Mysterious Footprints

When I woke up this morning, I glanced out my door and saw footprints on my steps. The prints on the first step looked like someone had stepped on it and then stepped off it.  The prints on the second step looked like someone had been standing there as if they were knocking on my door.  I was up until 10:00 last night and I didn’t hear anyone knocking at my door.  I figured it must have been the person who delivered my paper although they usually toss the paper onto my steps from their car.  I puzzled about it for a minute and then went about getting ready for work.

As I was leaving my house, I stepped onto the top step and realized that the snow on my step was mostly ice and my foot didn’t leave an imprint.  That means that the footsteps on my step were made last night before the temperature dropped and everything froze. But why?  Why did someone knock on my door and why didn’t I hear it?

Since I am having problem with my upstairs neighbors and these were male footprints (could tell by the shape of the shoe), did one of them knock on my door during the night?  I don’t have a doorbell (kind of wish I do now) so, unless I’m right there in the kitchen or living room, I really can’t hear someone knocking on my door. It makes me a little uneasy to think someone was standing there after I went to bed and I don’t know what he wanted.

Things like this further reinforce my reasons for always locking my screen door.  My brother has given me a hard time about it.  Why do I always, always, always lock my screen door?  Well, people tend to open the screen door, knock on the other door and then stand there with the screen door open.  So when I open the door, there isn’t anything between them and me. No protection at all.  If the screen door is locked, they can knock on that, I open my other door and then I can talk to them through the screen door.  If I want to invite them in, I can.  If not, I can tell them I’m not interested, don’t want to talk to them or something else and can just shut the door.  I am always polite about this…it isn’t as rude as it is written.  But the screen door offers me a sense of security that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

As I have mentioned, I am single and, other than Cupid, live alone. Cupid may be quite powerful when it comes to catching little mice but he isn’t much protection against anything larger than that. Also, I grew up in Detroit. I learned from an early age how to protect myself and that knowledge has served me well through the years.  I am always aware of people around me. I lock my car as soon as I am in it and lock it when I am out of it. I check the back seat if I am getting in my car in a public place and I tend to glance under the vehicle when I am approaching it. Not in an obvious way but in a subtle way so that I feel safe but don’t look paranoid. I have my name listed in the directory with just my first initial so people don’t know I’m female. I don’t put on my answering machine that I’m not home but only that I can’t come to the phone.

I’m sure I could think of other safety precautions that I practice but I think the things I have mentioned shows the level of caution I take on a daily basis. I have managed to live in big cities and overseas, on my own, and never was a victim of a crime.  I have traveled long distances alone in my car and never had a problem.  And I have lived alone for many years and have been safe. Because I am careful and take precautions.

Which leads back to the footprints on my steps.  I did have my screen door locked last night plus the lock and deadbolt on my other door secure. And even if I had heard someone knocking in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t have answered the door.  But it bothers me that someone was standing there. It bothers me because I don’t trust my neighbors upstairs. I wouldn’t put it past them to seek retaliation for being evicted.  It would be stupid for them to do it but they are young and stupid.  I will feel much safer and secure when they are gone and the new person moves in.

I know people who have web cams trained on their driveways or doors.  I am thinking that someday I would like to have that.  And I would like it recorded.  That way I can see who is standing on my steps in the middle of the night. Especially if it is my neighbors.  Then I can walk up to them and say, “what do you want?” and have them get really freaked out.  That would be fun and would teach them not to stand on people’s steps in the middle of the night. Positives all the way around!