"I'll see you in your dreams."

This happened to me when I was a little girl. I'm already in my 30s now, but I remember this so vividly, and I dread ever thinking about it. <br><br>My family was going on a vacation in this city a few hours away from our place. It was the holidays, and I was so excited to go, as I hadn't been on a vacation for quite some time. I was only 7 years old then. We arrived in the city in the evening. <br><br>My parents immediately checked in to their hotel, but I was too distracted by all the lights and sights to think about anything else. There was a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, a haunted house, the works. My parents had to drag me to the hotel, as I wanted to explore the tourist area instead. <br><br>I didn't sleep that night, save for the few hours in the car. I waited until my parents fell asleep, then I took my father's wallet and slipped out. I knew that I had to be careful, as I was only 7, and it was the dead of night, and the streets were definitely not safe for me. I decided to go to the tourist area and get the most I could out of my parents' money. <br><br>I didn't know how long I'd been out, but by the time I noticed, the tourist area was already closing down. There were only a few employees left in the area. I decided to go to the haunted house. I had always been fascinated with the supernatural, and at that age, it didn't even occur to me that I was doing something reckless. <br><br>I walked past the ticket booth and into the haunted house. It was pitch black, and the employees were setting things up. I had to dodge fake spiders and zombies popping out of nowhere. At one point, a fake ghost jumped out and scared the shit out of me. I was crying. Extremely scared, I ran out of the haunted house and into the tourist area. <br><br>I didn't realize it then, but now I'm sure that he was one of the employees there. This guy approached me and asked why I was crying. I told him that I was scared of the haunted house. He comforted me by telling me that everything was fine. There was nothing to be scared of. I didn't think much of him at the time. He was right, after all, there was nothing to be scared of at that point. <br><br>I left the tourist area without any idea where I was headed. I looked around and realized that I was completely lost. I didn't see any familiar signs or landmarks, and everything around me was already closed. I held my father's wallet close to me and walked. I had no idea where I was going. <br><br>After a while, I walked past a corner store that was still open. I went in and bought a bottle of water, telling the clerk how I was lost. He said that he would walk me to the nearest police station. He led me to a police station a block away. <br><br>I approached one of the police officers and explained my situation. He was kind and understanding. He made a phone call and asked me to describe what my parents looked like and where I met them. Luckily, my parents were looking for me, and they described me and the clothes I was wearing. <br><br>The police officer brought me to a waiting car and told me to wait. I waited for what seemed like an eternity until my parents arrived. They were visibly worried and extremely pissed at the same time. They scolded me for slipping out on them. I was crying, upset that they didn't understand why I did it. They were driving me to the hotel, and I got drowsy and fell asleep along the way. <br><br>The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a knock on the door. I groggily got out of bed and walked to the door to see who was there. To my surprise, it was the guy from the haunted house. He had the same outfit, but this time his eyes had an eerie glow in them. I was too groggy to comprehend the situation, but at the time, I didn't think much of him. <br><br>"You know, I've been watching you since you were in the tourist area. You're so beautiful, you're so smart, and you're so brave. I'd marry you if you were a little older." He said, grinning. "I'll see you in your dreams. I'll be there, waiting for you."<br><br>I held the door halfway open, frozen. <br><br>"Honey, who is it?" I heard my mother say. "Oh my god, what the -" A hand reached above me and slammed the door closed. I looked up to see my dad's face, red with anger. <br><br>He looked through the peephole and saw the guy walking away. I told them what he said, and they were extremely worried. They held an emergency meeting with hotel staff and reported the incident to the city police. <br><br>We left the city a day later, and I held on to the memory of that incident, still dreading it to this day. <br><br>Guy in the tourist area, I don't know if you're still out there or not, but please, if you're into children, get some help. Let's not meet again.