Chapter for my memoirs

Home Invasion
Garfield, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Earth

Christmas of the previous year had passed and we were well into the winter of 1959. We got a lot of snow in those days. My Father had taken my Mother out for a fun evening at his Elks Club and I was left Home Alone. Well, not quite alone, Wayne, my younger brother was with me.

We were watching one of the two channels on our Emerson, black and white, floor model television. I had Wayne holding the rabbit ears above his head and moving around so the picture would not be so fuzzy.

SUDDENLY!…BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Somebody was banging on our backdoor???

Wayne dropped the antenna and the picture really got bad so I told him to check the door while I flicked off the lights and looked out the front door.

It was dark but due to snow on the ground I was easily able to see a Vicious Gang, of my friends, running out of the alley and hiding behind cars in the street.

I told my brother to relax, it was just my friends having fun, and we went back to watching test patterns.

SUDDENLY!…BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!…It happened again!

I’m sure David Metz was the instigator and I knew he would not give up easily. I always liked David because he was a doer. He couldn’t sit around quietly. He was always doing something. He was exciting. He had ideas. Well, I guess some of him rubbed off on me because I had ideas too.

I saw that they’re safe haven seemed to be in the alley. Above it, on our third floor landing was a window. I went to that window and opened it very slowly. The alley between the houses was narrow and dark. I couldn’t see anything…but I could hear them below me.

I yelled down to my brother to make sure the lights were out and to close the front door venetian blinds. Then I hurried to the cellar, fetched a bucket, and filled it with water from the hot water faucet. Then I carefully went back up to the window.

I could hear them planning their next attack. They were right below me. I hoisted the bucket and spilled the water into the darkness.

I clenched my fist and whispered, “YES!” as I heard them screaming and running away. I was having fun!

I went for another bucket, but they weren’t stupid. They stood at the alley entrance and saw me as I stuck my head out, “There he is!”

They pelted me with snowballs but I was too quick. I thought they would leave, but I knew then they had just begun.

I yelled down to my brother to open the blinds slightly, turn on the light, pick up the phone, (which was just inside the hallway,) and pretend to be calling the police.

They were not buying it. They stayed there and threw snowballs every time I stuck my head out. I tried to fling the water at them but they were too far away. I emptied the bucket into the abandoned alley.
I told Wayne to turn the lights off again and close the blinds as I went downstairs, threw the bucket into the cellar, and walked to the refrigerator…or should I say refrigerator/freezer?

I opened the freezer door and there they were…Ice cubes. I grabbed a tray and hurried back up to the window. Snowballs flew by as I stuck my head out, but I saw they were still there. Ha Ha!

I started flinging ice cubes at them!

“Ouch!” I heard, “He’s throwing ice cubes!”

I clenched my fist and whispered, “YES!” The fun continued!

When I was out of ammo I hurried down the stairs for another tray.
As I turned the corner of the landing I saw my brother on the phone crying. The front door was ajar and the carpet was wet. I went beside him and heard his conversation with the police.

Well, that threw a wrench into my fun for the night. When he hung up I said, “You actually called the police?”

He said he had opened the door and they came in and washed his face with snow.

I went outside and told my friends that Wayne really did call the police and they should take off. They said they weren’t buying it and stayed around until flashing lights were seen coming up the street.

The police took a statement and asked questions. I told them as little as possible. I was afraid they would see the empty ice tray.

They asked if we could identify them? I was just about to say we never saw them before when Wayne started naming them off.

I later found out that as our parents walked a few blocks for the streetcar they passed my friends who were hanging out on the corner. I’m sure David smiled and said, “Lets Scare George and Wayne to Death!”

Bye George