The little girl was walking home from school.
In her hands she carried her school bag, notebooks sticking out unevenly, and on her shoulder hung a scarf that kept slipping down.

The courtyard was empty and silent.
Only at the entrance stood a man.

He was tall, dressed in a long black coat.
His face was partly hidden by a scarf and a raised collar, but even that was enough to make him look frightening.
He seemed to be waiting for someone.
From time to time, his eyes scanned the area, always returning to the house.

The girl grew uneasy.
Her father’s warnings came back to her.

The man noticed her.
His stare grew sharper, more suspicious.
He stepped forward cautiously, as though checking for witnesses.
But the street was deserted—no cars, no passers-by.

Her heart pounded, her palms turned sweaty.
The man quickened his pace.

She turned—he was already close.
Her eyes flicked desperately around the staircase.

And then, she did something so unexpected that even the man in black froze in shock 😨😨.
That quick decision saved her.

A thought flashed in her mind: “Light! Noise!”

She switched on all the lights in the stairwell and pounded on the nearest door with all her strength.

— Help! Help! — her voice cracked with panic.

The sound echoed through the building.
The man in black hesitated, startled by the child’s boldness.

At that moment, a door burst open.
A strong man stood in the doorway, a woman appearing behind him.

— What’s going on here? — he demanded, glancing from the girl to the stranger.

The man in black flinched, eyes widening, then bolted into the darkness of the yard.

The girl trembled, clutching her school bag tightly.
But inside, she felt a spark of pride.

She had remembered her father’s words—
and that had saved her life.