In September 2025, I visited the city of Boa Vista, Brazil to look into a business venture. Although I was traveling alone, I booked a 4 bedroom house via Airbnb. The house was located in a safe and convenient neighborhood, and I felt lucky to have found it. I checked in on the 10th of September with the hopes of staying for one month.
Aside from being in a safe neighborhood, the house had its own built in security features. It was fortified with electrical wires all around the fence, and the gate was motorized which opened and closed with the press of button on a remote control “key.” Further, there were security cameras all around, and the gate and front yard was being actively monitored. Surely, the owner of this house took extra care to make sure that his guests were safe. And so, I had no reason to live in fear or worry!
During the first week of my stay, I occasionally heard crackling, banging, or stamping sounds. But walking out, I saw nothing. I soon figured out that these noises were created by a cat jumping onto the roof from the neighbor’s house, a 2-liter plastic water bottle uncrinkling from the heat, and something in the neighbor’s yard. Why should I be alarmed anyway? This house was fortified by an electric gate and electric wires. The odds of someone infiltrating this place was minimal. Further, it was being actively monitored on camera.
It was on the eve of Saturday, 4th of October, 2025, when I was lying down to sleep at around 10:00 AM, when I heard someone pounding on my bedroom window. Someone or something! At that instant, my heart started to race. What the hell! I thought. How the hell? Who the hell?! How could anyone be in my yard at this hour?
That pounding was no ordinary noise. Certainly it wasn’t the noise of a cat, bat, rat, or other animal. That noise wasn’t coming from the neighbor’s yard. And it certainly wasn’t the sound of a water bottle crackling! My blood froze as the thought of being under attack gripped me. I was in a strange country and city alll by myself, and although the neighborhood was safe, this country was known to have its fair share of criminals!
At that time, all the lights in the house were out as I had switched them off as I turned into bed. I started to plan my defense strategy, but deep down, I felt that I was deeply vulnerable. These attackers, to have infiltrated a yard of such high security, had to have planned everything out thoroughly. They probably have their criminal elements panned out at every corner…front door, back door, everywhere, and they were likely armed! Very likely armed!
But what did they want from me? I had no idea. What I was sure of was that I was being targeted. That banging on the my bedroom window was human!
I had no weapons with which to defend myself, except maybe a mop stick, frying pan, and broom. And these criminals would most likely have firearms. They were probably pointed their guns from the outside, ready to fire at any movement. They probably knew my exact location!
But I was comforted by a single thought which seeped to my consciousness from the far recesses of my mind: I was good at defense. Regardless of the circumstances or how formidable the enemy, I had never been defeated in combat, and I never will. Not now…not ever….
I was about to get to my feet, prepared to face my attackers when I heard a second round of banging on the bedroom window again…bang! bang! bang!
Then someone shouted my name. Patrick!
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you God!” I whispered.
“Yes?” I responded.
It was the owner of the house. “You left the gate wide open!” he said.
