Strolling at a brisk pace down the dim road, I wondered what the time

was. Probably near midnight. Quickening my pace, I hurried back towards my

house, not wanting my parents to be worried. Well, they should be asleep by

now.

Out of the blue, a sudden premonition gripped me. I felt a cold prickle

down my spine and shuddered. In a moment of haste, I dropped my wallet. I

hesitated, wondering whether I should stop or keep going. Then, my ears

pricked up. There was a faint sound of boots clacking against the cobblestone

ground. Fear and horror gripped my heart as the noise got louder. Without a

second thought, I abandoned my wallet and dashed away at full pelt.

Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed my shoulder. “Going somewhere, young

man?”

I whipped around, and caught sight of a menacing-looking man with a

large rifle slung behind his back. He talked with an air of power, and his chin

was lifted with a sign of arrogance. A permanent scar ran down the side of his

face. His eyebrows were thick and bushy, and his hair was unkempt. Chewing

on a cigar in his mouth, he grinned threateningly at me. I wanted to scream, I

wanted to run, but fear rooted me in place. “Cat got your tongue, eh?” He spat

sarcastically. Muscles tensed. Eyes widened. Then, he smashed the butt of

his rifle onto my head. It happened in a split second, so fast my brain could

hardly register it. I wobbled and fell. All was black.

When I woke, my mind was all fuzzy and my tongue was thick. My

eyelids felt like lead, weighing down. I shook my head, trying to clear my

mind. My head was throbbing, as if someone was pounding a thick, blunt nail

into my skull. I looked around the small space I was in. Wincing, I fumbled in

my pockets to see what I have. Groaning when I saw that I only have a few

coins, a few peanuts and a blunt pocketknife, I pocketed them all, wondering

how the peanuts got into my pocket. Then, fatigue took over and I returned

into a deep, restless sleep, thinking, “I am kidnapped!” over and over again.

Light streamed in through a small window. My tiny enclosure was

bouncing about, shaking and shuddering. Wearily, I made my way to a small

window. Horror even pen and paper could not describe shot through me as I

saw a seemingly endless pasture laid out before me. It looked quite appealing

to a cow, but definitely not me. The pasture shot by, with little or no change in

the landscape. Fustrated, I retreated into a tight little corner, wondering how I

was going to escape with only a few coins, peanuts and a small knife that

could not even scratch a window.

Suddenly, the door swung open. I shrank back as a man stepped into

the small room. He had a permanent scowl on his face, and his eyes were

hard as stones. Throwing a hunk of stale bread and a small bottle of water at

me, he snapped, “Eat up and don’t try anything funny!” Then, the door

slammed shut. I reached out for the food, before shrinking back into my world

of utter misery.

As I nibbled on the bread, I began to formulate a plan. I thought, “It

may work, but with the guns, they are at the upper hand!” Though, I was

unwilling to proceed on to whatever miserable life I would have, I am going to

change it. I chewed the side of my cheek grimly, flicking my pocketknife in and

out of its sheath. “It may work.”

When I woke up, I grabbed my pocketknife and started sharpening it

with the cement. Next, I tore at the lamp on the ceiling. With a sharp tug and a

clever flick of the knife, the lamp’s wires were severed and it fell to the ground.

I twisted the wires together, working through the night. Then, I connected the

wires to my coins and the light bulb. Now, what is left is to wait and see if my

invention will work.

I rubbed the coins again each other. The light bulb flared up

immediately, producing light too bright to look at directly. Then, excitement

coursed through me as I heard footsteps from a man delivering my dinner

coming closer and closer... The door was flung open, and I frantically rubbed

the coins together. The man uttered a hoarse cry, blocking his eyes and

stumbling about. Freedom, at last!

I ran out of the container I was stuck in and jumped into the van. “First

things first!” I said to myself. I wrenched the mirror off the vehicle. Suddenly, I

had a brainwave. Stepping out of the car, I recognised the wording on an

advertisement board and found that I was in Thailand! Some way away, I

could hear the large man shouting and screaming. Time was of essence, so I

clambered back onto the van. Then, I remembered having seen my father

drive a car. “Can I do it?” I wondered. Sure, I have played the game Grand

Theft Auto before, but this is a real vehicle. Giving a devious grin, I said to

myself, “Only one way to find out!”

I stuck the pocketknife into the hole below the steering wheel. Turning

it, I could hear the slight thrum as the engine roared to life, humming. Then, I

stepped onto the pedal—hard. Nearly jolted out of the driver’s seat as the van

shot forward, a smile split my face. Though, my victory did not last long. With

a jolt, the van crashed into a swathe of palm trees. The crack of tree trunks

snapping was clearly audible. From afar, I could hear guns firing randomly.

Ditching the car, I started to walk on the road, helping myself to the

peanuts in my pocket. Finally, after an eternity, I heard the chugging of a

patrolling helicopter’s engine. Then, it flew over the forest. Not wasting a

second, I rubbed the coins together vigorously, and the light shone brightly in

the evening skies. I knew this was risky, as I may as well parade into the

kidnappers’ house with a fanfare of trumpets. This beacon could lure them

here like ticks seeking blood. Luckily, the helicopter saw the signal and began

to descend. Grinning, I thought, “Here comes my ticket out of here!”

After informing the Thai police about my ordeal, I enjoyed a long, hot

bath and good food, not to mention a happy reunion with my family.

The next day, the headlines read, “Youth Escapes From Kidnappers!

Miracle Story Of Danny Jones!” I smiled. It was over... or so I thought.

Many a day passed in peace. Then, one day, the newspapers read,

“Thailand Kidnapper Still At Large”. Alarmed, I quickly told that to my parents.

They took safety measures, placing at least three locks on the main door and

even more on my room’s door. Then, one day, when I came to my email

account, I found a vicious virus destroying all my mails. When I found the

source, I nearly fell out of my chair. It was an anonymous mail that read, “You

think you have won. I assure you, you are wrong. This is not over yet, boy. I

will come and get you sometime, someday. I swear.”