Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXX

At the age of nineteen, I was held hostage for four hours by a man with a double barrel shotgun. I guess I should have told you this story before, but, to be honest, I just haven't thought about it. Actually, there were several of us, maybe six or eight...I've never stopped to count how many, and now it's been so long ago that I don't even remember who all was with me that day. We were working in the backwoods of southern Alabama, and we looked up to see an old man carrying a shotgun, and he was walking toward us with a "not so pleasant" look on his face. Several of us guys were hard at work, and we weren't paying that much attention to anyone else, so it took him several minutes to get everyone's attention, especially with the noise of all the heavy equipment on the site.

Using his gun as a pointer, he rounded us all up into a small group in front of him before he began to make us aware of the issues he had with us, and what his demands were. Basically, to get straight to the point, his demands included a substantial amount of cash. Our boss was finally able to convince the old man that there was no way that any person there would have the means to satisfy him, so he should let him (the boss) leave so he could go and make the necessary arrangements to pay the ransom. He then told the rest of us not to move, so I sat still. (What would you have done?)

At that point in time, cell phones were well into the future, and even if we would have had them back then, no one would have been able to get a signal that far away from civilization. A million things can run through a person's mind at a time like that, like, "how long is this gonna take?...are the police going to be notified?...if the old man decides to shoot someone, who will go first?...I wonder if he will let me go use the restroom...I hope the boss has what he wants when he gets back...if he comes back."

By now, I'm sure that you've figured out that I was able to survive the entire episode. The boss did come back with another man who had the authority and means to give the highjacker what he demanded and deserved. The incident ended peacefully and we all got back to work.

Although everything I've told you is true, I must admit that it wasn't nearly as dramatic as I made it sound. I could've told the story in just one short paragraph, but it wouldn't have sounded nearly as exciting. I was just checking to see if maybe I might have the potential to become a news reporter, and take an ordinary story, sensationalize it to the point that it's ridiculous, then relay it to the world. Okay, so maybe I need to learn to add just a little more drama, but I think I may have what it takes. What do you think?

Preston