directly in the eyes. 285 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,399 I was so shocked I didn't even move. It wasn't 286 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,360 until the man quickly began climbing over the boxes that 287 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:25,840 I turned around and sprinted as fast as I could 288 00:16:25,919 --> 00:16:30,159 up the stairs. His footsteps were not far behind mine 289 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,600 as I pushed through the doorway and slammed the door 290 00:16:32,639 --> 00:16:35,320 behind me. Seeing a glimpse of the man just a 291 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,600 few steps down, I turned the lock and blocked the 292 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:42,200 door with a nearby chair. My wife screamed and panicked 293 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,600 at the chaos of the situation. She grabbed our son 294 00:16:45,639 --> 00:16:47,840 and ran upstairs while I stood by the door and 295 00:16:47,879 --> 00:16:51,840 called the police. It's funny, though, because my first thought 296 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,559 while dialing nine one one was how bad I felt 297 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:57,879 for having to call someone on Christmas morning. Then again, 298 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,960 my family's life was in danger. As I waited for 299 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,599 the cops to show up, the man tried to persuade 300 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:07,039 me to let him go and that he meant no harm. 301 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:10,160 At one point, it even sounded like he was talking 302 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:14,319 to himself. The guy sounded insane. I almost felt sorry 303 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:18,400 for him when the officer finally made it. He arrested 304 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,920 the man with ease, and I filled out a report. 305 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,359 We tried to not let this ruin the rest of Christmas, 306 00:17:24,559 --> 00:17:27,039 but it was difficult to get back into the joyful mood. 307 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:30,720 It turned out he'd been squatting in our basement for 308 00:17:30,759 --> 00:17:34,759 anywhere between several days in a couple weeks. He'd been 309 00:17:34,799 --> 00:17:37,880 taking some of our food and drinks while we were gone, too, 310 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,920 which just made me feel sick thinking back. I'd even 311 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,839 remembered things missing, stupid things like the last granola bar 312 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:49,559 being gone and everyone claiming it wasn't them. These are 313 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,039 just normal things that you just chalk up to being 314 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,000 anything other than someone living in your house and stealing 315 00:17:55,039 --> 00:17:58,680 your food. Now I get a bad feeling in my 316 00:17:58,759 --> 00:18:02,119 gut every time some thing goes missing, as I remember 317 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,519 that creepy guy staring at me and chasing me out 318 00:18:05,519 --> 00:18:06,279 of the basement