[Epona]

Living in England, it is illegal to carry a gun or a knife with a blade longer than 3 inches, mace and pepper spray is illegal too, so bear in mind when you give out advice to carry a gun or arm yourself that it doesn't apply to all of us!

OK, so the whys and wherefores are for a different discussion, true, but I felt that pointing out that fact was relevant to this thread, since I have to rely on my lungs, screamers, and self defence.

I am going to relate something which happened to me, several years ago.

I was away on business, and to save on my expenses I booked a room in a small guesthouse because it was cheaper than a hotel with a reception desk etc. I had a few drinks with my work colleagues, went back to my guesthouse alone, and went to sleep. I had the most horrendous dream. There was demonic whispering, and in my dream was one of my friends who kept saying to me 'you have to fight, be ready'. I woke up in a cold sweat, to a room that was pitch dark.

I lay in the bed, calming down from my bad dream. My eyes started to adjust to the darkness - and I realised that I was looking up into a man's face. There was a man standing beside my bed I froze, absolutely rigid with fear - I couldn't even think. It didn't help that I usually sleep naked, I felt very exposed. He started to climb onto the bed. At that moment, realising what was about to happen, my fear was broken. I grabbed for the bedside lamp (figuring I could either turn it on or bash him with it) and started to scream my lungs out. The man fled. I was hoarse for 3 days, and it took me maybe 3 years to be able to sleep with the lights off. I still check that I locked the door at least 10 times before I go to bed at night.

There are a few pointers that I have learned about from this:

Trust your instincts: If a situation feels wrong, it probably *is* wrong. My dream was a warning to me, even while asleep I could sense that all was not well.

Lock your doors, and fit secure locks: Seems obvious, doesn't it? Well it wasn't to me that night, the door was locked, but the catch on the frame was loose. After that I bought a device which can be used to lock a door from the inside - it can be easily knocked away in the event of fire.

Carry an umbrella: Sounds daft, but attackers are looking for people with no defense - just holding a brolly will make an opportunist think twice and look for an easier target.

Be aware: Don't use a personal stereo - music is nice, but you can't hear footsteps behind you.

Carry an alarm: a good deterrent

If attacked:
Go for vulnerable areas - the eyes, throat and groin. Use your thumb to jab in the eyes, the tips of your fingers with your hand held rigid to 'stab' at the adams apple, and bring your fist up into the groin. Stamp on feet, but don't try to knee your attacker in the groin - having one foot off the ground makes you vulnerable and unbalanced. Scream as loudly as you can - yelling 'FIRE' is better because it will attract an eager audience, whereas not everyone is brave enough to get involved in a personal attack.
Another good place to go for is the muscle on the underarm between armpit and elbow - just grab, pinch and twist. If you don't believe me, just pinch yourself in that area - it is very tender.

Cloudy, I'm glad you're OK. Very scary.