Have you come across dangerous situations as a kid?

[Zeze]

The forum seems slow and boring lately, so I'll start a story thread. Anyone been in a dangerous situation as a kid? I just remembered mine:

I was probably about 9, or 10 at best. Now this is back in Seoul, South Korea in the early 90's- a bustling metropolis bigger than NYC in size and population.

Back then, 8+ year old kids all wandered around all day without parental supervision. We just did our own stuff- play tag, big neighborhood capture the flag, go to arcades, all that fun stuff.

We were without adults because that was the cultural norm. We just told our parents we were going out after school, then came home by sun set. Looking back, it felt safe too, I never felt I was in a danger from pervs or kidnappers. I don't know if I can support it, but it was better back then. I never heard of kidnapping or pedophiles in the news (or anyone in my big neighborhood). Also, the kids being on the street so much, they were clever little fvckers who will outwit and run circles around the kids of same age today (think Portman from The Professional). The real dangers were same-age fights and bullies.

Anyways, I remember this one incident. I was coming home from the arcades. It was dark and late, probably 10 PM-ish. Walking home alone in the dark was not unusual, but normal. I hit this one stretch of dark alley and suddenly this older man popped out. He was probably in his 40's.

He approached me and asked how I was doing. I was cautious because Koreans aren't small-talkers to strangers, especially adults to kids, they usually ignore the kids. I said I was fine. He then held my hand and said, "Let's take a walk together!" And we started walking. I was getting ready to bolt if it got any weirder, but I decided to wait.

So here we are, a man and a child, holding hands in a dark alley and he was talking to me about strange stuff. He kept saying 'we have to be patriotic to our nation.' 'You have to listen to your old man.' I also noticed that he talked very differently. His accent... obviously not the standard Seoul, it wasn't any country accents of Pusan or SE/SW parts of Korea either. Even as a kid, I watched lots of TV/movies and met lots of people. I knew what all accents of Korea sounded like. And he sounded like none of them. His tone was different and he used strange old words like 'comrade', 'nationalistic', and older versions of 'mom' and 'dad'.

We walked on and he kept lecturing me about the country and being a good son for the future, while firmly holding on to my hand. He wasn't hurting me and his demeanor remained very friendly, and I was ready to bounce any second.

Then next thing I know, he said "okay off you go now, good night." then let me go. I was like WTF? I went home and forgot about the incident soon after. I didn't even bother telling my parents either.

I look back to this incident on random occasions now, probably once every 10 years or so. Now, it's obvious he was a North Korean spy. There are thousands of North Korean spies in South Korea now. Because they're indeed Koreans, speak the same language and look the same, they blend in perfectly and live amongst us. I don't know what the man's intention was. But what scares me today is that he could've been a kidnapper.

The spies are notorious for abducting kids and they are never found again.

They do the same for South Koreans too.

What if he was thinking of kidnapping me? And for whatever reason, he decided against it?

Crazy stuff.

 

[Farang]

cocaine is a helluva drug

 

[Pocatello]

OP, you really expect people to read all that nonsense?

 

[Printer Bandit]

cliffs:

zeze almost got diddled by a north korean spy.

 

[blankslate]

zeze almost got diddled by a north korean spy.

What do you mean almost? Methinks the OP hasn't told us everything...

 

[T9D]

It was the 80's in California. I was sitting on my skateboard on a pathway that cuts between the two streets. I was closest to the street and a few of my friends were farther back.

Then some guy pulls up in a car. He talks out the window at us. He singles in on me mostly since I'm closest. He keeps saying he lost his puppy and wants me to get in his car to help him find it. He keeps pressuring me. I know I shouldn't but I feel pressured since he's an adult. I tell him I shouldn't and he drives off.

He didn't even say a dog, he said a puppy. Obviously he thought that would sound more enticing.

I never told anyone. Looking back I have no doubt I would have been molested and killed. To this day I always wondered what happened to that guy. Did he move on and kill some other kids in some other town? Did he give up and that was a one time thing? I doubt he stopped and I wonder what kids may be dead right now from him.

Not to many years later we had a girl at our middle school molested and murdered at a nearby church. I always wondered if that was him. And we had girls like Polly Klaas abducted and murdered some years later too. Or did he go on to kill in another state? He was out there some place and it's sad to think he's been out there likely killing children. Was he someone already caught and in the news? Who knows. It's sad to think about who may have been a victim.

I should probably still make a report even though at this point I can't remember much. But you never know what piece of evidence can tie something together.

 

[sdifox]

These all occurred before I reached 13,.

Humm, disengaged handbrake of a pickup parked on an incline and drive towards the main thoroughare of my city. Luckily I crashed before reaching the main thoroughfare.

Broke a display case plate glass with the back of y head, bug piece came down at me, sliced me near my eye. Good thing it went to the outside of the eye socket or I would be blind in one eye.

Jumped from rooftop of a one story house to the ground.

Roll down the steep washed stone starecase at my house.

Broke out of kindergarten to go visit my aunt.

Got lost in the city and was returned home by complete stranger. Good thing it was back then.

The police had me on file as frequently missing child.

It is really a miracle I am alive.

 

[Wyndru]

In the 90's when I was a teen, a cop pulled his gun on me while I was skateboarding at SUNY, pointed it at me and yelled freeze. Before that day I didn't know campus police carried weapons.

 

[sdifox]

In the 90's when I was a teen, a cop pulled his gun on me while I was skateboarding at SUNY, pointed it at me and yelled freeze. Before that day I didn't know campus police carried weapons.

That's for using record adapters as shurikens!

 

[amicold]

In the 90's when I was a teen, a cop pulled his gun on me while I was skateboarding at SUNY, pointed it at me and yelled freeze. Before that day I didn't know campus police carried weapons.

Which school?

 

[Wyndru]

Which school?

Albany, we were in the tunnels under the school at night.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Of course it didn't feel dangerous at the time...

When I was 11 or 12ish, a friend and I decided to walk out on to a large, frozen pond not too far from our houses. We rode our bikes there, and just decided to walk out on the ice with no one else around (not even in screaming distance). My friend was in front, and about half way out we heard the ice start to crack. I was about a third of the way out. He was smart enough to get down low, spread his weight out and make it back. We didn't really think much of it at the time, but I'm sure one wrong step and one or both of us would have probably died.

Of course, that wasn't enough adventure for that day, so we decided to walk out on a separate, smaller pond a little ways away. Luckily, the ice broke as soon as I stepped onto it from the edge, though the bank was very steep. I quickly sank up to my stomach, and the way it was angled, the only reason I didn't go in over my head was instinctively putting my arms out to grab on to the remaining ice. We managed to get me out, and I FINALLY got the message that walking out on frozen ponds wasn't a good idea. That was a COLD bike ride home...

 

[Sixguns]

In the 90's when I was a teen, a cop pulled his gun on me while I was skateboarding at SUNY, pointed it at me and yelled freeze. Before that day I didn't know campus police carried weapons.

This happened to me too. Me and a buddy of mine were looking for some new skate spots and some cop pulled his gun on us and started screaming to get down and what not. I never understood why though? Yes it was late but we were under street lights. That was the closest I have ever been to crapping my pants.