Anderson 1 Sakura Anderson Mr. Neuburger English Comp.

101-130 February 9, 2012 Narrative Essay Stand Still I was seven years old and in my Grandmas kitchen, helping her set the table to speed up the time for dinner to be ready. The delectable smell of oregano, tomato sauce, and toasted garlic bread rushed into my nostrils and sent my stomach on a rampage of growls and moans. Ah spaghetti, the easiest and most satisfying meal there is. My Grandmother informed me that the noodles only had a few more minutes to boil and the bread was almost done. Everyone was at the house except my older sister Momoko. She was still at her friend Angelas house and out way past her curfew. A couple minutes passed by and still no sign of Momoko coming in the house. My grandmother and mother were getting a little anxious so unfortunately; they sent me out the door to fetch my sister.

I was not thrilled to have to walk a block and around the corner to get my sister. She should be home by now I grumbled as I walked briskly down the long street. I finally made it to the half-way point from my grandmothers and Angelas house. It was a two-way stop and before I crossed I made sure there were no cars coming in either direction like any child would do. I turned the corner of the street and Angelas house was in view. Not to waste any more time by walking, I sprinted to their house. I made sure not to step on any of the cracks on her sidewalk or else I would break my mothers back. I stood on my tip toes and rang the

Anderson 2 doorbell. Surprisingly, Angelas mother answered the door. I was a bit confused and asked Hey there Mrs. Belcher, is Momo here? Cuz she was supposed to be home already and Grammy made me walk all the way down here to come get her. No honey your sister went home already. Im sorry. Okay thanks. I said and I stomped off to the street, completely oblivious to the cracks on the sidewalk.

How can Momoko make me walk all the way to Angelas house and not be there? I complained to myself. If Grammy lets me serve dessert tonight she is definitely going to get the smallest piece! I exclaimed intensely. I knew then that I must have missed her and that she probably took the long way home. She was going to be in some trouble with me when I got home. I turned the corner and got back onto my street. I could see the two-way stop right in front of me and it was a reminder that I was almost halfway home. I stopped right before the stop sign to look for cars before I crossed the street. I looked to the left and there were no signs of any cars headed my way. I looked to the right and there was a white sporty car about to cross my path so I waited.

The speed limit in this neighborhood was around thirty miles per hour and this car was probably barely going fifteen. He must be trying to find a street address I thought, so I kept on waiting for him to pass. The closer he got to me, the slower the car seemed to be going. Before I knew it the car came to a complete stop right before me. At that moment I felt an eerie dangerous feeling creep inside me. I seemed to be hyper aware of everything around me. I could hear my short breaths, the wind howling in my ear, birds twittering in the trees above, and the soft purr of the engine. I could feel the wind brush against my bare legs and arms, I could feel the

Anderson 3 goose bumps start to rise, the hairs on the back of my neck shot straight up, and my heart was beating in a fast forceful pace, like it was trying to tear right through my chest.

Something was wrong. I felt it in the gut of my stomach that something bad was going to happen. I tried looking through the glass of the car, but the window tint was too dark and I could only see a figure. The white shiny door of the car slowly opened and I could now put a face with the figure. The man as far as I could tell was from Hispanic descent. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, faded baggy blue jeans, and white shoes. He had spiky jet black hair, a neatly trimmed mustache and dark sunglasses covering his probing eyes that were locked on me.

He then turned his body towards me and took his left foot and put it on the black concrete before him. I knew I had to do something. I had to try to get out to a safe place and try to get out of the situation but I just couldnt. All the things I learned from my parents and school teachers about running away from a stranger or screaming help was racing through my mind. My body was frozen in place. My brain was telling my legs to move but they were glued to the cement and wobbling like Jell-O. My body and brain seemed to be disconnected at the most inconvenient time.

The man was watching me. It felt like he knew I was not able to go anywhere; like I was his for the taking with no repercussions. He looked to the right and then the left, watching for any spectators or potential witnesses for the crime he was about to commit. He then took out his other foot and rose out of the seat of his car. From this new view of the man he seemed to be about in his thirties. He had broad shoulders, average height of a man, and a built

Anderson 4 body. I knew this was the end. No one was aware of the situation at hand. Nobody was around to save me. It was just me and this man. I was the impending witness and victim of a crime no child should go through. He stopped leaning on the car door and he took one step towards me. All I could do is watch him seal gap between my safety and peril.

To my astonishment his other foot did not go off the ground to pick up the course where his other foot began. I stared into his face at that moment, hoping and praying someone would save me. He just stared back for a long moment. His eyebrows furrowed and he pursed his lips into a thin line. He then seemed to have collapsed and leaned on his car door and hung his head down low. He held that stance for a moment and looked up at me again. His expression did not change besides the fact that I could see his bottom lip quivering now. He dropped his head again and shook his head no as if he was making a conscious decision with someone inside him. Without glancing back up he stepped back to his car, slammed the car door shut, and went from zero to thirty in what seemed like two seconds.

I was trying to figure out what just happened while I was flying home. My body seemed to reconnect with my brain a little too late. I ran straight into the front door and slammed my body into it before I could get it open. My grandmother met me at the door and she saw the distressed look on my face and asked me what was wrong. All I could do was bury my face in her apron and wrap my arms around her waist and I plead with her Please Grammy, Please dont to let me go! Through hysteric sobs I told her my horrific story. She then picked up the phone and dialed the police. I peeked through her apron and through my tears I could see Momoko hovering around me. My Grandma and I walked outside to wait on the authorities to

Anderson 5 show up. While we were waiting, a white sporty car was coming our way. I automatically recognized the lurking car. It was the same car and same man from earlier. He slowed to where my grandma and I were standing and then he sped off just as he did before. When the police arrived I had to tell them my story again, but to my disadvantage they could not do much without a clear lead.

To this day I always wonder what changed the mind of that man. What small portion of goodness crept into his mind that caused him to drive away? I gave him the perfect chance to follow through with his plan, to do what he got out of that car to do. Yet he made a choice not to. When I think about the bad people, places, or things in life, I always like to find a bit of morality in them. This experience changed my life. Though it was a very bad experience, it altered my thoughts about good and evil. We all do have a little bit of both in them. One part may be more dominant than the other, but it is still each individuals choice to make the judgment on what to choose.