Have you ever ...

 

Have you ever escaped through your bedroom window? I have.

I was sixteen at the time. It was Halloween. I wanted to go to a friend's house for a party. My parents did not approve. I said I was going to my room for an early night.

I planned to escape through the bedroom window. My room was at the front of the house. I tied a few bed sheets together and threw them out of the window. I'd forgotten to tie the other end to the bed post or something solid. All the sheets fell into a heap on the ground below. I needed them to escape.

So I climbed on the window edge and eased myself on a climbing plant nearby, and from there to a tree near the house. I slowly moved down from branch to branch until I reached terra firma. (Did I tell you this was in Italy? Well, it wasn't. I just added the terra firma bit to sound educated).

Any way, I got down and collected the bed sheets. I could not get in the house through the front door for obvious reasons. My parents were watching TV. I got in through the back door using my key and I got up very quietly to my bedroom.

Once there, I tied one end of the sheets to the bed, then threw the sheets out of the window. Now they made a good rope for me to slide down quietly and go to my friend's house just across the road. 

As I climbed out of the window a thought occurred to me. If I go to the party leaving the sheets hanging there my Dad would see them. It was Friday evening and he always took the trash bins out on Fridays so he'd be sure to see the sheets. Even if I left the bedroom lights on and the radio playing, he'd know I escaped. 

So I decided to pull the sheets into the bedroom again. There must be a way for me to get out without attracting suspicion and being found out.

I switched the radio off and sat there to think of a cunning strategy. Moments later there was tapping on my window. I looked out, it was my friend Rosemary. She'd been throwing small pebbles at my window to attract my attention.

She said her parents decided to stay in that night so the party was called off. 

I suggested we spend the time together revising for our exams instead. My parents agreed. Her parents agreed.

I went across to her house and we spent the evening ... revising.