I read this story in the local Japanese newspaper recently and it sent shivers up my spine.

I translated as much as I could and removed the names.

A 36 year old woman, widow, single mother of two living Aichi prefecture, came home after dropping off her children at her parents house.

When she entered her house, she found the family dog in laying on the floor and breathing irregularly.

“I could hear her gasping for air…I had no idea what to do! I immediately rushed to the veterinarian. “

She arrived within minutes and the dog was whisked out of her hands and rushed into the back.

The vet came out after a few minutes and reported they had inserted a breathing tube into its lungs and her dog is now able to receive air.

However, the doctor went on to say that they noticed something is lodged deep in its throat and will require surgery once they can get her pet stabilized.

The mother’s heart sunk and immediately thought it could be one of children’s toys. She asked if everything would be ok and the doctor assured her it would be fine but will take some time for the dog to stabilized for surgery.

She was relieved that her pet was out of immediate danger but still felt anxious about the surgery.

The doctor said it would be a few hours to overnight for observation.

“I was shocked when I heard how long it would take but understood this was serious procedure.”

She went on.

“I felt a little guilty leaving because I needed to get home, change my clothes and then pick up my children later. My parents are getting old and I couldn’t leave them with the children too long.”

“On the way home my head was swimming, what would I tell the children? It’s been hard after their father past away. They love this dog so much. My heart sunk at the prospect of our dog dying. This would be too much for them to take.”

Tears started to well up in her eyes.

“But I had to get home and keep moving despite what had happen.”

“I remember on the way home my phone died and I didn’t have my charger. I was in a panic and thinking, this is the worst day of my life!”

After she got home, she plugged in her mobile phone and started to get items out for dinner later that night.

“It was a super hot day and I had been moving all day so I decided to take a shower and change clothes before heading to my parents house.”

After the shower, she heard the ring of her mobile phone and walked to the living room.

The call she received was from the animal hospital.

“The call was from the doctor and he was screaming at me through the phone.”

“Listen, I need you to get out of the house immediately and seek safety!”

“What? Why? What’s going on with my dog? Is everything ok?”

“Your dog is fine but we found two human toes lodged in its throat…”

“What?! Wait, What?!”

“I remember all I could say was “what?!” Several times and I fell back onto the couch because the room started to spin and I turned ice cold. “

“We believe the person is in the house now. My office has notified the police and they are on their way, but you have to leave now!”

She pauses, shivers and goes on to recall.

“I was so confused and couldn’t process it all. I remember, I looked around over my shoulder, down the hall, towards the bedrooms and suddenly I could feel someone’s eyes on me.”

“Fear started welling up inside me as I was thinking that someone was in the house with me. Could see me, you know,“

She starts to shiver.

“Taking off my clothes and getting into the shower. Someone was there!”

Then she recalled a loud crash coming from down the hall.

“When I heard the crash, everything became so clear. I ran so fast that my towel fell off me but I didn’t stop!”

“I didn’t want to look behind me, I had this feeling he could be chasing me…”

The police soon arrived on the scene and searched the house finding a man in shock from blood loss, missing two toes and huddled on the floor in a closet located in children’s room.

He was later identified as a coworker of the woman and had been stalking her for some time. According to the police reports this was not his first time around her house.

“He has been stalking her for sometime, even before her husband’s death.”

According to the lead detective in the case, they found wireless video camera devices hidden in her bedroom.

“We also found evidence (photos, videos, undergarments, receipts) in his home and car that he indicates he has been been in the victim home as far back as two years.”

The family dog is now recovering at home.

“I am so grateful for her” the mother says as she gently strokes her dog.

“She protected the family and almost lost her life.”

The dog seems to take notice and lifts it’s head up and licks her hand

“She is our guardian angel sent by my late husband. “

The second installment The world as I see it – 2020 is out now.

Happy Birthday America! I love you!

However,

2020 seems to be the year we just couldn’t win

America, land of the brave, really? Land of the free, really? Nope!

Is this the first time that we’ve been here? No. I seem to recall 60 years ago that there was a generation who was fed up with the status quo.

This generation was the ”great unwashed”—spoiled brats who seemed to have everything but wasn’t satisfied.

They came to be after the war and mostly from privileged lives, little Susie and Johnny, school dances, prim and proper. The high school jock and the prom queen.

Life was good, right?

No, they didn’t want to fit the cookie-cutter mold of Americana. Colleges/Universities, was a chance for little Susie and Johnny to escape the humdrum life of back home while being introduced new social concepts of the time.

Growing their hair, smoking pot, reading bourgeois communist doctrine, and marching against the injustice. They felt the world was dominated by the evil might of America. They began sympathize with the oppressed at home and in other countries. Sound familiar?

These spoiled children were dreamers. They were idealists. They felt they needed to stand up against what, they felt, was wrong and fight the injustices of America at the time. They hated every leader at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Nixon, Ford, and eventually Jimmy Carter. They mocked these leaders within their pseudo intellectual circles.

Sound familiar?

These people protested about almost damn near everything. The war, the injustices against the native American Indian, corruption in the political system, and civil rights. They stood up for diverse & profound ideals.

Hell, they had Woodstock.

At that time there was, a strong and righteous civil rights movement at the time with great leaders sacrificing everything to stand up again acts that were horrendous. The leaders in charge today pale in comparison. Back then the stakes were a lot higher.

Civil rights leaders today can only paraphrase the struggle or bring up the movement from the past. Back in the day, It used to work but as time moved on the memory of greatness fades.

Let’s be clear, race is a business. Just like any other so called “cause” that American wants to bites into.

But hey, I don’t want to get too far down the road here. I already have two strikes against me the first being I’m white and the second one is I have an opinion neither means anything today.

Someone would definitely be in my grill screaming at the top of their lungs and spitting in my face on every syllable.

But I will say this. That this one great idealistic generation I referred to earlier. Now you idiots call them “boomers” . You call everyone who is not a millennial a boomer. Just another example of your ignorance.

The “boomers” are power today. They fought the system and went the distance. At their height, they moaned and groaned like spoiled children in the backseat chanting “are we there yet?”. Now they’re in the driver seat.

They have no clue what to do now. They’re absolutely baffled that you are rebelling against the utopian society that they fought so hard for. Everyone should just get along.

But what do I know, if If they were doing so great and if they built such a great society, then you wouldn’t be so angry at them. It’s funny, they become the very thing that they fought against.

So let’s not be too hard on them. They’re ignorant. Let’s just call them the “impotent” generation.

And now to the youth of today…

Do you think you should be proud?

Do you believe that the world is sitting here and in awe of your rebellious, almost childlike tantrum that you’ve pulled? No! In reality, we’re shit scared. Because eventually you idiots will have your finger on one of the largest nuclear arsenal’s in the world. What happens when mommy doesn’t cut the edges off your PB&J? Boom!

You’re opinionated, and you discriminate through concepts called “political correctness”. It makes us laugh when you try to insult each other, you end up segmenting yourselves in insults.

You have divided yourselves into so many different groups and classifications that your bound to step on each other’s toes. You can’t love America in slices. You have to love all of it or get the fuck out.

You’re the “timeout”, everyone wins, all speech that opposing the message of the day is hateful & remember Tiktok is good, generation. The generation that needs constant validation or you will just destroy your toys.

Everyone is starting to or has flat out pandered to you. Im recent American fashion, society will over compensate.

And some are waiting to cash in on contributions to keep the beast fed. Remember, there is no profit in peace.

But are you unique America? No, you can’t even get that right. There’s no originality and what you’re doing. So what? you might say. “We’re Merica bitch!” How profound.

You’re not the first society in history to fight over economic disparity or class disparity or race disparity or “I just don’t like” you syndrome.

There are many examples in the past when these types of situations. when timed just correctly. have lead to horrifying consequences. Whether it be the Nazis, or the Bolsheviks, Khmer Rouge, or the cultural revolution of China. They all started with an idea very similar to what’s happening in the United States today. You can’t even get a mark for originality.

So go ahead. Keep on destroying America. Destroy Mount Rushmore. Rip up the constitution. Remove every statue that has ever been erected. Hell, burn down the library of Congress. Just get rid of everything. Rewrite history. Nobody’s been successful so far. Maybe, just maybe, you guys can do it.

However, when it’s all said and done what will you have left? I dare think a bunch of sniveling whiny crybaby’s with a huge red button that can destroy the earth in the blink of an eye. Someone’s going to figure that out. Kinda like the leaders we have today.

Don’t worry, someone somewhere is going to come along and teach you the hard realities of the world. After all humans are a vicious and savage race. And very few counties share your views to the level of your selfishness. And when it happens…

You don’t have the stomach to deal with it or right the wrongs in the big bad world.

You talk about injustices of slavery, and discrimination and inequality.

Why not put all that money and energy is abolishing slavery (which still exist) in the world? Why not abolish ethnic cleansing? Why not abolish political persecution? Why not abolish sex trafficking of children?

Do you believe that the center of the world is America? Nope. Your gonna have to fight for that soon.

However, the list goes on of the injustices that continue to be committed in the world.

America is a beautiful country made up of diverse people that came from a lot of these places where these atrocities happen. So why not care?

Why can’t we unite? Why can’t we be again the ones to stand against these crimes and be that beacon of good that used to shine in the darkness of the world?

I’ll tell you why. It’s too hard. Too much of a sacrifice. No profit in helping outside the borders. And It isn’t on social media as a “thing” that everyone is doing then we won’t give it a thought. Other than patronizing post.

America you went from being the land of the brave to a generation that’s ripe for an ass whooping and I hope you got what it takes when the time comes.

I hope you take this day to reflect on who you are. Drop the pretentious bullshit.

Your all Americans. Face it. Nobody else in the world wants you.

‘This is creepy’ I said as I stepped into the house

I felt it immediately as I crossed the doorway. A feeling of not being wanted. It’s hard to put a finger on. Like a guest who has overstayed their welcome and the host wants you to leave.

‘Please help me!’ She pleaded frantically.

As soon as I stepped through the doorway I froze and the hairs on my arm stood up.

Sensing tingly I could feel there is something seriously wrong here.

I turned to her and gave her a smile. ‘All good. don’t worry. I’m here now.’ I said touching her shoulder. I wanted to assure her that she was safe.

‘I need to step out for a bit to do some shopping.’ She said as she was putting on her jacket.

I was shocked. She is going to leave me? What the hell am I doing? She could have just come to my house! I thought as I looked down the hallway.

I noticed that the hallway was a lot darker and longer than normal. ‘Yea sure. Take your time.’ I muttered back and a chill ran down my spine.

‘Call me if anything happens. Ok?’ She said walking out the door.

The closed and sound of it locking caused me to jump.

‘Will do. Be safe.’ I answered back but the door was already closed. I stood there for what seemed an eternity staring down that hallway. I could have sworn I heard whispering.

I start down the hallway. I don’t remember this hallways being so long before. Each step I started to feel cold. The hairs on my arm were standing straight. Fear crept up inside me. I had the feeling of fleeing that something would attack. Maybe from the living room? Or that closet?

Attacked by what?

After a few steps, I wanted to call her. I wanted to hear her voice. I wanted to feel safe.

I couldn’t. I am the man in her life. How would this look? I was given an assignment. I shall do my best.

I had been to her house many times. Slept there quite a bit. I should feel at home here. But I didn’t. The structure of the house seemed familiar but things seemed out of place. The air felt different. It didn’t feel the same.

I heard a noise in the distance. I stop and listen. Something on the other side of the wall. I stand there looking at the wall.

“Jesus Michael get a hold of yourself.” I said and laughed. I wanted to hear my voice. It made me feel in control.

Instead it sounded flat. No echoes off the wall. No sense of my voice traveling to other rooms.

It felt as if I was speaking in one of those quiet rooms. The walls or the air seemed to soak up any noise I made.

I move on.

I was feeling a bit betrayed, she just left me and here. Why didn’t I just go with her? Why leave me here with God knows what lurking. Or maybe it’s something that God forgot. Anger started to replace fear.

We should be together through shit like this! I would happily carry her bags than stay here in this place. I thought as looked at the pictures hanging on the walls. I couldn’t see the faces of the people in these pictures.

Now I have always had a gift, or curse, to see and feel spirits. What I felt now not a normal feeling. What I felt was sinister presence. I felt pure hatred for me. I felt I was being watched.

I had never experienced this before.

I scooted into the bedroom with a feeling that something was rushing towards me down the hallway. It was one of those feelings that made you run either like crazy or shit your pants standing still.

I needed to use the bathroom now.

In her bedroom, I sat on the bed and stared at the phone in my hand. I should give her a call.

It’s been long enough right? How long has it been? I asked myself.

I didn’t care. Fuck this. I should get out of here and go find her.

I look down the hallway and got a feeling I would never make it to the door in time.

“How fucking long is this hallway?” I said as I tried to make out the door.

It seemed too dark to see. My God, this scares the shit out of me.

I look back down at the phone and dial.

The phone wouldn’t connect. I look at the signal. Seems ok. Just nothing on the other end. No clicks, no indications of answering. Nothing. Dead silence.

Dead silence just like that that surrounds me now. Dead.

Maybe it’s her phone. I think to myself. Trying to be rational.

I send her a txt. Several of them. “Hey, are you ok?” “Where are you?” “You coming back soon?” I type. It felt good to have something to take my attention away from this creepy place.

I scan through my phone. Looking at other chats. Checking out photos. I start to relax a bit.

I see a reflection in the glass. I quickly look up. Nothing. I decided not to investigate.

I check the app again. It says sending. No ‘delivered’ delivery status yet.

‘Shit…’ I mutter.

I become worried. Panic is now racing through me. I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to flee.

I’ll just leave her a note to turn around come straight to my house. Put it on the outside of the door. Fuck it.

I thought I was strong but whatever this is, it’s definitely stronger. Meaner. Scarier.

I feel the tingle of knowing that there is something dangerously mischievous in this house.

Maybe it was my imagination getting the best of me. I just couldn’t shake the feeling. I really needed to go to the bathroom now!

It works. The phone starts dialing. I can hear the search tone and then it starts to ring.

‘Hello?’ I hear her voice. She is starting to break up.

“Hey! It’s me. Can you hear me?” I yell.

‘Hello? Michael? Are you ok? I saw…please…ok? Get…line…ok?’ She is breaking up.

‘Hey?! Where are you? Please come home! I don’t want to be here anymore. Let’s just go to my house.’

‘Click’

My god did she get that? My eyes were starting to water. Hands are shaking. I’m trying to piece together what she said. Funny how you spend so much time trying to make things out in your head.

I hear laughter off in the distance. I am ready to run for the door.

I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. Fear grips me. I thought I saw a shadow rush past.

I don’t want to turn my head but I can not control myself. I need to look.

I notice something crawling on the floor in the kitchen. I hear a ‘swooshing’ sound as it drags itself. No. Not drags, it looks more like it is swimming across the floor.

The shape looks like a woman. I can’t be sure. I can’t make out any details. It seems shrouded in a shadow.

My heart is racing now. I am helpless and have no clue what to do.

I am alone with something that I originally felt as a presence and now I see something crawling around the floor as evidence of my fears.

I rub my eyes and squint to get a better view. There was a pale rectangle of light from the living room window that ran across the kitchen floor.

I could see that it had long dirty matted hair. I could see facial features. Nothing clear. It didn’t seem to have a nose. Just a mouth, black eyes and pale skin.

I cautiously slid off the bed and laid on the floor to hide and try and get a better view and then it disappeared.

I look at the door down the hallway. My heart was pounding so hard that it drowned out any other sound. I gotta run for it. I start to panic even more. Heart racing. I know I will have to get off this floor and boogey.

More laughter. This time with a hiss at the end.

I kept still on the floor. Trying not to breathe. I was staring out the door and then at the kitchen.

My eyes were focussed on the patch of light just below the kitchen sink when it appeared suddenly in front of me peering around the door frame and then lurched at me.

I woke up immediately with a start in my own bed and realized I was sweating and panting.

The dream scared the hell out of me and I laid there recalling images of the dream.

I could hear my son in his room watching a video and laughing at something. His laughter was calming and I slowly started to relax.

Then I heard it. It was faint. A rapping sound on the wall just above my head. The sound was strange. As if it was in my mind. Am I dreaming? I thought.

My son came out and went to use the bathroom. Still the “tap, tap, tap, tap” sound continued.

If he hears this then it is real. I said to myself waiting for him to come into my room to investigate.

He never did. He finished his business and went back into the bedroom leaving me in a state of terror.

It was that thing. Tapping on the walls of my subconscious. Calling me back to sleep. Calling me back to the dream.

I had a nightmare last night.

I was going to meet her.

She had invited me to her house a couple of times. Her and her ex husband were more like roommates.

At first I thought it was weird. I always felt like s third wheel. But they were both living in America and they were the only ones that knew each other. It seemed logical. Dreams are funny.

Each time I went to the house I was very respectful. He would know I was there in her room. He would simply knock and she would walk out. I never did anything with her in the house. It just seemed an odd thing to do.

We always had a great time and I felt a little pang of jealousy when I had to bring her home to stay.

The apartment was much larger and nicer than she had let on to be and when we went there I never much paid attention to the routes or address.

One day she asked if I would come and spend the weekend there. I was a little scared of this idea but since I had been there many times and she explained that her ex was out of town, I thought it might be ok.

I packed a small bag and she picked me up. Again, I was so fixated on her during the trip that I didn’t pay attention.

She had told me her ex was struggling with some problem earlier and asked if I could help her fix it together.

I said “no problem” with a smile. I got to her room and we both quietly worked on different things. Me trying to understand the problem in front of me and her laying on her bed reading something.

When I first arrived I had changed into a pair of shorts since it was a little warm and best to relax and work on problems when comfortable.

I remember, I was laying on my stomach and staring at this problem. The dream didn’t allow me to see clearly the problem. Funny thing about dreams.

Then, all of a sudden, the door opens up. There was a blue dress skirt hanging on a hook. He stuck his head first through the opening and then his entire body came through.

I guess he must had thought she was not home or alone because we were not making any sounds.

In previous visits, he would just knock. This time he came in.

He saw me. It was a clumsy exchange of words. Our first actually. The first time we saw and acknowledged each other.

“Ah…oh…um hello…sorry…um….” he managed to say. I was impressed that he tried to use English for me.

He then quickly hid his face behind the blue skirt as if embarrassed or the reality of life hit him. He just didn’t want to see me.

I was in shock. What do I do? What do I say? Man, this moment sucked.

He dropped the skirt from his face and looked directly at me laying on the floor in shorts. His eyes burned hatred.

I was there dressed in regular gym shorts. I was a bit informal and not proud of my legs. He just glared at me.

Still my mind was racing. What should I say? Are we going to fight? Shouldn’t I be standing for this fight?

“Hello. How are you?…” I had some silly surprised grin on my face. It was all forced. How could I be natural like this?

He quickly vanished out the door and I heard another door slam shut.

She runs after him. I hear yelling and crying. I feel like shit now.

My mind starts to clear a bit and I come back to reality. I start to change my clothes but just as that happens she comes in with another woman who is holding her.

She (Mia) is crying uncontrollably and says “I am sorry you have to leave this house now.”

I silently nod as I am looking at the floor.

I feel bad. Who’s the woman with her?! Where did she come from? Thoughts start racing through my mind.

The woman sensing my confusion says “I am a friend of the family. I think you should leave.”

A friend of the “family” runs through my mind.

“Yea, I think so too. I’m going to get dressed and split. Sorry for the trouble” I said with my gym shorts around my ankles. I felt so stupid.

They both leave the room.

I start to move into her closet to try and get dressed. I hear more talking. I hear some yelling. I hear Mia crying.

The damn closet was too small. I couldn’t get my pants on in there so I am searching for a different place to get dressed.

I creep out of her room and start to look for a different place and I find another bedroom with a bigger closet and I shoot in there. I am not sure why I needed a closet.

Along the way, I see a bunch of guys milling around the living room with boxes.

I remember she said he was going back to China soon. So maybe these were his friends deciding to help out.

I am in panic mode. I manage to get my black jeans on and then had a hard time putting my belt through the loops and buckling it. It just took a super long time.

A Chinese woman with short hair and tattoos comes into the room. She looks at me. Not friendly but not angry. Seemed indifferent to me. She grabs me and looks at my arms and says “Nice tattoos…”.

“Yes. Thank you.” I answered back. I was hoping for one ally in this house. A way to break the ice.

She looked around the bedroom and then turned to me “You need to get out of here quickly. She (Mia) has never been in this room before. It’s an insult you are in his bedroom.”

I look around in horror. It suddenly hit me. This was his bedroom! Shit!

Wait, did she just say that Mia has never entered this room?

At that moment I suddenly felt a deep appreciation and love for Mia.

I was longing for her. I missed her terribly. Where was she? Was she ok? Was she thinking about me?

“Hurry! I will get you out of the house safely!” She said.

I start to rush to find my things and we end up at a shuttle bus stop.

“You have a back tattoo?” The tattooed girl asked me once we were outside.

“Yea I do” I replied back. Still wanting an ally and more information about Mia. Is she ok? What’s going to happen?

I tried to contact her on the phone but she wasn’t picking up.

“Let me see it please?” She said and started to pull my shirt over my head.

She undid my pants to look at the lower part of my butt, where the tattoo ends, and I started to get nervous. I am standing there shirtless and with my jeans down. Realizing that I am outside half naked, I start to smile like an idiot.

She went around in front of me and stood with another man who was with a group of Chinese people. Some of them I think I remembered from the house. She smiled and gave me a “thumbs up” sign and they boarded a shuttle and left me there.

Another shuttle was coming and I had barely enough time to pull my jeans up. Redo the belt and out my shirt on.

I jumped on the bus and it started to move.

I felt in my back pocket and my phone was gone! I must have dropped it! Was it in my bag?

I started to search frantically. I couldn’t find it anywhere on the bus. I couldn’t even find my bag!

I was in such a rush to get out of the house and then distracted by the woman that I never figured out what was happening.

They were his friends and they wanted to cause me a little trouble. A little revenge on the guy who was in his house with his ex wife. An insult to him.

I was lost. I had no phone, no bag, no wallet and I was whisked away from the house and couldn’t see Mia.

What if she thinks I abandon her? How could I tell her? I didn’t have a phone. What if this not really what I thought it was. What if she was just handling the situation but his friends interfered.

I was confused, sad and I just sat there and cried…

then I woke up.

We all have had this moment

He had been there many times before. When they slept. Of course.

He took what he could and then would scatter away in the dark of night. He wasn’t greedy.

On his hunt, the sounds of snoring would frighten and comfort him all at the same time. He had crawled on her in her sleep. Sometimes her arm. Sometimes her face. Many many many times. He likes the way she smells. He would sometimes kiss her with his fuzzy feelers.

This time though. It would be different. A miscalculation and a hungry stomach forced him to approach his usual hunting grounds during the “busy” time. A time when there seemed to be movement from all over the house.

He had been sleeping peaceful cockroach dreams. Snoring softly when the rumble of his little stomach woke him up.

“I slept too long!” He gasped as his stomach was in full hunger pain.

He crept along the walls. Careful to avoid anyone who could see him? He would scurry and stop. And then crossed the doorway into heaven. Her room. He discovered her by hiding under the toilet bowl one day and followed her to the room.

He knew she had the best crumbs. She was always eating something delicious. He could snack for years off of what she left.

He wished she left everything. But someone always vacuums. Someone always does…

He strolled carefully into the room. A little too cocky for a cockroach to be sure and then all hell broke loose.

Before he could understand what was happening there was swift movement and what looked like a newspaper flying dangerously close to him.

“Damn World Cup…what happen to Germany?”

a bizarre thought running through his mind, one might say. But who knows what’s on a cockroach’s mind when panicked.

He dodged a few swipes here and there. He was quite fast.

Angry and scared, she adjusted her aim and just before his luck ran out he yelled “oh my god!” Then the world, or World Cup, came crashing down.

It was a huge scream but unfortunately no one can hear the cries of a cockroach.

Just before he succumbed to the darkness, one of his good eyes spotted a huge cookie crumb.

“Damn the bad luck….” he thought

And in his last tiny thought he cursed her “thousands of brother and sisters will avenge me”

Simple pleasures of a nightmare

The restaurant was crowded and filled with familiar noise.

People laughing, talking and unwinding from the day’s stresses.

As usual, I sat alone at table. All by my lonesome, wishing I could be at one of the other tables. Just sit in for some good old fashioned human conversation. This was one of those evenings where I needed not to be alone. Life was kicking me in the teeth that day.

Eating is such a social function. “Breaking bread” with one another. hospitality. Sharing food.

A feeling of satisfaction felt when one has enjoying a great meal with others. “Good for the soul” my mother used to say.

The restaurant is one of my favorites. I love the food and the staff always remembers me. Each time they greet me with a smile. They make me feel that I, “belong”.

On this particular visit, something happen which changed my perception of my beloved restaurant. An incident that will forever stay with me.

Burned into my memory for all time. It might even be the reason behind that smile on my face as I drift off into the great beyond when my time comes.

A lady, in her early 30’s accidentally dropped something on the floor. At first it was to difficult make out the object. Well difficult for the average person.

I immediately identified it and fell in love with the owner. It takes a certain type of woman to carry a big gun around her purse.

The device sounded strange when it hit the floor. It had kind of a “splat” sound.

Immediately when it landed on the floor it started to vibrate. The vibration caused a loud “rrrrrrrraarrrringgrrrrr” noise. The volume was much much louder than I would have expected.

I guess the acoustics and the floor title really amped the sound. It almost sounded like one of those gas powered radio controlled airplane engines.

I have heard of these incidents at airports. Urban myths told at water coolers or break rooms around the world. “Hey didja hear the story of…”

Never thought it would happen in my favorite restaurant.

The place went suddenly quiet which only made the sound reverb and seem louder. If that was even possible. The power this thing had was amazing!

There were some snickers from other tables. I admit, I snorted a chuckle. But then shit got serious real quick.

The device seemed to come to life and start moving across the floor. It resembled a animated mummy trying to escape it bandages.

It had lights, flashing different colors, from within its rubbery skin that gave it a ridiculous impression that it could be a child’s toy. If I was not a dirty old man, I would have thought so myself.

Yet here it was, zigzagging across the floor at an alarming pace. That little mummy gyrating. Rolling over and slapping the floor. Trying to escape its rubbery cocoon.

What made this even more funny is the fact that this vibrating, light flashing, monster was moving quite rapidly towards a table that seated a few women and their children. Making that “rrrrrrrraarrrringgrrrrr” “plop” sound as it moved.

The kids seated with their mommies started  looking at this thing and giggle as well. A little boy seated next to his sister,  squealed with excitement and started to run over to pick it up. “Finders keepers” he said and as dropped  down from his chair

His mother, with a look of pure horror, screamed at the top of her lungs. Which cause slight panic amongst the rest of us. Gasps could be heard from other tables.

But none of that phased the little boy or the toy on the move. No way, he loved the excitement of his mother screaming. She was funny when scared and that was alright with him.

Like the time he caught that cockroach and tried to eat it. She almost passed out when she saw her little boy put that roach up to his mouth. She rushed him but he held her back a bit before she stormed him and ripped the bug out of his hands.

Not this time. He would get that toy. The thing she didn’t seem to want him to have will be his this time!

The race was on!

I guess looking back, we all been there once with our moms.

The young woman, owner of the loose object, mortified by the events unfolding before her, screamed as well when she saw the little boy on the move.

The boy saw her intent. This toy was his. He picked up speed

The race was on!

Face red, eyes wide and her mouth contorted, the young lady jumped up and made an uncoordinated leap for the device which ended up taking the the table cloth with her.

Everything came crashing down. Which caused me to jump with a start. The man seated at the table with the woman seem to have shrunk further down into his seat.

The little boy finally reach the toy and picked it up victoriously and showed everyone.

“Look mommy!” He shouted with laughter. I swear his mother had this confused murderous look on her face.

Holding it in his little hands, it gyrated and flashed which seemed to jerk his little arms A bit.

“it tickles mommy!” He giggled and immediately dropped it back on the floor where it started on the move again.

”mommy look! Can I have it?” He said looking at his mommy while pointing towards the floor.

When it hit the floor the device changed trajectory and looked as if it was going to head towards the door of the restaurant and exit on its own.

A move that would have been much welcomed by the staff.

In the end it was one brave man who picked up the flashing gyrating, ahem, “object”. He seemed to be a veteran of incidents like this

He turned it off and, I swear to god, held it up to his nose and smelled it. He looked around and said “what? It don’t stink…”

There were gasps of horror and some screaming of profanities, couldn’t tell but I would bet my life on it. All directed toward this man who seemed not care one bit.

He looked at the shamed lady on the floor and walked over and handed it back in a very “Victorian knight surrendering his sword” type of manner.

Dignity restored.

All lower case and unpretentious. I am sure everyone who has ever started a blog always feels slightly deflated, after going through the options and payments to start a blog and then…

What do you write? What are the first words an inspiring scribe would like to scribble onto paper or the proxy we have chosen called the blog.

I wish I had words of expression to describe how vaguely insulting this feels. Alas, I do not. I am also scared of what happens when I start to pour my thoughts out onto paper. I am sure I should scare or bored you to death.

One shall only know if one starts such a journey. So here I go…