Day before was a rare Monday when we were home in the evening. And our neighbours--a mother and her two children--found themselves locked in a room without even her phone in hand. Their only possible contact with the outside world was through this window from where all then could see is our living room and their own living room on either side, the living room windows of the two flats upstairs, and exhaust windows of four bathrooms straight ahead, and plastic roofing sheets that our downstairs neighbours have used to shut out the air shaft. There's a smaller window on the other side of the wall, which opens to their balcony at the rear, which faces a similar balcony on the next row of balcony. Now almost all rear balconies are covered with grills or nets or plastic sheets to keep away robbers and birds, and anyway it wouldn't be almost impossible for any potential rescuer from the apartment on the back side to jump to their balcony even if by some rare chance they managed to call them out. Their only possible physical contact with the outside world was through the small openable part of the window to the shaft from where they could receive something we hand over through a similar window in what's supposed to be my daughter's room--but what's essentially her piano room and my dressing room, because she sleeps with us--provided it's small enough to go through the grills.
I have no idea when exactly this mother and two kids locked themselves up. I was at home, alright, but there was no way I could've heard their panic calls, because I was on my computer in a room at the front part of the house, working. Usually I work at office, but that day I had severe cold and cough and decided to work from home. Anyway I was on the computer and I had music playing almost the whole time. And I was alone at home till late in the evening. That's because on Mondays my daughter doesn't come back home straight from school. Instead she goes to my in-laws' place to attend a dance class. My wife also goes there after work. Usually I pick them up on my way back from work around 11, but this Monday since I wasn't well and was at home, they took a cab and reached home around 8.30.
I was on the computer and my wife was in the bedroom when the boy in the other house managed to get my daughter's attention after yelling out her name. He's around her age and sometimes they play badminton or cycle together. And thus we found them locked.
I first handed over my phone to the lady so she could tell her husband what has happened. Then I handed over my screwdriver set for her to try break open the door handle and lock. We offered them water but they said they were fine. Anyway after about half an hour of struggle she opened the door.
I can't remember when was the last time when we were at home n a Monday evening. Perhaps during my daughter's summer vacation when her dance classes too were off.
What would've happened to this mother and two children if we were not at home? Maybe her husband would've broke open the house with somebody's help after finding it locked from inside and unable to contact them on phone. Maybe she would've found some tool to break open the door from within the room. Whatever, it would've been much more traumatic. They were lucky that we were at home.
Some coincidence!
I have no idea when exactly this mother and two kids locked themselves up. I was at home, alright, but there was no way I could've heard their panic calls, because I was on my computer in a room at the front part of the house, working. Usually I work at office, but that day I had severe cold and cough and decided to work from home. Anyway I was on the computer and I had music playing almost the whole time. And I was alone at home till late in the evening. That's because on Mondays my daughter doesn't come back home straight from school. Instead she goes to my in-laws' place to attend a dance class. My wife also goes there after work. Usually I pick them up on my way back from work around 11, but this Monday since I wasn't well and was at home, they took a cab and reached home around 8.30.
I was on the computer and my wife was in the bedroom when the boy in the other house managed to get my daughter's attention after yelling out her name. He's around her age and sometimes they play badminton or cycle together. And thus we found them locked.
I first handed over my phone to the lady so she could tell her husband what has happened. Then I handed over my screwdriver set for her to try break open the door handle and lock. We offered them water but they said they were fine. Anyway after about half an hour of struggle she opened the door.
I can't remember when was the last time when we were at home n a Monday evening. Perhaps during my daughter's summer vacation when her dance classes too were off.
What would've happened to this mother and two children if we were not at home? Maybe her husband would've broke open the house with somebody's help after finding it locked from inside and unable to contact them on phone. Maybe she would've found some tool to break open the door from within the room. Whatever, it would've been much more traumatic. They were lucky that we were at home.
Some coincidence!
