My family's trip to the mountains was ruined because of one man.

Warning: This is a long story, so if you want to read it, make yourself comfortable.<br><br>This happened back in 2016, when I was 14, and it gave me what I believe is PTSD. I was visiting my family in another state with my brother and father because my dad was based in another city for a project he was working for as a developer. It was a hot summer, and my mother decided to spend some time in the mountains with my 4yo sister, so she can avoid the heat wave. My brother was 3 at the time and I'm a girl.<br><br>We packed up our things one rainy night, and left to drive all the way to the mountains, where my mom's parents were waiting for us. We drove through the night and my brother and sister didn't wake up once, thank God. I couldn't sleep because I was too excited and scared. I'd never been to the mountains before, and I was still a kid, so I was very afraid of monsters, ghosts, demons etc.<br><br>We arrived to the house at around 5am, and knocked on the door. The door opened, and my mom's father answered, sleepy as hell. He helped us carry the luggage and my mom's mother warmed up some milk for me and my brother and made some coffee for my parents. At around 6am, everyone went to sleep and I couldn't. It was a big house, perfect for a family like ours. It was made out of wood and it had a big backyard with a lot of trees surrounding it. The view from the attic, where we slept, was perfect. I can't describe it in any way that would do it justice. It was beautiful. The mountains were huge and had lots of trees around them. It started raining again at around 7am, so I decided to read a book and watch the rain until they woke up.<br><br>At around 10am, I heard noises coming from down. It was my parents and my grandparents talking in the kitchen. I woke my sister and brother up and we got dressed and rushed down the stairs to go to the kitchen. Everyone was smiling at us, and I saw a full table. My mom's mother made a big breakfast for us, and it was delicious. After we ate, my mom's father helped my dad carry my siblings to their room and my mom and her mother went to the front yard to talk. I went back to the attic to read some more because it was still raining and I didn't want to get wet. Later, my parents came up looking for me and found me reading. They told me to go outside and play with my brother and sister. They were playing in the backyard with my mom's mother when I got there. I played with them for some time, but then I went back inside the house to continue reading.<br><br>It was a really boring day, and I could only find 3 books that interested me. I read them all until 6pm, when my mom came to tell me that dinner was ready. I rushed down because I was very hungry. My brother and sister were already eating, and my mom's mother made soup. It was very tasty, and I think that made me tired, because I fell asleep at around 8pm while reading. At around 11pm, my parents woke me up and told me to go back to the attic because they were going to sleep. I grabbed my book and rushed up the stairs before they turned off the lights. When they turned off the lights, I realized that I had to go to the bathroom really bad. I held it in for some time, and when I couldn't hold it anymore, I decided to rush down and run up back. The stairs were too creaky, so I decided to be careful and avoid waking anyone up.<br><br>When I walked past my siblings' room, I heard something weird. It sounded like "sshhh" and I froze. I asked if someone was there, but no one answered. I didn't think much of it and went to the bathroom. When I was done, I looked myself in the mirror and felt a bit scared. I don't know why, but it's stupid. When I was walking back to the stairs, I saw a man standing in the hallway. I froze again and he started walking towards me. I ran towards the stairs and he started running. He was yelling at me to stop, but I didn't listen. I ran as fast as I could and closed the door to the attic. I was crying and I felt like I was going to pass out. I locked the door and looked for the light switch. When I turned it on, I saw that the attic was empty. My parents weren't there. I ran to the window and looked at the front yard and saw my parents. They were looking at the road, and they waved at someone. I looked at the road and saw a guy leaving. I waved at my parents, but they didn't see me. I started feeling more and more scared, and I decided to go downstairs and tell them what happened. I left the attic key at the door and ran down the stairs. I saw my mom's parents in the kitchen and they told me my parents were in the front yard. I told them that I saw a man in the hallway and that he tried to hurt me.<br><br>They told me to go to the backyard and that they would handle it. I did what they told me to do, and I waited there for a while until they came out looking really mad. They told me that they didn't call the police because they didn't want to ruin our stay, but that they would look out for me. They told me to not leave my room under any circumstances. They were looking out the window when my parents came inside. They asked what was going on, and my mom's parents told them what happened. My parents were angry at first, but when they calmed down, they told me to go to the attic with my dad. My father looked out every single corner, but he didn't find anything. He calmed me down until I fell asleep.<br><br>The next day was sunny. I woke up at around 10am and my mother was making breakfast. I didn't see my father, so I asked her where he was, and she told me that he went to run some errands. My brother and sister were playing in the backyard, drinking some water. I told my mom what happened, and she told my exactly what her parents told me. When we were talking, my 4yo sister came in and told my mother that there was a bad man outside and that he was hiding behind the trees. My mother told her it was okay and that she was safe now. My sister told us exactly what happened to her. A man was outside the house and he called her over and told her to come closer so that he could show her an animal. When she came closer, the man tried to pull her through the fence, but she kicked him in his balls and he doubled over in pain. She told us she ran inside the house, but that the man told her "I'll come for you"<br><br>I felt chills when my sister told us what the man said. It was what the man told me when I ran up the stairs. My mom called the police this time, and they picked up my dad from wherever he was. After we ate, the police arrived and took our statements. They told us that they would look out for us and that they would catch the guy. My mom's father was really worried, because this had never happened in the neighborhood before, and it was a family neighborhood. After the police left, my parents told me to pack my things because we were going to another city to stay with my mom's brother. They told us that this trip was ruined because of the guy, and that they had to make sure we were all safe. We packed our things quickly and left. My mom's parents were crying when we left, and my mom was mad at my dad for leaving us alone. We arrived to my uncle's house at around 5pm. He and his wife were shocked when they heard what happened. They told us that we could stay with them all summer if we wanted. My parents were really thankful for their hospitality, and we stayed there until it was time to leave.<br><br>It was a really fun stay there, but I was always scared. I'm still scared, to be honest. I think about that man a lot, and I'm paranoid. I always check if I lock the door because I'm afraid that he will come for me. I'm not the same girl I was before. I'm more defensive and I'm always looking out and suspicious of everyone.<br><br>The guy, LET'S NOT MEET EVER AGAIN.