In finishing up our Europe photos, I came across some that reminded me of a few stories that I had meant to share. Here's the first one:
This poster was plastered all over Lelystad (a Dutch city outside of Amsterdam that we stayed in after Spain).It's a warning about a serial killer.
Do you know what scares me more than a serial killer?
A serial killer on the loose.
More scary than a serial killer on the loose?
One on the loose in a town where I'm residing.
Knowing that this guy the news media had nicknamed "Jac de Prikker" (their version of Jack the Ripper) had recently stabbed a handful of random strangers in this relatively small town and had yet to be apprehended, Josh and I set out on our first Dutch day trip with the firm resolution to return to Lelystad before dark. Not only did we not make that deadline, we also missed the last bus. So we were stuck walking (Zoe slung to me) at midnight through the woods to our friend's house.
I know it sounds silly to say that I have a fear of serial killers--who doesn't, right? But my fear is pathological. I feel like there's a good chance I will die at the hand of a serial killer one day. I remember watching this Looney Toons cartoon when I was about 11 in which an escaped chainsaw killer played a small comedic role. I had nightmares for months.
Have you ever wondered how you would do if you were in a horror movie situation in real life? Well, Josh and I learned an important lesson about me that night: I would curl up in a ball and hope for sudden death while he would be left stranded without his co-star.
Josh was very proactive. The smallish stick he picked up early on in the walk was soon replaced by a 2x4 beam that he reached under the fence of a construction site to retrieve.
The problem was that his beam-wielding and frequent over-the-shoulder glances, as much as they were for my benefit, just made me all the more terrified. I was expecting Jac de Prikker to emerge behind Josh's shoulder with a beam-slashing knife any moment.
Which explains why the man who stepped out of the shadows while innocently walking his dog behind us was greeted--to his surprise--with a scream and lurching motion from me.
It also explains my hyperventilation. The funny thing was, I didn't know I was hyperventilating. Josh had to tell me later. Have you ever been so scared that you could barely breathe but didn't notice?
If I sound crazy at this point, I want you to remember that MY BABY was strapped to me through all this!
Did Jac de Prikker get us? Did we make it? I think I'll leave you in suspense . . .
4 comments:
AMAZING! I love it.
I don't love that you were almost slaughtered with your child strapped to your back, but that you wrote such a good story about it.
This experience made me realize that horror movies aren't quite as cool when you are actually living in them. I do have to confess that I have never felt so alive, though. I was so keenly aware of my mortality. It was very tense and hyper-real and I could feel the air in my lungs and the blood coursing through my veins.
People probably think this is an exaggeration, but it is 100% true and we were not over-reacting at all. Although, your hyperventilation and manic panic (see what I did there) didn't really help the situation.
The 2x4, or "beam" as you call it, is the only thing that makes me feel a little silly looking back. It made me feel secure at the time and actually could have kept us safe, but when I think back about me marching down the street at night with a 2x4 the only image that comes to mind are those disgusting 80s redneck pro-wrestlers, The Bushwackers, and that ugly walk the did. I think about myself looking like those bafoons and I shudder. Check them out here, as I am sure you are unfamiliar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFVRIAbHQzE&feature=related
BTW, you also left out the several occasions on which I could have been killed by myself BEFORE you came to Holland, which were just as hair-raising. And then there is also the fact that we actually saw a guy get murdered and maybe die on the street in front of us a couple of days later in Luxemburg.
That was a crazy couple of days. I was really glad to come home after that.
Sooooo scary!!! i think i started to hyperventilate while reading this
What a great story! And I love getting both your perspective and Josh's perspective. With two accounts, the truth HAS to be in there somewhere ;-) The only thing I don't like is Josh's statement that he "never felt so alive." Only Josh could extract something positive like that out of this experience. :-)
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