Let's Not Meet Again

Tree Climbing Maniac

Before I tell you what happened I'll give you a bit of detail/background. I live in Sydney, Australia in a pretty dodgy neighbourhood so I am quite used to creepy and not so very nice people but this experience is the worst I've ever had. My house backs onto a park with quite a few trees but they are spaced out so its not like bush land, it's a nice park with a walk way and all the houses in my street line up against it making a sort of long wall of house backyard fences if that makes sense, because of this I have a very small backyard.

Anyway on with the story.

I was just about to go to bed and had finished locking my front door and the Windows, All I had to do was lock the back door but before I did I decided to open it and have a look outside. Just to check the weather and see if my two cats were out there lying around.

I was looking around when a feint flicker of light from one of the tree tops caught my eye. It was weird considering there are no lights in the park and I got worried there might be a fire starting. I decided to take a closer look but as soon as I stepped outside the now clearly visible flame vanished.

The flame had come from the tree closest to my back fence (only a few feet away) so it was possible to see shapes and movement even in the darkness.

I was certain it was from a lighter. Someone had climbed up the tree and was either lighting a smoke or trying to start a fire. This scared the living shit out of me because if he was just lighting a cigarette that meant he was spying on all the houses and had just seen me in pyjamas and if he was starting a fire the whole park could go up in flames and the houses too, Australia in the summer can be very dangerous and bush fires damage homes, wildlife and nature and kill many people. I ran inside and slammed the door.

My father then yelled at me for making such a loud noise and waking him up, I apologised but didn't tell him what was going on just in case I was being overly paranoid (I do have severe anxiety). I continued to stand with the back door shut and locked but watched to see what the man was doing.

I saw the lighter once more and then the end of a cigarette light up. He was smoking. I could now see my cat was staring at him too and her fur was all puffed up and after reading posts like this I didn't want him to hurt her, along with the fact that in my area many animals and humans are killed and harmed by people whacked out on drugs, in gangs or just stupid teens trying to have fun and hurting innocent animals. So I decided to go outside and get her.

I ran out and picked up my cat. As I was almost inside I turned to see what the man was doing.

I could see the whites of his eyes. He was staring right at me. I froze for a moment and then started to go back into the house quickly and quietly.

But before I could even get my body halfway through the door the man lunged out of the tree and onto my back fence. He through the cigarette at my other cat who had now climbed out of a flower pot and was hissing. He missed and my cat is fine. I ran inside and locked the door. The man proceeded to jump into my back yard and bolt for my cat. Luckily my cat ran through the cat door and my other cat was still in my arms. I put a large heavy box in front of the cat door to block it.

I had once again woken up my dad by being so noisy. He came out yelling at me and telling me go to my fucking room and shut up as he had to go to work early in the morning. I softly apologised as all I could manage was a small squeak from being so scared and I didn't want to piss him off further. I told him to look out the back but not to open the door.

He looked at me like I was insane, probably thinking there was some kind of small rodent outside that had frightened me or attacked the cats. He made an annoyed groan and went to have a look.

As soon as he looked outside he froze. Without looking at me he told me to call the police and see if I can get my neighbours (one being a cop and the other being a terrifying large Fijian man who could kill someone with his bare hands). I called the cops whilst sprinting to my neighbours houses and telling them what was happening.

When I came back my dad was yelling at the guy and telling him to get the fuck out of there before the cops come or my dad decides to kill him himself.

Now just some quick info my dad is a scary man, tall, muscular and ex army. Nobody fucks with him.

But this guy. This insane man just stared at him and slowly pulled a knife from his boot and started cutting my screen door making a hole to try and get through. My screen door has bars on it and the man could not fit through them. Yet there he was half his body through the hole trapped by the bars trying to open the glass sliding door. Yelling at my father about how he'd never see me again and the awful things he and his friends would do to me.

By this point one of neighbours (the cop) had gone into the park with his large German Shepard and taser and was planning on jumping over my fence and ambushing the guy. Just as he was about the do this the police I called for arrived and barged past my father, myself and my other the neighbour (the large Fijian man).

They then proceeded to tell the man the step away from the door and drop his knife. The man turned away and tried to bolt but before he could my neighbours dog tackled him to the ground and bit him. Allowing the cops to arrest the guy.

They put him into the car but he just kept staring at me the whole time. Never taking his eyes off me. I felt so violated and vulnerable.

They took our statements and that's all that has happened. He's in police custody and we're waiting to see what will happen next.

My dad told me that when he looked outside the first time he saw the man trying to look through our windows with this pants on the ground. He could have possibly been taking a wiz or well...the other obvious thing.

I was and still am very shaken up by this event and have gone to stay with my aunt for the night so I don't have to be in my house.

So creepy tree climbing maniac I hope we never ever meet again.