That afternoon, the streets were quiet and even the wind seemed to have frozen. That was why I was sure it was the best time to perpetuate my act.
I had done my homework, cased the building, and calculated all variables. And I was sure, beyond all reasonable doubt, that I was ready to break into the house.
At that time of the day, I was the only one walking on the dusty street. In this part of Lagos, children were the only ones that made it lively. But they were all at school at the moment and the adults were busy with work. Others like me that were home from the university on holidays stayed at home, watching tons of cable to fight off the boredom.
I figured out a more creative way. A good old-fashioned break-in.
Just to remain in character, despite being alone on the street, I walked leisurely so I won’t look suspicious. Then I stopped before the house.
It was surrounded by a six feet high fence; this fence was painted musky brown color, with the columns painted white. From across the street where I was studying it, I could see the roof of the house it encased.
I had spent the whole of yesterday planning this operation, meticulously mapping out backup plans upon backup plans just for any eventuality. I had visited the family that lived there sometime last week, so I knew the lay of the house as well. My plan was simple; break in, grab his flat-screen TV and get the hell out.
Nothing complex to it, simple in and out. That was why I was sure it would work.
And so, standing across the street from the fence, I bounced on my feet as I prepared to scale it. I cast a quick look around, the street was still deserted.
“Now…” I muttered to myself.
Then I broke into a run. I was like a streak, dashing across the street in a flash. Using my speed, I leapt off the ground, and in the next instant, I was on the other side.
I stopped as my feet touched the ground once more, listening hard to see if I had been seen after all. Silence met my ears. I nodded, patting myself mentally on the back. It wasn’t easy to be that skillful. A good thing I was putting it to good use.
I straightened up as I looked at the house. It was exactly as I had remembered it.
A bungalow with five bedrooms, two kitchens, five bathrooms, and even a wine cellar. Yes, that was how detailed my research had been. The house was painted in the same color as the fence, with the window lintels and door frames taking the white color. The blend was such a beautiful view. The ground was paved in red and white interlocking blocks, there was a Range Rover parked under a bodega, but I ignored it.
The door was a smart lock, required a code to be unlocked. But I was ready for that; I had brought my hacking tools with me. With my feet as silent as a cat, I eased my way through the compound towards the front door. I had timed myself; I wasn’t going to spend more than ten minutes in the house.
I was a professional, and I had to act as such.
Just as I closed in on the front door, I slowed down a bit, realizing something was wrong. Then I stopped altogether.
“Holy crap,” I swore in shock as I saw a German Shepard lying leisurely just beside the door, under the shade cast by the house. It was the only reason I had not seen him earlier.
The canine was looking at me; I could see the puzzlement in his eyes as he studied me. And I was just as confused, how the hell did this pass me by? The last time I had come to this house I had not seen any dog. How was this possible?
All my plans and backup plans had been based on information gathered on that single visit I had done last week, and now the presence of this dog had dashed it all to the ground.
I watched as the dog gently climbed to his feet, eyes still on mine. My heart began to thud dully in my chest, “okay, good boy… no need to panic now…” I tried to calm him down.
Instead, the dog spaced out his legs and tensed his muscles; he was getting ready for a run. I turned then, there was no way I was going through with this operation. During planning, none of my worst-case scenarios had involved getting eaten.
But as I turned I fell over in shock as another dog had come up behind me, this time a Rottweiler, so quietly I had not even noticed.
Oh great! I had missed not one dog, but frigging two!!!
There was no time to beat myself up, I turned and began to run towards the left side of the fence. The dogs gave chase; I could hear their growls as they bounded after me. I was fast, but they were fast also. I was like a streak, but so were they. I could almost feel their teeth on my heels as I closed in on the fence.
There was a trashcan by the fence; I was going to use it to boost myself over the fence.
I kept running, pumping speed into my legs until I leapt into the air. Damn, even I have to admit, I was graceful as I sailed towards the trashcan.
The moment my foot touched its cover I made to lift off once more when the cover gave way beneath me and I fell hard. My head smacked the ground, as the trashcan overturned spraying me with trash.
Because of my sudden fall, the Rottweiler dashed past me, barely managing to avoid slamming into the wall. The German Shepard had braked and was about to descend on me, but I kicked the trashcan in his direction, tripping him at once.
There was no time to even feel pain.
I was on my feet once more as I began to run to the right side of the fence. If I was going to scale this thing, I needed speed. The dogs were back on their feet; their growls were extremely loud in my ears as they chased after me. My legs scissored through as I raced for my life, my hands were swinging like a pendulum, and my heart was slamming repeatedly in my chest.
If I didn’t make it over the fence I would be dog food this afternoon.
The fence closed in, and just a few feet away I launched myself into the air. The wind seemed to just carry me along. I tapped the surface of the wall twice with my feet until I caught hold of the top of the fence. Then without waiting to think it through, I vaulted over the wall and landed hard on the other side, barely avoiding the gutter.
I was breathing hard as I tried to bring myself back under control. My heartbeat was like the hooves of horses on tracks, I was panting, my mouth hanging open as I pulled myself back together.
And as I did, I began to think again. How could I have messed everything up so badly? I had believed so much in my research that the fact that it had only taken one day to do it hadn’t mattered. Even the fact that I had never done this before hadn’t mattered either. I had believed I was burglar material, and I had failed woefully.
I guess I would have to try another day, this time I would spend more time on research.
I pushed myself to my feet to go home, but I found someone staring idly at me, he was the mechanic that worked close by. Trying to act unconcerned, I made to walk past him but he blocked my path.
I felt my heart begin to race again.
“We both know you don’t live in that house you just jumped out of,” he said, a smile curving his lips and showing tobacco-stained teeth. “You have a lot of explaining to do, my boy.”
I just let my shoulders slump in resignation. I knew then I would not be breaking into anywhere anytime soon.
The End.
Thank you for reading.
