With all the skill of someone who had done this many times before, I slipped out through the window of my home and melted into the darkness of the night.
I went in absolute silence, unseen by anyone, and without leaving even the slightest trace behind to reveal that I had fled, a veritable ninja slipping from shadow to shadow without anyone being the wiser. Behind me, I left behind parents who were absolutely sure I was in my bed and fast asleep right now and completely unaware of the fact that I was leading a top secret nocturnal life.
I looked around quickly to make sure that nobody was out walking on the sidewalk or passing by on the street at this ungodly hour, then dashed across to the chainlink fence and barely made it rattle as I went over, dropping into my next door neighbor's backyard with nothing but a soft thud.
Sure that my dark blue jeans and black hoodie would help me blend into the darkness I was lurking in, I hesitated a long moment to make sure that I still had not been noticed, looking to the house to make sure there was no one at a window. Only when I was absolutely certain that the coast was clear did I dart forward, avoiding any and every pool of light as I carefully made my way across to the opposite fence.
Going over this second fence with very little noise, I landed in yet another backyard and found myself set upon by a large dog named Hector. Fortunately, this pooch and I were old friends and I had invaded his territory like this plenty of times before, so he just trotted over with a great big, sloppy smile and a furiously wagging tail to greet me with a lick across the face.
I took the time to stroke and pet him, speaking to him in a soft voice that I hoped could only be heard by keen dog ears. When I decided it was time to move on - which was always too soon so far as Hector was concerned - I made my way across this yard just as stealthily as I had the previous one, but with a large and furry shadow right on my heels.
Hector was hoping that I would stop and play with him some more and so he stuck by me, prodding me with his wet nose whenever I had to pause for a moment. I knew this was the most dangerous time for me as it would be very easy for this dog to give my presence away, but so far I had always been lucky enough to pass through here unobserved. Hector's tail drooped in disappointment though when he realized I wasn't going to linger with him any longer and meant to go over the next chainlink fence.
"WOOF!"
I jumped in surprise at the sudden noise right next to me, shooting a worried look at the big animal. If he kept barking like that he was sure to draw the notice of his owners and probably the neighbors as well, but Hector was heedless of the danger he was putting me in. Determined to make the case that I should stay and play with him some more, Hector just kept right on barking, getting louder and more insistent by the moment.
Raising my finger to my lips, I shushed him frantically. The barking paused for a moment as he regarded me like the idiot I was, cocking his head to one side and twitching his ears. Hector turned suddenly and galloped back to the porch of the house, returning just a moment later with a rubber ball that he dropped at my feet.
Evidently, Hector was in the mood for a game of fetch tonight.
I was thinking of heaving the ball across the yard to distract him from me for the brief moment it would have taken me to get over this fence, but apparently Hector thought I was taking too long to make up my mind.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
"Hey, you stupid dog!" came a bellow from inside the house. "Shut up out there!"
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
"DAMN IT, YOU STUPID DOG! I SAID SHUT UP!"
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
Realizing that I only had a few precious moments before Hector's owners came out to see what was going on out here, I lost no more time and took a headlong dive over the fence into the next yard. Hector's tail drooped in disappointment to see me go, but he knew I would be back later when I made the journey back home and so he just plopped down into the grass right there to wait for me.
The next yard contained a small vegetable garden and so I normally had to be extra careful here to keep from leaving a tell-tale footprint in the often soft, wet earth or crushing one of the small plants, but tonight I had to disappear quickly and so I dashed straight through and hurled myself behind a tree.
I was just in time.
No sooner had I secreted myself than the patio light in the yard I'd just abandoned switched on and the back door of the house swung open. I didn't look around the girth of the tree trunk to watch, but could clearly hear the footsteps of Hector's owner as the old man came out on his back porch to see what was going on.
"What's the matter with you, you crazy dog?" he complained. "It's the middle of the night! Shut up, why don't you?!"
The only answer I heard him get from Hector was a disgruntled snort.
I heard the man go back inside and close the door, the light winking off, but still I did not move. The way I had it figured, it was just possible that the man was still at the window and watching to make sure that nothing else happened to set off his dog. The rest did me some good anyway as it gave me a chance to catch my breath and slow my racing heart after the close call I'd just had.
When I finally rose to start moving again, I made my way across to the next chainlink fence and went over it with only a whisper, very glad to once more be able to wrap myself in the cloak of silence.
With that, I had reached my destination. I had finally reached the yard I had been heading for. Making a mental note to take a moment to make sure I hadn't destroyed that garden when I started for home, I turned my attention to my next hurdle - getting into the little potting shed that now stood right in front of me.