The Folk-Dancing Creeper

My friends and I attended a folk dance where participants paired with different partners for each dance. An older man I had seen at previous dances asked me to dance. I initially declined because he made me uncomfortable, but I agreed to one dance so I would not seem rude.

He immediately told me that I looked beautiful. During a move that required the partners to stare at each other while circling and then swing together, he pulled me closer and muttered comments about me getting away from him. He then said that because I had made cookies for the gathering, he would have to make me his wife so he could keep them to himself.

I ended the interaction as soon as the dance was over and told my friend what had happened. Later, some of the younger dancers went to a secluded pond to cool off. My friend and I stayed in the water while the others gradually left.

When I climbed out, I saw a figure standing on the bank and assumed it was one of our friends. Then I recognized the older man from the dance. He was fully clothed and was not there to swim. He simply watched us without speaking.

I told my friend that we needed to leave. The bank was narrow and covered in rocks, making it difficult to move quickly. The man followed us toward the cars. He said that he had heard we were coming there. When my friend approached, he positioned himself between us and the vehicle.

He told us that we looked like sisters and said that he would like to have both of us at home. My friend finally understood why I was frightened. We told him we had to go and hurried toward the car. He put his hand on my friend’s bare shoulder, and she ran after me.

I was already starting the car when she got inside. We drove away as quickly as possible. The man followed us in his vehicle along the back roads. We headed toward a busy gas station and stopped directly in front of its large windows. He slowed down, looked at us, and then drove away.

I never saw him at another dance. That was what disturbed me most, because he had been a regular attendee. I still think about how he followed us from the dance to the pond and then pursued us by car. I am grateful that my friend was with me and that we reached a public place before he could do anything worse.