Imagine, having been lulled to sleep amongst the wonderful books of Cape Town's Central Library, only to wake up in the dark and discover you are all alone, locked inside. And you're nine years old to boot.
This is exactly what happened to a local boy, who lost track of time and fell asleep in library on Thursday night, only to be accidentally locked inside by staff who closed shop at 4pm.
The boy had been waiting for his father, who was working a shift at a nearby barbershop in the East City, when he went to the library and found a snug spot.
Library staff closed the Parade Street library, unaware that the boy was still inside.
Jurie Bruwer, head of CCID Safety & Security, says when the youngster eventually woke up around 18h45, the library in Parade St was dark and deserted.
Panicking, he started screaming for help, knocking on a window to alert passers-by.
“One of our Public Safety Officers on duty near the library heard the commotion and notified the CCID’s 24-hour control room.
"Night manager Bennie Jacobs went to the library with two other CCID Safety & Security team members. One of them managed to contact a library staff member, who responded and came to open the library."
The boy was then accompanied to his father’s workplace, where his father was waiting outside the closed barbershop, and very worried.
Happily, the youngster was reunited with his dad soon thereafter, Bruwer says. “We accompanied the boy to the closed barbershop where the worried father was waiting outside for his son …”
It appears his father had instructed him not to go to the library after school as it closed at 16h00.
He was meant to go straight to his dad’s workplace and wait for him to finish his shift.
But, CCID believes it was the lure of the library, it’s plethora of interesting books and the quiet, secure space that was far too enticing for the youngster.