The Intruder

He had run from trouble his whole life. That night trouble came to him. And the groggy man was the only thing standing between it and his sleeping family.

The tinkle of breaking glass had awakened him.  He sleepily tip-toed into the dark hallway to find out what caused this heart-stopping sound. The house was inky black and even the dog was sound asleep.  Not many people were awake at three a.m. except for burglars, murderers and rapists. Unfortunately he was being visited by all three in one evil man.

His heart raced. The man had run his whole life. He had never fought and never stood up for himself.  Some called him a chicken. He just wanted to get through life with as little conflict as possible.  No, he wasn’t yellow. Really. He liked to think that he was practical. Practical. Practical wasn’t a choice at the moment.

The house was silent except for his breathing.  He stood behind the doorframe, out of view.  Crashing noises came out of the living room. The intruder was ransacking the house.

Footsteps came closer.  Closer. Closer. Closer.  The man was coming for his family. His wife. His children.  His life.

The dog barked….

The intruder never knew what hit him.  Forty years of running, fear and pent up anger propelled the letter opener deep into the criminal’s depraved heart.

Thud.

The criminal dropped instantly to the ground, gasping desperately for air.

As the ambulance left, the policeman told him how lucky he was. The intruder was wanted in three states and was suspected of four murders and five rapes.  The man looked at the blood on his hands as he held his wife and kids. Tears began to flow down his face.

For the first time in his life he had fought back. For the first time in his life, he had something worth fighting for. Sometimes evil had to be stopped at all costs.  And this dark night was one of those times.