last month, on one of the  blogs that i read regularly,, the blogger asked his readers to submit ideas, with the intention of incorporating all of them in to a short story, of approximately 5000 words,, ( i came in close at 5948) i though this was a real challenge,, and so i have gone ahead taken the original prompts and added my own setting,, and tried my best to produce something that holds together and serves to entertain....:

the ideas submitted by the readers were:

1. A person called the wrong name with significant results,
2. A dream fulfilled turned into a nightmare realized,
3. A mystery, and
4. A creepy animal.

and i added the idea of working with the characters set up in the 80's tv series, friday the thirteenth.. the series:

Friday the 13th: The Series
Aired: 1987 - 1990
Show Type: Live Action
Country of Origin: US
Show Summary: This show had nothing to do with the movies. An old antique dealer sold cursed antiques. When he dies his nephew and niece take ownership of the shop. They realize the antiques were cursed so they set out to get these artifacts back.


for those of you old enough to remember the show and the way it was presented....... i thought  that this scenario opened the door for a more accepting viewpoint, on the part of the main characters,, of the strange series of events as they unfurl,, than perhaps you or i would have....

without further ado.... my first full length short story......

my cousin ryan and i had spent the last three years of our lives trying to clean up the mess our dear,  departed uncle lewis left us, when we inherited his cursed antique store, curious goods... we had some narrow escapes as well as some really harrowing experiences, as we collected  all the cursed items that were listed in the sales log, as well as a few that surfaced unknowingly along the way..  to say the least, when the search for the items was completed,, and the shop successfully returned to the ashes that we will all someday become ... the last thing on my mind was a further foray into the paranormal...

instead, i had visions of solitude, and lonely hours,,, spent in front of the computer,, alone with my thoughts,, composing poetry and prose, fiction and non... a simple, quiet life.. i felt it was so richly deserved,, and all i really wanted....

i found this little ramshackle house,  in the canyon, quite by accident, and as it is isolated,, but not so far away that one cant get anywhere from there in a reasonable amount of time... it was with high hopes and overflowing dreams that i moved in and started to work on the millions of little things that had been neglected by the previous owner.. oscar, he was a dear of a man, they say,  but at 103 years of age,, it had just gotten so out of his control to maintain the house and the six surrounding acres that when he passed away, here, on the floor of my bedroom, that his only son, ben,  had with much regret decided to let it go...

it was all about me having been at the right place at the right time,, and bumping into the right people... as the house really wasn’t on the market,, but the thought was there.. that in combination with my vivid explanation of what i was looking for,,, and my good fortune to hook up with a real estate man that was in fact a personal friend of bens,, that brought me here,, to this house today...

i had met oscar’s only son ben, at a local diner,, one day as i was out here,, really just to look and dream, as i knew better than to even think that i could ever afford to own anything.. the recent slump in the market, had created quite a glut of properties for sale,,, but the pricing was out of control,, and certainly out of reach,, with a budget such as my own....

i had seen ben there, several times, his long gray hair flowing out from under a black safari style hat... his ever present overalls, making me wonder if he was an old local eccentric,, or just an ordinary homeless man.... i tended to believe the eccentric idea, as he always ate and drank heartily, and seemed to tip the waitress well...

alas, we had finally struck up a conversation, one morning, when the waitress was reciting him the specials,, and he asked what it was i was having.... a greek fetta and kalamata olive omelet, complete with the spinach and the beets... oh it was so delicious,, and evidently presented itself nicely, as ben ordered one for himself as well....

we talked about food, and the local clientele.. the smug attitude of the waitress, and the simple decor by which we were surrounded... i told him i had always dreamed of living out here,, how i loved the small town feel and the quaint hominess i always felt when i was here...he on the other hand,  having been born and raised had spent an equal amount of time trying to stay away,, to many memories, i would have to guess bad ones, from the forlorn look that overtook him when he went quiet, and pensive... mid sentence...

as i stood to leave, i introduced myself and shook his hand,, "well so long nicky,, it was a pleasure to meet you...." he responded... my name was micki, not nicky,, but i didn’t feel it was necessary to correct him, as the chances we'd meet again were between slim and none....

a week or two later, i had an appointment with a real estate broker in a small storefront office in town, i wanted to look at a modestly priced "fixer" that i had seen listed on the MLS on line... joe, the real estate man, had informed me that when the ad said fixer, it meant it,, but it was the only thing even close to my price range, and looking was a good way to quell my desire,, if nothing else.... if it was really a dump,, for that kind of money,, maybe i could forget about this place all together,, and finally move on... to a property somewhere i could actually afford....

as joe and i exchanged niceties, and he collected his paperwork, i saw a familiar face entering the door, it was ben...

"nicky!!", he exclaimed,, "what a pleasure... still looking i see.."

"yes, i don’t think this is the house of my dreams, but i thought i better look or forever wonder what if...."

"well i see you've found the best real estate mind in all of west marin, my friend joe here... i drop in from time to time and leave off some pieces i think may be of interest and just generally check up on the boys here" and he held out a grocery bag full of fliers and real estate magazines to joe....

joe, graciously accepted, and put them on the floor right behind his paper filled desk....i could have sworn i saw him roll his eye, but when he stood up and faced us,, his smile was as bright and cheerful as it had been when i first entered the door....

" i was just about to take micki here over to see the old haskell house, over on drake view.. the cottage in the back has been rezoned. and it is available, and seems to fit her needs, small and fixable,, and right in her price range..."

we said our farewells, and joe and i were off....

as i had indeed suspected, the old cabin was rustic and forlorn. it needed way more work than i could ever do by myself, and the tradesman’s wages out here were as high as the home prices,, so i knew in all reality,, it was not the property for me....

as we approached the real estate storefront office, joe dropped me at my car, and i noticed ben was just heading out,, and was walking in his slow distinct stride right toward me....

"well,, what did you think??" he asked, with a smile and a sincerely interested expression on his face...

"well as much as i would love to be able to say i have found her... i have not... to much work there,, and too much money  for me... under those circumstances..."

"you know nicky, i was thinking, why don’t you have a look at my dads place, he passed away a few years back, and tho’ i haven’t had the heart to sell it,, the time has come for me to look at  it as a real possibility... its small and a bit over run,, but it might suit your need, and who knows... the price might be just right...."


the property was not far, and since he was on foot, he graciously accepted the ride in my jeep, and guided me thru town and down into the bottom of the canyon just beyond..

the property itself was severely overgrown, as no one had lived there in what i was to find out was nearing 12 years.. the house wasn’t old tho’, built in the late seventies, as the original house had burnt to the ground, disgruntled tenants, or some such malady, so ben said...

there is no way i could have prepared myself for what would greet us as we stepped inside the door that first time...the house was stacked top to bottom with wine bottles and refuse, stack after stack of empty tins and news papers, old magazines and books, old molded linens and piles of clothes,, there was barely enough room to walk thru, let alone get a picture of the space, where it devoid of all of this accumulation....

his father and his second wife, had built this house in their advanced years, and it was evident that simplicity in maintenance had played a huge part in their decorating decisions....everything was smooth and dark, simple to maintain, and impossible to ruin with just daily wear and tear. there was no carpet, rather the entire house was floored in old gold pattern linoleum, accept the bedroom floor which was a newer looking flat white style of linoleum...

as we looked around and i said repeatedly to myself, "oh heavens no"... ben went on to explain that the property had been in the family for over 100 years... and he owned it by default, as a result of his fathers death, and he really was no longer in the position to care for it,, in fact he rarely ever came here anymore,, and it had become somewhat a thorn in his side....

he continued to speak,, talking about the fact that he was advancing in years, and soon wouldn’t be able to drive the hour down here to even pick up the mail, let alone keep track of the repairs the house needed...... but my mind had long since wandered of in it's own direction...

i wasn’t really listening to him,, i was thinking and feeling something strange.. my mind was saying "no,, no,, no,," but at the same time,, my minds eye was seeing me here,, inside this house,, and feeling as if this was indeed my home....

"nicky... nicky???" ben called me out of my wanderings.  "would you like to take a look around the property??"

"oh yes,,, yes i would.." i said, sounding somewhat startled awake,, but ben didn’t seem to notice...

we walked and talked and looked and all the while i had the distinct feeling that i was meant to be here,, i felt so empowered just walking around.. i had visions of this planted here, and that cut back over there,, and i found myself wondering about how i would fit all my belongings into 800 small square feet.... not really seeing or hearing his step by step dissertation along the way....


we conclude our tour, and i gave ben my number, saying that if indeed he did decide to sell, give me a call, and let me know what he would be asking for it.. and we could go from there...

"yes, yes i will nicky.. i'll..."

i interrupted him, as i thought it was necessary that if we were going to have further meetings and perhaps even business dealings with each other,, he ought to at least know my correct name. "micki, my name is micki,, with an "m"...but of course i’ve been known to answer to just about anything....."

"oh, i’m sorry,, i'll remember that micki, yes indeed. micki, with an "m".. i see...." ben looked as if he had taken a mental note.. we shook hands and i was on my way.....

just about a month had  passed and i had long since stopped envisioning myself in that house, it had appeared several times in my dreams,, but i was fortunate enough to barely remember the text of the dreams after i woke... in fact, when the phone rang, and it was ben, i was more than a little taken aback.

i must say i was thrilled, yet surprised to hear from ben.. he said he had indeed decided to let the house go, and he’d like to get together with me and discuss the terms over lunch.. we could meet at the diner where we had first been introduced,, friday, this friday the thirteenth,, his treat of course .... what could i do but agree???

"ok then nicky,,, i'll see you then..." he said with a lilt of fun in his voice, the sound reminiscent of having secured a date with a lovely blonde from 8th grade home room..

and as we hung up, i made a conscious choice not to correct him on the name thing again.. it seemed irrelevant,, and he was such a dear man, i didn’t want to further embarrass him, by pointing it out.....

we met that friday, as planned, and he explained to me that he was lucky enough to owe nothing but annual taxes on the property, and that since they had been settled years ago,, they were less than most places would rent for  a month.. he didn’t seek to make a profit, as he had plenty of money and no desire to spend it... in fact his accumulation of wealth had become somewhat of a source of discomfort, and a burden, and he had no desire to add to that..

he said that the arrangement he had in mind, wasn’t so much a sales agreement,, but an inheritance, a revocable trust, he would leave the house to charity, but it would be on the contingency that i was allowed to live there for the remainder of my natural life,, or until i decided to vacate the property.. i could live in it for as long as i so chose,, but i wouldn’t be able to sell it, as upon my death, or decision to vacate the property, it would revert to the charity he was essentially leaving it to...

i had never heard of such an arrangement, and although i must say i was intrigued, and wanted so much to just throw caution to the wind,, i said i would research it and see what it was and how it would effect us, and then get back to him.... they say if anything sounds too good to be true,, it usually was,, and my own life experience had taught me,, they were usually right.....

i did research the revocable trust of which he spoke, and could find nothing but benefit for both of us. he was able to take the write off for the "purchase" price of the house, as it was being relinquished to charity, and i would owe nothing, save the annual taxes, insurance and utility payments... of course all the maintenance and upkeep would fall under the category of my responsibility,, but since there would be no mortgage, i saw  no reason why if i had a job, of any sort, even a lowly service position, that i would not be able to keep the house and acreage in full repair at all times...

this whole thing was indeed to good to be true.. in essence he was giving me a house,, for nothing....

we met yet again on a friday, at the same diner, and i accepted his so generous and gracious offer....we hugged to seal the deal,, and i left there wondering what i had ever done to have the gods bestow such favor upon me...

from that moment forward, my mind was consumed with the house, the cleaning, the unloading of all the junk that had accumulated over the years, working on digging my way through the over growth that had long since given up being landscaping... there was much to be done,, and i took off at top speed, i was filled with the feeling that at last, i was being blessed, at last i could be whoever it was i was meant to be,, and it was all because of ben ,, and this house,, that i had in fact found my good fortune and hit my stride... filled with gratitude, i worked diligently at renovating the "midden" it had become,, and uncovering the house, as it would be when i was its mistress....

my hard work paid off, and soon i was having the utilities transferred into my name. the electricity was already on,, and the cable/isp provider was scheduled for the day after i moved in.

the day i actually moved in all i really had to do, was unload everything into the house,, and  set up the bed... i never, if at all possible, slept in the dark, or without the television on,, but i was so tired as a result of all the days activities, i never gave it a second thought as i climbed over the to be unpacked boxes, and into my softie, feather bed, in my new home....

i was awakened by a knocking sound sometime mid-night, but i had no clock to check the time,, and it had ceased so i went right back to sleep,, and was not to awaken again till the sun came in through the bedroom window....

as the days wore on i was interrupted every night by the same knocking sound, it was as if something was set into motion,, and was rocking back and forth trying to find its footing..

i never saw anything moving,, and i must say due to the fact that the house had stood idle for so long,, i attributed it to field mice or pack rats or something equally despicable..i searched craigs list,, and sought out the company of two  "barn" cats,, to help me keep any further infestation at bay... i never saw the rodents,, but i was sure if they were there,, the cats would indeed find them and either run them out,, or best case scenario,, kill them dead.....

the first night i had the cats in the house,, as the knocking started the cats began to screech as if someone or something was in fact stepping on their tails simultaneously,,  they ran circles and climbed the furniture,, and the drapes,, seeking exit, and i could not open the door fast enough as they flew out into the dark of night....the sound stopped as soon as i got out of bed.. but if it was indeed rodents,, i had the 2 most shameful excuses for felines that had ever walked the face of the earth.... i looked around, found nothing out of order, returned to bed, but was unable to resume my sleep...

instead i sat,, coffee in hand,, in front of the glowing monitor reading the daily news, it was then i felt as if a wisp of cool air had in fact blown across the back of my neck.. no window was open and i know both exit doors were closed... but i felt compelled to check, as it just felt wrong.... i had had this feeling before,, and the fact that something "out of this world" may be to blame, for the noises and the ill feelings at this point became very real in my mind....

when i came back to the computer.. the screen was blank save the words "welcome home nicky", printed on the otherwise black screen... i shook my mouse, and sure enough they disappeared immediately and “the chronicle” site i was looking at before i had gone to check the doors was back up, and seemingly normal... i closed all the windows,, one by one,, in hopes to get the black screen back,, as at this point i was beginning to question whether or not it had really ever been there at all...  it was no where to be found... 

i checked the mantel clock, it was 4 am..i couldn’t do anything,, but wait with baited breath for the sun to rise, and try and shrug off the feeling of total dis-ease that enveloped me, as i sat there alone in the dark...i was familiar with this feeling,, i had had it before,, but then i had known it was due to the evil possession that was imbued in the antiques we were seeking to retrieve,, and now i couldn’t put my finger on the source, and very honestly, felt to afraid to look into it any further,, alone...

as soon as the light of day was upon me, i called ryan.. after i apologized profusely for waking him out of a sound sleep,,.. i explained that in all certainty i felt the recent goings on were rooted in the paranormal,,, and i would need his help in resolving it. he said he would be as soon as he could put his affairs in order and we would make a full  investigation, and see if together,, we couldn’t get to the bottom of this...

in our numerous encounters with the beyond, while we were seeking out the return of the cursed antiques from uncle lewis' shop, ryan had always been the level head, and i awaited his arrival, quite impatiently...

he arrived, shortly before noon, and with him he brought some of the  recording devices and monitors, that we had used in our searches, as well as best buddy,, his dog jake. a slobbery, albeit loving black lab... jake immediately caught a whiff of the cats, and the chase was on.. he disappeared in a flash,, and was unfettered by ryans calls to come... like a shot he was off after the cats, and into the creek,, and out of sight....

ryan came in and did a full survey of the house, and then together we searched the vast acreage that surrounded it.. nothing seemed to be noticeably in question,, and nothing looked any different than it ever had before,, so we decided to settle in, have a little something to eat... and wait......

as dusk set in,, jake had still not returned.  the light beginning to fade, and there was no response what so ever to ryans repeated calls... reluctantly, we decided to call it a night,, and hope that ryans best friend and constant companion would indeed find his own scent and make it back to us on his own..

we lit a fire and snuggled in for the night, me afraid to go to bed, and ryan full of anticipation for yet another sighting, or more accurately hearing... but nothing...not a sound... we talked and enjoyed the silence and the crackling of the fire,, and we evidently drifted off into a contented sleep ,, there before the fire,, only to be awakened abruptly, by barking at the front  door....jake had alas found his way back up the relative safety of my little house in the canyon........

ryan went immediately to the door to welcome his best friend,, and i sat a little bleary eyed in my chair...

"well, who have we here??" i heard ryan saying..." you look a little worse for the wear there boy,, or is it girl???... hey jakes made a friend.. mind if ..."before he could finish his sentance,, i could hear the dogs pushing their way past him and rushing into the house...

"no sure" was the best i could muster... until i saw her, him, it whatever ... the mangiest, matted, wet smelly, excuse for a dog i had ever seen.. " holy cow, jake... you sure know how to pick 'em!! Couldn’t you have at least found a friend who had had a bath this year... hey you get off my chair....." but it was to no avail,, the mangy mutt had already jumped up in the warm spot  ryan had made in the brown leather recliner,, and was settling in.....

"so that’s where you been,, huh boy... out carousing making friends... is this a little lady friend?? guess we'll have to wait till she gets up to find out for sure huh"... said ryan as he patted and hugged jake,, it was obvious that he was more than relived that his dog had returned safely...

"i'm gonna leave you boys ... a girls uh whatever you all are,, and get into bed for a few... ryan, the makings of a nice bed are on the couch for you if you decide to lay down " i said pointing to the pillows and feather comforter i had laid out....

"nighty, night you three... see you in the a.m....." and i trailed off away from the three of them,,  the smell that was emanating from our new found friend following close behind.....

no sooner did i make a cozy warm spot in my bed,, did i hear the clickety clack of tiny toenails on the linoleum floor,, and my stinky little friend appeared in the door way... "uh huh... no way ... you are not getting in my bed..  i'll have to delouse the chair as it is... go,, get outta here..." i said immediately sitting up ready to have to defend my space if necessary....

it seemed as if it wasn’t the bed at all our new friend was interested in.. it was the closet... a mouser dog??  was i possible that jake had indeed brought home "hilda the great matted hunter" to help me with the mysterious noises that were emanating from the closet??? i sat up and watched as the dog walked directly to the corner of the closet from which the sounds had been emanating,, and lay down.  there was a little whimper accompanied by some scratching on the floor boards before the mystery dog laid down its head,, and evidently fell right into a very contented sleep.....

i lay down feeling confidant that i would not in fact have to defend my place in my own bed,, and i guess i too,,  eventually fell asleep...

morning came, and my mysterious friend was still rolled up in a cozy ball in the corner of the closet,, so i wandered into the living room to find ryan asleep upright in the chair, jake at his feet... i started the coffee maker and went into the bathroom to check on the bed head situation and have a morning pee....

it was then that i heard it... a howling,, no a wailing almost coming from the closet...

"quiet..you’ll wake the dead with that noise!!!" i said in a louder than indoor voice to the mystery dog in the closet... and proceeded to hurry myself along and get in there to find out what all the fuss was about... as i looked in the door,, i was in no way prepared for what i saw.. the mystery dog was on the bed, shaking with fright,, and the moaning, the howling the what ever it was was coming out of the floor..."ryan!!!!" i screamed in near panic..."Ryan c'mere hurry!!!!"

i heard what could have only been the flailing of arms and legs and the quick patter of paws and in an instant ryan and jake joined me at the bedroom door... the low moaning sound did not subside,, the floor boards proceeded to  creak as if whatever was hiding beneath them was was exhorting extreme pressure on them,, i was afraid they might give way and what ever it was would come bursting through the floor,, with a vengeance... and then,, as if it had never happened at all.. the noises stopped,, the room grew quiet,, and both dogs started barking as if they had indeed,, seen a ghost.....

"holy shit" was all ryan had to say..."h o l y shit..."

i was in shock.. i couldn’t think,, let alone say anything....

ryan started pacing... "ok,, ok,, ok ... now what we have to do first i would say, is remove the floor boards,, you don’t have a problem with that do you???  i,,, let me see.. i'll need a claw hammer and a"... his voice trailed off as he left me standing there alone,, unable to move...

i shook my head as if it would help to shake the scene from my mind,, "the woodshed," i said, "i have all my tools in the wood shed...." was the best attempt i could make at conversation...

when ryan stepped out the front door,  both dogs left off barking and the pawing at the floor and quickly made their escape out the open door...

in the peace and quiet that followed i re-ran the whole scenario in my mind.... somehow when it was happening in your own bedroom it was much different than when you went looking for it in someone else’s world...

it was about that time ryan reappeared with a hammer a chisel and a shovel and headed for the closet...

"are you sure you are up to this??",,  i asked as i followed him through the bedroom to the opened closet door..

"sure i'm sure... it has to be in there,, whatever it is, it has to be in there,, right here,, right where the dogs were scratching.." he was lifting the doors out of the runners as he spoke, and laying them against the wall... "help me get all this stuff out of the way.." he stated matter of factly, and it kind of made me aware that i was indeed a participant in all of this and better get to my participating right away.....

i grabbed an armload of clothes off the rack as ryan began clearing the floor of the laundry baskets and half full boxes full of things i had yet to find a place for.. together we emptied the closet in record time,, and ryan began tapping around on the floor,, looking for the most viable starting point...

having evidently located it,, although to me it all sounded equally as dense no matter where he tapped it,, he put the chisel to the floor,, drew back with the hammer and said,, " here goes nothing..."

with a powerful blow he hit the head of the chisel and penetrated the floor, as he drew back to hit it yet again,, the howling started in earnest,, but this time there was not only noise emanating from the floor but a thick  putrid smelling fog began to seep from the hole ryan had put in the floor.. ryan and i, gasping for breath stepped back.. we retreated to the door way and watched,, unprepared for the scenario that was to unfold before our very eyes....

the fog seeped out and slowly crept its way across the floor,, and as it made its escape,, the howling sound lessened to a hurtful moan,, and the floor boards themselves began to rattle.. something indeed was set to emerge.. but what,, and how,, and why???

with the passage of time,, i have no idea how much as i was too dumbfounded to look at my watch,, the moaning slowed to a whisper,, the emanating fog dissipated into the air, leaving behind only  the rancid, rotting smell, that could only be described as death warmed over,,, to validiate it's ever having been there... ryan and i stood transfixed in the doorway.. no one speaking,, no one moving.. barely breathing...as if time had very swiftly ceased to exist.....

finally,, ryan spoke." i have to lift it up,, i have to see what is under there,, i cant say we'll ever know who or what that was that escaped,, but i think it is safe to say it is gone now... here ,, hold this,," he said as he handed me the hammer that was still clenched in his hand... he walked out the door,, only to return momentarily with a pick ax..

he took the blunted side of the pick ax and hit the chisel hard, the floor boards creaked and shuddered with his mighty blow.. he then turned it over and used the pick side to lift the floor board, then another , then another,,, " oh my god".. was all he had to say..

i rushed to his side,, and there before us was a virtual cornucopia of human bones,, no rhyme or reason,, no actual skeletal remain,, but bones piled on top of bones on top of bones.....we looked at each other, each as if already knowing what the other was thinking,, and exited the room closed the door and with out any deliberation, i watched, still in a stupor of utter and complete disbelief,, as ryan lifted the receiver and dialed 9-1-1....

appended conclusion:

it has been months since then, ten months to be exact... the investigation is still ongoing,, but all the evidence has been painstakingly removed,, along with the floor of the entire house..

i have since moved on, to a little furnished studio in the city i can actually afford,, taking with me only my personal items,, as the majority of my belongings are subject to the on going investigation....

it seems as tho’ oscar, dear man that he was, had a penchant for picking up down on their luck hitchhikers, and the like,, who he happened upon on this lonely curvy section of route 1.. he evidently brought them home to have a little tea and conversation,, and ultimately a little arsenic laced wine, or rat poison pate, or something of the like,, and putting an end to their run of bad luck. once. and. for. all....

ben, his only son was privy to oscars little eccentricity,, and felt he was bound by family honor to never reveal his fathers secret to anyone... thus,, when he met me,, and was able to put me in the house,, he was able to rid himself of the sanctuary of torment he knew the house to be,  without ever having to under go any legalities or formalities such as an inspection,, that would have in fact been a part of any purchase agreement...

ben has since taken up residence in the redwood empire home for the criminally insane,, as the majority of the evidence seems to point to him as being the one that actually did the dismembering,, in a sincere act of love for his father, and desire to protect his oscar from ever being found out....

and me??? well... ryan and i never saw any reason to bring the paranormal into this whole mess, so we have kept that little gem to ourselves... but i cannot help but wonder,, which one of the poor tortured souls that oscar killed and ben dismembered and left to be forever forgotten under the newer flat white linoleum on the bedroom floor, came to the ultimate rescue of all of them?? which one of them was it that found their way out of the eternal nothingness that i truly believe death to be,, and made it their mission to contact us, hell,, maybe even orchestrated my whole move into that house in the first place??? and why,, oh why,, when they made that unexplainable, yet thoroughly amazing attempt to make their presence known by typing a message to me on my computer screen,,, did they too think, my name was nicky?????

i guess i will never know...

but i do come away from all of this knowing one thing for sure... next time,, if there ever is one,, that I am faced with something that sounds way to good to be true… no matter how much i want it,, no matter how closely it resembles my hearts desire.. i am going to run,, not walk,, in the other direction…..

oh, and in case you are wondering the mystery dog cleaned up well.. turns out she was some kind of a labby/setter type mix,, that had evidently belonged to an old man up the road,, that had long since up and disappeared.. they say he just moved away in the middle of the night,, leaving everything and his beloved dog behind... if truth be told,, i think he found his way under the bedroom floor,, with a little help from dear oscar of course... but i guess we'll never know for sure...…

despite the fact that she had a rough first few days with me,, and suffered greatly from separation anxiety,, she has, in the short time we have spent together, learned to trust me,, and taken her place in my heart,, and yes,,, in my bed.. i call her misty,,, but she will always be the mystery dog to me....

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if you have indeed made it this far, i would greatly appreciate any creative criticism that you could offer, by way of the comments.. thank you for reading....