MY GREAT ESCAPE- A story of survival

As we are creeping along arriving to the anniversary death of Harry Houdini. I can't help to think and thank the king of magic for his books on escapes. Years ago I had a service contract cleaning a restaurant. Early one morning, around 2am, as I opened an entrance door to clean the other side of the glass when I was faced with 4 masked robbers with weapons yelling "get on the floor face down!" My life flashed before my eyes. My friends, my family, it was like a fast motion picture flashing before my eyes. I thought this was the end of my life. The first thing they asked me was "What time does the first person comes in?" my lying instinct came in to and I played the role of Brair Rabbit and told them that they will be arriving in about a hour. Thinking this would detour them and hopefully they wouldn't stay long.

The masked men quickly  demanded me to put out my hands as the robbers pulled out several of those riot cuff type plastic ties. I don't know how I thought of this so fast, but I had a instant flashback of a book I read all the way back when I was 10 years old.  It was a book on Harry Houdini "Houdinin's Escape and Magic" I instantly applied one of Houdini's escape methods to use. After the robbers tied my hands they then tied me up to the foot rest that you find at bars where you rest your feet. After they handcuffed me to the bar they went off to crack the safe.

 

 One man was stationed about 10 feet away eyeballing me with a gun behind his back while the other three worked on the safe. These guys meant business. They wore all black jumpsuit clothing with masks and Motorola radios clipped to their jackets. These guys seemed like experts at what they do. 

As I was sitting with my hands riot cuffed to the bar, I heard the other guys on the radio call in the guy that was eyeballing me. They couldn't crack the safe and they needed his help. The guy that was eyeballing me down went to help the other robbers.  It was at that moment that I had a revelation  of when I was 10 years old reading that Houdini book  By this time I already was into the art of magic and I remember reading a book about Harry Houdini. "Houdini's Escapes and Magic"

One of the best escape artists in his time. I remember reading and learning about some of his escape techniques. I decided to apply what I leaned to a real life threatening situation.  I started to slowly work my way out of the cuffs. At one point my hands were out of the cuffs, but I quickly shoved them back in heard one of the robbers coming over to check on me. I was very nervous because during the initial process of wriggling my hands out. I shaved off a piece of flesh and I was dripping blood. I didn't want to get caught so I used some misdirection. I asked the robber if I could have some water. He said "Sure" as he went over to the bar I covered the dripped puddle of blood with my shoe. As the robber came over to assist me with the water I thought to myself "Wow! this guy is really accommodating to my needs." as the robber was assisting me. I had a rush of memory detail upload to my brain such as His voice accent, color of clothes, the Motorola Radio, his shoes, mask and the type of cigarets he smoked "Marlboro" when I asked him for a toke, which was really also used for misdirection so he wouldn't notice the blood. 

www.vtubetools.com

After the robber was finished with quenching my misdirecting thirst I was then by myself again.
I was a little hesitant to escape after having the close call of getting caught. Finally after a few minutes I decided to work my way out of the cuffs again when suddenly, I saw a shadow of someone coming toward me.  It was the dam robber coming to check on me again. I shoved my loose bloody hand back into the riot cuff as he came closer.  He took a quick look  to make sure I was still there and went back to help the guys crack the safe.

 I quickly realized that I could use the shadow as a warning system of when the robber would come back to check on me. I sat and would time the amount of time I would have between when I saw the shadow and how long it would take before He and I would actually see each other.

A few minutes went by and I saw the shadow again.  I timed it. I figured I had about 10 seconds between when I saw the shadow and when the robber would actually be able to see me. When the robber verified via Motorola Radio that I was still there he turned back around to work on the safe. As soon as he turned back and I saw his shadow out of view I took a chance and went for it. I remember as I started to run that I held my hand against my pocket to prevent my keys from jingling. As I was making my dash toward the exit I had paranoid thought running in my head, thinking. "These guys are organized and sophisticated, what if they have additional robbers staked out at each exit and I get caught? end of story."

I decided to run toward the door all the way in the back. I was almost sure that if they did have  robbers stationed at each door that, that would be one door they wouldn't be at because it was hidden behind a tree and bushed. You wouldn't even know there was a door there.

I finally made it to the exit door and on the way out I pulled the fire alarm. I remember running down Milwaukee Ave in Wheeling, Il. It felt like one of those bad nightmares

where the bogie-man is coming toward you in a slow paced walk, and no matter how fast you run, he's right there. You feel heavy as you run, tired and panicky. I came to a 8foot fence and managed to climb over it. I landed hard on the ground booth feet slamming hard onto the pavement. I continued running screaming "Help! Help!" again feeling like I'm reliving another bad dream where your calling for help and no matter how loud you try, it comes out like a whisper.  All these things, the heavy slow running, breathing, panicking crying for help are exactly how it was in real life in those dreams.

After climbing the fence and yelling "Help!" I ran over to the nearest house and rang the bell. I'm sure I scared the hell out of the people that answered as they opened the door and saw me bleeding and pleading for them to call the police.  After they called the police I filled the household on what happened. They were very nice. Minutes latter the police arrived at the house. I quickly told the police my story as they drove me to the restaurant. When we arrived the robbers were already gone. I was now looked at as a criminal. They were already putting a story into their head. Thinking that I attempted to rob the place and wasn't successful. So in fear of getting caught I staged this whole setting. 

I told the police during questioning that I pulled the fire alarm as I ran out the door. They said "What fire alarm? we didn't here any fire alarm." upon further investigation the police discovered that prior to forcing entry and taking me hostage that the robbers were on the roof cutting the phone, fire and burglar alarms. which explains why when I tried to make an outside call on my break,  I couldn't because the phone line was dead.

The police questioned me some more and  having an ADD disability along with short term memory I don't know how I even remembered in such depth and detail of the  four men. The radios, cigarets, clothes, shoes and even accents. The police wrote down everything in the report and I was let go.

I remember as I was walking out of the restaurant where I was just held hostage a few hours ago, looking up into the sky and saying "Thank you GOD." it was at that moment a life changing experience. I now instantly got and understood life. Not to take things for granted, to live the moment, enjoy the simple little things and use the gift God has given you to inspire people and to help them tap into their talents and gifts.

The next few weeks at home would be nothing more the paranoid. Knowing that these guys are on the loose and that they could easily track me down by my vanity plate. I'm sure it would be easy to figure out that on the night of the robbery the only car in the dark lot was a supped up convertible with the license plate "Magic5"

I had trouble sleeping.

I would even wake up from a hard sleep and think I heard someone in the house. I would run out of the house after a cold sweat panic dream. This happened for a few weeks.
One day I got a phone call from the detective. He said "I have some good news! We caught the robbers. They were caught in the middle of daylight on a Sunday afternoon trying to break a safe. We looked up all the information you gave us. The Motorola Radios, the black clothes, combat boots, Marlboro Cigarettes and their accent on the database. It's over! Three of the robbers were active in the military. The other was working as a landscaper. These guys will be locked away for a long time." I remember having instant relief.

 When I look back It seems surreal. "That couldn't of happened to me" but it did and it was very real. Every once in a while, like tonight. I will think about it and be thankful I have such great family and friends. I wonder sometimes what would of happened if I never read that Harry Houdini book back when I was ten. Was it fate, luck or did the man himself Harry Houdini decide to make one last escape, but in the body of someone else. That day has since then changed my life.  I am grateful for everything I have. When something like this happens to you it puts things in perspective. The things that really count and matter. I can't really explain. I try to always think positive, I appreciate the little things, I am motivated and want to try my best at whatever I do. I want to perform my magic and make people smile. This story is my "Great Escape" it is my story of survival and perseverance. This is a true story and was in absolutely in no way embellished. I even have the police reports to prove it if ones questions my story and legitimacy. I decide to come out with this story to hopefully inspire people to follow their DREAMS and INSPIRE others to follow theirs.