Knock Knock Knockin on Heaven's Door

Revenge has consiquences

The old man hated the teenagers who ran through his yard with a passion. They didn't bother anything. They passed through on their way to other places or to retrieve a stray ball. It began in June, as soon as school was out.

At 82, widowed, and dealing with health issues, Henry Johns did not want to be bothered. Life as he knew it was over, and the sounds of young people having fun bothered him. He would never know laughter again, and he resented those who were enjoying their youth.

He made his way to the front porch twice and yelled at them to stay off his property. There were usually the same four of them, sometimes a few more. This was a predominantly African American neighborhood, but one of the regular kids was Hispanic, and another was White. The other two were Black.

 Why did they choose his yard, he wondered. He stayed to himself and did not bother anyone. Once, he called the police to report that the boys were trespassing. After that, the teens decided to get back at the old man. They talked among themselves, saying they had done no harm and he had no right to call the cops.

The knocking begins

They began playing a game where they would knock on his front door or ring his doorbell and run before he answered. This was annoying as it took Mr. Henry a while to get up and walk to the door. 

He was frustrated to find that no one was there. When he did not see anyone, he would curse and vow to get even as he made his way back to his living room chair.

 The knocking and bell ringing continued once or twice a week, through the end of July. Ding Dong Ditch was the official name of this annoying game, but in Black neighborhoods, it was called Ni**er knocking.

When Mr. Henry saw the mother of one of the boys who lived on his block, he told her what had been happening. She said she would talk to her son, but he had no idea if she ever did.

Things calmed down for a while, but the teens began running through his yard again in mid-August and dropping trash. He would go to the door, telling them to stay away. Bob Dylan's song Knockin on Heaven's Door came to mind. He knew his time left on this earth was short. he onyl wanted to be left alone and go in peace.

Just leave me alone

The knocking began almost immediately. In the afternoons and evenings. Mr. Henry put no trespassing signs in his yard and screamed at the boys to leave him alone.

They were too fast and ran off before the police came each time he called. The old man was dealing with hardening of the arteries and heart disease. His only son had died a few years earlier, and his daughter-in-law and grandchildren lived in another state.

Most of his friends had passed on, and he no longer attended church as he once did. He missed his wife of 60 years and felt so lonely and alone. Even so, he desired to be left alone from this knock, knock, knocking on his front door.

The final knock

One evening, just as September was beginning, Henry realized it had been several weeks since anyone had knocked or rang his bell with nefarious intentions.

He settled down in front of the television with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Around 7:00 p.m., he dozed off to sleep but was awakened by loud knocking on his door.

Mr. Henry was tired and angry and had waited for this moment to put a stop to the madness. He reached into the drawer of the table beside him and grabbed his revolver.

The knocking grew louder as he made his way to the door. He had been giving these teens fair warning all summer, and now they were going to pay.

The bell was ringing, and the noise angered him. Without saying a word, he shot through the door, and the knocking and bell ringing ceased. He went back to his chair, put his gun on the table, reached for the phone, and dialed 911.

Heaven's waiting

He waited for what seemed like an eternity as he heard neighbors gathering in the street and knocking at his back door. They were calling his name, but he did not answer.

When the police officers arrived, they knocked loudly as they announced themselves. Mr. Johns called out, "I'm coming and I'm unarmed, don't shoot.

He opened the door to two officers who came inside. Looking over their shoulders, he saw paramedics removing a body from his porch. As they zipped the bag, Henry screamed "Lord forgve me for I have sinned."

In shock he fell to the floor because the face being zipped into the body bag was not that of one of the pesky teenagers. It was his grandson who had come to visit unannounced.

Mr. Henry Johns was also pronounced dead, from a massive heart attack. He and his grandson and not one of the teenagers were now knocking on heaven's door.