This is a TRUE story. I wish I had the name of the author. Until then, I will have to list it as "Author Unknown"...

Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked home. The thought of being followed made her heart skip a beat.

"You're being silly," she told herself, "no one's following you."

To be sure, she walked a little faster, but the footsteps kept up with hers. She was afraid to look back and very glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe!" She saw the porch light burning just ahead, and ran the rest of the way home.

Once inside, she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She quickly glanced out the window to see if anyone was there, but the sidewalk was empty.

"My imagination's really working overtime today!", she thought to herself.

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. No one knew who she really was and she was safe there.

She logged on under her screen name "ByAngel213". Checking her Buddy List, she was glad to see that "GoTo123", her "cyber boyfriend", was on. She sent him an instant message:

ByAngel213: Hi! Boy, I'm glad you're on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123: Are you ok?

ByAngel213: Yeah, it was just my overactive imagination! When I looked outside, nobody was there.... Too much homework I guess! [G]

GoTo123: LOL! Nah! You just watch too much TV! But you should be careful anyway.... You haven't given your name out on line, have you?

ByAngel213: Of course not! I'm not stupid!

GoTo123: Hey, did you play softball after school today?

ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!

GoTo123: A'right! Who'd you play?

ByAngel213: The big, bad Hornets... LOL! Their uniforms are so gross! They look more like bees... LOL!

GoTo123: What's your team?

ByAngel213: We're the mighty Canton Cats! WE have tiger paws on OUR uniforms. They're really kewl.

GoTo123: You pitch or what?

ByAngel213: No... I play second base. Hey, I gotta go... I have to get my homework done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me... Bye!

GoTo123: Cya!

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and forbid her from walking home from softball games. Parents were always overreacting, and hers were the worst. It made her wish she wasn't an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.

By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a strange 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 she'd felt.

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed him smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back.

~~~

The man noticed the name on back of her shirt. He knew he'd found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her as she walked home. He didn't want to frighten her and have to explain what he was doing to anyone.

It was only a few blocks to her home. 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 the time came to go to her house. He drove to a fast-food restaurant and sat there until the time came to make his move.

~~~

Shannon 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 livingroom and saw the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa!!!

"Sit down," her father began, "this man is a policeman, and he's just told us a most interesting story about you."

Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today! Besides, she hadn't done anything wrong?

"Do you know who I am Shannon?", the man asked.

"No...", Shannon answered.

"I'm your "cyber" friend, GoTo123."

Shannon was stunned.

"No WAY! GoTo is a kid MY age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!"

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 find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I found you to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people online and just how easy it is to find someone on what they think is very little personal info."

"You told me enough about yourself to make it VERY easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you attend, the name of your ball team, and the position you play. The number and name on your jersey made picking you out a breeze."

Shannon was dumbstruck. "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, didn't it?"

She nodded.

"I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. Her "cyberfriend" found her and murdered her while she was home alone. It is why I do this -- to keep it from happening again.

"Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are 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, you've told them enough to find you easily without even realizing you've done it.

"After getting to know you online, I decided it was time to teach you a lesson -- one you would never forget. I went to the member menu and began to search for your profile. When it came up, I highlighted it and printed it out. I took out a pen and began to write down what I knew about you so far....

"Your name: Shannon
"Birthday: Jan.3, 1985
"Age: 14
"State where you lived: North Carolina
"Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

"Besides this information, I knew you lived in Canton -- you'd just told me. I knew you stayed by yourself until 6:30 every afternoon until your parents got home from work. I knew you played softball Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Your favorite number 7 was printed on your jersey. I knew you were in the eighth grade at Canton Junior High School.

"You told me all this in the various conversations we had on line. And I had plenty of information to find you.

"I knew you'd be shocked when I found you. You didn't even know what you had done.

"I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again."

"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.

"Will you tell others about this so they'll be safe too?"

"It's a promise!"

That night, Shannon and her dad and Mom all knelt down together and prayed. They thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation. And they thanked Him for sending the man to warn her about the dangers on the internet.

~~~

People are NOT always what they represent themselves to be online.... PLEASE be VERY careful about the information you give out to others in casual conversation. They can pretend to be many things -- not just kids.

And you young ones, be especially careful!! Child predators comb the chatrooms looking for vulnerable, hurting kids -- they represent themselves as another kid or as a "caring adult" -- I don't want to scare you away from sites like mine, but even here, you must be careful. 99% of the people on this site are safe -- it is the 1% you must be aware of.

One more thing! To keep you safe on the net, if you haven't already done so, sign up with HotMail or a similar service to get a totally anonymous email -- DO NOT use ANY part of your name in that email address!!! It is FREE, it is totally anonymous, and it can be accessed from any computer in the world as long as you have internet access.

Let's continue to support one another and share online -- but let's also be AWARE.

Much love to you all!!! As Seneca says, BE SAFE!