15. Close Call
When I was around five years old, I was out shopping with my mom when a man grabbed my hand and walked out of the shop with me. I didn’t realize it wasn’t my mom at first, but the moment I didn’t recognize him, I tried to pull away. Then, I went absolutely limp. He looked down at me and said something like, “Come on Tommy, your mom’s been looking everywhere for you.” Suddenly, my mom came to the rescue and he apologized.
He said he thought I was his nephew, and he immediately left. Looking back, he was definitely a kidnapper who was trying to take me to his van or something. I distinctly remember the entire shop full of people stopping and staring, and later, the person working there allowed me to have a toy for free. I think it was his way of making me feel better, though I had no idea what had happened at the time.