Frustrating Times

Frustrating Times

 

Just so you know, I am not an Elephant or a Donkey, I don’t even consider myself an Independent, although at different times one or the other party has served my interests best.  I prefer to support the individual that would do the best job for the country that I love so much.

 

I am at a point in my life where I am no longer out for myself, as I am trying to represent the interests of my children and grandchildren. Effectively today the share of the National Debt cost per individual in this country is over $52,000 per man woman and child.  When you consider that the majority of our country is leaning more and more towards poverty every day, the debt load is almost double that per individual (able to pay).

 

Looking back, I realize that we had our problems with politicians in my youth around mid-1900.  However, the quality factor seems to have gotten worst as we drifted away from the time when a man’s word was his bond.  When a politician was elected, and sent to Washington D.C., he or she understood that his or her duty was to the constituents that sent him or her there.  Today, not only do we not get what we pay for, we don’t seem to have anywhere to turn to.  We, the citizens, are supposed to be the government according to the constitution (meaning in charge over the elected officials), and yet we are being subjected to abuses that I know I didn’t vote for (read NSA Policies).  I know a lot of people that are frustrated, and like me don’t understand where we went so wrong, that the politicians are now running the country without fear of their bosses (We the People).

 

I suspect that I know where all this would lead to, if it keeps going in the same direction, yet I pray that a strong non-power hungry individual will rise to the occasion (opportunity) to lead us back on to the right track.  In the meantime use your votes to help remedy whatever wrongs you feel are being imposed on us.

 

As the nation’s population ages, it’s starting to feel more and more like abuse on the elderly, please wake up to the fact that we are not yet hurting as bad as we will be a few years down the road, if we stay on the same trajectory.  As we get older we will be less able to be as active in the political process as we need to be.  Don’t pass up an opportunity to vote.  With our active participation the best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 7

DEMON

By Selinda

 

It was late autumn and the trees that dotted our old neighborhood had started to change into their red and gold coats.   My children were looking forward to dressing up in their Spiderman and princess costumes for Halloween.  But it wasn't for another week.  As for me, I was busy trying to do repairs around the house.  The lights were always going out.  I thought it was just electrical wiring and the house was very old.  I lived alone with my two small children and I didn't want to frighten them, or maybe I didn't want to scare myself. They were so young and innocent.  Thank goodness they were oblivious to the creepy sounds and strange happenings of the house.  

 

My children were very creative when they played.  They often made up games to entertain themselves.   But recently I noticed they had started to set a third place at the kitchen table.   "Who is sitting here?" I'd ask.  They would just giggle. When they played they would divide their toys into three equal parts.  "Who is coming over?" I'd ask.  "No one" they looked at me puzzled.  I thought they were just acting like normal kids.  I didn't think too much about it. The yellow brick house with its cracked foundation and creepy sounds was home.   Besides I didn't want to move again.  I had invested all my money into this house and I liked the fact that it was close to my workplace.

 

One night, it was unusually windy outside.  My children had gone to bed and I walked in their room to kiss them goodnight.  Karen slept soundly on the top bunk bed and my youngest, Jimmy was already asleep in the bottom bunk bed.  I covered them in their blankets anticipating a chilly night.  I could already feel the chill in the room.  "This house," I whispered and shook my head.  "It's always cold in here."

​                           

I retired to my room.   It wasn't long before I fell into a deep sleep.  I dreamed of a huge rock wall.  Like an aerial camera zooming out, the pillory in the center of town was revealed.  A woman's head stuck out encumbered by the long bolt or wooden bar that also held her arms.  The time period looked like Colonial America.  Or was I in Salem at the time of the infamous witch trials of 1692?  I felt the shame and the discomfort of being held for public viewing.  Then I realized, the woman in the pillory was me!  

 

The next thing I remembered was a little girl with reddish brown hair dressed in a long dark dress with a top white collar at the end of a long hallway.  She wore a little white cap tied under her neck.  I tried walking to her.  Her face looked sad and abandoned.  I recognized her immediately as my daughter.  But she wasn't my daughter Karen from this lifetime.  I just knew she was mine. She extended her arms to me.  The harder I tried to reach her, the longer the hall got.  I was desperately running down this long never ending hallway.  She was standing at the end with open arms.  I couldn't reach her.  

 

Then from out of nowhere, a sinister low menacing evil voice whispered in my ear,   "She's mine."  My heart started to pound hard. Paralyzed with fear I couldn't move.   I knew instantly that this was demonic.  

By now, I knew I was in my room and conscious.  But I couldn't open my eyes and I was completely immobile.  It laughed in my ear.  Then the voice started to say obscenities.   I started to pray the "Our Father."  I said it over and over and louder and louder until the voice started to fade.  But before it left, it threatened me again.  

 

"She's mine.........They're mine."     

 

Oh my God, my children!   I woke myself up reciting the Lord's Prayer aloud.  Trickles of sweat lined my forehead and hair.  I sat up and raced to my children's room.   They looked like little angels asleep.  They were so still.  I stared at my daughter.  I stared at my son.  Thank God they were breathing.  I have never felt so threatened in all my life.  I realized my children were at risk with this thing that seemed to be living in my house.  Who had my children been playing with?

 

There is no scarier story than one that is centered on or around the children.  I may not have the power required to take on evil forces directly, but I wouldn’t hesitate to fight with my feet.  In other words move to another house.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 6

HAUNTED CAR

​ By Rudy Reyna

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author.

It was many years ago when I was still a teenager living on Murray street in 

San Antonio.   It was 1944 and my three older brothers were in the service stationed in Europe.  Not too many teenagers had cars back then.  Everyone pretty much walked where they needed to go.   But I was used to doing a lot of walking.  If I ever needed to go into town, I'd simply take the bus.  I had been doing odd jobs around town and worked for my father at the tailor shop after school.  Finally, I was making a little bit of money and started to save for a car.   My motivation?  I wanted to start dating and able to take girls to school dances.  Borrowing my dad's car was not an option especially since he needed it for work.   Then I remembered there was a used car lot on Commerce Street not far from the "Malt House."

 

It was a crisp October night.  It was very late and there were hardly any cars on Commerce Street.  I crossed the street and strolled to the car lot to see what they were selling.  There weren't too many lights on the lot.  Thankfully, there was a full moon.  By the light of the moon, I'd peek inside a car to see the interior. The cars lined up at the front were usually the ones in better condition but also the most expensive.  

 

Then from the distance on the back row I saw it, a shiny beauty.  It was parked apart from the rest of the vehicles.  "Hmmm, they probably just got this one," I thought to myself.   I made a beeline and walked towards the car.  The moonlight gave the car an alluring sheen.  I admired the car from all angles and even kicked a tire or two.  When I saw the price on the card sitting on the base of the windshield, I couldn't believe it.  It wasn't expensive! Maybe my dream of owning my own car would come true.  I could actually afford this one.  I patted the hood as if it was already mine.  By now it was around 2:30 in the morning.  I knew I'd have to get home and sneak in so as not to wake up my mom or dad.  I thought I'd give it one last look.  

 

I peered inside the driver's side of the window.  For some strange reason, there seemed to be a dark shadow in the front seat.  Was someone inside?   I looked closer at the front seat.  There was no one.  I could see the front seats and the dashboard.  It looked like it was in mint condition.  I cupped my hands on the window to get a better look.  Gradually the outline of a man began to appear right before me.  Staring back at me at close range were a pair of eyes!    I fell back almost hitting the ground, I was so startled.  This was not my reflection.   I finally mustered the courage and approached the car once again. I cupped my hands and looked inside.  There was nothing inside. I got a real creepy feeling.  What had I just seen?   The next day, I went to the lot.  The car was gone.   I later found out that a few years before, a man had been murdered and his body was found in that same car.  Had I seen his ghost?  That was many years ago when I had that awful experience.   But the image of what saw that night stayed with me for many years.  I never forgot it.  

 

The author in this case was very fortunate that the car was no longer available.  I know that I certainly wouldn’t want to drive around in a haunted car.  The best is yet to come….

Frightened To Death 2

Stormy Sea

This post is an update to: Frightened to Death, posted October 7, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/frightened-to-death.html This post is based on my family's experience as it was related to me by my grandmother.

The commercial fishing experience for the men was not typical of the modern day work schedule.  As limited as the use of science was back then, much of the commercial fishing effort was driven by factors that affected the success of the fishing effort.  Some example of the factors might be, the ocean currents (which affected high and low tides), even the time of the month, season of the year, and the moon’s cycle.  Previous successes might also play a role, as well as, commitment to the customers that expected a fresh catch.

At least one day and sometimes as much as two days prior to heading out to sea, there was increased activity amongst the crew.  Gathering the supplies needed for the journey, from rain gear to food/water supplies, and fuel (petroleum, matches, and wicks for the lanterns).  Of course equally important the lines and nets for the task at hand. The journey to the fishing destination was at least one whole day away and sometimes longer depending on the weather, and currents.  I know that regularly they would tow a vessel behind them to use for extra carrying capacity.  On the trip that would be my grandfather’s last, the weather was less than ideal.

As they arrived to their destination, there were a couple of islands nearby that usually served for a base.  In this particular trip one of the islands had a bad reputation of being hunted by evil spirits, and was considered off limits.  There were some ideal areas for fishing near the island, and since the goal was to catch fish, the crew got as close as they dared.  On this particular trip the weather had been bothersome but not the worst they had ever seen.  The wind was constant and so was the rainfall, combined with the rough seas, it made for an ominous experience.

 

Late on the afternoon of the day that they would be returning to base and preparing for the next day’s trip home, the storm seem to intensify, and the dark storm clouds seemed to roll in out of nowhere.  The late afternoon suddenly became as dark as a moonless night.  As the crew worked feverishly to bring in the lines (nets) for the last time and stow them away, someone notice a large ball of fire revolving above the island’s thick jungle vegetation.  The palm trees weren’t burning, from the large orange/red fire ball that reflected on the water between the fishing vessels and the island.

The story was told that when my grandfather saw the “fireball” apparition he looked in its direction and while shielding his eyes with one hand from the brightness he made a fist with the other hand and called them, “espiritos culeros.”  Loosely translated it means, “A— - hole Spirits.”  My grandfather was so clean cut that he didn’t curse and that was the worst he could come up with.  But that was plenty to anger the spirits according to witnesses from the crew.

Almost immediately, the ball of fire rolled on the water towards them and settled itself next to the fishing vessel that my grandfather was on.  The witnesses said that they could see the brightness but were surprised that there was no heat emanating from the flames.  As the crew knelt in prayer, the ball of fire transformed itself into a large skiff with two Grim Reapers rowing on either side of a coffin surrounded by four large candles at each of the 4 corners of the coffin.

My grandfather went into shock almost immediately and a high fever set in that would stay with him until his death a little more than a week later.  By the time the crew arrived home, more than a day had elapsed, and my grandfather might have had a chance for recovery but the high fever took its toll and it didn’t take long for the damage to seal his fate.  My grandmother was so dependent on his leadership that she didn’t know what to do, and the best they could do on the island was to bring the local “Curandero” (A curandero is a person who practices the use of curanderismo. He/she is usually a spiritual guide/leader within a community. This person is usually the person sought when someone is sick or experiencing unusual circumstances).

They tried everything they could to cure him and determined that he was scared to death by what he had seen, and that it was something not in his belief system.  He spent the last week of his life in a coma and didn’t get to say goodbye to the person he loved most in this world.  The part my grandmother didn’t tell me was that his spirit lingered in her house still trying to protect her, until she was told by the curandero how to send his spirit to rest.  I was told how that was done, but that shall remain the family’s secret with me.  The best is yet to come….

Staying Within Budget 2

Staying Within Budget 2

This post is an update to: Staying Within Budget, posted October 12, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/staying-within-budget.html

There are many good reasons to save money or resources.  There is, however, such thing as going over board: here are some examples from my years of growing up.   

Back in the mid 1950’s when we lived in Texas my stepfather discovered what is known as Gleaning.

Gleaning (also called scrounging) is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest.  Some farmers embrace the practice because it gets the fruits removed (that were not ripe when the harvest took place) rather than rotting on the tree.

We always had delicious fruit desserts that were free of cost in exchange for spending a few hours out on the orchards as a family unit picking fruit to take home.  Plenty of oranges, lemons, water melons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, and grapefruits.  I can’t begin to put a price on the amount of money that we saved.

Another favorite trick of my stepfather’s was to cross the border into Mexico (Matamoros, across from Brownsville) once a month on a payday to purchase our red meat supply.  The prices were much cheaper than in Texas.  We also purchased other items that were cheaper in Mexico like alcoholic beverages, and we always included a meal (feast) at a nice restaurant (about 10% of the cost in Texas). My stepfather also started buying Mexican manufactured cigarettes, again at a fraction of the cost.  In case you are wondering about the length of his life with his alcohol, and cigarette habit, he lived to the ripe old age of 96.

When we finally moved to the Pacific NW in 1959 he immediately went from earning $60 per week to near $260 per week plus a home supplied by the employer (a nice 4 bedroom home out in the country).  In retrospect, his pay, back than as a foreman for a 9,000 acre farm, was only $2.25 per hour, plus a home and pickup truck, but his hours were unlimited.  He was a true workaholic, and he averaged well over 100 hours per week.  Well, all that good fortune didn’t translate to easy street for the family.  A lifetime habit of pinching pennies is hard to break.

During the cold winters our oil furnace would get turned off at bed time (around 10:30 at night).  That’s right, not turned down, but actually turned off at night. Whom ever got up at around 4 am would light up the furnace and run back under the covers to wait for the house to warm up.  I swear winter nights were just as cold inside our house as it was outdoors.  Personally, I am the kind of person (family provider) that places a lot of emphasis on family comfort.  I don’t smoke or drink, so my disposable budget goes to added family comfort.

Besides, as I get older I am not as tolerant of cold or hot temperatures.  I like to provide as much comfort to my children as a way for them to set high goals to live up to, once they strike out on their own.  Our mother could have driven us to the school bus stop (a mile away), but my stepfather insisted that we walk and save the gasoline (22 cents per gallon).  For many reasons including safety, I won’t let my granddaughters wait for a school bus or even walk to the park.  You might say that I am the butler to the 3 princesses.  There are many other areas where we can cut corners that don’t have anything to do with children’s safety.

Always remember not to be penny wise and dollar foolish.  Make sure that your savings are real and not just savings with money costing consequences.  For example if you turn off the heater at night, you will be required to run the heater on high in the morning to warm up the house, and that could cost you more than you save by turning the heater off.  Instead lower the thermostat to 65 degrees.  Better yet if you have the right kind of thermostat you can program it so it lowers the temperature while you sleep, and turns it back up one hour before your alarm goes off.

When it comes to money matters, there is more than one way to balance the budget; you can reduce your money out-flow (decrease your expenses), or increase your money intake.  I’ve always chosen a balance between reducing costs, and increasing cash intake (part time job or side business).  I am the first to admit that not everyone has a solution to a money problem.  When you reach a certain age with a limited income. You find yourself having to turn to family, the church, or the State; in that order.  The best is yet to come…

Halloween Stories 5

STRANGE VISITOR

​By Peter as told to Selinda

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author Selinda.

I had been transferred to another town.  The company had relocated me into a nice brick house not far from my workplace.  I was excited to embark on this new chapter in my life.  But it wasn't long before I realized there was something wrong with my home.  I was still living out of boxes and I had only the essentials available to me.  My days were long and by the time I got home, I was completely exhausted.  I'd often eat, shower and fall asleep on the coach.  One night, I had a strange dream.  Someone was watching me sleep.  He leaned over me as I slept.  He had a scowl on his face.  I couldn't make out the features but it looked like an older gentleman and he was angry.  I quickly dismissed the strange dream.  On the third night, the temperature in my room had dropped. I awoke shivering. Had a cold front come in during the night?  I coughed and the smoky vapor emitted from my breath startled me.

 

Something was wrong.  First of all it was icy cold in the room.  More importantly, I felt as if someone was watching me.   

 

Had someone broken in?   I sat up.  From the corner of the tiny bar in the den, a grey mist was slowly making its way across the room.  I wiped my eyes making sure I wasn't imagining things.  By now I was wide awake.  The foggy mass seemed to move with a purpose.  I was immobile and the thick mist drifted towards the front door.  I eventually got up to investigate.  I followed its movement and opened the front door of my house.  There was no one there. But that wasn't what surprised me the most. Outside, the air was warm and still.  It was only cold inside my house.  I checked the thermostat.  The air conditioner wasn't even on!  I couldn't explain the chill in the room.  

 

As the weeks passed, I settled into the house and eventually got myself a bed and moved into the bedroom.  One night, I heard footsteps.  There was a rustling sound coming from the living room.  Rats?  The sound stopped and I made a mental note to call an exterminator the next day.  I got up to get some water from the kitchen.  As I left my bedroom, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.  As I walked into the narrow hallway, I stopped in my tracks.  Something was standing at the end of the hallway.  It was a dark figure.  My heart started to pound.  Then the figure quickly moved away from the entrance.  My hand scrambled to turn on the light.  I walked into the living room expecting to catch the intruder. There was no one. I looked everywhere. I didn't have much furniture and there weren't too many places he could hide. The fact is there was no one in the house. What was going on in my home?  I wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.  I know I saw a dark figure of a man.

 

I didn't know who to ask or what to do about this strange happening. Eventually things settled down and I forgot about it. Several months later, I was sleeping in my bedroom.  I started to have the strange dream again.  There was someone watching me and my heart started to pound in panic. It startled me so much, I awoke.  I glanced to the right of my bedroom.  Coming out from the dresser mirror was the dark figure of a man.  It was pitch black, darker than the night.  He stood at the foot of my bed. I couldn't make out eyes or any facial features at all.  But I knew he was staring at me. I was lying in bed completely paralyzed.  He started to walk toward me.  I was so shocked, I couldn't even open my mouth to speak.   My mind raced and I started to think of the Lord’s Prayer.  Suddenly and unexpectedly a blue light from the bathroom window came on.  The alley is behind my bedroom and bathroom.  I don't know if it was a car driving by or what had caused the blue light to come on.  But as soon as the light entered from the window, the dark figure turned away from the light and walked right through the closed bedroom door and out of my room. What had I just seen?

 

It wasn't long before I moved out for good.  I was never a believer in the paranormal and I thought ghosts were simply a figment of someone's overactive imagination.  I no longer scoff at people who claim to see ghosts.  I never did find out who or what was haunting that house.  But I wasn't going to stay and find out.  Whatever it was, I’m sure is still there at that house. 

 

It’s always good to know where evil lurks, so you can stay away from it.  The best is yet to come….

Staying Within Budget

 

Staying Within Budget

There are many good reasons to save money or resources.  There are two main reasons why you should save money.

1.       Because you need to   

2.       Because you can

There is such thing as going over board: here are some examples from my years of growing up.  I’ve said before that my step father was so tight with money that he could squeeze the buffalo off of a nickel.  Before we moved to the Pacific NW we lived in the Rio Grande Valley part of Texas.

·       The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas. It lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico from the United States.

·       The Rio Grande Valley is not a valley, but a floodplain containing many oxbow lakes or resacas formed from pinched-off meanders in earlier courses of the Rio Grande. Early 20th-century land developers, attempting to capitalize on unclaimed land, utilized the name "Magic Valley" to attract settlers and appeal to investors. The Rio Grande Valley is also called El Valle, the Spanish translation of "the valley", by those who live there. The residents of the Rio Grande Valley occasionally refer to the area as "El Magico Valle del Rio Grande" ("The Magical Valley of the Rio Grande"), and also simply by the initials R.G.V.

·       The region is made up of four counties: Starr County, Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and Cameron County. As of January 1, 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of the Rio Grande Valley at 1,305,782.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008, 86 percent of Cameron County, 90 percent of Hidalgo County, 97 percent of Starr County, and 86 percent of Willacy County are Hispanic.

·       The largest city is Brownsville (Cameron County), followed by McAllen (Hidalgo County). Other major cities include Harlingen, Edinburg, Mission, Rio Grande City and Pharr.

Cost of Living 1956

·       How Much things cost in 1956
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.52%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 4.7% 4.7%
Average Cost of new house $11.700.00 Average Monthly Rent $88.00 Average Yearly Wages $4.450.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 22 cents Average Cost of a new car $2,050.00 Ground Coffee per LB 85 Cents

My family would go over the grocery (newspaper) ads, and actually drive between towns to buy the price leaders (the lowest priced items used to draw you into the store.  Grocery shopping used to take up to 6 hours and 40 miles for driving to get the best prices.  Try to remember that gasoline back then was a mere 22 cents per gallon (at that rate we would only spend about 66 cents on gasoline, at today’s gas costs you would spend almost $10).

Payday for my stepfather was every two weeks $120 take home per paycheck or approximately 81% of the average yearly Gross income. I am very proud of the old fella (he did very well for the times).  With the economic turmoil of 2008 the average national income for 2009 was $39,423.00.  Many young families struggled then and still do now to make 75% of the average yearly income.  Look for “Staying Within Budget.”  The best is yet to come…..

Halloween Stories 4

Something in the Dark (part II)

By Amber Morris (as told to SELINDA)

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to Selinda.  This post is an update to: Halloween Stories 3, posted October 11, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/halloween-stories-3.html

 

At 17 I had moved out of my parents’ house and was on my own.  The strange and creepy paranormal experiences my sister and I had endured as children in that house were in my past, and I suppressed them until they were almost forgotten.   A few years later, I was married and the mother of two small children.   My parents built a small home on their property.  It was next door to their house, but with enough distance that we had our own place and privacy.   There were plenty of acres with lots of trees on the land.  It seemed like an idyllic place to raise children and lots of space for my beautiful Labrador.  We moved in.   My husband started working late at night and I was often left alone with my kids.  Thankfully my dog kept me company.  

 

     One night, I heard whimpering outside my door.  "Come on girl.....come inside."  I opened the door and called her to my bedside.  She sat motionless outside my room.  "What's the matter?"  I noticed she never entered my room by herself.  I called and finally had to pull her in.  She laid on my bed as I stroked her soft fur.  Something captured her attention. She stared at my closet.  I shut the bedroom door and plopped on the bed. She continued to gaze at the closet door.   "What's the matter girl?"  

 

Then I heard it....a noise coming from outside my room.  The door slowly creaked and slowly started to open.  My husband walked in.  "Oh it's you," I sighed with relief.    "What's she looking at?"  My husband asked with curiosity.  "I don't know she's been staring at that corner for an hour."  We finally settled for bed and we were beginning to doze off when she got restless and started to whimper.  "I' need to get some sleep," my husband complained under his breath. He got up and put her outside.   

 

Sometime during the night, I awoke from a stinging pain on my right leg.  Something had scratched me.  At first I thought it was my lab.  Then I remembered, she wasn't in the room.  I got up and in the bathroom saw two red lines running down my thigh.  "What?" I couldn't explain the scratches.  I turned off the light and went back to bed.     It was late and I forced myself back to sleep. Later that night I felt a deep, heavy pressure on my chest.  I couldn't breathe. I started to gasp for air.  It felt as if I was being suffocated.  When I opened my eyes, I couldn't move.  My body was paralyzed.  Someone or something was holding me in place.  Then I heard it.......the sinister low creepy laugh, one I was all too familiar with from my childhood from the house right next door.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha aaa................followed by heavy breathing on my face.

I could only move my hand that was right by my husband and I started hitting him until he finally woke up.   He sat up startled.   I was finally able to breathe.  Whatever it was, released me from his grip.  I coughed and coughed and eventually caught my breath.  My husband was catatonic.  He stared at the corner of the room.  I turned in the direction he was looking.  We sat frozen in disbelief.  

 

There, next to the closet in the corner of our bedroom was an ominous figure.  Through the darkness of the room, we could see it, blacker than the night.  But what was it?  His red eyes pierced right at us.  

 

Then I remembered and I knew.   It was the same menacing dark evil figure that frightened my sister and I as kids.  It stared at me and tore the stillness of the night with a low guttural evil laugh................... as if to say "welcome back."

 

Our mind has a way of protecting us (itself) by purposely suppressing hurtful (painful) memories by keeping them in the deep recesses within.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 3

Halloween Stories 3

 

Something in the Dark

​

By Amber Morrison

(As told SELINDA)

                                                                                                                                                                           

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to Selinda.  This is the third in the series.

 

It all started when I was 12 years old.  I wasn't aware of the strange happenings right away but I remember when my parents moved my sister, brother and I into my grandparent’s old house, the hauntings began. Due to hardship and a series of unfortunate events at the time, we suddenly found ourselves homeless. Thankfully, my grandparents took us in.   At first, the sudden move seemed like an adventure.  The house sat on a sprawling 5 acres of land.  But deep inside myself, I knew there was something not right about my grandparent’s house.  It wasn't anything you could put your finger on.  The best way to describe It is "a feeling of dread."   I tried to dismiss it to the strangeness and uneasiness of my new surroundings. After all, this was an old house.   But eventually the feeling of dread and the thickness in the air became abundant.

 

As time went by, our mother started to act strange.  She had always been a loving mother to us and had a wonderful sense of humor and would often joke with us.  In the months since our move, she began to change.  She would unexpectedly fly off the handle over nothing.  It was like she was so angry all the time.  Instead of her usual loving self, she was always drained, sick or angry.  One time she went to visit my older sister in South Carolina.  She stayed with her for a few months.  As soon as she was away from the old house, she was back to normal.  She was herself again.  It was as if something in the house would influence her personality or possess her. 

 

One night my sister and I were laying on our bed in the dark.    It was very late and everyone in the house was asleep.  My mom had gone to stay with my older sister for a few weeks.  We whispered and confided our worries, our dreams, and our fears to one another.  "Mom is so different in this house." I told her.   "I know!"  She murmured. "She has changed......it's like she's another person."  We snuggled in bed and found refuge and comfort in each other's arms.   

 

Across the room a creak interrupted our conversation.  The bedroom door gradually opened.  A dark figure was standing in the doorway.   "Who is it?" I stammered.  There was no answer.  I couldn't make out any distinct features except for one, a set of menacing red eyes.   

 

They pierced through the darkness.  My sister and I stared in disbelief at the entrance.  Then, we heard it........ a very low creepy laugh.  My heart started to pound. Then without warning, the dark figure disappeared.  My sister and I stared for what seemed several seconds.  Finally, I got up.  We assumed it was our brother trying to mess with us.  We rushed to the doorway.  There was nothing there.  Our brother slept at the far end of the house.  I knew he couldn't have gone down the hallway without us hearing him.  I tiptoed to my brother's room as quickly as I could.  He was sound asleep.  Later in our room we tried to convince ourselves our eyes were playing tricks on us.  Secretly we knew that we both had seen something we couldn't explain.  Eventually we fell sleep.  After several minutes, I felt something sitting on my feet.  The pressure woke me up.   When I tried to move my feet, I couldn't.  I cried out and startled my sister awake.  She screamed and the sensation stopped.  "There was something dark sitting on your bed watching you!" 

 

I do not know what was sitting on my bed that night.  I never did find out.  I do know it was evil.  There were many paranormal events over the years in that house.  I am now grown with children of my own.  My parents later moved into a house they built on my grandparents land.  The hauntings continued. Be on the lookout for “Something in the Dark 2.”  The best is yet to come…..

 

Halloween Stories 2

Halloween Stories 2

 

THE EDGE OF DESPAIR (Conclusion)

As told to Selinda

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author Selinda.  This post is an update to: Halloween Stories, posted October 9, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/halloween-stories.html

 

I knew it was early evening.  But it looked like night had unexpectedly descended.  Any remnants of sunlight had completely vanished.  "Who are you?"  I managed to utter.  

 

He did not answer me. There was a pit in my stomach.  I could not make out any features from the dark shadow.  He raised an arm motioning me to come closer.  I was gripped with fear.  And yet, I couldn't scream, or move a muscle.  I reached for my gold medallion hanging from my neck.  My finger felt the imprint of Jesus Christ carved delicately in my precious heirloom that had been passed down from my grandmother.  She had given it to my mother and on my 15th birthday and as the oldest daughter, my mother had given it to me.   Frozen and paralyzed, I tried to recognize some facial features of this dark figure. But the oncoming storm had rendered an almost pitch black night. Only his eyes were a fiery red.  I kept staring. He stretched out his hand.  He knew my name and his low voice called me to him.  "Come closer," he said in a low voice.  I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest, it beat so hard.

 

Just then, lightning lit up the sky followed by a loud thunder.  It seemed to wake me from my trance.  Lightning struck again for a few seconds.  This time I got a good look at the mysterious figure.   Jutting out of his head were horns and his facial features resembled that of a goat.  His body appeared to have fur and his legs were strange and deformed.  The legs and feet looked as if they were from an animal.  I was in shock.  This was not a man.  My legs gave out and I fell weak to the ground on my knees.  I closed my eyes tight and placed the medallion in my mouth clenching it hard with my teeth.  I began to pray. I prayed and prayed.  I prayed the "Our Father" over and over without letting go of my medallion.  After what felt like a long time, the wind subsided and the dark clouds seemed to pass.  Suddenly there was light in the sky again.  I was still on my knees and somehow gathered the courage to slowly open my eyes.  I looked at the edge of the cliffs.  The dark menacing figure was gone.   It was dusk in the horizon. I quickly recovered and ran desperately through the dark woods all the way home.  Once in the front room, I ran to my father's arms.  The tears were still streaming from my face as I recounted what had happened to me.  To my dismay, no one believed me.  My sisters made fun of me, and my mother said I was being dramatic.  Everyone thought I had made up the story.  I pulled out my medallion and told them how I had bitten it several times with my teeth and prayed fervently for God's help.  Everyone suddenly stopped talking and stared.  My mom slowly approached and held the medallion in her hands.  Around it, were the many teeth marks I had permanently left on the medallion.

 

It has been many years since my grandmother's terrifying experience.  I know the story to be true because I now have her gold medallion and it still has evidence of her teeth marks when she clenched it in fear before the dark and sinister figure.  Look for other Halloween Stories to be posted as we near Halloween Day!  The best is yet to come…