Scary Things #5

This is way back when I only had one child, our daughter, Dana. She was about two years old, and we lived with my parents because my husband was stationed elsewhere, don't remember where.

I worked at the phone company, for Ma Bell, and my mom babysat.

This was far scarier for my mom than me because I didn't know about what happened until it was all over.

The garbage man had taken the trash. So mom put Dana on the front porch which had a little gate on it so she couldn't get out, while merely taking the trash can around the side of the house to the back door. Not far at all. 

When she returned to the front porch, Dana was gone. The gate still latched.

Mom looked around to see if Dana somehow had managed to get out on her own, but she was no where to be seen. Mom immediately went inside the house and called the police who arrived quickly.

My mother was a devout Christian so I know she was praying for Dana's safety.

The police found Dana several miles away standing on a corner all by herself. (My sister remembers it differently, that she was on the corner, but with a Mexican couple who couldn't speak English.) To complicate things, Dana really didn't talk, she had a language of her own which we all understood, but she couldn't tell anyone what happened. 

She didn't get to that corner under her own power, it was too far away and too short a time between the time mom discovered Dana missing and when the officers found her.

She was unharmed.

Though upset when I heard, it was all over and Dana was safe. My poor mom apologized over and over, and believe me, she never left Dana on the porch again, no matter how short the errand.

What the police think happened is that whoever took Dana had a police radio in his car and heard that the cops were already looking for the missing toddler, and decided to just put her out on the corner.

Certainly a scary story. And of course, this is part of my promotion for my new Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery. 

Marilyn


Blurb: The discovery of a skeleton, a welfare check on a senior citizen, and a wildfire challenge the Rocky Bluff P.D.

Comments

John Schembra said…
I'm really enjoying your scary things stories, Marilyn. Looking forward to more!
jrlindermuth said…
Wow, that had to be scary. A lost child is always a serious issue, but when it's the result of an abduction it's even scarier. I remember one time when my sister disappeared from our yard as a toddler and how upset my parents were. Fortunately, she'd only crawled into the dog's pen and fallen asleep.
Haggerty said…
I know how scary that is. We were at Hershey Park with my daughter and granddaughter who were just toddlers. I walked around the park with my youngest granddaughter in a stroller. As I rolled up a small rise on a walkway, I looked in the stroller and she was gone. I panicked. I quickly search the immediate area and couldn't find her. I grab a security guard and begged for help. Within minutes she was located next to a water ride being held by a lady who had sought another guard. I thanked the Lord, but I never told my daughter. That would have been more scarier.
Marja said…
My parents once took my daughter to a large department store with them to do some shopping. My mother picked something up and set it down, and when she turned around my daughter was gone. They looked everywhere, and so did store personnel. They were at the point of calling the police when my father found my daughter. She had climbed up on a pedestal with a mannequin and she stood perfectly still, imitating the pose of the mannequin. It's funny now, but it sure wasn't at the time.

I'm so glad your daughter was found and she was okay!
Thanks for sharing your stories. John Lindermuth, my 2nd girl disappeared once and we found her asleep under her bed. I know I was lost once at a big department store sale--all I could see were all the many ladies nylon clad legs--but not my mom's.

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