An idea flashed in her mind: Light! Noise!

She abruptly switched on every lamp in the stairwell, flooding the dark hall with light, and began pounding with all her strength on the nearest door.

“Help! Help!” she screamed, her voice cracking with panic.

The echo rang through the entire building. The man in black froze for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected a child to react with such determination.

Just then, a door flew open and a strong, broad-shouldered man in house clothes appeared in the doorway. Behind him, a woman peeked out.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded sternly, his eyes moving from the terrified girl to the strange man.

The man in black flinched, his eyes widening in surprise. Then he spun around and bolted from the building, disappearing into the dark courtyard.

The girl was still trembling, clutching her satchel tightly against her chest, but deep inside she felt a rising sense of pride. She remembered her father’s words and had done exactly what she was supposed to do. And that had saved her life.