As young women it is important to be aware of our surroundings and realize what is going on around us at all times. Young women take their safety for granted and don’t think about being safe and smart.

I recently moved into a small town home with my college roommate and we have been living quite comfortably for the past month. One night we came home from a seminar and sat on the couch in our living room to talk. For a moment my roommate looked up at the window and said, “Olivia, am I crazy or do you see something outside of the window?” Our windows were closed and the blinds were down, but as I looked up I could see a figure standing outside of our window. I saw the head of a man, his shoulders and part of his chest. We instantly began to scream and the figure moved from the window as we ran up the steps and into a bathroom upstairs. We called a male friend and told him to urgently come to the house. We also called our neighbors who live behind us to see if they could see anyone in our backyard. After a few jokes on their end of disbelief, a few minutes later they said they saw no one. Once our friend got there, he searched the house inside and out, looking for the man who had been peeking through our window. He could not find anyone either, but we called the police just to be safe anyway. Unfortunately, it took the police over two hours to come to our house and search the premises. The man was long gone.

But what if the mystery person had come closer and actually tried to get into the house? Would we have been able to stop him? It was one of the spookiest nights I have ever witnessed. The next day we put up a light for the back patio and hung curtains over our windows. The police have also put our house on a watch list. Even though the predator was only at our house for a few short minutes, you can never be too safe.

If anything, this experience has taught me to be extremely careful, and not allow myself to get too comfortable. Incidents happen to young women living alone all of the time. The more more safety precautions you take, the less chance you have of an incident occurring. Sporting goods stores have pepper spray for your keychain for just a few dollars. They even have ones that come in purple and pink! Be careful about having a routine, you never know who is watching so try to change it up sometimes. Keep outdoor lights on and try not to come home to a house in the dark. Also, it’s a good idea to have male visitors; they can be helpful if something really does happen. One last rule is to not walk alone. Creepers are everywhere and at night they get very bold. Overall, just be aware of your surroundings.

By: Olivia Lewis

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