SHANNON I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!

I first read this story on Donna's site. My heart almost stopped as I read most of it. The thought is undesribally Horrible. I cannot even begin to imagine! Take a few moments to read this and I am sure that You and your child will think twice before giving out "harmless" information on the web!

Shannon could hear the footsteps as she walked toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster.
"Your being silly", she told herself, "No one is following You." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back, and was very glad that she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe." Shannon saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the way to her house.

Once inside she  leaned against the door a moment , relieved to be in the safty of her home. She glanced out the window to see if there was anyone there. The sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa , she decided to grab a snack and get online. There she could talk to strangers without being afraid. After all, no one really knew who she was and couldn't hurt her. She logged on under her Screen Name, "ByAngel213". After checking her buddy list, she saw her friend GoTo123 was on. She sent Him a instant message.

ByAngel213: Hi I'm glad your online! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't You live in a safe neighborhood?

ByAngel213: Of course I do... LOL.. I guess it was my imagination...cause I didnt see anyone when I looked out.

GoTo123: Inless You gave your name out online. .You haven't done that have You?

ByAngel213: Ofcourse not! I am not stupid You know!

GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?

ByAngel213: Yes! And we won!!

GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?

ByAngel213: We played the Hornets....LOL.. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bee's...LOL

GoTo123: What is your team called?

ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo123: Do You Pitch or what?

ByAngel213: No......I play second base. I got to go....My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I dont want them mad at me...bye.

GoTo123: Catch you later...bye.

GoTo123 decided to teach Angel a lesson.
One she would never forget.

He went to the memeber menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, He highlighed it and printed. He took out a pen and began to write down what He knew about Angel so far.

....Her name:Shannon
....Birthday:Jan.3, 1985, age:13
....State where she lived: North Carolina
....Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

Besides this information He knew she lived in Canton.She had just told him, He knew she stayed home by herself until 6:30pm every afternoon until her parents got home.
He knew she played softball Thursday afternoons on the school team and the team was called the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the 7th grade at Canton junior highschool.
She had told him all this in converstations they had online. He had enough information to find her now.
"She'll be so suprised", He thought, "she doesnt even know what she did".

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day.
She didnt want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games.
Parents were always over-reacting and her parents were the worse. It made her wish that she was not a only child.
Maybe if she had brothers and sisters her parents wouldnt be so over-protective.
By Thursday Shannon had forgot all about the footsteps following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone's eyes on her. It was then that the memory came back.
She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. 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 fear that she felt.
After the game he sat on a bleacher while she talked with her coach. She noticed Him smiles once again as she walked by Him. He nodded and she smiled back.
He noticed her name on back of the shirt.
He knew that He had found her.
Quietly he walked a safe distance behind her. He didnt want to frighten her and didnt want to have to explain what He was doing to anyone.
It was only a few blocks to Shannons home and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until it was time to go to Shannons house. He drove to a fastfood restaurant and sat there until it was time to make his move.

Shannn was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.
"Shannon come here", her Father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.
"Sit down", her Father began, "this man is a policeman and has just told us the most interresting story about you."

Shannon moved cautiously to the chair across from the man. How could she tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am Shannon?" the man asked.
"No..." Shannon answered.
"I am your online friend, GoTo123."
Shannon was stunned! "Thats impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14 and I know because He sent me his picture, and He lives in Michigan.!"
The man smiled. "I know, I told You all that, but it wasnt true. You see Shannon there are people online who pretend to be kids:I was one of them. But while other people do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people online. You told me enought about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the name of your school, the name f your ballteam and the poistion that you played. The number and name on your jersey just made it a breeze to find you"

Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan?"
He laughed. "No, i live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didnt it?" She nodded. "i had a friend who's daughter was like you. Only she wasnt lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone that they are home alone, yet they do it all the time online. The Wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there online. Before you know it, youv'e told them enough for them to find you without even realizing that you have done it. I hope youv'e learned a lesson from this and wont do it again.."

"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.
"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?"
"It's a promise!"

That night Shannon and her mom and dad all knelt down together and prayed. They all thanked God for protection Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.