The Arches

 

Bury me under 

A circle of stones 

Arches surrounding 

The tomb with no bones

Fill it with seats

For all to come near

So that they may sit 

And lend me their ear

I’ll give out advice 

And anecdotes too

I’ll turn no soul away

Until we are through 

If you visit me dear

Remember to bring

A story to share

And a song we can sing

Together 

Between 

The Arches

Magnificently Melancholic Monday Music

 

My Dearest Friends,

I cannot tell you how magnificently gloomy it is today, at least not in words. I will, however lend you my appreciation for the glorious grey crown that has been bestowed upon our drowsy brows, by way of musical offerings. I have crafted this for our mutual enjoyment, a playlist; for which my truest intention is, to enhance the embrace of this Autumnal Monday, in all of its melancholic magic. 

Sincerely Yours,

JM

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/42mefyzxOWPiziX1YWonWP?si=3k_uzSDZR76LpzIe-88zow

A Real Blood Sucker

 

I fell for 

A real

Authentic 

Blood Sucker

They had help

In finding me

And it didn’t have to be me

Could’ve been anyone 

I would wonder why 

For years

Why it wasn’t someone else 

Was it who sold me out

To you 

Like a gift

An offering 

Maybe to take the heat

Off of themselves 

I mean

Who wouldn’t want a stalker 

Who can enter your dreams 

And mess with your consciousness 

And wear your energy 

Like fine jewelry 

That makes them shine 

Finer 

Than all of the other 

Vampires 

At the Halloween Ball

The Desperate Search

 

Kids

I’m on a desperate search for inspiration!!!

Remember all the way back to 2015?

It was our last autumn season in the old apartment…

We were beginning to pack things up to move to our current home…

The planning stages for the move 

Feel very similar to the current state of affairs…

There was a lot of energy being spent in preps for total upheaval and change 

And that resulted in very little energy leftover 

For living in the moment.

Every cell in my body 

Revolts 

Becoming the tantrum spewing 3yr old

Who has no conceptual ability 

And no angle on coping 

With this odd

And uninvited 

Alien feeling 

I have on a regular basis 

Become robbed of speech 

Decision making becomes insurmountable.

What’s for dinner 

Who cares…

I am the sort of being who experiences physical 

Ramifications 

If my instinctual flow is disturbed 

It proverbially Clips My Wings

BUT

I’ve found that a lil bit of Adrenaline 

Kickstarts my whole system again…

Which leads me to my studio

Above was my studio from the old apartment 

Here’s my current view from the writing desk…

And as I was setting up the desk…

The the contents of all of the drawers for sorting upon it 

Lol

I saw it! 

Darker walls!!!

Just one wall???

Or keep going…

Which is what I’m leaning towards…

It was only one wall painted in the old studio 

Lookit Charli Girl, so cute

Imagine if 

I did the whole room… 

And added some chalky fun architecture 

Like Rajiv Surendra does so well… 

https://youtu.be/4rmwQIL4W0Y

His tutorial breaks it down so well! 

I have to go dig around in the basement to find me chalky board paints now… 

The real work will be moving the furniture to get to the walls… lol 

Wish me luck, 

XOXO 

Jen

The Red Skeleton: Part Three

 

              I’m a monster. I shouldn’t have said anything. I looked at this poor woman as she was experiencing something, that neither of us knew how to explain. And it was, at this awkward moment, having a depth of effect- a ripple, if you will- that would turn out to mean something different, for both of us. 

             She told me that she had a story for me; alluding to something relating to my dream experience; but, that would have to wait until another time. She was running late, & I understood. I gave her my total thanks for the gift, and urged her not to worry. Putting all of my energy, during her departure, into brushing what had just happened under the proverbial carpet. Thinking that I have to learn to cap my excitement, and stick to talking about the weather. 

             After she left, and I was able to smooth my feathers again. I took a break from unpacking & nesting. Remembering that there was no rush & questioning myself as to why I was trying to speed through it. I sat in the living room, cozied up with the cat, and turned on the tv. 

             I awoke later on on the couch, with the kitty still next to me. I must’ve fallen asleep after I got under the blanket. What time was it, the sun was going down; Just after 4. I started to think about dinner. So I made my way to the kitchen, still wrapped up in my blanket. I was also still feeling the need for comfort after my foot in mouth issue earlier; and besides that, the night was turning cold. 

              I riffled through the gift basket the landlord had left for me, and found a chocolate bar that had almonds in it, and immediately began unwrapping it. As I broke pieces off of the chocolate and chewed them slowly, I felt a little bit of my energy coming back. Nodding as I nibbled.

              I continued looking through the basket and saw an envelope tucked underneath. I thought I remembered seeing that she had brought an envelope in with her during the awkward visit. The curiosity was firing me up to my next level of energy. I began opening it, carefully and gingerly, to both savor the moment and to not accidentally rip anything inside. I paused for a second while I checked the front of the envelope to see if it had my name on it. The last thing I wanted was to open someone else’s envelope. Had she left it here absentmindedly... I would feel so awful. 

             It had no name on it. I placed it back down for a second, considering the weight of awkwardness that this could be adding to todays events. Maybe I’ll peek into the bit that I opened; see if it’s something that I shouldn’t be fiddling with, I thought. If it isn’t meant for me, I could repair the corner & then, I’ll have to call the landlord to tell her this envelope is still here… 

              It’s a gift certificate, crisis averted! For a local restaurant, that seems appropriate. Right…? I’m second guessing myself now. “Oooooo!” I squealed! It’s for a Chinese food restaurant, just down the street… "Rangoon!!!!" I said aloud, as the cat found her way to my side as if to share in this pleasant discovery.

              The amount of food I had ordered that night was enough to feed an army, or at least a nesting/unpacking fiend like me for enough days to keep the madness going. And as those days had passed, and I kept to myself, mostly. I unpacked everything, I shopped to fill the fridge and pantry, & generally made myself at home. 

              The walls here were all painted off white, with glossy bright white decorative trim. The ceilings were high, which gave the whole place a larger feel. And it had these crazy arched double doors that led from the living room to the front room, that I was using as my bed room. The overall vibe in that long apartment, felt just right to me. I only had one issue. I was having trouble sleeping. 

               Every morning I was waking up at 4:08am on the dot. Which, was unusual for me. And if I did have interrupted sleep, my usual wake up was around 3:30am. It wasn’t that far from the usual, so I tried to pass it off as insignificant.

              As I was getting used to my new routine, a week and a half later; I came home from work to the house feeling extremely chilly. I checked the thermostat in the living room, the setting was at 60, but the actual apartment was reading 55. I checked all of the radiators, and they were working. I then made sure that all of the windows were shut tight, they were. So I pretended like I had intimidation powers over the little thermostat, and told it to do its job, then I flicked at it with my finger. “I’m going to check back with you, and the house better get toasty again!” I warned it as I went to the bed room to change out of my work clothes. 

              KAH-KLANG, KAH-KAHTHWOMP! I jumped as I heard this coming from another room. “What was that!!!” I said shocked. I made my way through every room, inspecting as I went. Left, right - living room- nothing... left, right- bath room- nothing... left, right- dining room- nothing... "whaaaaa....???" I stopped mid-way through the dining room. I was stood still, looking, blinking, now staring, head tilted, brows furrowed. There was an object in the middle of the kitchen, on the floor...

              "How did this....??? How could this...???" Puzzled, I now found myself in the middle of a mystery. And I didn't have any idea how, what, or who, could explain this. 

              The item, now firmly standing upright, on full display, on my kitchen floor, was a plastic pitcher. The kind you'd make large batches of iced tea or lemonade in the summertime with. This item, had been placed, just a few days ago, by me, on the very top shelf of the pantry shelves. Not just the shelves that you faced, when you rounded the corner to look into the little room from the kitchen. No. 

              That would just seem so logical. Maybe? That it could have, maybe…? With the slightest misplacement, made its way by bouncing off the pantry floor, then… continuing to tumble, & somehow, it made its way into the kitchen, up a step, then landing standing straight up... No. NO. Ha, yeah.... No. I thought.

                This pitcher was placed by me, on that top shelf, located on the right hand wall. And so I made my way, softly walking around the mischievous pitcher. I eyed it, not a scratch, or crack... Ok... Then I stood in the doorway to the pantry, surveying if there were any other items perched to tumble. 

              Nope. I stood, studying the stack of shelves to my right. I would be there for a bit, running scenarios in my mind, following my finger as it traced possible routes that the pitcher would have had to take to fall down... then turn a corner... then come to an upright stance, in the dead center of the kitchen floor...

                "Gah!!! This is RIDICULOUS!" I let out with an exhale of frustration. I picked up the pitcher, and put it back where I had placed it originally. "There." I said firmly. "You let me know if anyone else bothers you." I patted its side as I lowered myself down from the step stool. 

              I mean, my good old plastic pitcher wouldn't scare me on purpose, surely, forces unknown, were at work here. And my thoughts go back to my last apartment & how I had to be firm with the unseen whatevers, that had, at times, attempted to bother me there. "I am very aware..." I said aloud; in hopes of striking a sort of line in the sand, to discourage further unexplainable happenings. I had high hopes that it would suffice.

                The rest of that night was very uneventful. Thank goodness. I was trying to relax, & not to let that incident, or the waking at 4:08am every morning bother me. Or, the fact that I was having to verbally harass my thermostat every night. Every night coming home to find things chilly. The temp had always read 55, when it had been set to 60. Every night, the same thing. 

              I would remind of its settings, & how my intentions were to not be cold, & somehow within minutes the temp would start climbing. I could also hear the furnace in the basement below kick on, & attributed it to the unit being an "antique" as the landlord had put it. Most "antiques" are charming, this however, at least to me, was anything but.

                After another week of becoming used to what I would refer to now as "quirkiness", I arrived home from work. It had been a loooooong week. I was tired, yet elated, that the weekend was finally here. The whole month of October had been a marathon for me. I couldn't place an exact blame of what exhausted me more, it was the culmination of the entire journey to get here. And I was looking forward to having absolutely no plans. 

                I came through the back door, to be greeted by the Kitty, so happy to see me, and of course to get me to feed her, which I would, after I put my things down in the dining room. As I took off my coat and draped it over one of the chairs, I a blinking light on my landline phone. "Oooo, I have a message." I said out loud. 

              I pressed the voicemail button, and the automated voice said, "You have... one ... new ... message." I walked into the pantry to give the Kitty her scoop of kibble, and listened for the message. Nothing... Maybe I was just too far away to hear it.

              I walked back to the phone and pressed the button to listen again, and waited... Maybe they hung up... I checked the volume, it was set really low. I rarely got any calls on this phone, makes sense. So I turned it all the way up. 

                Static... ... ... then a whisper... and then nothing. Intrigued, I pulled up a chair, and listened again, with my ear to the speaker.  "Static... ... ... Let Me Inside." 

                I pushed my chair back, at the same time pushing the small table that held the phone so that it nearly tipped over. 

              "WHAT THE ACTUALL...." I exclaimed. Why do I live alone! I thought. This is creepy, too creepy. I examined the phone, played it again. Yup, it says, "Let me inside." I examined further and noticed that this particular voicemail had no caller id. How's that possible? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE! It had to originate from somewhere... Do Ghosts have phones now? 

                I was fed up. I had a nice relaxing weekend planned. And nothing was going to stop me from enjoying it! I was determined to relax, & this prank from the ether wasn't going to stop me!

                I got on my cozy clothes, as usual, checked the thermostat as I walked by and noticed that it read 60 degrees as it should, & the ambient temp was 60. "Good." I chuffed as I passed it. I was in no mood to argue with whatever quirk lived within that mechanism tonight. 

               "I AM GOING TO MAKE MY DINNER, & IM NOT IN THE MOOD." I said to the room gruffly. 'Let that be a warning to ya, whoever is waiting with the next prank." I said under my breath in an authoritative tone. I let my footsteps articulate how unenthused I was. And to let anything listening know, that I didn’t appreciate this new invasion of my peace. I made my way to the kitchen, got my dinner together, and poured myself a glass of sweet red wine. 

                The night became more relaxing as time went on; which I was very grateful for. I made the decision to go to bed early, tucking myself into a crisp, freshly made bed. I had also placed an extra blanket at the foot of the bed that night. It had been forecasted to get really cold within the next few days and I knew I would be in need. I just didn't realize how soon.

                I felt the frosty tone to the air hit as it was still dark in the room. It was pulling me out of my dream state, in a slow, achy sort of way. I felt like my drowsiness had fought against the moving of my body. Just a little, I thought, enough to reach the blanket at the edge of the bed. I struggled for consciousness for what felt like a long while. The scene played over and over in my dream. My body only complying enough to move my legs in a fruitless hunt for a warm spot for my toes to nestle into. I groaned a little, & opened my eyes a slit, to look for the blanket to pull on. And that's when I saw it. 

              A Glowing Red Figure standing in the doorway that led to the living room. I shut my eyes hard, thinking that this obvious figment of my dreams/imagination would go away. "it's not really there." I thought to myself reassuringly. I opened my eyes again, and they rested upon the exact thing that I did not want to be seeing. 

              The Glowing Red Figure in the doorway. It's physique, coming into focus, was a skeleton. Its right arm, lowering, as if it had been waving to gain my attention. I closed my eyes again. 

              You are having a dream, I thought. And took a second, wanting so bad to have this futile wish take hold of reality. Opening my eyes again, felt like ripping off a bandage. I knew what was waiting, and I really didn't like it. But I had to see…

                The Figure didn't move, and it didn't feel angry, or mean, it felt as though it was just making sure I knew it was there. And as I gulped & accepted this, it began to fade. 

               Before I knew it, there was no sign of it, and I stayed put for a bit to watch the door. Curious to see if it was going to come back. 

              Nothing. The room was now calm, and quiet. The cat quickly entered the room, which gave me a small fright when she announced her presence with a short and loud Trill. Now, that familiar feeling set in , of being sobered out of my sleep. I lay back down for a second and rolled over to check the time. 4:10am. 

              My first thought was, why!? I now had so many questions, but who do I ask? Did this glowy body that appeared tonight have something to do with the time? Was there something that related to this in the story that my landlord had to tell me? I won't know now, or maybe ever, I thought. 

              The cat got up on the bed, then back down, rubbed her face along the door frame to the living room and disappeared. She'll want food, & I think I will go to the kitchen and get some coffee, and try to start my day…

                I had laid low all day. Just what the doctor ordered. The only disturbances had been the cat playing with a paper ball I threw for her, and I could hear it when the mail carrier came into the foyer to deposit goods into the various boxes. 

              I took a break from lounging, and went out to see if I got anything. A few letters, a few adverts, nothing exciting, which was fine by me; and I turned to go back into my bed room. 

                "Pppsssst...!" I whirled around, still on edge from the being who woke me this morning. It was Maxine. She had opened her door and popped her head out. "I thought that was you," she said low voiced as she waved for me to come towards her. "I heard it too." she said. "Did the landlord tell you yet?" she finished, with a hopeful look on her that was tense. 

              "Tell me what...?" I leaned closer, and she pulled me inside her door by wrapping her arm around my right elbow. 

                I could hear her tea kettle begin to squeal, and she had incense burning. Her front room was bright and sunny, & there were swirls of smoke illuminated by beams traveling in with the afternoon light. 

            She looked out to the foyer, and closed the door quietly before she resumed pulling me towards the next room. I let her lead me, & I tried my best to watch my steps. Her Kaftan style of dressing was sweeping the floor today, and I nearly tripped the both of us in our short distance traveling to the left.

                She let go of her grip on me, leaving me to stand in a dark wood paneled room, in front of a dark, wooden, round table. She fled into the next room, to cease the cries of the hot water kettle. I heard a few things clink and clank from her shuffling, as I stood taking into focus what was in the room. I saw many rich dark fabrics and some cushioned dark wooden chairs that all had arms on them. There were candles burning in the middle of the table, on top of a delicate looking table cloth that didn't span the width of the table. Maybe it was a scarf...

                Just as I was starting to lose all train of thought, spacing out at this perfectly dark bohemian vignette; Maxine bounded in and directed me to sit in the chair by the wall. “Chair on the right.” She said. She then closed the blind on the window across from my seat that led out to her porch; that now had less plants, due to frost, I was guessing. 

               The candles and the hallway bringing in the only light in the room now, she sat down next to me on my left. It felt very safe, the chairs were well cushioned, and the tea, in the pot she placed on the trivet in front of us smelled of lavender and mint.

                "How much did she tell you?" Maxine asked gently, as if inquiring about something very sensitive... or secret. 

              "About what... exactly." I leaned in, now getting giddy on the suspense. "You're apartment." She stated, and looked into my eyes like she was trying to draw something unintelligible about what she was attempting to glean. "Is this part of the story she said she had to tell me...?" I asked her, hoping she could tell me. “The way so much time had passed, I figured the landlord wasn’t really interested in doing it.” I looked down for a second remembering our awkward exchange. "Wait, you said that you heard it....?" I looked at her with curiosity, of what she whispered in the hall. 

                "Yes. I always hear it" She said as she sat back & closed her eyes while it replayed in her mind. 

               "I didn't think it made any sound from what I had noticed,” I wrinkled my nose at the odd thought of how much more scary it would’ve been if it had made any kind of noise. “It just stood there at the door, looking at me, like 'I'm here'..." I rubbed my chin trying to remember if it actually made a noise or not. The memory was not coming clear to me, just the visual, standing, looking, then fading. 

              "What... looked at you, dear...?" she asked with a sudden stillness, realizing that this had just gotten bigger than either of us knew. "The Red Skeleton." I said to her in assumption that we were talking about the same thing. She sat back, & regarded me in a different way.

                "My apologies, Dear." a smile began on her face, pleased as punch. "I have not met anyone who has seen, what... I mean, who you saw." She poured us each a cup of tea & offered me a small teddybear shaped ‘piece’ of honey for sweetening my tea. "Yes, please." I said, and wasn't quite sure where to start with all of my questions, that were now circling in my mind. 

                "Who…was it...?" I asked what I thought was the most important question first. She took a big sip of tea and began relating the story of the man who had died in my apartment. She told me that she hadn't known him, personally, but, she had known our landlord since they were both children at school. She went on to tell me that the landlord had lived in this house when the man had many years ago. 

              She made a long story short, and said that the man had had a heart attack and died, and he lay unknown to all, until his relatives came to check on him 12 days later. 

                "Oh my gosh..." I put down my tea cup, and asked her about what it was that she had heard. I had recounted my visual of the figure, but that it hadn't made a noise, at least that I knew of. 

              She told me that she hadn't been the only one to hear what she did, and that it hadn't been the only time it had occurred. 

            Apparently, those who have apartments with doors nearest the foyer can hear it repeatedly within the month of October. It was the knocking of the man's relatives, trying to check on him. 

                "They knock, then we can hear, 'let me inside'." she said finishing her cup, and pouring another. "Some of us have lived here long enough, that we just drown it out..." she passed me a plate with a cookie on it. “This morning it was too loud to ignore.”

               "What about the people who have lived in my apartment since he passed?" I took a bite of the cookie and told her about my dream, the voicemail, and the plastic pitcher that fell. 

                She thought that the voicemail was a spectacularly humorous bit of evidence to hold onto. And she went on to say that the relatives of this poor man had tried to call his phone from the neighbor's landline, and that would have been our landlord’s parents apartment. 

              It all made sense to her, that this emotional echo would come through. And as for others who had tried to live there... "Not many made it through more than two Octobers." she sighed, "Its been two years now since we've been able to get anyone through just one..." She made eye contact this time with a look of hope, that they'd found the one who could do it... maybe...?

                "You said 12days, right...?" I confirmed & perked up. She nodded. "NUMBEROLOGY!" I looked up & then at her for acknowledgment. "4 + 8 = 12. Every morning at 4:08 I've been waking up, without fail, and once after falling asleep on the couch at 4:08pm..." 

              I felt a wave of relief... would this mean that I would be able to sleep better from now on? Please & thank you, I hope so I thought.

                "If my count is correct," Maxine said, "you would be the 12th tenant to live there since he passed. And the way you describe him waving, then dissipating..." she paused to pull a hand rolled cigarette from a silver filigreed case. I could tell that it was made of lavender, camomile and mugwort from the smell. She struck a match, lit her cigarette, and continued, "I think you may have freed him, my dear." and with a proud smirk she poured us more tea. 

                I remained living in that apartment for 5 years after that, with no other signs of paranormal happenings. At one point, I even tried to beckon the unseen to come forth and make conversation by hosting a Ouija style seance party with friends. Nothing came through. 

                The apartments are still there as far as I know. I used to make note, if ever I saw a listing for available apartments in that building. I still glance down the street if I’m in the neighborhood & Maxine's porch is still full of plants during the warmer months...

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it...

XOXO 

Jen

            

                

The Red Skeleton: Part Two

More activities await for us to experience in this, Part Two of...

                                 The Red Skeleton:

                   As I was waiting for the movers to arrive, I decided to put away the few groceries that I had brought over from the old apartment. The refrigerator was a plain white, basic model, but it was brand new; a fridge that I didn't have to labor over, or cleaning before stocking was nice. Once the cold things were in their place, I took the few steps to my right, and entered the pantry with my second bag of goods. Rice, pasta, cereals... These deep pantry shelves would absolutely hold everything I had and more. And the convenience of this store room being directly at the back door was a brilliant design. Whoever cooked this idea up, I thought, really had something going for themselves. I would imagine, in the future, to keep this set up in mind.

                Suddenly, as I was staring at the tall shelves, wondering about how I was going to arrange everything & how I would need to keep a step stool handy; something bumped my leg. "Aaah!" I exclaimed. Gripping the buttons on my shirt, letting out my gasp in a winded "Oof...". It was just the cat. "I was so stuck in my moment,” I apologized as I reached down to reassure my friend, "You're next, ok...". A couple of long strokes down her back and she scooted back over to her perch at the kitchen window. There were deep windowsills here, and many vantage points to watch birds and people here. She kept a watchful eye on both my activities, and the bushes outside; making sure to not miss a single thing.

                After I had everything set up that I brought in the car,  I strolled slowly up and down the length of my new home. This "Railroad" layout, was new to me; I had never lived in anything like it. Studying one room to the next, connected by a long hallway. You know I would be entertaining the idea of unpacking my vintage sneaker style rollerskates first; you know how temping the thought is, I mean, before there's furniture, etc... in the way of gliding from room to room... Just as I was fully in fantasy mode, seeing myself being a 1980s skating nymph, floating in my bohemian finery through the spine of my environment while the ethereal soundtrack echoed in the background; there was a knock at the front door.

                The movers have arrived!!! Right on time, and they filed in one after another in a seamless parade. Placing containers in a smooth uninterrupted ballet, in an impressive amount of time. I tipped them, expressed my extreme gratitude, signed the release form, and it was done. Oh, My, Gosh, it is DONE! Reality is a dopamine hit! I paid them a little extra for assembling my bed for me, and the bare mattress upon the frame was too tempting to pass up, I flopped onto it. A feeling of shear accomplishment mixed with a little exhaustion, it was all 100% worth it. Before I could linger in this moment too long, there was a knock, just feet away, at the front door.

                I hopped off the bed and got to the door, shaking off my fog of whimsy to greet whatever faced me on the other side. It was Maxine, from across the hall. She seemed taller than she was at the last meeting by the parking lot. I looked to see that she had boots on, the scrunchy, earth-toned suede, heeled type that you'd imagine that Stevie Nicks had a closet full of. Funny that she greeted my outside, barefooted? And here, indoors, she had fancy boots. My first instinct was to bust her chops about it, but I liked her, and wasn't sure if our sense of humors were alined yet; so I left that thought alone. She invited me to her Mid October Celebration, as she called it. Skeptical, I wondered if it just happened to be a way of gathering up all of the tenants to do a meet and greet. We will investigate further, because I said "I wouldn't miss it!"

                I didn't feign my enthusiasm, although, I was cautiously optimistic that the rest of the characters that dwelled here would seem just as entertaining as Maxine. And the fact that it was October, and anyone that was "celebrating" anything other than just Halloween by giving out sweets was right up my alley. She said, "Come as you are..." as she stepped back to her front door across the foyer. Still half in my trance of being freshly moved in, I didn't ask if I should bring anything, not that I had prepared for any such occasion. I did have a dusty old bottle, I thought suddenly, of Whiskey; was I saving it? I really didn't care at the instance, so I began the hunt for it.

                The afternoon had ticked away so quickly, as I unpacked boxes, and tidied myself up to meet my new neighbors. I pieced together a comfy all black outfit, it being spooky season after all; I thought the witchier, the better. Considering the two times I had laid eyes on the hostess for the evening, I didn't think anyone would be in protest. I stood primping, fingering through my fringe and untangling any loose strands. I gave one last glance at myself before heading across to the party. Not half bad considering the state of things... I shifted the slouch of my off the shoulder sweater from one side and back, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, as I gave a huff at the figure in the mirror and swiftly walked away; satisfied, yet cavalier. Said "See you in a bit." to the cat, snatched up my dusted off fancy whiskey bottle, and made my way through the void of the foyer.

                I could hear the goings on before the door magically opened before I could knock. "Come in, come in..." Maxine made her eye contact with me and then to the others whom she had been deep in conversation with. She finished what she had been saying, took the bottle from my hands, looked at it, and gestured like "Ooooo, you shouldn't have!" and introduced me to the room. She pointed to people and said their names, but I rarely, on the best of days, had the ability to retain such things. I waved and said, "Hello, everyone..." and waved with a smile. Maxine fled back to the kitchen, with the whiskey tight in her waving grasp. She began addressing someone unseen, who had asked about the recipe for something, & by the intensely seasoned aroma, I understood, that she had not burned whatever she had be laboring over earlier from our meeting outside.

                "Come sit here." said a small woman, who looked bookish in a hipster sort of way. "Has anyone told you anything yet?" I had a slight tilt of head on this question... "Like... Trash pickups and the mailboxes...?" her question, being met by mine. "Oh, so no one has told you about the house yet." she looked a little surprised. My eyes began to look back and forth to some of the faces in the room, I was puzzled, and a little anxious to get some information. "The house is built by the famous Bloody Brook." She revealed. I blinked, with a bit of amazement, and asked for more details. Really hoping that it wouldn't affect my honeymoon feelings with my new abode. At the same time, it is October, and a tale about an ancestral battle, I gleaned from the murmurings around the room, at least that's what I could make out though the wall of sound that was Maxines music choice.

                "Ignore her!" Maxine shouted, as she appeared in the door frame. She waved at me to come to the kitchen and meet more people, and as I reached her side, she put a delicately etched low ball glass in my hand. Two fingers of the whiskey I brought with two ice cubes. I don't remember her asking how I took my whiskey, but that'd about do it... We must be kindred spirits. "Elsie is an Historian, and she will go on and on if you let her." she told me. I nodded, and found the prospect of being able to 'pick her brain', as they say very, intriguing. 

              Maxine guided me by the elbow into the smokey kitchen. She steered me to a long tall table where there was so many yummy offerings that you couldn't see the tables top, at all. Charcuterie, sweets, hand made pies, anything you could be in the mood for, she had an abundance. "Wow!" I exclaimed, "You don't do things by halves!" and grabbed a glossy red grape that was sublimely sweet. She gestured at a tall man standing at the end of the table enjoying its bounty. “This is Eric, He lives upstairs on the right, he's Elsie's boyfriend..." She beamed at the notion that this building was the catalyst to their meet-cute. "Hello." Said Eric, taking his focus off his plate full of goodies for a moment, "Nice to meet you." He completed as he swallowed his mouthful of Maxines offerings. "If you want a good ghost story, you should ask this man right here." Maxine went on, "he's a student of the Paranormal". She nodded in affect to his possession of a wealth of knowledge, that could, and probably had, provided much entertainment in context to these gatherings. 

                We all ate and chatted until the wee hours. As I couldn't ignore my exhaustion any further, I said my thank yous and goodbyes, and made my way back through the foyer.  I had enjoyed that so much, it was, in fact very rare in this part of New England to be embraced by a new community so. I guess, if every community/household had a Maxine, it would be a more inviting place.

              My thoughts were of how lucky I felt to have found this place as I closed my door, locked it and wistfully made it to the bed. Thankful that I had the forethought to make the bed earlier. I addressed the kitty, who was eager to see me, with a short baby talked acknowledgement. I then kicked off my little black suede flats, checked the time, 4:08 am, chortled while shaking my head, & got under the blankets. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

                The next day was bright and sunny, which made waking up easy, despite getting in from the party late, or in fact early, & having a really strange dream. Hopefully I will be able to use one of the dream in an amusing anecdote with one of my new neighbors. If/when we bump into each other during our comings and goings; I thought this, especially due to its subject: the house we all lived in.  These thoughts amused me as I put down my coffee and proceeded with my hanging curtains & unpacking boxes. 

                Another knock at the door, this time, it was the back door. A distinctly different sound; the hollow foam core of the aluminum barrier, carried a very faint sound. In fact, I barely heard it. I stopped, I listened, then got off of the chair I was using as a step stool to mount my long white curtains in the tall living room window. I made my way through the apartment saying, "I'm coming!!!". Past the bathroom, through the dining room, into the kitchen and turned the corner to step down into the pantry and face the back door.

              It was my new landlord, carrying a gift basket, and an envelope. "Hi!" we said in unison, and giggled a little at our timing. She looked past my left shoulder to see that the kitchen looked completely set up. "You're already looking settled in!" she was pleasantly surprised and seemed impressed. "I've always had an easy time imagining where everything should go..." I said, and I wanted to say more because I was in my element. "Would you like to come in?" I gestured her in, and she accepted. "I heard you met everyone last night, Maxine said you fit right in. I had hoped you would." she seemed very pleased as she put the gift down on the kitchen counter and rested her hands into her beige barn coat pockets.

                "Everyone seems so interesting, I had a great time at Maxine's" I confirmed her suspicion that all had gone well. "We have a good group here, an eclectic mix, eccentric, smart, odd sometimes, but everyone is a good egg." I agreed, and we both had a chuckle over the fact that Elsie brought up the Bloody Brook History. Apparently, she tells everyone who will listen about the battle that happened back in 1675. I told her that I had looked it up as I drank my coffee, & that I was interested in walking around the block to get a glimpse of the monument that was placed there. She encouraged me to do that, and we carried on for a bit. She was about to head out to collect rents, and check in with her handy man. She told me about her constant  efforts to touch base on what seemed like many projects that were happening simultaneously. But I felt compelled, with what I’m sure felt like a palpable element of urgency, & I stopped her at the door. 

                I was so excited to tell this dream to someone, and having had maybe too much caffeine to know what was funny and what was not, I told her. Her eyes went wide and her head bowed, as if she was at fault of something... I told her that in my dream, she had been giving me the apartment tour. And we eventually made our way to the basement. When she was pointing out which hot water heater was mine, the mechanism, the whole appliance, began to hop up & down, and spin around. And in my dream, she explained that it was because it was haunted by someone who had died in my apartment....

                That was when her gaze became blank...

                

The Red Skeleton: Part One

Greetings friends, 

               It’s getting closer to Halloween, or Samhain as the ancestors used to know it. 

              Now is the time to celebrate the fruits of our labors as the wheel of the year turns again. We have so much to be thankful for, & I, for one, would like to focus on the gratitude I have. I revel in the knowledge of all the inspiration and support from those who have come and gone, and perhaps have come again. 

               And as we build towards the thinning of the veil, I have hopes that my experience will grow and continue to become richer in my ability to communicate with those who have gone before. And I hope that all of you are counting your blessings, and are having a very cozy spooky season. And also that you might enjoy this, my literary offering.

This story is based upon real events…

                                   The Red Skeleton 

                                         Part One

            The day had finally come! I thought, as I sat on the front stoop, taking my last looks out into an overgrown field. That view greeted me on most mornings as I would head out for work or a walk down by the river. This morning would be the last. Moving day! I had been looking forward to this day for what felt like a millennia. Even though my move had come about in a truly short span of time. The anticipation made every second stretch into infinity. 

            I made my way back upstairs, reminiscing about the rustic surroundings that would no longer be mine; and began pacing around the stacks of boxes. The fact that today was my last day to stand in this strange place. I took a deep breath in. Just think! I can finally get away from all of the drama of this silly little apartment. My mind stacked all of the lists of reasons that lead to my flight. 

           The sound of the creatures that lived in the walls, scurrying their little hearts out, while they nibbled on the wiring that eventually ruined half of the outlets. Or the sound of the couple who would argue so violently, from their first floor efficiency, that no one in the building could ignore it. And the one feature, that took the cake, as it were; that creepy closet in my bedroom… The one that had a secret staircase at the back, that gave way to my second exit, in case of fire. 

            I’ll never forget the time that I went into the closet to put away my winter coat, and I had discovered that the door at the bottom of the hidden stairway had been mysteriously unlocked. Or the night that I woke after having a dream of a shaggy looking man and his small daughter, standing at the foot of my bed asking politely, if it was ok if they lived in my closet. 

           That dream had woke me so abruptly into complete sobriety in the middle of the night, I had little choice but to acquiesce to my circumstance; and I took to gathering myself up and moving out to the living room. My hope was to chase away the eerie feelings of someone living unknown to me, in that strange closet, just beyond the foot of my bed.

            I grabbed my pillow, some cozy pants & socks, and I started to turn to leave the room. As my gaze in the dark room moved from the foot of the bed, across to the closet door; my assumption was that I would continue turning my body and my eyes the full 180 degrees to the door that lead outward to the kitchen. I froze. Fully in the daze of a racing mind, hopelessly calculating, and desperate to find a reasonable explanation for what I had just witnessed.

            A shadow, dark, yet transparent, crossed from the far side of the bed, over to its end. And as the swath of darkness met with the frame of that closet door, it dissolved. Gone, just as soon as it had appeared, and just as I had locked eyes on it. Now, I thought, with my full attention on trying to make out the vague shapes of the room, so that I could exit without the danger of stubbing my naked and vulnerable toes. Now, I thought, for a moment, what do I do with this information? Was that the man from the dream? The shadow matched the frame of the shaggy figure from my dream. Did he go into the closet? Did I want to know? Should I go look? No, not advisable, nope. Not at all something that I want to address, right at this very moment, I thought to myself. 

            I couldn't spend any further thought on this, for fear that panic would set in. A deep breath, grasp my pillow tighter, I now managed to tear my eyes away from the closet door, and resume making my way to the next room. Turning to my right, I took care with my steps, to avoid tripping, which had been tricky on most nights in this tiny, oddly set up apartment. 

            There was one step up to the door that led out of the bedroom, and my goal was to carry my comforting goods up that step, open the door with one hand, & make my way into the kitchen, finally. With my heart racing, and my body feeling like it was moving in slow-motion, I went to lift my leg to take the step, and my fully loaded left arm stopped. 

            I bumped into something solid; I paused. I joked in my head, thinking, its fine, it was probably the fluffy pillow I'm carrying, obviously its so big that it hit into the side of the tall dresser nearest to the edge of the doorway. I looked, to make sure, although, maybe now feeling the need of a faster pace to get to the safety of the living room couch. My visual told me everything I both needed to know, and didn’t want to know. I had had plenty of room to proceed. In fact, there was what felt like miles in between my armful of goods and the dresser...

            My eyes, having grown uncomfortably wide, my breath stolen; I rushed into the kitchen beyond the bedroom door and proceeded to turn on every light in the open kitchen that led into the living room. I plopped my pillow on the couch, quickly threw on my cozy socks & pants that had been in the white knuckled grasp of my left hand, and planted myself firmly in the corner of the tufted oasis. All that remained doing, was to bury myself, in further comfort, by pulling all of the throw blankets from the backs of the furniture. Once that had been done, I endeavored to take all of my attention away from the room just beyond the kitchen.

            The television helped, and my cat came up to cuddle; that never failed to soothe me. At moments, though, even still, that room beckoned. Catching peripheral movement from time to time out of the corner of my left eye. Trying not to focus on it into the early morning hours, that had felt difficult & ridiculous in it’s unreasonable activities. 

               Just as I can recall those moments so strongly and clear today, I had wondered why, clearly, why nothing further had occurred. Despite some incidents of feeling like I had not alone. And there had been times in the evenings, as I would be settling into bed, an odd sensation would arise. I would be setting my small fan by the bed on low, & placing my arms under the covers; only to have the breeze from the fan cease. The blades would be spinning, but the air from it was not reaching me.

              I read something about similar things happening, in a book that I had once that was all about ghosts, & what to do if you have one lingering in your home. The solution was to explain out loud that in your emanation, this, was a place that belonged to you, and that sharing was cool, but interacting was to be had only by permission. Mutual respect was, as far as that book was concerned, the way to go. 

            I tried the short respectful explanation methods, and for the most part they would work. And sometimes not, and this, upon the other mountain of reasons and inconveniences was why I needed to make the move. Onward and upwards, right? Well, at least that's what I thought.

            This was so exciting! I had never hired movers before! I only had to pack everything into boxes and write the name of the room that was to be its final destination on it. So much easier than that last move; maybe I should have known it was going to be an odd journey, just by the difficulties experienced in the shuffling of items. 

            Rain and snow, driving that boxy truck myself, and the cardboard boxes melting into uselessness in the torrents. Lost items; I have no idea how that happens if you are the only one to handle all of your own stuff. Does that really happen to people? One pair of summer shorts, a mirror, a plastic container full of old handbags: that I had been moving from one apartment to the next, as if they were some sort of important family heirloom, not to be parted with, & absolutely not to be used. Fate, I guess, had other plans for those objects. Wherever they are now, I hope they're living their best lives. I mean, you have to laugh at the scale of "missing sock from the dryer" syndrome that that whole episode was.

            I enjoyed all of these memories, knowing that these things were all in the past, as I drove my cat and myself to our next home. A big sigh for the leaving of old oddities in this case; the apartment in a renovated barn. The slanted ceilings at either end, the step up and the step down, sunken living room, etc... And the strange happenings, even beyond the ghostly things. There was an incident once, as I was arriving home from work; I climbed the stairs to find the front door being wide open. Approaching the situation carefully, & looking around to see if someone was there, or if anything had gone missing. I found nothing. No disturbances of objects, not a soul to be seen. 

            Only after a few days of wondering what all that open front door business had been about; I found myself about to make dinner. On most nights nothing strange would occur as I gathered my ingredients and began the process of assembling something edible. This evening though, my reaching for ingredients in the refrigerator, would give way to new considerations. Items that I had bought just the week prior, I was finding, that they were not there... 

           I had passed it off as a fluke; the tv, still there, the computer, stereo, everything else, not touched. Someone must've been very hungry. And I guess, thanks for not taking anything that I wouldn't be able to replace right away...? I wasn't too fearful that they would return, because, I had noticed just after I found the door open; that my spare key; that was carefully hidden outside the door was gone. It was then, that I promptly changed the locks.

            "This next apartment is going to be so different" I looked over at the cat carrier next to me in the front seat, and my kitty mewed back. She was never phased by anything odd, as long as she had her food and toys, and me to sleep next to, she was good to go, no matter where we lived. 

            We pulled into the parking area behind the old, expansive Victorian that was to be our new home. There were 5 other apartments in the sprawling antique building. Nicely landscaped, in a small neighborhood on a street off of a side street, that was not far from the town center of a small Historic New England village.

           "Maybe we will get Trick or Treaters here!!!" I swelled with the idea. It hadn't occurred to me, since this had all manifested in such a short span of time. The consideration of any holiday related enjoyment had not even entered my mind, until our arrival. Its really starting to sink in, we were going to have real life moments here, I thought. Meals, Holidays, Movie Nights, slow Sunday mornings with breakfast in bed. The biggest bathtub full of bubbles just waiting for the finest candles to be lit and settling in for a relaxing soak; this is going to be good.

            As we settled into our assigned parking space, I could  see a figure on the back porch; and as I turned off the car, I noticed that the person is waving. I couldn’t see them entirely, the porch was covered in plants, top to bottom, like a shaded jungle. It was one of my new neighbors, and I could tell by her appearance that she was an eccentric, which means we should get along fine, as long as she's not an overstayer. I love having guests, but I absolutely adore my solitude, hopefully, fingers crossed, she has decent perception of boundaries. 

        "Hellooo..." She waved as I scooped up the cat carrier and made my way to the back entrance way. As we got closer, she left her stoop at the edge of the jungle/porch, and approached us with her arms out, her long every-which-way hair a deep shade of burgundy red, and a floaty gait. She was wearing a dark, multi-patterned Kaftan, still waving at us as she got closer. I greeted her, placed the kitty carefully down, at the doorstep and offered my hand to shake. 

          This Blythe creature, that looked to be an amusement to interact with, would prove to be fun to riddle out. I knew the second that she told me that her name was Maxine: 'not her natural name, but one given thru experience; because she never does anything by halves'. She said she was close friends with the landlord who couldn't make it down to greet me on arrival. Which was fine with me; I don't think any of my previous landlords had ever given a thought as to how my move in 'moment over the threshold' would go. I thanked her for that consideration, and told her that I sincerely thought that that was very nice of her. 

            She went on to explain about trash pickups, spare keys, the phone numbers to everyone in the building, and who everybody was. She also told me about how excited they all were that I was bringing life to an apartment that had stayed vacant for a couple of years. "It will be a joy to see light in the windows again; especially since the foyer is by the door to your front room. Since the last tenant,” she lowered her voice a bit, “there's been no curtain to cover the glass on the door, and with the shades pulled inside, well, its been… gloomy… every time we come and go to our mailboxes..." She seemed as though she wanted to go on, but a pungent smell hit us, and she exclaimed something about burning instead of simmering and hurried off.

            I wished her luck, lifted my furry friend again, & entered the door to the little hallway leading to our new home. There was one door on the right, just as you entered the hallway. It had water heaters and fuse boxes etc… The other door was tucked in at the very end of the hall on the left. It was slightly out of sight, with only one real indication that anything was there… Three plain utilitarian stairs, with no handrails, the same color value, and secretly pointing the way into what was to be my pantry, just off the kitchen. "Here we are... Our new Home." I said to the cat, becoming restless in her plastic cage. 

            Now we wait for the movers to arrive...

Part 2 Coming Soon!

Do you have any Ghost stories? 

XOXO

Jen