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Guthumba · 12-20-2004, 08:27 AM

I would ravage the house when my parents left to go to the grocery store or on some similar errand, searching every nook and cranny. I eventually learned that they tended to hide the items in a lockable secretary...this began my studies of lockpicking. Within a year that lock belonged to me...I could pop it open in 30 seconds with a bobbiepin stolen from my mother's vanity drawer.

Later they too began wrapping the presents early...I ruined the wrapping on my first attempt to snoop and was foiled. However, I quickly learned that I would take my pocket knife (yes, as a child I was foolishly trusted with nice minature Swiss Army Knife which I cherished as if it was Excalibur itself) and delicately slice the tape off the side of the present, enabling me to lift the flap, peek inside, and then replace with a second piece of tape. Once I woke up around 3am, couldn't sleep of course, snuck downstairs, slit open a present, found a Nintendo game (that's the original NES in all it's glory), opened it...again with delicate slicings of my pocket knife, removed the game, went upstairs, played it until 6am, won the game, went back down and repacked it before scurrying upstairs and feigning sleep for the next...eternal...hour.

My parents grew more suspicious and less trusting as my "Christmas morning surprise face" grew less and less convincing. At this point they began the present storage game with the neighbors...they kept the neighbors kids toys in our attic and the neighbors held onto ours. It was the perfect plan for my brother and I loathed those little punks next door and even spoiling Christmas was not worth 5 minutes in their company...

12-20-2004, 08:27 AM	#4 (permalink)
Guthumba Tilted Location: Columbia, SC	I would ravage the house when my parents left to go to the grocery store or on some similar errand, searching every nook and cranny. I eventually learned that they tended to hide the items in a lockable secretary...this began my studies of lockpicking. Within a year that lock belonged to me...I could pop it open in 30 seconds with a bobbiepin stolen from my mother's vanity drawer. Later they too began wrapping the presents early...I ruined the wrapping on my first attempt to snoop and was foiled. However, I quickly learned that I would take my pocket knife (yes, as a child I was foolishly trusted with nice minature Swiss Army Knife which I cherished as if it was Excalibur itself) and delicately slice the tape off the side of the present, enabling me to lift the flap, peek inside, and then replace with a second piece of tape. Once I woke up around 3am, couldn't sleep of course, snuck downstairs, slit open a present, found a Nintendo game (that's the original NES in all it's glory), opened it...again with delicate slicings of my pocket knife, removed the game, went upstairs, played it until 6am, won the game, went back down and repacked it before scurrying upstairs and feigning sleep for the next...eternal...hour. My parents grew more suspicious and less trusting as my "Christmas morning surprise face" grew less and less convincing. At this point they began the present storage game with the neighbors...they kept the neighbors kids toys in our attic and the neighbors held onto ours. It was the perfect plan for my brother and I loathed those little punks next door and even spoiling Christmas was not worth 5 minutes in their company... __________________ Locusts and honey ... not since John The Baptist has there been a voice like that crying in the wilderness. ... Every man knows he is a sissy compared to Johnny Cash -- Bono.