I was a child abductor. Only one person ever saw me.

It's long been a piece of advice my mother gave me. Never hang around in the same spot for too long, always keep moving and never do the same thing twice. I found this piece of advice invaluable, especially when I was younger. As a child, I never stayed in the same school for more than 6 months and I became an expert at making friends fast. I remember one time, I had long hair, glasses and was overweight. The next I was skinny, had short spiky hair and glasses. No one ever suspected a thing. As an adult, I stopped changing myself so often, although my advise still stood. My job was a lot harder than when I was a child and I didn't have time to change my appearance after every job. However I did change my car more often than some people change their underwear. I lived in different houses, stayed in different hotels and only used payphones. I’ve been caught once and only once in my 27 years as a kidnapper. Only one person has ever seen me. I was 7 when my father caught me. He looked at me through the window of our dining room, his face scrunched up in confusion. My father was a great man and I loved him very much. It was my birthday when he found me and my parents had decided to throw me a party. My father was stepping outside for a smoke when he saw me. I was in the car at the time and was waiting for the boy I had kidnapped to wake up. His name was Tommy Wilkins and he was about the same age as me. He was my first “Catch”. He was the first person I kidnapped and although I knew my father wasn’t happy, he never got mad at me. He was the one who found me and he was the one who got me out of the mess I was in. He looked at me through the window, groceries still in his arms. I looked back at him, scared. He walked over to me and asked what I was doing and who was in the car. I told him I had done a bad thing and that the boy was my catch. He sighed and opened the boot of the car. Tommy was tied up and had a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth. “Where did you get this from.” He said calmly. “I took it from the kitchen.” I replied, scared. “Yes. But where did you get the idea from?” I didn’t reply. I knew where I got the idea from. I just didn’t want to tell my dad. He sighed and put his hand on my shoulder. We both looked back at the dining room and saw family and friends having a good time. My mother was grinning at us and I felt bad. She was right; it was my birthday and I was out kidnapping children. I was disappointed in myself. After a few minutes of silence, my Dad opened the car door and dragged Tommy out. He was small for a six year old, so my father was easily able to carry him. We both walked inside, with my father holding the groceries and Tommy in one hand and my hand in the other. The music stopped and everyone looked at us as we walked in. My father was holding the groceries and Tommy in one hand and me in the other. He walked up to the table and put both myself and Tommy down. “Why have you brought another child to my son's party?” My mother asked, looking at Tommy. My father smiled and twitched slightly. “His name is Tommy and he is Jamie's friend. How nice of you to bring him Jamie.” He said. I looked up at him, he was trying to help me. Even though we had put ourselves in an awkward situation, he was still sticking up for me. “He's not my friend.” I said. My father looked at me and his smile widened. I had blown it. “Well then, your father must have brought him here.” My mother said. My father squeezed my hand. “Jamie, you're dad here is going to take you outside for a minute.” And with that, we both left the house, leaving the other children inside. The car was still down the street and it took us a while to get to it. We both walked in silence, My father occasionally looking at me and then back at Tommy who was now awake and squirming in my father’s arms. We got in the car and my father shut the door. He looked at me and I could see the displeasure in his eyes. “Jamie; Do you know what you have done?” “I know.” I replied “And I'm sorry. It wont happen again.” “No it wont.” He paused. “Where did you get this idea from Jamie?” I sighed. I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want to disappoint him more than I already had. He looked at me and his eyes widened. “You saw it didn't you?” “Yes.” “How long have you been watching it Jamie?” “Since I was four.” He sighed “Why didn't you tell me?” “I was scared.” “You don't have to be scared Jamie. I love you.” He paused. “But you can't do this. If you get caught, you will be in a lot of trouble. Do you understand?” “Yes.” “Good.” And with that, he got out of the car and put Tommy in the boot. The drive to the beach was silent. My father didn't say anything to me and I knew I had disappointed him. He was a great father and looked after me but I had let him down. As we drove, I looked at all the houses and buildings we passed. I didn't see many children, but I did see parents looking after their kids. I wanted to tell them about me. To warn them, but my father had told me if I did, I would get in trouble. I wanted to help the parents, but my father was right. If I got caught, I was in trouble. We got to the beach and I stayed in the car, looking around at all the people walking and children playing. My father opened the boot and pulled out Tommy. He kicked and screamed as my father dragged him across the sand. I saw a couple with a small child walk past. My father saw them too and before I knew it, he had thrown Tommy to the ground and was walking towards them. The father was on his phone and the mother was talking to their child. My dad walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. The father turned around, still looking at his phone. “Sorry buddy, but I think you dropped something.” My father said grinning, as he tossed a wallet to the father. The mother looked at my dad confused. “We didn't lose anything.” “Oh, well then you wouldn't mind if I picked it up then. It's not mine, so I'll just go ask people if they dropped it.” My father said, still grinning at them. “No no no. Here, take it.” The father replied, not taking his eyes off the phone. “Thanks buddy.” My father said, as he walked away. Tommy had got to his feet and was walking towards a couple sitting on a beach towel. My father walked past them and then turned around. “Um, I think your child just wandered off. He's over there.” He said, smiling at them. They looked at each other confused and then back at where my father was pointing. “Oh my.” The woman said, as she got to her feet. My father walked back to the car and got in. “Never do that again Jamie.” He said, starting the car. I didn't reply. We drove in silence for a while until my father broke it. “How did you get the idea Jamie?” I hesitated, before answering. “It was the VHS.” I said. “Yes, I know that, but what made you think you could do it?” “I saw the man in the tape do it and he didn't get caught. I wanted to try it, so I did. But I did get caught.” “Yes, you did.” My father agreed “But he was unlucky, he got caught because of me.” I looked at him confused. “How?” “Well, he got sloppy and greed took the better of him. I knew he was taking children and I knew I had to stop him.” “But you didn't.” “No, I didn't. He was my brother and I loved him. I couldn't get him in trouble.” “But you got me in trouble.” “Yes I did Jamie. Because you are my son and I would never let anything bad happen to you, unlike your uncle who sacrificed 122 children to get what he wanted.” I gasped. “What did he want?” “To live forever.” He replied. “And did he?” “Yes he did Jamie.” I looked at my father in awe. “But how did he do it?” “He did something bad Jamie. Something you should never do. You can never let yourself get this sloppy.” He warned. I nodded eagerly. I was ready to learn. “What did he do?” “He did the one thing I told you never to do.” He paused. “Well, what was it?” “He stayed in the same spot for too long.” And with that, we pulled up to the house.

I was a child abductor. Only one person ever saw me.

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