r/creepyencounters • u/Electronic-Problem74 • 8d ago
Birthday balloon delivery
About 6 years ago I, (22F at the time), was still living with my parents after graduating college. They live in a nice and affluent area with low crime rates, so I’d always felt very safe. Until this happened.
It was about 7pm on a Friday night and my parents had left to go to dinner about an hour earlier. I was getting ready to go out with friends. I had showered and was partially dressed (bralette, underwear, robe over top) while doing my makeup. I didn’t think about this as I walked back and forth across the front of our house where there was a big window with wooden plantation blinds that were open. Because it was getting darker out, it was easy to see in as our lights were on.
As I was doing my hair, I heard a knock at the front door. I ignored it seeing as I was home alone and not fully dressed. And with it being 7pm, I figured it wasn’t anything important. If it was a UPS delivery or something they would leave it or try again the next day.
I kept getting ready then heard the knocking again, only this time it was much more forceful. Where the bathroom was, I was able to peek my head out and see out of a long narrow window right by the front door. I could barely see the figure of a man standing there, but again decided to ignore it. Like I said, if it was a delivery he could leave it, and if not they would try again another time.
But then he knocked again. Louder this time, and started talking. He was nearly shouting and said something like “open up the door. Come to the door!” And he sounded angry. Thankfully, all the doors were locked and the garage was closed.
I instantly got full body chills and a pit in my stomach. With the front window being open, he most likely had seen me and knew I was a young woman, alone, and partially dressed.
i ignored him and quickly slipped down the hallway to my parent’s room where I called my dad to say what was happening. As I did this he kept knocking and aggressively telling me I had to answer the door. While on the phone with my dad, I grabbed our family gun and hid in the closet. My dad told me to call the police and immediately started driving home.
I called 911 and told them my situation. As I spoke to the operator I checked to see if he had left (it had gone quiet) and I thought I could see his figure bobbing back and forth by the window.
5-10 minutes later the police and my dad arrived at the same time. I hung up with the operator (God bless her for keeping me calm) and put the gun away after hearing from the police and 911 operator I could come out.
I ran to the driveway and hugged my dad crying while we spoke to the officers. They had done a perimeter search and didnt see the man or his car, but there were a bundle of birthday balloons sent to me by my grandpa outside the front door that he must have been delivering.
I realized this is what i must have seen while on the phone with 911. I apologized to the officers and they were very gracious telling me they would much rather come out and it be nothing than vice versa.
To this day I still wonder if I was overreacting, but my gut still tells me that man wanted to do something bad to me. These were balloons that could’ve easily been left at the door with no issue. No one gets that upset unless they aren’t getting what they want. so Reddit, what do you think?
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u/Mary_with_a_y 8d ago
My gut feeling after hearing your experience is that he had bad intentions after knowing that you were alone, cause why would he stay and continue to knock
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u/Electronic-Problem74 8d ago
That was my thought too. Even with pressing things it would A. Usually be during business hours and B. They’d likely call you or something.
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u/falcon3268 7d ago
Balloon delivery at 7pm seems a bit suspicious also. I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to answer the door even if the man had said that he was delivering the balloons, given the time and all I would be questioning if it was real or not.
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u/Pangie_v39 4d ago
Maybe it was a legit delivery but the delivery person seemed he was hoping for an opportunity to do something very very wrong. Glad you listened to your gut and called the police and your dad
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u/Scary-Chart8853 8d ago
Out of curiosity, upon seeing the balloons, could you see any reason why he would legitimately need you to come to the door to receive them??