Pola Muzyka's Blog - Posts Tagged "lesson"
The Valley of the Shadow - Part 3: Megan’s Mistake � Who Are You, Anyway?
A-1GAL: I am 14. How old R U?
Megan typed her message and waited.
Why was she taking so long? She was so eager to see me online again. Oh, no. She’s the only friend I have in the world and now she’s not even answering me back. Maybe I should TWITTER her.
Someone moved in the kitchen. The refrigerator opened and closed. “M±ð²µ²¹²Ô!â€�
Oh what does she want now?
"Megan! Do you hear me calling you?"
“Oh, like, come on!� She’s always calling me. Can’t she just leave me alone for once?
Megan reluctantly stood. She kept one eye on her laptop screen another on the door. Still no response. How hard can it be for SuZie to answer?
“M±ð²µ²¹²Ô!â€�
“I’m coming.� She sauntered into the kitchen.
“Have you eaten?� Janet held a glass of milk out to her daughter.
Megan shook her head. “I’m not hungry.�
Janet put the milk down and resumed preparing the sandwich. “You’re gonna waste away to nothing. Megan, the only way to keep up your energy is to eat something. Here, at least eat this sandwich.�
Megan opened the refrigerator door. She scanned the shelves, moved around a couple of items, grabbed a coke, and turned. “No! There’s like a zillion calories in bread.� Janet pushed the plate forward.
“I said, no!�
“Well, I insist you eat. You’re not going to starve yourself to death in my house.� She lifted the plate. “Take it in your room if you want, but eat.�
Megan grabbed the dish and turned. “You’re such a nag. No wonder dad left you.�
Janet slammed the refrigerator door. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that. I don’t understand you lately. Where are you learning these things?� Megan sighed deeply without looking back. “Never mind. Go to your room. Come out when you can act civil.�
Megan twirled back to her mother. “Fine!� Then twisted back sharply and left. In defiance she slammed the door to her room. Then she pushed a chair over to the handle. In the movie she saw it work. The chair kept out the bad guys. There. Now she won’t bug me.
The words were up on her screen.
SuZieQ:What a coincidence!!! I’m 15.
SuZieQ: U there? Hey girlie!
SuZieQ: A-1GAL Come in A-1GAL.
She threw the sandwich plate down at her side and quickly typed in response so she wouldn’t lose her new friend.
A-1GAL: Girlie? O I’m like so glad you’re here! How lucky is that? We both R almost the same age.
SuZieQ: Yea
A-1GAL: At least you’ll be able to understand me.
SuZieQ: Y Someone don’t understand you?
A-1GAL: No.
SuZieQ: Who?
A-1GAL: My mom. She’s always nagging.
SuZieQ: Glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Women!
There was a pause in the typing. Megan didn’t know how to answer. What did she mean?
SuZieQ: U there? Mothers are such a pain. Mine never got me, either.
A-1GAL: Way kewl! You get it!
SuZieQ: I sure do.
A-1GAL: How do you handle it?
SuZieQ: I ran away.
A-1GAL: No! really?
SuZieQ: Yea.
A-1GAL: Where are you now if you’re not home at your computer? Do you go to school?
There was another pause in the writing. Megan fidgeted with her sandwich. She dropped it on the plate and started typing again.
A-1GAL: I mean of course you go to school. Did you go back home?
SuZieQ: I’m at a library now. I moved in with my�
Another pause. Megan didn’t answer either. She couldn’t imagine how someone almost her age would just run away. Where did she go? Maybe a friend. That’s it. She took a bite of the sandwich. She was hungry after all. What does she eat if she’s not home?
SuZieQ: U there? Sorry for the pause. That was my brother. Talkin to me I mean. I moved in with my brother and his friend. He’s been good to me.
A-1GAL: Is your brother old enough to live on his own?
SuZieQ: Sure is.
A-1GAL: Oh. I have no one like that.
SuZieQ: You have me now.
A-1GAL: I never met you.
Megan took another bite of her sandwich and for a moment she had second thoughts. After all she was warned to be careful. You never know who is really there online. When she saw SuZieQ’s next words she pushed the thought out of her head.
SuZieQ: That’s true. You never met me. We should meet soon. Let’s meet. Maybe at the library.
SuZieQ: How would that be?
A-1GAL: That would be great. Anything to get out of here for a while.
SuZieQ: Good. How bout in an hour?
A-1GAL: What? That soon?
A-1GAL: Sure. Which library.
SuZieQ: Osterhout. You know where it is?
A-1GAL: Sure. See you there in an hour.
Megan finished her sandwich, brought in her plate and apologized to her mother. “Now, can I go out?�
“What changed?� Janet opened the dishwasher. “If your chores are done I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Do you some good to get out. Be home by six for dinner and it’s a deal.�
When Megan arrived at the library she looked around. There was no one her age. A man kept staring at her from underneath his book. Megan looked down at the time on her cell-phone. She looked around the library once again. “You A-1GAL?� The deep voice from behind startled her.
She turned around to the library door to see a scruffy young man standing with his arms folded. “You A-1GAL?�
Megan backed away. “Who are you?�
“I’m SuZieQ’s brother. She couldn’t� make it. Asked me to pick you up.�
Megan backed toward the other door. “You come any closer and I’ll scream.�
When she reached the door she turned and ran. The man shot out after her. Megan felt her heart beat getting louder. She was out of breath but kept running. She didn’t dare look back. Quickly she jumped onto the next bus. She wasn’t even sure if this was the bus to take her home but she had to get out of there. How stupid. How stupid. She peered out the window for some sign of him. There. Oh, thank God. I lost him. She ducked as the bus passed by and took a deep breath.
A few days later, Megan saw SuZieQ on the news. His name was John Jarvis. The reporter announced his arrest for a rape conviction and possible homicide. “A predator on the internet,� the announcer said. “He went by the name of SuZieQ.
Course, that was the last time Megan spoke to SuZieQ. She closed her account under the name of A-1GAL and spent more time with her mother and friends from school. It was a close encounter that she would never forget. She came close to being SuZieQ’s next victim.
Choose your friends wisely and honor the people God has put in your lives to protect you.
Deuteronomy 5:16 Respect your father and mother—God, your God, commands it! You'll have a long life; the land that God is giving you will treat you well.
Proverbs 12:26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
That’s all I have for now.
Blessings,
Pola
©2010
Questions for discussion.
1. Could Megan’s mother have done or said something differently to help Megan avoid her close call?
2. What questions should Megan have asked her predator?
3. What does the Bible say about situations like this? Explain.
4. How should Megan have responded to her mother?
5. What are a few possible reason why Megan acted the way she did?
For more of The Valley of the Shadow stories go to
Megan typed her message and waited.
Why was she taking so long? She was so eager to see me online again. Oh, no. She’s the only friend I have in the world and now she’s not even answering me back. Maybe I should TWITTER her.
Someone moved in the kitchen. The refrigerator opened and closed. “M±ð²µ²¹²Ô!â€�
Oh what does she want now?
"Megan! Do you hear me calling you?"
“Oh, like, come on!� She’s always calling me. Can’t she just leave me alone for once?
Megan reluctantly stood. She kept one eye on her laptop screen another on the door. Still no response. How hard can it be for SuZie to answer?
“M±ð²µ²¹²Ô!â€�
“I’m coming.� She sauntered into the kitchen.
“Have you eaten?� Janet held a glass of milk out to her daughter.
Megan shook her head. “I’m not hungry.�
Janet put the milk down and resumed preparing the sandwich. “You’re gonna waste away to nothing. Megan, the only way to keep up your energy is to eat something. Here, at least eat this sandwich.�
Megan opened the refrigerator door. She scanned the shelves, moved around a couple of items, grabbed a coke, and turned. “No! There’s like a zillion calories in bread.� Janet pushed the plate forward.
“I said, no!�
“Well, I insist you eat. You’re not going to starve yourself to death in my house.� She lifted the plate. “Take it in your room if you want, but eat.�
Megan grabbed the dish and turned. “You’re such a nag. No wonder dad left you.�
Janet slammed the refrigerator door. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that. I don’t understand you lately. Where are you learning these things?� Megan sighed deeply without looking back. “Never mind. Go to your room. Come out when you can act civil.�
Megan twirled back to her mother. “Fine!� Then twisted back sharply and left. In defiance she slammed the door to her room. Then she pushed a chair over to the handle. In the movie she saw it work. The chair kept out the bad guys. There. Now she won’t bug me.
The words were up on her screen.
SuZieQ:What a coincidence!!! I’m 15.
SuZieQ: U there? Hey girlie!
SuZieQ: A-1GAL Come in A-1GAL.
She threw the sandwich plate down at her side and quickly typed in response so she wouldn’t lose her new friend.
A-1GAL: Girlie? O I’m like so glad you’re here! How lucky is that? We both R almost the same age.
SuZieQ: Yea
A-1GAL: At least you’ll be able to understand me.
SuZieQ: Y Someone don’t understand you?
A-1GAL: No.
SuZieQ: Who?
A-1GAL: My mom. She’s always nagging.
SuZieQ: Glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Women!
There was a pause in the typing. Megan didn’t know how to answer. What did she mean?
SuZieQ: U there? Mothers are such a pain. Mine never got me, either.
A-1GAL: Way kewl! You get it!
SuZieQ: I sure do.
A-1GAL: How do you handle it?
SuZieQ: I ran away.
A-1GAL: No! really?
SuZieQ: Yea.
A-1GAL: Where are you now if you’re not home at your computer? Do you go to school?
There was another pause in the writing. Megan fidgeted with her sandwich. She dropped it on the plate and started typing again.
A-1GAL: I mean of course you go to school. Did you go back home?
SuZieQ: I’m at a library now. I moved in with my�
Another pause. Megan didn’t answer either. She couldn’t imagine how someone almost her age would just run away. Where did she go? Maybe a friend. That’s it. She took a bite of the sandwich. She was hungry after all. What does she eat if she’s not home?
SuZieQ: U there? Sorry for the pause. That was my brother. Talkin to me I mean. I moved in with my brother and his friend. He’s been good to me.
A-1GAL: Is your brother old enough to live on his own?
SuZieQ: Sure is.
A-1GAL: Oh. I have no one like that.
SuZieQ: You have me now.
A-1GAL: I never met you.
Megan took another bite of her sandwich and for a moment she had second thoughts. After all she was warned to be careful. You never know who is really there online. When she saw SuZieQ’s next words she pushed the thought out of her head.
SuZieQ: That’s true. You never met me. We should meet soon. Let’s meet. Maybe at the library.
SuZieQ: How would that be?
A-1GAL: That would be great. Anything to get out of here for a while.
SuZieQ: Good. How bout in an hour?
A-1GAL: What? That soon?
A-1GAL: Sure. Which library.
SuZieQ: Osterhout. You know where it is?
A-1GAL: Sure. See you there in an hour.
Megan finished her sandwich, brought in her plate and apologized to her mother. “Now, can I go out?�
“What changed?� Janet opened the dishwasher. “If your chores are done I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Do you some good to get out. Be home by six for dinner and it’s a deal.�
When Megan arrived at the library she looked around. There was no one her age. A man kept staring at her from underneath his book. Megan looked down at the time on her cell-phone. She looked around the library once again. “You A-1GAL?� The deep voice from behind startled her.
She turned around to the library door to see a scruffy young man standing with his arms folded. “You A-1GAL?�
Megan backed away. “Who are you?�
“I’m SuZieQ’s brother. She couldn’t� make it. Asked me to pick you up.�
Megan backed toward the other door. “You come any closer and I’ll scream.�
When she reached the door she turned and ran. The man shot out after her. Megan felt her heart beat getting louder. She was out of breath but kept running. She didn’t dare look back. Quickly she jumped onto the next bus. She wasn’t even sure if this was the bus to take her home but she had to get out of there. How stupid. How stupid. She peered out the window for some sign of him. There. Oh, thank God. I lost him. She ducked as the bus passed by and took a deep breath.
A few days later, Megan saw SuZieQ on the news. His name was John Jarvis. The reporter announced his arrest for a rape conviction and possible homicide. “A predator on the internet,� the announcer said. “He went by the name of SuZieQ.
Course, that was the last time Megan spoke to SuZieQ. She closed her account under the name of A-1GAL and spent more time with her mother and friends from school. It was a close encounter that she would never forget. She came close to being SuZieQ’s next victim.
Choose your friends wisely and honor the people God has put in your lives to protect you.
Deuteronomy 5:16 Respect your father and mother—God, your God, commands it! You'll have a long life; the land that God is giving you will treat you well.
Proverbs 12:26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
That’s all I have for now.
Blessings,
Pola
©2010
Questions for discussion.
1. Could Megan’s mother have done or said something differently to help Megan avoid her close call?
2. What questions should Megan have asked her predator?
3. What does the Bible say about situations like this? Explain.
4. How should Megan have responded to her mother?
5. What are a few possible reason why Megan acted the way she did?
For more of The Valley of the Shadow stories go to
