Girl in the Trunk

Snapshots In My Time, Of My Time.....Hauntings.

1st Grade. Summer of 1967

Back then times seemed safer or so it seemed. Children were left in cars when their parents went into stores and noone bothered them. They were safe until their parents returned. People were also able to leave doors and windows unlocked and nooone broke in or stole anything. Times were simpler then.

It was a saturday afternoon and my parents were in a local department store. If my brother and I had to stay in the car my parents parked near the front entrance just in case we had to get out in the event of an emergency and find them. We also had "stay in the car rules" we had to follow. The doors had to be locked at all times, the windows could only be 1/4 of the way down and if something bad happened to lay on the horn and keep blowing until help arrived.

That day it was just me in the car. Our car was in the 2nd space in front the store. There was an aisle there to cross to get into the store. I had been in the car sitting in the back seat for about 30 minutes or so. The owners of the car in the very first space right next to me came, got in and left. A short while later a light blue car pulled into that first space right next to me. I was in the first grade so I do not think I could really be seen as I sat in the back seat. I was not that tall. I was sitting still... just sitting. The man who got out of the light blue car was white and tall and had light colored hair. He looked around very strangely and stood at his door just looking for just a few minutes. The way he was looking around looked scary to me. He was not smiling and his face looked like a mask. I ducked down in the seat. I do not know why but I just knew it was the right thing to do. I did lift up just enough so I could see what he was doing.

That man then walked to the trunk of his car, opened it and lifted a little blond headed girl out of the trunk. She was wearing a dress and white sandals. She did not speak at all. She did not try to get away. He put her down on the pavement and they both walked into the store. I knew immediately that he had stolen that girl from someone and that she had been kidnapped. I was absolutely terrified because there was a monster parked right next to me. I was afraid to go into the store by myself for fear of bumping into him before I found my parents. I was also afraid to blow the horn and cause a commotion by his car. Supposed he came out before someone attended to me. I too might end up in the trunk of his car.

I decided to get off the seat and get onto the floor of the back seat and lay as flat and as still as possible. Before I did, I rolled my window all the way up and looked at every lock. I was locked in. I prayed for my parents to come out soon. I got on the floor and waited. And listened. Fear set in that he might look in the windows and see me crouched in a ball on the floor face down. I waited and listened. I do not know how long I waited but it seemed like forever.

I finally heard some footsteps but I did not know if it was my parents or the man in the car next to me. The footsteps I heard stopped near the back of the car where I was. It was the man and the girl. I held my breath so as not to make a sound. There was nothing but silence for a few minutes. He must have been looking around again. I heard the key in his trunk and the trunk opened. I heard the trunk close. He had to walk to the driver side of his car and his back would be to me for just a few seconds. I decided to look to see if the girl was with him and if he was putting her into the back seat. He was alone so I knew that little girl had been placed back in the trunk. I got back on the floor as when he got to the driver door, he would be facing our car and me to open the door and I had no intention of being seen.

I heard his door close and his car started up. He pulled out and was gone. I got up and watched his car leave. Once his car was out of site I got back on the floor. Who knew if he would be coming back or forgot something. I stayed there until my parents came back. I immediately told my mother what I saw and that we had to do something to maybe save that little girl.

My mother did not believe me. She thought my tale was just too much of a story to believe. I told her over and over that that little blond girl was removed from the trunk and placed back in and that I felt she had been in danger and was in fact a kidnapped child. What can a little child do when adults do not believe you? Nothing. I then knew that my mother may not be one I could rely on and sure enough through the years that has been proven true over and over again.

To this day I am haunted by the memories of that little blond girl being lifted out of the trunk and that man with the very stange look on his face. All my life I have said prayers for that little girl in the hopes she would be able to get to safety. She has not been forgotten...I will never forget the little girl in the trunk.