Unfortunately, an unusual experience occurred when my friends and I were having a walk by the lake. As we were walking, my friend Iris, noticed that a short, thin random guy was behind us, following our path for more than 10-15 minutes. We calmly observed his actions and realized that the fellow behind us wasn’t just walking because he had to. He certainly was awkwardly following us for an unknown reason. His seriousness unnerved us, as all he did was nod, retreat into the dark area where he came from, and show up time and time again. Every time his shadow reappeared Iris, Megi, Katerina, and I wondered with fear how we were going to get rid of him.
   

“What are your names young girls? How old are you? Turn around,” he curiously asked.
   

We silently continued walking our way without turning around at any second. As we were scared and shocked simultaneously, we had become aware that our brightest solution would be a way to get the guy off our trail. However, even after going around the whole lake, he continued chasing us. We were whispering to one another a solution plan calculating how we were going to recede from his sight. Primarily, we sped up our walking pace and observed what his reaction would be. As soon as we were walking faster and at a different pace, he did the same too, as he mirrored our every movement.

   “You think you’re able to get out of my sight by walking faster? Huh,” the guy mockingly stated.

Clearly, our simple plan malfunctioned and it was time for us to make smart moves. Therefore, all of us entered through the woods, a shortcut to the other side of the lake. At first, we inferred that he wouldn’t continue following us and give up. Woefully, the creepy guy was still behind us.

   “Things aren’t that easy as they look, now are they ” he madly acknowledged.
   

Last but not least, we decided to leave the lake and head toward Tirana town. Thereafter, we arrived at the center and for a moment we thought we had gotten out of his sight. Regrettably, the guy had appeared, yet this time he had come along with a bike allowing him to move faster. Time was flying fast and it was almost time for us to go home. Walking for about 10 minutes around the Bllok and not being able to get out of his sight, we entered Conad. Our last strategy before calling for help was staying a while at Conad as there were security guards too.
   

After staying a while at a safer area like Conad, we finally headed outside, and hoped the stalker wasn’t there. We had become so paranoid that as the escalator brought us closer to the exit, the silhouette of a bicycle had managed to make chills run through our back. After exiting Conad, we felt a sense of relief knowing that the guy had finally left making us feel more secure. Our unsafe and risky experience shows how each teenage girl nowadays can face conflicts like this. Overall, these chain of events taught my friends and I that we should be more aware of our surroundings and be responsible of our actions in situations like this. As I look back at the occurrence that happened simply by going for a walk by the lake, all of us can reflect and understand to not talk to strangers and be conscious of the places we go.