Real Encounters

*Disney Child Abductor*

I was about 6 or 7 when we took a family holiday to Disneyland Florida. I was a fairly aloof child and 'stranger danger' was something that had been drilled into us at school. My mum was paranoid about us not going off with strangers and was convinced that I was a target, being a blue eyed blonde kid. All I wanted was my freedom to run around! Nope. From day one I had a Velcro strap put around my wrist, with a boingy cable linking me to my mum who wore the other end on her wrist. I was effectively on a lead.

A week at Disney on a lead was hell for me, and probably for my parents too. Nowadays you'd call it ADD, back then it was called naughty. If I wasn't trying to undo the strap I was barking like a dog, howling like a dog, or rolling around on the floor. I was a joy of a child.

The last day there I had calmed down. Well, I was speaking like a human again rather than a dog. I begged and begged for my parents to let me off the lead until finally they gave in and said yes I could take the strap off, but I had to hold one of their hands. Fair deal. All went swimmingly to begin with. I stayed close to my parents, held their hands. As time went by and it became clear I wasn't going to run off, I was allowed moments of freedom. No hands! Woohoo! There were so many exciting things the see- all my favourite Disney characters waving, my favourite music playing.

We began to cross an open area, which I think was generally towards the exit of the park. I was still hands free. My attention was firmly fixed on Minnie Mouse who was ahead of me, when my Dad grabbed my hand. I stuck to the rules, the deal was I held my parents' hands, so off we went towards the exit to leave. When Dad started running I began to run too. I wasn't sure where we were running to but I was a hyperactive child, so in my head was YAY RUNNING! Then I heard my Mum scream, and I mean scream, my name from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to see my Mum, brother, and to my surprise my Dad, chasing after me. I felt the hand holding mine tighten and looked up at the man I thought was my Dad. He was a mid-50s man with grey hair and a grey beard. Not my 40 year old Dad with black hair and no beard. Creepy dude never once looked at me. His face was blank and he looked pretty calm.

My little feet brakes came on out of shock, and I became a lead weight, which along with the people who stopped around us due to Mum's screaming, was enough for my sprinting family to catch up with me. Would-be-child-abductor then clearly decided that he didn't fancy his chances against my dad, dropped my hand and disappeared. My dad chased him and my mum and brother grabbed me.

I can't remember much of what happened afterwards. Dad was built for comfort not speed so didn't catch the dude. Mum was hysterical. I was gutted because this meant I was never being let off lead again. I think my parents saw the police out there and they said that there were a number of attempted abductions around that time at the Disney Park.