Chapter 5
A Presence In The NeighborhoodA Few Days Later
My Dad was outside all morning repairing the windows on the house. Fall was approaching, bringing beautiful color to the trees, a sign that winter was just down the road. Some work had to be done around the widow frames to keep the cold wind from coming in. Dad was up on the ladder when the neighbor next door came over to talk.
"Hi" she shouted as she walked towards Dad. "How are you doing?" Dad didn’t hear her the first time. "Sure is a nice day out today huh?" He heard her this time and began coming down the latter to see what she wanted.
"Hi", Dad said as he walked over to meet her. They had never introduced themselves since Dad bought the house about a year and a half before.
"You’re the new owner?" she asked.
"Yes I am. I got a good deal on this house–bought it strictly for the investment.
"My name is Elaine," she began, "and I have a question I would like to ask you."
"My name is Roy, " Dad responded. "What is your question?"
"In my house I have-umm- something strange going on." She seemed embarrassed, knowing she sounded a little crazy. "My husband says it’s my imagination, but I keep hearing this growling in my bedroom closet.
It often wakes me up in the middle of the night." She stumbled on, desperately wanting an answer to her situation.. "It sounds like a dog. When I get up from my bed and turn on the light there is nothing there! It sounds so devilish it scares me and I don’t know what to do.. I don’t know what it even is! Do you have any idea, Roy?"
Dad just cleared his throat and stared at the ground, trying to avoid looking directly into her eyes. She continued talking:
"You know, Roy, I did hear stories around the neighborhood for years about your house being haunted.
"Oh, Really?," my Dad inquired in polite disbelief.
"Do you believe in haunted houses, Roy? My husband doesn’t. He thinks I’m crazy."
Dad shook his head and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "No," he replied.
She rambled on,. "Some people lived in your house just before you bought it. Roy. He could hear the confusion and fear in her voice as she continued talking, waving her arms for emphasis. "Sometimes I could hear the sound of children talking outside, close to the house, like they were waiting for someone. I would look out the window, and no one was there on the street! . Is that weird or what, Roy?" She looked deadly serious.
Dad just nodded his head and let her go on talking. The people that lived here at that time told me they heard the same stuff outside also. They went outside on many occasions to look for a school bus and there was nothing in front of their house, not even a single child!"
Dad just nodded with frustration. He wanted to finish his work on the house, and was tired of all the stories. He’d heard stories like this before about the house from others, but refused to believe the rumors that his house may be haunted.
When she finally left and returned to her own home, Dad just laughed quietly to himself and shook his head in disbelief, and continued to finish his work on the windows.
Next Evening
I decided to let the guys drop me off at the restaurant. I entered and sat down. Pam came over to my table to wait on me and take my order. She was Debbie’s older sister and cute. Debbie was working across the room cleaning up the tables and the floors just before closing. The juke box was playing, Debbie saw me and gave her usual big smile. I watched her walk over towards the juke box, as she continued smiling and staring at me with her beautiful green eyes. She looked so gorgeous that night! Time seemed to stop as I watched her in slow motion let down her long straight coal black hair at the juke box. It reached down to the middle of her back as it unfolded from a single ponytail. She put some quarters in and selected a few of songs.
The first song she picked was (by Donny Osmond), "Puppy Love", one of my many favorites.
And they called it puppy love, Oh i guess they'll never know How a young heart how it really feels, And why i love her so, And they called it puppy love, Just because we're seventeen Tell them all oh please tell it isn't fair, To take away my only dream I cry each night these tears for you, My tears are all in vain I hope and I'll pray that baby some day, You'll be back in my arms once again, Someone help me, help me please, Is the answer up above How can i oh how can i tell them, this is not a puppy love Someone help me, help me please, Is the answer up above How can i, oh how can i tell them, This is not a puppy love She had such a wonderful personality all wrapped up in one beautiful package. She didn’t know how much I really liked her. I was still too old for her, and she needed someone more her age. It felt so good to have someone care about me when I felt so alone that night. I needed comfort and understanding, someone to believe in me. When she was done she came over and sat down with me at my table, to keep me company while I finished eating.
"Hi, Randy," she said. "I am so glad were closed. I had a terrible day. I worked my butt off," She explained. "What are you doing?" She asked. "I had no supper and the guys dropped me off here," I told her.
"Where’s your car," she asked?
"I left it here parked in the back."
"Oh", she responded. I wish I would have been with you guys tonight." She then asked, "Randy? Why don’t you come up to the house after your done eating? Mom and Dad are gone. Everyone else is gone, except my brother he stays in own room and watches TV so we’ll be alone, ok? We can go in the living room and talk for a while, ok?"
"Yeah, that sounds cool," I responded. She got up and walked towards the kitchen to finished up the rest of her work.
The next song that played on the juke box (was another Donny Osmond song); "Until The Twelfth Of Never" Wow, the words in that song were so needed to be real in my life.
You ask me how much I need you, must I explain?I need you, oh my darling, like roses need rain, You ask how long I'll love you, I'll tell you true, Until the Twelfth of Never, I'll still be loving you Hold me close, never let me go Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow, I'll love you 'til the bluebells forget to bloom, I'll love you 'til the clover has lost its perfume, I'll love you 'til the poets run out of rhyme, Until the Twelfth of Never and that's a long, long time, Until the Twelfth of Never and that's a long, long time While I watched her finish cleaning up, so many thoughts ran through my mind. I just stared at her as I placed my left hand under my chin, and daydreamed as I listened to the songs on the jukebox. I wanted to be loved by some one so much, I wished I knew where my destiny was taking me. Where is my life going? I wondered. If I waited long enough, would she become the one of my dreams? This means watching her spend time with other guys. Can I handle that? It will diffidently be painful at times! Am I even the right guy for her? I do believe in destiny you know! If she was meant to be the one, it would just happen. It wouldn’t be easy waiting! I’m not a very patient person. All these thoughts kept floating through my mind.
After I finished my coffee we both went up to the house. I entered the living room and sat down in the big chair next to the couch. Debbie was in the bathroom changing out of her work clothes. I didn’t expect her to do what she did next when she returned. She turned the lights out in the kitchen and did the same in the living room. The moonlight was bright that night as it shined through the big picture window facing the front of the house. It filled part of living room, including my chair. She then came over and sat on my lap, then put her arm around me. I slowly put my arm around her waist. Her long flowing hair shone beautifully in the moonlight. I stared into her big soulful eyes. She had put on the sexiest eye eyeliner.
All I could think was, "Wow!" I held my personal feelings back, especially my thoughts of her in those captivated moments. I didn’t know if I’d ever get up the courage to say what I really wanted to her. I remember thinking I would rather go on in life depressed over her not ever knowing the truth then to be rejected by her.
"Randy?"
"Yeah ?," I responded.
"What’s going on with you?"
"What do you mean?" I asked with confusion, my mind still off in another world..
"You know what I mean! Quit pretending, Randy!"
She kept prying. "The stuff that was bothering you-- Those spirits you said that were around you..."
"Yeah", what about it? I asked.
" How’re things going with that? Is Perry getting anywhere with you?"
I just shrugged my shoulders, shook my head, and said I didn’t know. But I did know! What I really wanted to do was to absorb as much of her as I could. My heart told me I may never have another moment like this ever again, in my life time. "Oh God", make it last for ever," I prayed.
"Well"?, "are you going to tell me", Randy? "
"Oh, things are about the same I guess. They didn’t change any", I sighed.. I began to draw her into the emotional pain I was experiencing.
"What do you mean, it hasn’t changed? Nothing’s helped yet? She sounded confused and discouraged.
"Nothing has changed ", I replied.
"What are you going to do, Randy?"
" Perry is still trying a lot of things to help me. I’ll just hang in there till something changes." I laid my head on the back of the chair "I’ll get through this some how". I answered back, "let’s talk about something else! This topic is boring,"
"This is serious what you are going through, Randy!" She commented trying her best to comfort me. She was doing her best to empathize, but it was difficult for her.
I finally distracted her and we talked about other things through the rest of the night. I wanted her to sit on my lap forever, if that was possible.
It was almost, 4:00 in the morning I decided it was time to leave. We walked up to the front door and stood for a while finishing our conversation. She suddenly took me off guard and wrapped her arms around my neck.
"Kiss me!," she said.
"Why?, I asked in confusion..
"Because you know you want to!," she laughed.
" Why are you doing this, Debbie ?" I asked her.
" I want to see what it’s like, and I know you’re wanting to know too," she replied with a very sexy laugh.
"Oh..?" you do ah?, I responded. She continued to seduce me with her looks.
She then replied, "We have been best friends for a long time, and I know you want me"
I thought, "She doesn’t know how I feel and no one else knows either, because I have told no one. I have kept it a very close secret how I feel about her, Nobody knows."
She again said, "Kiss me, Randy". Her eyes were pleading.
"Ok", I guess, if you want to", I responded.
She took my arms and wrapped them around her waist and pulled herself closer to me. I let her put her lips to mine first. I didn’t let go of her either, I just wanted to have her next to me forever. The moonlight was shining through the curtains and reflecting off her long hair like sparkling diamonds. We didn’t need any music to be playing. We were making our own. I loved feeling her body next to mine, so soft and tender. She pushed her breasts so tight to me just then. Her body felt so warm, we just held each other for a few moments. Then she stared deep into my eyes. I was already lost in hers. I was lost for words. For the first time in my life, I was completely speechless. I was melting in her arms. When we stopped kissing she laughed a little.
"What’s so funny ?," I asked.
"Nothing is,". She said. "Did you feel anything?," she asked.
"I don’t know," I responded.
How can you say that?" She was very upset with my response. "You don’t even want me for a girl friend Randy, do you? You should have felt something!"
"You’re probably right," I answered hesitatingly, maybe I don’t have any feelings for you,"
She didn’t like my comment, but I had a smirk on my face and she could see it.
"Randy", what does that look mean?" She asked.
"It’s getting late you know Debbie," I responded. She was getting very frustrated with me by then.
" I don’t know Debbie", I commented as I started to open the door. " guess I don’t feel anything Debbie, maybe it’s just me!"
As I shrugged my shoulders, and made some pointless remark and shook my head, not knowing how to tell her what I really felt. I had so much confusion in my heart just then. So many thoughts ran through my mind. I didn’t want to reveal my true feelings to her just yet. I had waited so long for this moment to hold her and to kiss her in the moonlight. I had fantasied for so long of doing just this. We had been so close as best friends for so long. I could end up destroying that, by doing something like this. If we became more than best friends and we broke up, we would never again be as close. It would all be gone. Right now, I reasoned, I am the most important person in her life. Right now she comes to me with her problems and depends so much on me for wisdom and guidance. Even problems with the guy’s she’s interested in and some of her personal decisions. I am always the first one she sees and pays attention to in a crowed room. She already makes me feel like a million dollars. What would happen if I wasn’t what she wanted in boyfriend? She’s hard to please sometimes, but only a challenge for me. I finally responded, Good night girl, I’ll see you tomorrow sometime at the restaurant, ok?"
I needed to wait till she was finished looking at other guys, then she’d be ready for a serious relationship. When I left, she stood at the door looking out like she was very frustrated with me. She never knew how I felt about her that night and I never told her.
The next day
In the middle of the afternoon, Mom was in the kitchen searching the newspaper for a house too move into. She heard a knock at the front door and got up to answer it.
"Hi Johnny! Come on in, Have you eaten your lunch yet?" Mom asked. "Yeah, I ate already", he responded. "Thanks anyway." He sat down at the table, "So what is so scary about this house, Bunny ? " he asked, looking all around.
"You just may get that question answered tonight, Johnny," Mom responded.
Johnny just laughed out loud, in disbelief. Johnny wasn’t aware of what had happened in the house over the past few weeks. So Mom spent most of the afternoon at the kitchen table over coffee, explaining everything that had happened since she arrived from Mississippi. After she had explained what was going on in the house, he still responded with. ‘I don’t believe in ghosts or haunted houses". He laughed, and then made an arrogant comment loud enough to be heard through-out the house, "Bring it on, Mister!"
Late that night
Johnny fell asleep on the couch. Mom was sleeping in the bedroom, just across from the living room. The girls were sleeping on the floor in the living room (Dad had dropped them off late that night). Johnny had been sleeping quite a long time, when suddenly he raised himself up from the couch with his hands reaching for his legs screaming at the top of his lungs. "Haaaaaaaaaaa!" His screams were blood-curdling. The girls woke up hearing the screams but didn’t move. For them the fear was so overwhelming they pulled their blankets over there eye’s and hid themselves. He yelled once again, "Get this thing off meeeeeeeeee! Get this thing off meeeeee! Bunnyyyyyy! "My legssssss! My legsssss! Something is on my legs! Get it off!, Get it off me!" It hurts, Owwww! "
He tried pulling himself off the couch to the floor, but to no avail. It felt like his legs were trapped under a five hundred pound rock. Enough light was shining thru the living room drapes to see if anyone or anything may have been standing on Johnny’s legs. But nothing could be seen holding him down.
Mom yelled out, "I’m coming, Johnny!, I’m coming!" She had been in a very deep sleep and wasn’t awakened as quickly as the girls were. Mom entered the livingroom hesitantly. "What’s going on Johnny?" she asked.
As fast as this terrible thing started, it suddenly stopped. What ever it was vanished into thin air. Johnny was now able to lift himself off the couch on to the floor, as he began hyperventilating, the terror was still running through his heart. He was on the floor, trying to gain his composure back.
My sisters finally decided it was ok to come out from hiding under their blankets. "What’s going on, Johnny?" Mom asked again, her heart beating wildly from his blood curdling screams.
"This thing was on my legs, and It woke me up out of my sleep. This thing felt like it weighted five hundred pounds. It stood on my legs. The pain was awful, Bunny.!" He continued explaining "Oh My God Bunny!, what was that thing? My legs hurt so bad from this thing standing on them. I tried to pull myself off the couch onto the floor and I couldn’t even budge!"
Chapter 7
One Afternoon
Dad dropped over one afternoon at our mobile home. Mom was sitting at the table with my sisters and me. We were just finishing up lunch, when I heard a knock at the front door. I got up and looked out the window. "Mom it’s Dad", I announced.
"Well, let him in", Mom responded. "Do you want a cup of coffee, Roy?" Mom asked, "I can make a fresh pot"
Dad said "Don’t make it just for me."
"I’ll drink some of it," she explained.
Dad sat at the table.. "Dad?", I said, "Perry did some research on that table you bought."
"What did he find?" Dad asked.
"The library book explains your antique table has a curse on it"
"Which table are you talking about?" Dad asked.
"The one that has the hand-carved legs, with demons on them. I read from the notes explaining the story: "Dad ? Listen! The owner built many of these tables, and carefully carved the devils into the tables, and gave them as gifts to people he hated. He carved the ends of the four legs that faced out from the floor and braced the weight of the table. I showed Dad the pictures of it. The demon images were carved deep into the dark redwood, and they looked very alive. The eyes were very magnetizing and bewitching. They drew you into another world, a world unknown to the natural eyes.
The diabolic looking long forked tongues stretched out as they curled, Dad. He then placed a curse on the table with black magic to bring a slow, painful death to the owner of table."
Dad just shrugged his shoulders, he did not believe in ghosts, curses etc. He had himself a great investment, and he knew it. He explained later, a lady approached him and handed him a blank check, wanting him to fill in the amount, but he had turned it down. She had an overwhelming desire to purchase it. He felt the story of a curse made it more intriguing, and could only increase the value.
"Dad, Perry isn’t here to explain what this means, so I’ll tell you what he said to me. He feels very strongly the table plays an important part in this nightmare. Either it was the source of the curse or the reason Perry was unable to put a stop to it!"
Dad’s response was, "What do you want me to do?"
I paused, then explained,. "Perry has proven through the tarot cards, and seeking the spirit world, there was a curse placed on me or maybe even the family. I continued to stress the importance of this discovery. "Dad, Perry thinks the table needs to be burned or sold in order to kill that curse."
I was so frustrated and filled with desperation trying to convince him. I felt this was one of several ways I could find freedom and peace of mind or possible an end my torment. After explaining every way I could imagine, nothing seemed to persuade Dad to sell the table.. Mom jumped in more than once to back me up, but to no avail. He refused to give in to our pleading. We talked for two or more hours, then Dad left still unconvinced!
Few Days Later
The guys and I went over to Sally’s apartment because we heard there was a party that night. I needed to let loose badly and just party down, and forget all the problems that came with reality. Their were only a few cars in the driveway when we arrived. To our surprise the apartment was full when we walked in the door. "Hi mannnnn! What’s happenin’?, I said to some people that answered my knock.
"Hi guys!", Sally called out in welcome.. The music was real loud and the song playing was, "Purple Haze" ( by Jimi Hendrix ) I nodded my head to the beat as I looked back towards Matt behind me. We couldn’t hear our voices but that made it even cooler. I just sounded out the words to him even though he couldn’t hear me.
"How Cool Man?" He knew exactly what I was saying, sort of a universal language at any kind of party. Matt nodded his head in time to the beat. We walked around to see what people were digging from room to room. Some were sharing their joints with us as we entered each room. Matt took the first hit, then Cliff, and then he passed it to me. I puffed as hard as I could then released it and passed it over to Steve, after he took a hit he continued passing it down to the others in the room. Oh Man! this felt so good. I allowed myself to enter into another world. The music drew me like a powerful witchcraft. Every time a joint was passed my way I took a hit off it. I got higher and higher from each one. Some of the joints were laced with "t.h.c" and some weren’t. It was the perfect music playing, and the perfect atmosphere to be in. I commented to Dave who was sitting next to me on the floor, This is so groovy, man!" He couldn’t hear me, but he nodded his head in agreement as he continued to enjoy the music also.
The house lights were off and a strobe light was flickering in the main living room where we were all sitting.
My favorite song started to play, "Ina Gadda da Vida,"
(By Iron Butterfly). Later someone played, "Money" by Pink Floyd, and "Smoke on the water" (by Deep purple)....
Incense was burning on different tables throughout the house releasing a redwood pine scent through out the apartment. Different rooms in the apartment had smaller strobe lights on. People were sitting on the floors, partying, and spacing out in every room. For hours the music played non-stop from one song to the next. No one was talking. Everyone was enjoying the temporary escape from reality.
Several hours had passed when people started leaving the party and going home. Some were just spaced out on the floor from partying. It was after 3 a.m. when the party started winding down. I walked back towards the kitchen, I overheard some people talking., so I thought I would join in with them.. "Hey mannnnn!", some people on the floor responded with laughter as I passed them on my way to the kitchen. I never met them before " How’s it going mannn ?" I asked. They laughed and shook their heads describing the pure enjoyment they were experiencing from their own personal trip.
" Awesome, mann!" I responded, laughing and still jiving to the music as I walked in the kitchen and stood by the cupboards. "I am wiped out man", I commented to the other guys..
"Hey"! Did you hear about the predictions Janie Dexon gave yesterday ?" Tim asked. "No", what were they ?
"She said that the world was going to end tonight".
"No Way!" I replied, with disbelief, not letting him see that the news shook me up inside.
"Yes", she did, Cliff responded, very seriously. "She’s usually right you know, Randy. Her predictions usually come to pass."
"I know they usually do," I responded to Cliff’s comment. "She’s one of the world’s renowned psychics, you know." Everyone in the kitchen felt the hair on their arms stand up for a moment Matt responded also with disbelief. "She’s crazy, Man," he said. This wasn’t the kind of news to hear when you are partying. Things that would normally be dismissed become very believable. Common sense rescued some of us from the thoughts of the world coming, but a couple of us had a very difficult time with it. I was one of them ! I already had enough trauma in my life and I didn’t need anymore. I was primed to believe this stuff. I read every one of those stories in those papers at the checkout counters. Mom bought them every week and saved them for me to read on the weekend when I visited her place. I had previously come to the conclusion my life was not going to last much longer anyway, but I did not want it happening tonight. I just stood there leaning up against the kitchen cupboards, devastated and scared, for a few moments. I was way too impressionable in my drugged state of mind. Maybe it’s true, I thought.
Just then Dave piped up: "I don’t know, Man. I don’t think she’s ever missed a prediction, but tonight I think she’s nuts. What Do you guys think ? "
So many thoughts went through my head. If there was any opportunity for "the fear of dying", to enter a persons heart, this was it. I am not ready to handle this kind of disaster, I thought. . This could drive me right over the edge if I allow it. I desperately want to get a grip on reality. It isn’t true!
I decided to reject the whole thing and spoke it out just then. "Guys? I am not going to believe that one!" Everyone in the room stopped talking so they could listen to me. "That woman is a nut case! She doesn’t have the gift to know when the world ends. Countless others thought they knew when, and they were wrong."
There are tons of stories about people just like her at the check-out lane, who think they are the only ones that have the answers. Everyone agreed with me after I spoke my opinion once again not accepting it as having any truth.
Everyone decided to disregard her stupid prediction, and changed the topic to a positive one. I just stood their thinking for a few minutes. I didn’t know what the future held for me. I didn’t know if I had a future! I didn’t know if there was even a God, but I needed to find him. Someone created those evil beings that torment me nightly. I needed to know how to find him if he existed. I need to know where he could be found.
Very Late That Night
When I arrived home, I went directly to my bedroom, threw my car keys on the dresser, took my clothes off and fell asleep before my head hit my pillow. I had fallen into a deep sleep for only a few minutes, when suddenly I found myself awakened by spirits crawling all over me and my bed. It began to feel like one of them was attempting to get himself inside of my body. I was still in a trance-like state from a very deep mental exhaustion. After shrugging, tossing, turning and fighting to gain some rest, I woke up in complete terror.
I didn’t see anything, but could feel a very large spirit- like creature at the end of my bed. It was crawling towards me very slowly. It’s hands & feet pressed into the mattress making indentations as it moved like an evil spider towards its prey.
When it reached my face, it stopped and began growling I could feel it’s hot breath, as it searched for a place on my neck to sink it’s razor sharp teeth. I wondered if this was real, or a very intense nightmare brought on by my extreme exhaustion.
It then began pulling itself into the full length of my body. My stomach felt very sick as it entered with a choking grip within and around my throat. I began to struggle with my breathing and shallowing. In those few moments, the fear within me escalated to its greatest depth ever! I thought this thing was attempting to kill me. I pulled up my head and my shoulders by grabbing the edges of my bed as my heart pounded from sheer terror, My whole body was shaking. I screamed with every bit of oxygen that was available in my lungs, Haaaaaaaaaaa!
The screams that were so blood-curdling, not only would the hair on your arms stand up, but contained the kind of terror that would empty the mind of any hope and security. Complete utter hopelessness entered my vocal cords. I cried out for someone to rescue me from being overpowered by something I could not see or even touch.
Within moments, Mom and my sister Kathy showed up at the door of my bedroom in complete panic not knowing what had happened to me.
I had never seen my Mom’s face so full of fear and dread in my entire life. My sister peeked out from behind Mom’s shoulder in an attempt to protect herself from any harm.
Mom yelled out to me from the doorway, "What’s the matter, Randy?"
She could see me sitting up on my bed still caught in a state of fear and crying desperately for help. Her voice showed her fear and helplessness as a mother, unable to help her child. Once again, she called out to me and I started to come out of my state of sheer panic. I then started to calm down as her voice entered my nightmare and brought me back to reality. I looked up at her as I wiped the tears from my eyes to see more clearly.
"What happened, Randy?" she asked again. She sounded dismayed.
I explained to Mom I was being possessed by a demon who was trying to enter my body. She stood in total disbelief, but full of empathy.
" Randy! You are having another nightmare, ok? she repeated herself, "You are just having a nightmare!.there is no demon entering your body," I thought about it for a moment. Maybe she was right, but it felt so real to me! How could that be true? I sat there for a few moments retrieving my composure including the brief loss of my sanity.
Mom was convinced I had just had a very real nightmare.
"OK,"I responded.
"Go back to sleep, Randy, OK? Everything will be fine in the morning—you will see." I laid back down on my bed and after thinking it through. I fell asleep and slept like the dead from my utter exhaustion.