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    A Texan Got Locked In A London Waterstones And Twitter Refused To Sleep Until He Was Freed

    This is straight out of the pages of an airport thriller. Almost.

    At about 9pm last night, David Willis, a man who, according to his Twitter bio, is from Dallas, Texas, found himself in a predicament.

    As he explained, he was locked in Waterstones in Trafalgar Square.

    Well, not quite. Because by 11pm, no one had shown up.

    Hi @Waterstones I've been locked inside of your Trafalgar Square bookstore for 2 hours now. Please let me out.

    And on the Waterstones account, all was silent.

    Thanks for the tweets today! We'll be back at 9am tomorrow to answer your queries :) Happy reading!

    Meanwhile, Willis's follow-up tweet had received 4,000 retweets. And Twitter was getting concerned.

    I need to know more about the #WaterstonesTexan. Rolling updates on his status. Is he alive? Is he reading? Does he have a bookmark?

    Anyone know how long #waterstonestexan has been in there. Or how long air lasts in a closed bookshop?

    It was midnight. People wanted to go to bed, but they couldn't.

    Won’t be able to sleep now until we find out how this story ends….. #WaterstonesTexan

    I'm tired and need to go to bed, but I daren't miss the outcome of #waterstonestexan.

    Things were getting tense.

    Oh God we've reached the nail-biting suspense midpoint of the #waterstonestexan narrative arc. will he overcome? THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW.

    People began campaigning.

    Thousands of people are filling Trafalgar Square holding candles. This story has touched so many people. #waterstonestexan #PrayForDave

    And worst of all, Willis's account had fallen silent.

    It's like this guy has no idea we're all waiting for an update. If he's rearranging books then all is forgiven. #WaterstonesTexan

    Some saw potential in the situation.

    Desperately rushing to write movie script about #WaterstonesTexan trapped in Waterstones before he's rescued. Hope McConaughey is available.

    Tom Hanks as #WaterstonesTexan #TheMovie Colin Firth as Store Manager Keira Knightly Check-Out girl & Hugh Grant hapless security guard

    I hope the #WaterstonesTexan is repeatedly swiping his Waterstones Card. If he does it 50,000 times he gets a free 'Little Book of Dreams'

    Then the backlash began.

    Is there a cafe in that Waterstones? He's probably making himself a snack, nose in a book, happy as a clam.

    I'm feeling jealous... Is that wrong?! x #WaterstonesTexan

    Still there was nothing.

    Imagining that #WaterstonesTexan has made himself a nest/fort using copies of Robinson Crusoe and other such castaway, isolatory literature.

    And then....

    We're pleased to announce that @DWill_ is a free man once more. Thanks for your concern and tweets!

    Needless to say, Twitter was overjoyed.

    Waterstones guy's out. Dazed, wrapped in foil blanket, helicopters overhead, couple of Catherine Cooksons down his Y-fronts

    HE'S FREE!!!!! #WaterstonesTexan

    Although for a moment it looked like it was all going to kick off again.

    @DWill_ did you seriously just tweet before you texted me?

    (Yes, she's his girlfriend).

    Anyway, that's why everyone's tired today.

    See you all next year for the anniversary of the #WaterstonesOne

    It's a splendid example of why the late-night internet is a strange place to be.

    UPDATED: the fate of Texan @DWill_ on Twitter #freethewatersones1 http://t.co/vZWTWKcDES

    And the moral of the story is: Never look at Twitter while you're in bed.

    DWillz from Waterstone's now enters the Twitter hall of micro-fame, alongside Fenton the dog and Cat Bin Lady