
This story is happening in the spring of 1999. I am in the fifth grade, a little taller than most boys, but otherwise quite delicate looking - a straight mop of blonde hair, round blue eyes, a fat "button" nose and quite skinny. I also wore thick, plastic glasses. I was an adorable little bookworm. I've always been a "nerd" of sorts. I still am, but back then, I was in a class of my own. I read D&D books for fun, played board games, beat everybody else in chess, and watched cartoons (I was too squeamish for violent movies). One of my favourite cartoons was “Where in The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” So in love I was with that show, that I prayed Carmen would be REAL. I even looked a bit like Zack, according to my sister. Unfortunately she didn’t look like Ivy, but it didn’t matter because she already grew out of it. I didn’t care.
Anyways, here’s a warning to everyone who’s reading this: Be careful what you wish for.
One Saturday morning, I woke up at around 7:00 AM. I hardly ever woke up that early on weekends, unless I could send there was something wrong. I always had a “sixth sense” of sorts; don’t ask questions, it’s true. If you didn’t believe me back then, I would’ve told you you’re an idiot (don’t forget I was only ten/eleven years old). So anyways, I tried to go back to bed but couldn’t fall asleep. Something was making me uneasy...
Before long, a woman appeared in my bedroom. She came out of nowhere, probably climbed up the window. But I kept it closed! And even though the door was open (I was afraid of the dark), I was facing it! How could I have missed her? She wore a red overcoat, red hat, and had long, flowing curls of black hair...she looked exactly like Carmen Sandiego!
I let out a sleepy “hmm?” before she ran over to me and shut my mouth with her hand. “Keep quiet, kiddo, and I won’t have to hurt you. I need you to come with me.” She let go.
“Where? Why?” I was asking the obvious questions, but my mind was still in trying to figure out what IN THE WORLD was going on!
“I’ll tell you later. I’m taking you for a long ride, don’t worry I will tell you everything. But I gotta take you now. Not a sound.”
“Are you kidnapping me?!” I asked, my voice going a little high. Carmen’s bright blue-gray eyes blazed ominously. “Quiet, you silly child, while I tie you up.” She pulled out some rope and tied my legs together over my gray sweatpants. It felt pretty tight. She tied me between my ankles and knees and knotted the rope several times. I’ve never been immobilized like this before.
“Cut it out!” I said. My voice kept rising. I was really getting panicky. Then she pulled out a small roll of tape from her red overcoat. “I bet you’re a girly screamer, am I right?” she asked mockingly. “I’m gonna scream so loud I’ll make you deaf for life,” I threatened her. “No, you won’t,” she said and before I could protest, she glued a piece of duct tape to my lips! “Now seriously, be quiet, I’m not going to hurt you, Alexander.” She said reassuringly. My eyes popped when she said my name. “It’s quite chilly outside, isn’t it?” She asked as she looked inside my closet.
“Hmm!!!” I groaned. I didn’t want this stranger (Carmen?) looking through my stuff! I had some pretty awful personal stuff in there...
“Calm down, I just wanna find your winter jacket,” she said. I pointed with my hands to the left, and she found my glowing neon ski jacket. She also took my scarf. “There, put that on, I don’t want you catching a cold.” Surprisingly, I found myself fully co-operating with this lady. Part of me was fully aware I was being kidnapped, but she was being so...tender about it, almost motherly.
“I think it’s only fair I tell you my name. Carmen Sandiego, at your service,” she took a bow. So it was her after all! She tied my hands behind my back with more rope and then grabbed me in a bear hug (she seemed surprisingly strong, but then again I was only a skinny little pre-teen). She pulled herself AND me out my window, and only then did I realize the thick rope that reached all the way to the ground. “Hold tight, kiddo,” she said softly and I did as she said. She crawled down to my lawn, ran to the left end of my house, where a small HELICOPTER was awaiting her, and then placed me in the passenger’s seat. I noticed there was a small case in one of her overcoat’s pockets, it looked expensive, like a case full of diamonds. I suddenly became excited. When she felt we were safe, she ripped the duct tape off my mouth, but she made sure the ropes around my legs and hands were still tight.
“Owww!” I yelled. “Sorry, Alex,” she apologized, “I’m a little hasty right now. We gotta go pronto.”
“Do you know to fly this thing?” I asked in wonder. “Sure I do.” She wasn’t lying. “Come on, let’s get a move on so maybe we can have breakfast before nine.”
I felt myself getting off the ground. Carmen told me not to look down. I looked ahead, admiring the metropolitan city line and the surrounding trees which were still covered in snow. Before long, I felt my eyes closing and I drifted back to sleep.
I definitely want to continue this story, what does everybody think?
