It was a Friday morning when it happened. I remember the day as if it was yesterday. The vibration of my phone from under my pillow woke me. It was my alarm and it was time to get up and prepare for work. I slowly opened my eyes and reached for my phone, switching off the alarm. I sighed as I dragged myself out of bed, thinking of the long day ahead of me. I put on my slippers and walked through the darkness, to the bathroom, switching on the light as I walked into the room. Moments later, I was ready for work. I looked at my watch. The time was 4:55am. The bus was arriving at 5:10am and so I grabbed my bag, my phone, my keys and I left.

It was dark outside and the streets were quiet as always. The morning breeze was freezing cold, as it brushed through my hair like a comb, freezing my ears and my face. I struggled browsing through my phone, as I couldn’t feel my fingers. So, I decided to rather listen to music with my earphones on and then put my phone away.

As I was walking down my street, I looked around and realized that I was alone. It was strange to me that nobody else was around. I became anxious for a moment and took one ear set out of my right ear and slowed down a bit. I felt paranoia creeping into my mind, accompanied by anxiety. My heart started to beat a little faster.

Everything is fine – just keep going, I thought to myself. So, I put my earphones back in and kept going, quickly brushing off the uncomfortable feelings. I continued listening to my music.

I couldn’t stop looking at the sky. It was so clear. The moon was out and the stars had never shone so brightly. What a mesmerizing sight it was! I felt my creative juices boiling and I took out my phone to jot a few lines down. As I was doing so a man ran passed me. I was so shocked that I almost dropped my phone. I looked at him and looked back at my phone. When I looked back up, he was walking next to me. I turned down the volume of my music and looked at him. He was wearing a big, black jacket and black jeans, which were torn at the knees. I tried to see if I could recognise him, but he was a stranger to me. I must say he looked very creepy.

“Hey, what’s the time?” he asked.

I looked at my phone and before I could respond, he grabbed it and tried to snatch it from me. I was so shocked. Everything happened so quickly. We struggled and I screamed as he pushed and pulled me towards him, but I couldn’t let my phone go. It’s like my hands were glued to it. I continued screaming and luckily, a man came out of his house with a bat. The mugger saw him and let go of my phone and ran away. I felt a drumroll in my heart. I felt dizzy and I couldn’t stop shaking.

“Are you okay?” the man asked me.

I couldn’t speak, so I nodded. I was so traumatised! I decided to go back home and skip work for the day. For some time, I had believed I lived in a peaceful neighborhood. I couldn’t believe what had happened, but I was glad that I wasn’t hurt and even gladder that I didn’t lose my phone.