Friday, June 09, 2006
The Blonde Man
So here’s another story I’ve never told anyone. Not even the people I should have told.
When I was 14 years old, the family went on vacation, as they did every year. This trip was going to be full of many firsts. My first time to Washington DC, my first time to Florida, my first time on a plane and apparently, my first time of someone bad, very bad, coming after me.
We had relatives who lived in West Palm Beach so we flew down to visit them and then headed back to Orlando to visit the amusement parks. One of those days we went to Disney World and, as usual, the parental units would go their way, the brothers would go their way and I would be left to myself to find a friend. I always did and we would ride the rides together until his parents came to pick him up. It was always a boy and he was always one year younger than me and we always had a blast. Sometimes I sit back and think of my amusement park boy friends and wonder how they are doing.
Anyway, we had been doing the “Grand Prix”; the mini race cars you drive around a track, over and over again. Somewhere on the track we would drive under an overpass for pedestrians and people would stand on the bridge to watch us drive. That’s when I noticed the blonde man. I didn’t pay too much attention to him because I was having fun and it was just someone who registered in my mind over everyone else standing on the brdige.
The ride would end and the boy and I would then run back in to line and while in line make fun of smokers by fake coughing, talk about whatever and laughed a lot. This went on for hours. Eventually his parents were there when we got off the ride to run back in to line so I was left on my own again. I decided to go on the Grand Prix one more time and got in line.
I started to drive around the track again and when I reached the bridge, the blonde man was still there. Staring. I don’t know how I knew there was something wrong with him but I knew. And I started to get scared.
I got done with the ride and was climbing out of the car when I noticed the blonde man was walking towards that area. I decided that it was time to leave the Grand Prix and get away from there.
I started walking around the park and would look back once in awhile. The blonde man was following me. If I turned left and walked down a street, he would follow. If I turned right, he would follow. If I double backed, he was there. And he was getting closer.
I still remember details about him. He was probably late 20s early 30s. Had medium length blonde hair and was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He was a little fat and he was scaring the shit out of me.
I realized that I needed to be surrounded by people. The thing is, even though there are tons of people at the park, they are all doing their own thing and not really much of a protection. I picked up my pace to get away from the guy, looked back and saw that he had also picked up his pace. My mind was racing. I also remember that even though it was hot, I was freezing with fear.
I took a sharp right and practically ran to the line at Space Mountain. I was the last in line, outside, still not exactly safe and I remember hoping with all I had that someone would come in behind me to act as a protection from the guy. I was afraid that he would reach the line and be standing right next to me before that happened.
Just as he was reaching the end of the line, a family got in behind me. The blonde man stopped and stood, just staring at me. As more people got behind me I felt better and safer. He would not come up to me in line when I was surrounded by others. Eventually I was far up enough in line that I would be inside the building. As I was entering the building I looked back, the blonde man was still there. Still staring.
Got inside and stood in that line for a very long time before I finally got on to the ride. When the ride was over I infiltrated a group of people coming out of the building and told myself that I would not leave these people if the blonde man was outside.
He wasn’t there.
I was relieved but I spent the next couple of hours constantly looking over my shoulder, all around me just in case he came back. He never did and eventually it was time to meet up with the rest of the family members to leave.
And I never told them about the blonde man. To this day, they have no idea that some nasty man at Disney World had it in his head to do whatever sick thing he was going to do when I was 14. They may have been prats but that would have upset them far too much and I would have been kept under even stricter watch than I already was.
I do know that whenever I hear about another kid being abducted in this state, I always look for a photo of the pervert to see if he has blonde hair. And I wonder. A lot. I wonder if he ever did that to anyone else and if he succeeded.
I will never forget his face. Ever.
