• kittyxhaley222's Gallery
  • View Profile
  • Send Private Message
  • Artist Info: EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE CHILDREN READ IT TOO! <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213.. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. <br />
    She sent him an instant message: <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird! <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? <br />
    Don't you live in a safe neighborhood? <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    Unless you gave your name out on-line. <br />
    You haven't done that have you? <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    Of course not. I'm not stupid you know. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    Did you have a softball game after school today? <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    Yes and we won!! <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    That's great! Who did you play? <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    What is your team called? <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    Did you pitch? <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    ByAngel213: <br />
    No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye! <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    GoTo123: <br />
    Catch you later.. Bye <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Meanwhile.........GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it <br />
    out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Her name: Shannon <br />
    Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 <br />
    Age: 13 <br />
    State where she lived: North Carolina <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she <br />
    lived in Canton because she had just told him. <br />
    He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. <br />
    He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons <br />
    on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on <br />
    her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School She had told him all this in the conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't <br />
    want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were <br />
    always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't <br />
    be so over-protective. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second <br />
    base position to see a man watching her closely. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she <br />
    walked past him.. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon 's home, and once <br />
    he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon 's house. <br />
    He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    "Shannon, come here," her father called. <br />
    He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. <br />
    She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    "Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you." <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today! <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    "Do you know who I am, Shannon ?" the man asked. <br />
    <br />
    "No," Shannon answered. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    "I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123." <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan !" <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you <br />
    how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me <br />
    to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. <br />
    The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze." <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan ?" <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    He laughed.. "No, I live in Raleigh It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?" <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    She nodded. <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    "I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. <br />
    Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information <br />
    a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you <br />
    without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?" <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    "It's a promise!" <br />
    <br />
    <br />
    That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting <br />
    Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
  • Avg. rating: