• NEW! LOWEST RATES EVER -- SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE VERY BEST PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! Welcome to The Paracast+, eight years young! For a low subscription fee, you can download the ad-free version of The Paracast and the exclusive, member-only, After The Paracast bonus podcast, featuring color commentary, exclusive interviews, the continuation of interviews that began on the main episode of The Paracast. We also offer lifetime memberships! Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! You can sign up right here!

    Subscribe to The Paracast Newsletter!

Happy Halloween! 2016


Decker

Administrator
Staff member
For years during the Halloween and the Christmas seasons, for fun, I would write holiday themed "shorts" to give to my family and friends. As a strict matter of fact my published novel Past Sins started life as a Halloween short. ( I called it Night Shift. ) Off and on I have been working on another short themed Halloween story that I have not finished yet. The following story "Uncle Dave- A Halloween Story" was one I wrote several years ago and actually I received some very good "reviews" on it from the folks that read it. It is about something that happened to a young guy and his very favorite uncle. ( I suppose most of us either have or had one very favorite Uncle, hell I did ... Uncle Mac. Mac was married to my mothers only sister. I lost him in the early part of the 2000's, a loss I still mourn.

So, Halloween is still one holiday that .. even now brings the wide eyed kid in me ... out! So, with all this being said .. if you like the season ... here is my offering just for you ... and I hope you enjoy it!


Uncle DAVE
A Halloween Story
by Don Ecker

Scary Halloween.jpg


They held the memorial service this morning at 10:00. Mom demanded it be held at the church, she refused to have anything to do with any funeral home. She had her fill of those, she said, when she buried her parents. Of course there was no body, so why have any hassle or expense at a funeral home? The police are still looking for my uncle but I don’t think they will ever find anything. Blood was all that was left and they matched that to Uncle Dave. Do I think I know what happened? Well I do get ahead of myself and sometimes I have a bad habit of that. I suppose I should start at the beginning, That is if you’re interested. You are? Okay, but remember you asked.

My name is Brian Winston, of the “northside Winstons.” Well, that’s how my mother informs people. My dad’s name is William Arthur Winston, he’s the middle son. My mom’s name is Shelia Anne Lovy, from the “wrong side of the track” Lovy’s. That part of the family immigrated from Hungary 3 or 4 generations ago. She is really the one that is the “ram-rod” of the family, I guess that is where a lot of problems came from. You see, my mother never met a situation that she didn’t absolutely try to control from the get-go. Had Shelia liked computers she probably would have eased Bill Gates out by now and would be running Microsoft. Got the idea?

cont. next


 
Oh, you object to my referring to my mother as Shelia? Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of her like a mother, she’s more like a Marine Corps drill sergeant. Well, that seems to be her shtick. I guess a little about mom might be of interest.

My grandparents, her father and mother, were both dead by the time she was 17. Now I will grant you, something like that is a hell of a trick to play on a kid. Maybe that was the problem, she didn’t get to be a kid anymore. She had responsibilities and they were Uncle Dave. When mom ended up taking over the family, Dave was just 9 years old. I heard the story a bunch of times from her, the damned state was going to take Dave away. If my mothers elderly grandmother, (my grandma’s mom) hadn’t come to live with Shelia and Dave, the state would’ve split the family. One thing you can never take away from Shelia, her backbone is solid stainless steel.

Now, just from what I figured out over the years, and from what Uncle Dave told me, Shelia forgot that she was Dave’s sister and instead acted like Napoleon Bonaparte. The upshot is they clashed, and from what I heard their clashes could have been mistaken for the big naval battle of the Monitor and the Merremack during the Civil War. Before Dave hit 12 years of age, right after his parents died, Dave was in his shell. He was about 12 or 13 when he came out of the shell and that’s when fireworks began. I guess Dave had a bit of the hellion in him. Of course it didn’t help that Shelia didn’t get to go away to school which had been her dream, instead she ended up attending our local campus in town.

Shelia met my dad on campus and they clicked. Well anyways, I was born 7 months after they married. Do the math, I did. When I mentioned it one time to Shelia during an argument about my playing football (don’t even ask how the one had anything to do with the other) she slapped me across the face. That taught me two things. My mother was VERY sensitive about my birthday and she had one hell of a right cross. I remembered both those lessons for a long time. I always remember when I learn the hard way.


Now a little about my dad, or as Shelia calls him when she’s pissed, William Arthur.


Shelia and dad were married in their last year of college. Of course I was on the way, but didn’t know it yet. Uncle Dave was still living at home and he was only about 14 or 15. Uncle Dave was just starting high school. Now dad isn’t the sharpest pencil in the box, but he is easy going and has a good heart. He works for his dad in grandpa’s furniture business. Well I guess I should say “furniture empire” because it is the largest in the state. Okay, the state is small but still..... .

Now most of my father’s life, from the time he was old enough to hold a gun, had been a hunter. His dad and two brothers all hunted and deer season was like Christmas and Easter all rolled up into one huge holiday. Sheila put a stop to that. As she ordered in her “imperial voice”, no firearm would ever have space in her house. She didn’t like guns, they were dangerous and the only thing they were good for was to hurt and kill things. Later I was to find out that my grandfather, Sheila’s dad, had been an ardent deer hunter. Go figure.

Uncle Dave took up hunting at age 16. I think in retrospect it was to piss off Sheila but Dave ended up loving to hunt and he did every chance he got. That ended up being another bone of contention in a never ending line of problems between Uncle Dave and my mother. What was really funny was that my dad would sneak out with Dave to go hunting. He kept his rifle and shotgun at his dad’s, if you can believe that. But things around the ol’ homestead kept getting worse as Dave approached graduation from high school. From what Dave later told me, they were really at each others throats by the time he did graduate. Uncle Dave waited until his 18th birthday and then enlisted in the Army. “Upwards and onwards” as he used to say. He couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Dave stayed in the Army for 6 years and would have probably made a career out of it but he was injured in a training accident. Dave, always a little crazy, (and I did agree in part with Shelia about that) had decided to go Airborne. He then volunteered for the Army Rangers. Dave said that the Ranger training was truly a ball buster but he stayed the course and graduated. It was later making a night parachute jump that his parachute malfunctioned and he landed bad breaking both legs and fracturing his back. The Army gave him a medical discharge and a pension and he came home after close to a year in military hospitals.

After the Army, Dave and Shelia got along a little better. Dave told me it looked like she was finally beginning to mellow a bit. I was about 12 years old then and Dave and I were really close. He would take me to the movies and we’d go fishing and camping. Dave used to take his .22 caliber rifle along and he taught me to shoot. I was surprised when I found out it had been his dad’s rifle the way my mother was about guns. I was treated like the son that Uncle Dave didn’t have.

cont. next
 
Now Dave was quite the devil with the ladies. That also ended up pissing Shelia off. She thought Dave should find himself a lady and get married. I never could understand the way she acted. In hindsight I think she was angry that he could play and she never could. It was as if she were Dave’s mother and not his sister, except he was the one person she could never get over on.

I suppose it was about a month or so before Dave went missing, he called me and asked if I wanted to go camping with him on the upcoming weekend. I had been dating a girl, Brandy Thompson most of the summer and to be honest, it was becoming a bit hot and heavy. Brandy and I had just had a small argument, and if I were really to be honest told Dave “sure”, just to piss Brandy off. I thought that if I were gone for the whole weekend, it would give her time to realize how much she missed me.

Thursday night I told Shelia and dad that Dave and I were going camping for the weekend and were leaving Friday afternoon. I got my sleeping bag out, rounded up my mess kit, fishing gear, camping knife and all that stuff, looking forward to getting outta Dodge for a couple of days. Now that I had graduated school in June and was looking at starting college in the Fall, I thought some time in the woods would do me good. Not to mention that I always had a good time with Dave.

Dave got over to my house at 4:00 PM, we loaded up his pick-up truck and told everyone we would be back sometime Sunday. Dave and I then stopped at the grocery store and loaded up with essential nutritional items (you know, stuff like 2 thick packages of bologna, mustard, pretzels, potato chips, Kaiser rolls, a case of beer, Ho Ho’s, you know, essential stuff) loaded up the cooler and we took off. We were heading to Lake Vista, a real nice and out of the way place. Vista is about 80 miles north of home, so we figured to be on the road for about an hour and half depending on traffic.

Lake Vista is a beautiful spot. Tall Pines surround the lake with areas that you can pitch your tent and make a fire. During the summertime a lot of people camp there but now with summer over and the Fall fast approaching we didn’t expect to see many folks about. I was looking forward to drowning a few worms in the lake and Dave said he just wanted to crack open a few beers and ponder the sky. Dave had been dating a divorced chick he met several months before but I could tell that there was something going on with that, he was surprisingly quiet about her. I knew better than to push it, but figured after he had a beer or two he would fill me in.

When we got to the lake we found a place right away, some distance back from the water. Behind us was a wooded slope of a hill, and the place was totally empty. I did notice a van about half way around the lake from us, but there was not even one soul in sight. Dave and I pitched our tent, and it was dark now, we lit a lantern, made some sandwiches, munched some chips and pretzels and cracked open a beer. (Well okay, I may not be 21 yet, but Shelia wasn’t here!)

“Well Ace”, (I preferred Dave calling me Ace to Brian, he had since I was a kid and it drove Shelia mad) “this is the life, ain’t it?” I smiled as I took a sip of some of Milwaukee’s finest.

“Dave, you do tell the truth, don’t ya?” Dave snickered while he drank.

“Yeah, I guess. Tell me Ace, is Shelia hassling you about leaving for college yet? Just who in hell is she gonna ride when you’re gone, your old man?” He laughed, only half kidding.

“Well, that’s hard to say. She rides me more lately about the girl I’ve been seeing, I think she is worried that Brandy might end up the way she did in college. It makes her crazy! Which reminds me, how are you and eh …” It took me a second to remember what the girls name was that Dave was dating. “eh, Jennie, no eh, I mean Jeanie. How is that going?” Dave took a long pull from the beer he was drinking, killing it off. He tossed the empty can and immediately popped the tab on another.

“Jeanie? Oh, okay I guess.” He took a long pull of that beer.

“Ace, you know that is one lady that has me tied up tighter than a drum. There really might be something there. I’m not sure yet, to tell the truth. You know, she has a kid from her first marriage and her ex-husband is a real dickhead. A couple of weeks ago I was over at her place when he dropped by to see his kid. He was about “half in the bag” and when he saw me he got real huffy. He said a couple of things to her and I offered to take him outside just to ring his chimes a little bit. She started crying, the kid was crying, all in all a shitty little scene. Don’t know if I want to deal with that on a daily or weekly basis. I might end up removing his ass and I really don’t need the hassle.” I nodded as if I understood. I decided to change the subject.

“Say Dave, you notice how damn quiet it is? Damn near not a sound, matter of fact I haven’t even heard a fish jump. And, did you notice that van down there?” I pointed out the van for Dave. “I haven’t seen anyone else around here, no other campfires, no lanterns, nothing.”

cont. next
 
Dave shrugged and took another pull on his beer. I leaned back and sipped at mine just enjoying the quiet natural beauty of the place. I yawned and then realized with all the fresh air, lake, the beer I had been drinking … I was ready to go to sleep.

“Dave, I’m gonna call it a day and hit my sleeping bag. You need anything before I do?” Dave leaned forward and shook his head.

“Nah, go ahead. I think I will do the same after I finish this beer, take off.” I nodded and went into the tent. I crawled into my bag and went out like a light.

Some time later, not sure how long, my eyes popped open. Silence reined, not a sound … no wind, no animals, nothing. The inside of the tent was as black as coal, I couldn’t see a thing so I grabbed my flashlight and not wanting to disturb Uncle Dave put my hand over the lense and turned it on. Now that a little bit of light was showing I looked around and I was inside the tent alone. Dave wasn’t here and my head felt like somebody banged on it. Now, that was weird because I only drank one beer. I don’t drink a lot but believe me when I tell you that a single beer doesn’t do to me what I now felt like. I wrestled out of the bag, got up to my knee’s and crawled out the tent. When I stood up a wave of dizziness hit me like a wall of water and I had to sit down. Now that was weird! Also, I realized I was sick to my stomach, and I had to hold on for a second because I thought I was going to upchuck. When the dizziness passed I looked around and no Dave. The campfire we had earlier had died out, Dave’s truck was there and I thought maybe he crashed in the cab. I struggled to my feet and stumbled over to the truck hanging onto the flashlight like a drowning man would grasp a lifeline. I switched it on and when I got to the drivers side looked inside and still no Dave. Another wave of nausea hit me and my head was really banging around and I wondered if I were coming down with the flu. Oh, great. I sat down and leaned up against the side of Dave’s truck until the nausea passed. When it did I looked around and suddenly noticed what looked like a huge campfire on the hill behind our campsite. The flames were really high and I wasn’t sure but I thought I saw somebody walking past the front of the fire. Really staring now another wave of mind numbing sickness passed thru me and I decided I had to go back to the tent and crash. I struggled to my feet, stumbled into the tent and down I went. Out like a light again.

When next I woke and opened my eyes it was broad daylight. Lying next to me in his bag was Uncle Dave. I still didn’t feel worth a damn but I sat up and decided what I needed was a strong cup of coffee. We had picked up a bottle of instant coffee at the grocery store the day before and I crawled out of my bag and went outside to get it. I then realized that my throat was burning sore and my neck on the right side hurt like hell. “Oh great, the God Damned Flu” I thought as I pulled the camp stove outta Dave’s truck bed. I set the thing up, pumped the mechanism to build pressure and then lit it. A bright blue flame shot out and I trimmed it to get the thing running the way it should. I pulled out the coffee pot, poured in some bottled water and put it on to boil.

About 5 minutes later I was sipping a bitter tasting brew but soon my head was feeling better. The instant coffee even seemed to help my sore throat so I sat down to wait for Dave to get up. It was now almost 9:30 AM which was unusual because Dave was almost always the first one up, way before I crawled outta the sack. Since he was still sleeping I decided I would have some breakfast so I broke out the Ho Ho’s. “Umm, soft chocolate sugary goodness!” I mumbled as I downed the sweet. Still no Dave appeared.

15 minutes later I got tired of waiting and went into the tent and tugged at his foot. “Dave, hey man, are you going to sleep the whole damn day away?” He groaned and turned over.

I looked at his face, his eyes still closed and I gotta say he looked like a 70 year old man! His face was drawn, he looked pale and sick. I yanked on his foot and was suddenly scared almost out of my wits. There was no reason for it, but that was how I felt. “Come Dave, get up! I’ve got coffee out here!”

“Uhh” he grunted. “Damn it Ace, quit yanking at me. I’m up!” He sat up and I beat a hasty retreat out of there.

I checked the water in the pot, added a little more and pumped the flame up. I got a cup for Dave and added the instant to it, waiting for the water to boil. Just about when Dave stumbled out the tent the water was ready and I poured him a cup.

Taking a sip he screwed up his face and said “Jesus, that tastes like warmed over panther piss! Who in hell taught you how to make coffee?” I looked at him and gave him a small grin and then shot him the finger.

We sat there for a few minutes not talking, then I remembered getting up in the middle of the night and no Dave. “Hey Dave, last night I woke up in the middle of the night and felt sick as hell. I looked around and you weren’t here. I even checked the truck, where did you go?”

Dave looked at me perplexed. “What are you talking about? I didn’t go anywhere. I finished my beer and hit the sack. I was here all night. Now that you mention it though, I had some crazy ass dreams last night.” I looked at him thinking he was playing some kind of game with me, but I can always tell if Dave is screwing with me and he wasn’t.

I decided to play it cool right now. “Ah, what kind of crazy ass dreams Dave?” He took another pull on his cup of panther piss, swallowed and looked off into the distance.

“Weird dreams Ace. Shit, you don’t want to hear my delusions, do ya?” I nodded at him.

“Yeah Dave, I do. Tell me.”

“Well Ace …” he started to talk then went silent. I waited for him to continue and decided to just let Dave take the lead.

“I dreamt that I saw a crowd of people around a really big bon-fire. They were just kind of standing there looking at it. Even in my dream I felt really out of it. I wasn’t concerned or anything, I was just standing there looking at the fire. Then some chick walked up and took my hand and we walked off into the shadows. We got some distance away from the crowd and sat down next to a tree. She took my hand and put it on her boob and then kissed me. Man, it was weird but I never felt a stronger desire to make it with somebody as I did right then. It was SEX magnified at least 1000%. Then while we were doing it she …” he stopped and suddenly looked scared. Dave scared? Never during my entire life had I EVER seen Dave close to scared. Now that scared me!

cont. next
 
“Don’t keep me hanging Dave. What did she do?”

He turned toward me. “Ace, it was just a dream.”

I shook my head. “Dave, God Damn it! What did she do?” I was adamant.

“Okay, she growled at me and then bit my neck!” He looked embarrassed.


“Which side of your neck?” I glared at him.

He reached for the left side of his throat and growled … “Damn it, it was just a dream …” and he stopped. He rubbed the side of his neck. “What the hell?”

I stood up and walked over to him. “Let me see Dave.” I pulled at his hand on the side of his neck. What looked like the worlds most disgusting hickey jumped out at me. The flesh was torn and it looked raw, red and angry.

“Jesus Dave, what the hell happened to you? Christ, let me get the first aid kit.” I hurried over to the truck and yanked the drivers door opened. Dave had the kit behind the drivers seat, I grabbed it and pulled it out of the truck.

Opening the kit I grabbed a box of gauze and a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and a tube of Antibiotic Ointment. “Come here and sit down…” I ordered. Dave walked over looking like someone had just told him he had inoperable cancer.

“What the hell?” he mumbled as he rubbed at it.

“Here damn it, move your hand.” I poured some peroxide on his neck and wiped the excess off with the gauze. I got a fresh piece of gauze, squeezed some ointment on it and plastered it to the wound. “Hold this …” I ordered Dave and went back to the kit and got some medical tape. Tearing off two pieces I taped the gauze to his neck.

“Okay Dave. Listen to me. I told you I got up in the middle of last night and you were gone. While I was outside the tent I saw a big bon-fire up the hill there.” I pointed up behind our tent. “I’m not sure but I thought I saw some people up there. Lets walk up and see.” Dave looked at me an then nodded.


“Yeah, but let me get the twenty-two rifle first.” Dave got into the truck and pulled out his rifle and a box of twenty-two ammunition. We walked up the hill while Dave loaded the rifle.

Getting up the small hill was no problem and sure enough we found the remains of the bon-fire. It was still smoldering, but was mostly ash. We walked around looking but other than trampled grass and brush, there was nothing to find. I looked down near the lake and that was when I noticed the van I had seen the day before. It was still parked with no sign of life.

“Dave, that van is still there. Lets go see if anybody there saw anything.” Dave just nodded and we walked down the hill toward the van.

From our campsite the vehicle was about half way around the lake so it took us a bit of time to get to it, but when we did there was not a thing to be found. No tent, no campfire, nothing but the silent and empty vehicle. Well, that was before we looked inside. Dave called out but nobody answered so he opened the van drivers side door and we found the inside covered in blood. “Oh SHIT!” Dave breathed out in an almost inaudible whisper. “Come on Ace, we got to get the State Cops.” I looked inside and my Ho Ho’s almost lurched up and right out of my stomach. I nodded in a numbed way.

We packed up and Dave would have done the Indy 500 crowd proud the way he blew out of there. He pulled out his cell phone and wouldn’t you know it but no cell signal. We had to drive damn near 10 miles or so and finally he could get a signal and called the State Police via 9-11. The cops told us where to meet them, they would get a Trooper out there to see what was what.

When the State Cop got there Dave told me to wait in the car while he talked to him. I watched while Dave talked then pointed back up the way we had just come from, then nodded his head. He got back in the truck and said the cop would follow us back to the lake.

A good 45 minutes later we were pulling in next to the abandoned van, the State Cop right behind us. He took our names, pulled out a tape recorder and had both Dave and me make a statement about what we saw … or maybe more correctly what we didn’t see. I glanced at my wristwatch and was shocked to see it was almost 1:30 in the afternoon. What had happened to the day? The cop walked over to our truck.

“Okay, thanks for calling and reporting this van. If we need anything else we will be in touch. You guys have a safe trip back home.” I nodded at the big Trooper. I also thought I would not want to be the drunk driver that ever gave this guy a hard time. And, Dave appeared very subdued.

We pulled out and began the drive back home. “What did you tell him Dave? Did you mention the bonfire last night or …” I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of Dave’s wound on his neck.

He shot me a look. “Tell him what? That I had some kind of weird shitty dream? Hell no. I didn’t want the guy to think I was nuts.” We had a very quiet drive home. Suddenly I realized I wasn’t feeling sick anymore, but I was feeling very, very uneasy.

Shelia and dad were surprised to see me home early so I had to tell them what happened. Well, I told them about finding the bloody van, not the weird thing with Dave. Speaking of Dave, I didn’t see him for over a week … or even talk to him on the phone. Sometimes a week or more passed before we hooked up again so I didn’t think much of it. Then Dave called me and asked me to come over to his house, he wanted to talk to me.

I drove over to his place and pulled in behind his truck. Getting out I noticed his truck was filthy which was unusual, Dave kept it washed and polished. I went up to the front door and pulled out my key and opened up and went inside. “Hey Dave?” I called out so he would know it was me. “You here?”

“Yeah, just a minute.” he answered. I went into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee from his coffee maker and sat down at the table.

Dave stumbled into the kitchen wearing a bathrobe and I swear to God, at first I did not recognize him. His face looked like he aged 30 years and he appeared very drawn and haggard. I was at a loss for words and sucking it up I blurted out, “Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with you? Are you sick Dave? You look like Hell!” He glanced at me while he got a cup of coffee and then sat down.

“Ace, yeah I feel sick. I don’t know what in hell is wrong with me. I spent most of the week in bed, barely able to get up to even make me a bowl of soup. I been having weird dreams again, and even though I’m in bed most of the day, I feel like I been running Marathon races I’m so damn tired!” I really looked at him and was feeling fear so powerful it felt like stark terror.

“Come on Dave, I’m taking you to the hospital, the emergency room. I don’t know what is wrong but you need to see a doctor, and I don’t mean later! Lets get you dressed!” I stood up so he couldn’t argue with me but he held up is hand.

“Okay Ace, but hang on. I’m gonna finish this coffee first.” I looked at him and then sat down. I then realized Dave still had a bandage on his neck. I had almost forgotten about that and suddenly I felt another rush of fear.

“Dave, let me see that “thing” on your neck.” I reached for the bandage and Dave suddenly shoved my hand away.

“Hey, what are ya doing?” he barked at me. I reached over again.

“Dave, let me see that.” He lowered his hand and I pulled the bandage loose and my breath caught in my throat. If anything, the wound looked more red and raw and much bigger than before.

“Christ Dave, what did you do? This thing looks worse than last week at the lake. Dave looked like he was totally defeated and lowered his head.


“I don’t know what the hell that is and it has me scared Ace.” He spoke in a very quiet voice.

Suddenly I had a thought and it chilled me to my soul. “Dave, you said you were having weird dreams again. Did you dream …” and I stopped to collect my thoughts. “… did you dream the same dream as you had at the lake?” He continued to stare at his floor.

Finally Dave looked up at me. “Yeah, I dreamt of that same chick. I’ve been dreaming that she is coming here to see me at night. Ace, could it be real?” Now I felt the shit scared outta me.


“I don’t know, but come on. I’m taking you to the emergency room and I mean right now.” I helped him up and after dressing I drove him to the hospital.

After the emergency room doctor examined Dave, they admitted him because they had a whole battery of tests they wanted to run on him. All kinds of blood work, they examined his eyes and ears, listened to his heart and his lungs and noticed that Dave had a dramatic weight loss. In less than two weeks he had dropped almost 20 pounds. They gave him a test to see if he had HIV or Aids, which thank God came back negative. But they also decided Dave needed a blood transfusion, he had an unexplained blood loss. They thing on his neck really mystified the hospital staff. The doctor that examined it said it looked like he had been bitten and no, Dave told them, he didn’t have a dog or cat, no pets or anything like that. He couldn’t tell them what caused it … and he wouldn’t mention his dreams.

cont. next
 
Shelia and dad went over to see Dave, and I went with them. I was glad to see he was looking better, even though he did have an IV plugged into his arm. Dave said they told him it was a broad spectrum antibiotic as a preventive measure, they wanted to make sure he had no free-ranging bugs in his system. They kept him in for a week and then told Dave he could go home. I picked Dave up and drove him back to his place. I carried his stuff inside and Dave asked me if I minded picking up several prescriptions at the drug store for him. His doctor had given Dave several prescriptions including some industrial strength vitamins to take every day. I told Dave sure, no problem. I put on some coffee for him, he laid down on the couch and turned on the boob-tube and I ran to the drugstore. When I got back Dave was asleep on the couch so I put his meds on the coffee table, turned down the TV and let myself out.

The next morning I got up about 7:00 and took a cup of coffee outside enjoying the last of summer. It usually gets cold here in mid to late September so we learn to enjoy every bit of the summer sun that we get. I thought I would call Dave up about 8:30 and see how he was doing. When 8:30 rolled around I rang his number and it rang and rang. Now usually I would just figure that he was out, but one day after coming back from the hospital? I grabbed my tennis shoes, did a quick and dirty knot and jumped into my car. I got to Dave’s house in record time.

Entering the front door and looking into the living room I noticed his TV was still on and Dave was lying on the couch. I went up to him and shook his shoulder. “Dave, Dave wake up.” I shook him again.

Dave groaned and his eyes opened up and he looked groggily at me. “Ace, is that you?”

“Yeah Dave. Hey, have you been here all night?” He swung his legs over and tried to sit up. I helped him.

“Uh, yeah I think so. Hey, what time is it? Did you get my meds?” I was worried all over again.

“Dave, I got your meds YESTERDAY. Here they are.” I pointed them out on his coffee table. “When I got back from the drugstore you were sleeping so I left you alone. Dave, it’s the next day!” He just looked at me.

“Come on Pal, lets get you some coffee and something to eat.” I helped him out to the kitchen and he fell into a chair. I put on a pot of coffee and then rummaged around looking for something to fix him to eat. He only had one egg in the fridge, so I took it out and then found a package of Ramen noodles. I put water on to boil for the noodles and dropped the raw egg into the mix. They cooked in about 3 minutes and I poured the whole thing into a cereal bowl and got his salt and pepper out of the cupboard and placed them in front of him. The coffee was done and I poured him a cup and then I sat down.

“Say Ace, someday you will make somebody a great wife!” he tried to joke. I shot him the finger.

“Dave, how are you? You didn’t look too bad yesterday but you look like hell today. Uh, are you having that dream again?” He ignored my question and tried eating some of the noodles.

“Damn, that’s hot Ace.” He blew on the steaming noodles and tried a little more. Dave managed to swallow the bite but then he put his fork down. “I’m not that hungry.” I looked at him worried about his health and state of mind.

“Dave, answer me. Are you having that dream again. The one where the woman comes to see you?” I feared his answer.

He looked at me for a moment and then nodded his head. “Yeah, she came again last night. I mean she came in my dreams. Its weird man, for some reason she frightens the shit out of me, but it is the most sexy thing I’ve ever experienced. Ace, I don’t know what to do!” This last came out as a plea for some kind of help. Hell, I didn’t know what to say.

“Look, I’m gonna call Shelia and tell her I going to stay with you for a day or two. Just until you get back on your feet and feeling better.” He looked at me like he was going to argue. “Dave, I’m staying and I don’t give a good damn what you say.” This came out of me sounding just like Shelia! He didn’t even blink but then simply agreed. Maybe I have more of good ol’ Mom in me than I knew.

I called Shelia and told her Dave wasn’t feeling too well, and I was going to stay with him for a day or so. She surprisingly said very little (I think she was more worried than she would admit) and said she would bring me over my toothbrush, comb, some under ware and etc. I told her Dave didn’t have much in the way of food and she told me she would pick up a few things on the way over.

A little over two hours later Shelia popped in carrying several shopping bags filled with groceries and carried them out to the kitchen. She ordered me to put them away and then went in to see how Dave was doing. He was once again stretched out on the couch. I heard them talking but couldn’t make out what they were saying, so I put away all the food. Shelia had bought several boxes of hamburger helper stuff, and I took a quick look and decided I could probably cook it without doing too much damage. Shelia chose that moment to reenter the kitchen and surprised me by telling me she would start a roast for our dinner that night. I carefully noted her directions on what to do after she got it started, then she pulled out a box of instant mashed potatoes and asked me if I knew how to cook them. I looked at the directions and nodded back to her. “Yeah, this doesn’t seem too hard. Add water, salt, milk and some margarine to a boil, then add the flakes. Yeah, so sweat.”

Shelia shook her head NO! “Brian, you don’t add the milk until the water IS BOILING! Then you add the milk and potato flakes!” Shelia strikes again. I nodded my okay. Twas’ much easier than the alternative.

She got everything ready, popped the roast in and set the timer. When she was done, she turned to me in a low voice. “Brian, keep a close eye on Dave. I don’t know why but I am worried about him. I’m glad you want to stay with him for a day or so. If anything is out of the ordinary, call me IMMEDIATELY! You got that?” I nodded. “Okay, I’m going now.” And with that she left.

I walked into the living room after noticing that the roast would cook for about 3 hours. Dave looked like he was snoozing and I didn’t want to disturb him with the TV so I grabbed several magazines he had lying there and took them out to the kitchen to read.

I hadn’t spoken with my almost girlfriend Brandy in several days, what with everything that was happening with Dave. I decided to call her up and let her know where I was. I rang her cell and on the second ring she answered.

“Hey, its me.” I began. “I’m over at my uncles, we just brought him home from the hospital yesterday and he isn’t feeling too good yet. I’m gonna stay here with him for a day or so, so if you want to you could stop by.” I waited to hear her response. She knew Dave slightly and seemed to always get along with him.

“Hi Brian. Gee, I hope he is feeling better. Yeah, I have several errands I got to run, but I can stop by later this afternoon.” For some reason, that really made me feel much better.

“Ah that’s great. Thanks. Shelia just was here and brought in some groceries and popped in a roast. It should be done by the time you get over here.”

“Okay, no promises but I’ll see you later.” She hung up and I went back to my magazine.

About 15 minutes later the phone rang and I answered it on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Ah, hello, is Dave there?” I wondered who it was.

“This is Dave’s nephew Brian. Who is calling?” I waited.

“Ah Brian, this is a friend of Dave’s. My name is Jeanie.” Ah, the oh so mysterious divorced friend of Dave’s.

“Well Jeanie, we just brought Dave home from the hospital yesterday and Dave is sleeping. Can I take a message?”

“Well Brian, if you don’t mind I will stop over later. Is that okay?” Ooo, I could feel the plot thicken. Actually I wanted to see what this lady looked like that my uncle had indicated could tie him up in knots.

“Yeah sure Jeanie. We’ll be around here, I don’t think Dave is going anywhere today.”

cont. next
 
Shelia and dad went over to see Dave, and I went with them. I was glad to see he was looking better, even though he did have an IV plugged into his arm. Dave said they told him it was a broad spectrum antibiotic as a preventive measure, they wanted to make sure he had no free-ranging bugs in his system. They kept him in for a week and then told Dave he could go home. I picked Dave up and drove him back to his place. I carried his stuff inside and Dave asked me if I minded picking up several prescriptions at the drug store for him. His doctor had given Dave several prescriptions including some industrial strength vitamins to take every day. I told Dave sure, no problem. I put on some coffee for him, he laid down on the couch and turned on the boob-tube and I ran to the drugstore. When I got back Dave was asleep on the couch so I put his meds on the coffee table, turned down the TV and let myself out.

The next morning I got up about 7:00 and took a cup of coffee outside enjoying the last of summer. It usually gets cold here in mid to late September so we learn to enjoy every bit of the summer sun that we get. I thought I would call Dave up about 8:30 and see how he was doing. When 8:30 rolled around I rang his number and it rang and rang. Now usually I would just figure that he was out, but one day after coming back from the hospital? I grabbed my tennis shoes, did a quick and dirty knot and jumped into my car. I got to Dave’s house in record time.

Entering the front door and looking into the living room I noticed his TV was still on and Dave was lying on the couch. I went up to him and shook his shoulder. “Dave, Dave wake up.” I shook him again.

Dave groaned and his eyes opened up and he looked groggily at me. “Ace, is that you?”

“Yeah Dave. Hey, have you been here all night?” He swung his legs over and tried to sit up. I helped him.

“Uh, yeah I think so. Hey, what time is it? Did you get my meds?” I was worried all over again.

“Dave, I got your meds YESTERDAY. Here they are.” I pointed them out on his coffee table. “When I got back from the drugstore you were sleeping so I left you alone. Dave, it’s the next day!” He just looked at me.

“Come on Pal, lets get you some coffee and something to eat.” I helped him out to the kitchen and he fell into a chair. I put on a pot of coffee and then rummaged around looking for something to fix him to eat. He only had one egg in the fridge, so I took it out and then found a package of Ramen noodles. I put water on to boil for the noodles and dropped the raw egg into the mix. They cooked in about 3 minutes and I poured the whole thing into a cereal bowl and got his salt and pepper out of the cupboard and placed them in front of him. The coffee was done and I poured him a cup and then I sat down.

“Say Ace, someday you will make somebody a great wife!” he tried to joke. I shot him the finger.

“Dave, how are you? You didn’t look too bad yesterday but you look like hell today. Uh, are you having that dream again?” He ignored my question and tried eating some of the noodles.

“Damn, that’s hot Ace.” He blew on the steaming noodles and tried a little more. Dave managed to swallow the bite but then he put his fork down. “I’m not that hungry.” I looked at him worried about his health and state of mind.

“Dave, answer me. Are you having that dream again. The one where the woman comes to see you?” I feared his answer.

He looked at me for a moment and then nodded his head. “Yeah, she came again last night. I mean she came in my dreams. Its weird man, for some reason she frightens the shit out of me, but it is the most sexy thing I’ve ever experienced. Ace, I don’t know what to do!” This last came out as a plea for some kind of help. Hell, I didn’t know what to say.

“Look, I’m gonna call Shelia and tell her I going to stay with you for a day or two. Just until you get back on your feet and feeling better.” He looked at me like he was going to argue. “Dave, I’m staying and I don’t give a good damn what you say.” This came out of me sounding just like Shelia! He didn’t even blink but then simply agreed. Maybe I have more of good ol’ Mom in me than I knew.

I called Shelia and told her Dave wasn’t feeling too well, and I was going to stay with him for a day or so. She surprisingly said very little (I think she was more worried than she would admit) and said she would bring me over my toothbrush, comb, some under ware and etc. I told her Dave didn’t have much in the way of food and she told me she would pick up a few things on the way over.

A little over two hours later Shelia popped in carrying several shopping bags filled with groceries and carried them out to the kitchen. She ordered me to put them away and then went in to see how Dave was doing. He was once again stretched out on the couch. I heard them talking but couldn’t make out what they were saying, so I put away all the food. Shelia had bought several boxes of hamburger helper stuff, and I took a quick look and decided I could probably cook it without doing too much damage. Shelia chose that moment to reenter the kitchen and surprised me by telling me she would start a roast for our dinner that night. I carefully noted her directions on what to do after she got it started, then she pulled out a box of instant mashed potatoes and asked me if I knew how to cook them. I looked at the directions and nodded back to her. “Yeah, this doesn’t seem too hard. Add water, salt, milk and some margarine to a boil, then add the flakes. Yeah, so sweat.”

Shelia shook her head NO! “Brian, you don’t add the milk until the water IS BOILING! Then you add the milk and potato flakes!” Shelia strikes again. I nodded my okay. Twas’ much easier than the alternative.

She got everything ready, popped the roast in and set the timer. When she was done, she turned to me in a low voice. “Brian, keep a close eye on Dave. I don’t know why but I am worried about him. I’m glad you want to stay with him for a day or so. If anything is out of the ordinary, call me IMMEDIATELY! You got that?” I nodded. “Okay, I’m going now.” And with that she left.

I walked into the living room after noticing that the roast would cook for about 3 hours. Dave looked like he was snoozing and I didn’t want to disturb him with the TV so I grabbed several magazines he had lying there and took them out to the kitchen to read.

I hadn’t spoken with my almost girlfriend Brandy in several days, what with everything that was happening with Dave. I decided to call her up and let her know where I was. I rang her cell and on the second ring she answered.

“Hey, its me.” I began. “I’m over at my uncles, we just brought him home from the hospital yesterday and he isn’t feeling too good yet. I’m gonna stay here with him for a day or so, so if you want to you could stop by.” I waited to hear her response. She knew Dave slightly and seemed to always get along with him.

“Hi Brian. Gee, I hope he is feeling better. Yeah, I have several errands I got to run, but I can stop by later this afternoon.” For some reason, that really made me feel much better.

“Ah that’s great. Thanks. Shelia just was here and brought in some groceries and popped in a roast. It should be done by the time you get over here.”

“Okay, no promises but I’ll see you later.” She hung up and I went back to my magazine.

About 15 minutes later the phone rang and I answered it on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Ah, hello, is Dave there?” I wondered who it was.

“This is Dave’s nephew Brian. Who is calling?” I waited.

“Ah Brian, this is a friend of Dave’s. My name is Jeanie.” Ah, the oh so mysterious divorced friend of Dave’s.

“Well Jeanie, we just brought Dave home from the hospital yesterday and Dave is sleeping. Can I take a message?”

“Well Brian, if you don’t mind I will stop over later. Is that okay?” Ooo, I could feel the plot thicken. Actually I wanted to see what this lady looked like that my uncle had indicated could tie him up in knots.

“Yeah sure Jeanie. We’ll be around here, I don’t think Dave is going anywhere today.”

cont. next
 
She hung up and I thought cool.

I went back into the living room and Dave was just opening his eyes. “Did I hear the phone ring?” I nodded to him.

“Yeah, your lady Jeanie called. She wants to come over and check on you. Said she would be over this afternoon.” He nodded that it would be okay that she dropped over.

I looked at Dave and I suppose my concern showed. I couldn’t figure out how to finesse what I was going to say, so I decided to just say it. “Okay Dave, lets do a serious talk with no bullshit, okay?” He looked up at me and stared.

“Look Dave, this reoccurring dream you have, I don’t think its normal. Every time you have it you seem to end up sicker and more drawn out. I don’t want to sound like I am watching too many re-runs of the X-files or old Twilight Zone shows, but this is just plain weird. What do you think, or better yet what do you remember about them?”

I waited for Dave to respond while I watched his face very closely. My question must have been close to what he had been thinking because he looked worried or even … scared? This look of … fear? was more troubling to me than anything because Dave just didn’t scare. Or so I thought.

“Brian, you know I’ve always thought you’re much more mature than your age.” Whoa! He called me Brian and not Ace. Maybe this was even more serious than I thought.

“I never really thought that Shelia gave you your do. Or maybe she realizes that you could give a run to most adults and that’s what bothers her, but that is one reason you and I have always been close. You and I could always talk and I never had to worry about you mis-understanding what I said. Yeah, sometimes I even think that you are more mature than I am. So, I’m going to level with you. No bullshit either.” Now I could feel my heart start racing and I waited for the shoe to drop.

“When this started up at the lake I thought it was just a sexy nightmare or bad dream but damn it Ace, this thing that popped up on my throat really freaked me out. For the life of me I couldn’t fathom what in hell caused that, except for what I remembered from that dream. And, you telling me that you woke up and I wasn’t there when I was sure I was, now that really blew my mind. Because if what you told me was true, and I don’t think for a minute it wasn’t, well … that scares me worse than …” he stopped for a second trying to find the correct metaphor. “well … lets just say I don’t really want to consider the alternative.” Dave leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes for a second.

“Now, if something really is happening, what in hell could it be? Is there really some kind of woman that … what? … materializes here in the house … to do what? To somehow drain the health out of me? Is something like that even possible, or are we both candidates for the state funny farm?” I had a thought of what it could be but there was no way on this earth that I would ever voice it. Did that make me a genuine “chickenshit?” Probably.

“Tell you what Ace, the only thing that makes sense is maybe from a church perspective. You know, I stopped church stuff a long time ago, but maybe I should call a Priest or sumpin’, cause if this is something beyond the normal, what the hell else could I do? I don’t know, I’m perplexed.”

I took a long look at Dave and I was totally confused and worried. In my entire life I had never witnessed the look that I was now seeing on Dave’s face, I had never seen anything close to this. I loved my uncle and this was tearing me up inside.

“Okay Dave, what about this? The doctors said you were worn down, that’s why the super strength vitamins they gave you. Look, I’ll stay here for a couple of days till you get feeling better, maybe all you need is some rest, but … maybe we should call a Priest. I can go over to the church and ask to see Father Malloy. He has always been a pretty good guy.” (Father Malloy was the pastor at Saint Patrick’s, the same church I was baptized in, also took my first communion in, and the same church that Betsy Hocksteader took me up to the bell tower to show me the “Holy Ghost” when I was 13. Uh, that’s a story I’ll hold off on for now!)

Dave just nodded and informed me he wanted to take a cat nap before his friend Jeanie came over or Brandy popped by. Later they both did make an appearance. Jeanie came by first and I discreetly made an exit so Dave could speak to her privately. Let me just say this, she seemed like a very nice lady, quite attractive and she was pissed off that Dave did not have anyone call her when he went into the hospital. After she left Brandy stopped by and much to my surprise gave Dave a “fruit basket” she bought “to help him get better.” Yeah, I knew there was a reason I was getting hooked on her. Brandy didn’t stay for dinner, she left just before I pulled Shelia’s roast out of the oven. And, I might add that it turned out pretty darn good, however my instant potatoes did end up rather runny. We finished them off anyways.

Dave was watching some TV while I straightened out his kitchen and filled the dishwasher up. (Now that was one thing I was grateful for, if there was one thing I really hated it was washing dishes by hand.) I finished up and joined Dave in the living room. When I sat down he surprised me by turning off the tube and turned toward me. “Ace, I’ve been thinking and there is something I want you to do for me.”

I said “sure Dave” and smiled at him waiting to hear his request.

“Easy Ace, before you hear what I’m asking you. If there is something to this damn weird dream thing I’m having, I mean if somehow its more that just a dream, well I’m kinda concerned about you being here, you know … by yourself.” Okay, I didn’t quite know what he was talking about.

“Huh?” I said.

“Ace, if somehow there really is some kind of woman, some weird kind of bullshit going on, well it seems like I’m really out of it … so you’re on your own. So, what I want to do is give you my 30-30 Winchester deer rifle tonight, loaded up and ready. You’ve shot the Winchester before and if there is sumpin’ out there … well that ol’ 30-30 ought to handle it.”

Dave had such a serious look on his face, I laughed out of nervousness. “Hey Dave, are you sure? I mean … what if I did have to shoot something, that 30-30 would blow that wall right out. Oh Boy, ha! What if I HAD A BAD DREAM … Brother, would you be pissed!” I laughed out loud. Inside my private thoughts however, I could still not really consider what I had thought earlier.

“Brian, I’m serious. I want you to keep the Winchester beside you, and I want it loaded. If something really is happening, I’m counting on you to handle it if I’m not able to.” Suddenly I felt a dump truck of terror landing right on top of my head. I couldn’t even speak so I just nodded.

cont. next
 
Dave got up and we headed upstairs. He pulled the cased Winchester rifle out of his closet and then got a box of ammunition down from the shelf. I pulled the old but very clean and well oiled deer rifle out. I looked at it and remembered that this had been my grandfathers deer rifle that had been passed down to Dave. He always told me that he was going to pass it off to me someday, and right then I wished I had never seen that damn gun. The implication of what it meant to hold this thing was frightening. I sucked it up however and nodded at Dave.

“Okay Dave, I’ll do what you ask but I’m sure as hell hoping this is crap. Give me a pillow and a blanket and I’ll get the couch ready. Hope you don’t mind if I watch some TV before I crash?”

Dave just nodded. “Sure Ace, help yourself. I think I’m gonna crash now, I’m bushed.” I nodded and got myself some bedding. I took the bedding, rifle and box of shells downstairs and made up the couch into a bed. I put the rifle and ammo next to the couch and then turned on the tube to watch some TV. Everything looked like crap so I decided to read a little bit instead. Dave had a wide collection of magazines and paperback books in a basket next to the couch and I found one paperback with a buxom looking gal on the cover and decided to give it the once over. The title on the cover was “The Terror in the Woods” which somehow seemed appropriate, so I decided to give the first chapter or so a read. I got about 5 or 6 pages into it and got bored with it. I decided instead to turn out the lights and try to go to sleep. I stripped off my shirt and pants, turned out the light and got under the blanket. Just then I remembered that I had not loaded Dave’s deer rifle like I had promised. I was conflicted about whether or not to load the thing. On the one hand I had promised Dave I would, and on the other hand the thought of actually loading the rifle scared me. I didn’t know then if I could really point that damned cannon at someone and pull the trigger if I had to. Not to mention that the 30-30 rifle was damned powerful and I was always worried where that bullet might end up if I shot it. After debating it in my mind for several minutes I ended up pulling 3 shells out of the box and inserted them into the magazine of the Winchester. I felt kind of silly as I gingerly laid it on the floor next to the couch. I turned the light out again and lay down under the blanket. It was as quiet as a church at Dave’s so I closed my eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

My eyes popped open and I realized I was numb with terror. There wasn’t any reason for it, I listened for a moment and to coin a phrase I’d heard once, the silence was deafening. The room was pitch dark and the only noise “I almost heard” was Dave’s wall clock that softly ticked the seconds away. I took three very deep breaths in an attempt to calm down my racing heart, and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what woke me in this state.

I heard what sounded like a footstep upstairs and wondered if Dave had gotten out of bed. I listened for a second and didn’t hear anything else. Then I heard a soft moan. I will admit now that I almost lost bladder control then.

I sat up and turned on the table lamp and with my hands shaking like I had palsy I picked up the deer rifle. I groped around for the flashlight I had placed there earlier and finally found it where I had accidentally kicked it half way under the couch. Standing up on my rubbery legs, I had to force myself toward the stairs. My breath was coming out in gasps and I suddenly realized that I was in the grip of a terror that I had never experienced before … in my entire life. I had the most intense desire to simply rush out of that house, running for my life, and never look back … but then I thought … “Goddamn it, that’s my Uncle Dave up there. He needs me.” I again had to force myself up the steps. I kept forcing one leg after another until I got to the top. I was breathing in and out in shallow gasps and my vision blurred, the emotions were so intense. I steadied myself on the stair railing, then almost fell into Dave’s bedroom door … and I found it shut. Dave always kept his door open.

I listened for a second and again I heard nothing so I reached for the door knob and froze again for a moment. Jesus, I couldn’t believe myself, what in hell was wrong with me? I grabbed the knob and thru it open, while holding the rifle in one hand, and trying to turn on the flashlight … all at the same time. Straddling Dave was a woman I had never seen before, and she turned toward me with a look of unbridled FURY on her face, enhanced by bright red blood smear across her mouth and chin. Then this bitch GROWLED.

“Jesus Christ!” I screamed, dropping the flashlight and trying to work the lever on the Winchester rifle. This bitched jumped off Dave, and flew right at me as I finally got a rifle bullet chambered, while trying to aim it at her. She backhanded me and my head exploded in stars and bright flashes of light, and I thought I heard the rifle go off. Everything went black.

Well, its obvious I made it, I mean here I am telling you about it. I don’t want to bore you with all the details so let me sum it up for you. When I came to, my head felt like somebody was inside it with a jackhammer. It pounded so bad I thought I had to throw up, but I didn’t. My mouth was filled with blood from the inside of my cheek bleeding from being smashed into my teeth. Oh yea, three teeth were loose from the whack that woman gave me, I’m still seeing the dentist about that.

Dave was missing and so was the bitch I saw straddling him. I guess she took him with her. I called Shelia and dad first and gave her the abbreviated version of what just happened. She told me to just stay there and stay calm ( that was easier said than done! ) she was on the way over. Dad called the cops and they and my folks all showed up at about the same time. I ended up going to the emergency room of the hospital and they treated me for a concussion, looked at my mouth, and there wasn’t much they did for that, they told me that nature would take its course and heal it up. Boy, I found out that eating anything with salt for the next week or so was a major mistake. The cops questioned me and I told them what I could, NOT what I thought. They ended up investigating it as a home invasion and kidnapping and grand theft auto. Daves truck had gone missing although it was recovered two weeks later up near Lake Vista.

Now, some more about Shelia. She knew something was totally rotten in Denmark. When I got home from the hospital she informed me that as soon as I was feeling better we were going to have a very long talk about all this. The next day we did have that talk, it lasted better than two hours and I told her everything I knew. I was kind of surprised that she didn’t say too much to me then. Then Shelia told me we were going over to see Father Malloy and get ready to tell him the story all over again. I didn’t look forward to that much either.

The good Father listened in almost complete silence when I lay the story out for him. Shelia then told me to go take a break, she wanted to speak to Father Malloy privately. I was real glad to get the hell out of there. Afterwards she wouldn’t tell me what they discussed.

About 5 weeks after the memorial service held at the church, I was home for the Christmas break. Shelia and dad had the place all decorated and were trooping on like everything was normal but I didn’t feel much like getting into the Christmas spirit. Brandy and I had gone out and had dinner and saw a movie and I dropped her off back at her house and went home. Dad was already in bed and Shelia was straightening up the kitchen when I came in. She asked how my evening was and I told her “okay” and I was going to have a piece of toast and glass of milk before I went to bed. She said she was off to bed, and would see me in the morning.

cont. next
 
I made the toast and poured a glass of milk and was sitting at the kitchen table when I heard what sounded like somebody walking on the patio deck to the backdoor. I listened for a second and got up and went to the door … turned on the backdoor light and my blood suddenly froze in my veins. Dave stood there looking in the backdoor window. Well, it resembled Dave but brother did he look skinny, drawn, and had what looked like a “crazy light” in his eyes. I blinked, looked again and it took everything in me to stop from screaming like a little girl. I heard him thru the door.

“Hey Ace, I’m back. Why don’t you come outside and visit with me?” I couldn’t do anything but shake my head “no.” “Come on Ace, its great out here.” I left the backlight on and backed up away from the door. Suddenly I ran into the other room and shouted for Shelia and dad.

Shelia came running down and asked me what was wrong. I was still so shocked I couldn’t squeeze a word out. She grabbed me, shaking me. “Brian! What’s wrong?” I was still trying to collect myself.

Finally I managed to suck it up. “Its Dave. He was just at the back door. Except I don’t think its really Dave!” Shelia ran to the door and looked out. “Don’t open it!” I yelled at her. She turned around and looked at me and saw the horror still stamped all over my face. She nodded her okay.

Dad called the police and reported that we thought there was a prowler around our home. The cops showed up and of course they didn’t find anything. I knew the truth however and I was determined to not let this thing get to us, I would do what I had to, to protect my family. Shelia however proved once again that she was tough as nails.

The next morning she and I went back over to the church and got a meeting with Father Malloy. She demanded he call the Arch Bishop, she wanted to talk to him, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She got her meeting and then did she surprise the hell out of me. It seems that way back when my great grandmother came to live with Shelia so she could keep Dave, ol’ Great Grandma used to tell Shelia stories about the old country. Stories that you probably would think was total bullshit, but stories that Grandma accepted just like you accept the Sun coming up each morning. And to my surprise, Shelia pretty much had this whole thing figured out FROM THE GET-GO. The old Hungarian myths and tales about the supernatural bogey-men (and bogey-women) was old hat to Shelia. I would have never figured that about mom.

The Arch Bishop listened to what Shelia and I had to tell him and instructed Father Malloy to assist in anyway he could. The Bishop was going to run this “upstairs” to the Big Boys in the Church Hierarchy. I would have loved to be there to hear that one.

Well, Shelia and I and Father Malloy (who does not look too happy) are driving up to Lake Vista to kind of scout out the area. Father Malloy has a kit all loaded up with vials of “Holy Water”, also “Holy Oil” and of course the “Host.” Shelia put a kit she pieced together in the trunk of the car that included among other things some wooden stakes that dad had made at the warehouse, a hammer and a few other odds and ends.

Shelia wasn’t going to let me go along, but she discovered that I have more of her than she would like in me. I would not take “no” for an answer.

Well, what do you know? My mom the “monster hunter.” Well I did tell you she had stainless steel in her backbone. The next week or so should be interesting!

The End ... and oh yeah ... Happy Halloween !!

Decker
 
Back
Top