The walls are alive. I find myself in a foreign place. I have been here before. There is a ghost here. It's female, she has made an appearance from time to time. An old-world, matronly lady. There is always a hint of a shifting air, and a hint of perfume when she enters a room and leaves.
I am always so uncomfortable in this place. Something weird, strange, bad always happens here. I never breathe easy here. I've gotten sick here. One time I destroyed my phone by accidentally putting it in the washing machine. I have been hounded by the dogs of hell here. This time, I am staying with just one dog. He suffers from PTSD. He's jumpy. Sometimes surly. He doesn't trust Human Beings.
Sometimes street-people show up here at odd times looking for a handout. One time, two young ladies, apparently over-served at the bar, were madly chattering on the front porch at 2 a.m. That sent the dogs of hell into a barking tizzy.
There is dog hair everywhere. It's an old, toxic place. Last night, a small calamity. I found myself walking a dark hallway, I walked smack dab into a jutting wall. It wasn't supposed to be there. I was trying to avoid the void, a rickety, slanting stairway. I have a recurring vision that I will stumble and fall down that stairway. It's old, unstable, slanting downward, it's easy to mis-step, I have had a few close calls.
Anyway, I have a new dime-sized, red tattoo above my left eye. So ridiculous. Walking in the dark down a strange hallway. Not recommended.
Update at 9:37 a.m. - Talking with a friend she repeated a line she heard from someone, "You only see ghosts if you believe in them." Yep. Seems plausible. If you can go with the idea of ghosts, when weird, unexplainable, shit happens, you might attribute it to a ghost. If you don't believe in ghosts you probably figure there is a logical explanation, even if the explanation isn't readily at hand. For instance, this morning the stereo briefly went on, played a bit of a flamenco guitar, and then went back off. You know, maybe a ghost, maybe just an electrical anomaly?
BTW - I retraced my steps down that treacherous hallway in the light of day. There is a place, right where the rickety, sloping stairway angles down, that's where the wall on the opposite side sharply juts out. I never noticed that before. A shiver went thru me. If I would have stumbled, slightly to the right after the impact, face to wall, I could have easily tumbled down three flights of stairs. Now that would have been catastrophic. No doubt. Hah! Was it a warning? Beware of the dark, and things that go bump in the night. Be careful with every step. Like I said, weird, strange, stupid shit often happens here. I mean, I know it's me, sometimes I truly am my own worst enemy. Still, I tread lightly. Maybe it's time to have a heart to heart chat with the ghost? I mean, maybe we can make a treaty of peace and co-existence? I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing.
