Real Encounters

*Don't let them in*

This happened back when I used to live with my mum and dad, before I moved out. I now live with my fiancé. At the time when it happened I was 23.

It was a Saturday morning and I was home alone. I know it was a Saturday, because my mum goes to Tescos with her sister every Saturday and does the weeks shopping/has a coffee in the cafeteria there with her.

My mum has 2 massive huskies and I was watching tv with one of them, Casper asleep with his legs over me. (He's called Casper as he's just pure white with piercing blue eyes).

I remember I was watching Judge Judy and laughing at her tearing into people on her show when there was a knock at the door. Casper shot straight up and ran to the door barking. My other dog Mollie ran to join in.

I walked to the door and tried to push back the dogs with my legs as I answered it. There was a man there, id say around 35-40 and he had his arm resting above him on the door frame. "Alright love? Someone here called for their windows to be cleaned today?" He's looking at me up and down as he's saying this.

I remember thinking heck if I knew. My mum didn't say anything about a window cleaner coming around today, but then again I wouldn't know if she had of called him too.

"Can you come back in around ....half an hour please?" I assumed.

"I'm very busy today unfortunately, and someone from this address called the office and said that they wanted their windows cleaned at this time" by now his hand that was resting on the door was now in his jeans pocket.

I really was having a hard time trying to keep the dogs in, every now and again I had to move my leg that was holding them back. I also was pretty annoyed at this guy, I didn't know if my mum had called him and he seemed very persistent at cleaning the windows - it didn't seem like a big deal to me.

"Well.. Do you have any ID from your office that you can show me?" I asked. The man smiled slightly and said "you don't need it". I was even more annoyed now and just wanted to get back to the tv and just wanted this guy to go away.

I rudely answered back "err.. Yes I fucking do" while staring at him. The guy straightened up and both hands were fumbling in his pockets. "Why are you alone? In this big old house?" He hinted while looking at his pockets.

I was freaked out. My head was yelling to just slam the door right on his face and my legs were getting tired of trying to keep the dogs in. "No my dads asleep upstairs" I quickly blurt out.

"Can't find my ID" this guy seriously standing at my front door just smiling at me as he's saying it. He takes a step towards the door and that's when I hear a very deep growl behind me. Casper has popped his head around the door and is now staring right at this man, growling and showing his teeth. I've never seen him act like that before.

I get an idea in my head to stand back a little, far enough for the man to see Mollie and Casper - but not far enough for them to run out. Casper's hair was sorta standing on end and he was growling, showing his teeth and licking them. "I think you should get the hell off my property, before I set my dogs on you" I confidently say.

With that the man turned around and walked up my front drive, to a white van that was parked across the road. There must have been someone else there as the second he got into the van, it sped off.

I straight away shut the front door and double locked it. I grabbed the home phone and rung my mum. I was babbling that a man tried to get me to let him in but didn't have any ID. I mentioned that he said someone from the house had rung and said that we wanted our windows cleaned. My mum said that she hadn't rung anyone and that she pays our cousin Jake who's 15 to clean them. She told me that she's coming home right away.

When she got back I told her the whole story. She grabbed the phone and called the police. While waiting for them to come round she cooked some fresh chicken and beef for both the dogs, as we both felt like they protected me.

I had to go to the police station later and give a statement. I told them about the van, gave a description of the guy and what he was wearing.

They caught the guy a few days later. Apparently there were a gang of men that were 'watching' houses where young girls lived at. Also a few doors down one poor girl got raped by one of these guys. I even had to go to court.

After that episode my mum always took me shopping with her. As boring as it was sitting there listening to her and my aunt gossip.

Also, Casper slept in my bed every night before I moved out after that. I would be asleep and he would jump up and sleep right next to me.