It was just a 'normal' school day. I was walking home from school along my normal route. It was near Christmas so it was freezing cold, the road was icy and it was quite dark.

I spotted a boy (not just any boy, mind, one that I really fancied) across the road. I was so busy gazing at his gorgeousness that I didn't notice the tape and cones around an open manhole in the road until it was too late.

Distracted, I slipped on a bit of black ice... and flew straight down the manhole!

Petrified

I landed on my bottom in the muck at the bottom of the sewer. The fall really hurt, but I was too terrified to really notice. I started to scream for help, but no-one heard me at first. I couldn't reach the top of the hole to climb out. I thought I was stuck down there!

Suddenly something crawled over my foot and I yelped. I swear I could hear a faint snuffling and I was petrified. My head was thinking about all kinds of things that could live down here.

I couldn’t stop crying, but I kept shouting out in the hope that someone, ANYONE, would hear me.

*Some names may have been changed.

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Help!

I'd been down there about half an hour or so, when I heard voices in the distance. I can tell you now, it was the longest, scariest half an hour of my life!

As the shouting got louder and closer, I started to see the flashes of torches: some firemen had come to rescue me! I shouted as loudly as I could so they'd know where I was. I was so, so, so relieved.

Pulled to safety

The fireman quickly found me and helped me out of the manhole. I was immediately sent to the nearest hospital. I didn't know why at that time, but it turned out I needed to have a thorough check over in case of I’d caught any germs or diseases from the sewage or the rats. I thought I was going to get the plague and die! :(

Luckily everything came back fine – I was totally healthy, although mentally I was completely traumatised! I was pretty lucky really; I could have broken a bone or banged my head.

Getting over my ordeal

A few days later, my mum wrote to the council; this was serious and she was considering suing them.

The council told us that the workmen who were occupying the hole had gone off for some drinks. This was not good enough, the public's safety should always come first. I had been through a traumatic experience and was scarred for life!

I guess the moral of the story is, always, always look where you’re going... and try not to let yourself get too distracted by cute boys!