Friday, October 22, 2010

My Own Horror Story

There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them. ~Andre Gide

So, last night I was sitting at the dining table, minding my own business when I heard this scrabbling sound outside. I figured it would go away pretty quickly, but ... it didn't.

Scrabble. Scrabble. Scrabble.

I used to be a big horror movie buff (until "Scream" scared me badly enough I stopped watching them), and I still watch shows on TV like "Criminal Minds". Add in the fact that I'm also an author, and you have one HECK of a vivid (and occasionally gory) imagination.

You've all heard that urban legend / campfire story about the kids up at Lovers Lane. For some reason, the boyfriend exits the car. After a bit, the girlfriend hears something brushing against the roof of the car. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Turns out that some maniac killed the boyfriend and hung him upside down from a tree above the car and his fingers were brushing back and forth against the roof.

So, yeah... scrabbling noises were a little freaky, even though my logical self figured it for a critter. That's what the kids in all the horror films think, too, and look where it got THEM.

I sat there for a few moments... do I turn on the light outside to see what it is or not? Do I? Don't I?

Finally I can't stand it. I stand up, open the curtain and -- with my heart in my throat -- flip on the light.

Nothing.

I heaved a sigh about the time something dropped down right in front of the glass door, inches from my face.

**EEK!**

Yes, yes I did scream. DD came running downstairs ("I thought you'd been stabbed." -- imagination runs in the family), the dog AND the cat both came over to see what was going on.

I'm still not entirely certain what kind of creature it was, though I'm leaning toward a baby gray squirrel (though what it was doing out at that time of night ... didn't its mother give it a curfew?), but it didn't exactly look like one. It was about the size of a chipmunk, gray fur and a fluffy but fairly short gray tail with big, dark eyes.

One of my online friends asked if it might be a pet chinchilla that got loose.



And, actually, that looks pretty close to what it looked like. But, how did it get up on my roof?

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You Dream of a Luxurious Life



It's likely that you need a little more pampering and indulgence in your life. You need to be taken care of.

You'd love a day of luxury - where time and price didn't matter. You'd like to soak in some comfort.

You work hard, and you want to reward yourself with some treats. Life is too short to be too stingy.

You have good taste. You can't help it if you like nice things!



Yes, I would love a day of luxury...

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eek! Squirrels still give me the willies. When I was a kid, I lived in a neighborhood where I think the squirrels outnumbered the people. I swear they used to challenge you when you saw one on a sidewalk. Me=Not a squirrel fan.

Dru said...

Don't like squirrels especially if they jump out at me.

You Dream of a Beautiful Life

There's a good chance that your life has gotten a little too plain and vanilla lately.

You'd really like your days to be a little brighter and more inspired. You need more beauty!

Aesthetics and style are very important to you. You try not to let too much ugliness into your house.

It's likely that you have your dream house, dream car, dream view, and dream wardrobe etched out carefully in your mind.


This is accurate.

Maria Zannini said...

I am my own worst enemy when I start hearing noises outside. I try not to let it get the better of me unless the dogs start barking.

Tori Lennox said...

Yikes! Yeah, scrabbling noises are the worst.

Though the other night I was lying in bed reading when I heard this sound like one of those monster trucks running over a poor defenseless car. Sounded like it was right outside my bedroom so I immediately hopped up and looked out. Not a blessed thing out there. I still don't know what it was I heard.

Brandy said...

Whew! I can't even watch Rose Red during the day without standing behind my chair so I can move fast if need be. *g* No wonder you freaked out.


You Dream of a Sophisticated Life
There's a good chance that your life has been a little dull lately, and you'd like to spice it up a bit.
You'd love to travel the world or just learn about it more. You are infinitely curious.
You think it's dangerous to have too narrow a perspective, and you're always trying to broaden yours.
So much of the world appeals to you. You try to stay informed and educated. You definitely aren't naive.

Not bad. *g*

I hope you have had a lovely day!