Thursday, May 5, 2022
Thursday, October 28, 2021
The Were-Oak of Burton Road
The Were-Oak of Burton Road
The first time I witnessed the transformation I was startled to say the least. I had lived on Burton Road all my life and we were all, rightly so, extremely proud of our Heritage Oaks.
I was strolling, as was my custom, along the road, enjoying the view of those oh, so magnificent trees, when one of them, small, but still impressive, shifted slightly. I thought at first it was just the breeze but then I rubbed my eyes and stared in astonishment. Where, a mere moment ago, had stood a tree, now I saw an incredibly beautiful young man. As I started towards him, he shifted again and there was nothing left but a tree.
I could have wept I was so disappointed. Instead I boldly walked up to the tree and placed my hand against the bark.
"Please come back." I begged. "I won't tell anyone."
But there was no reply.
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When I told my sister Judith about my vision, she surprised me by telling me that she, too, had witnessed such an occurrence.
"Only once." She said. "But I always knew it was real. I even bought a mask, a were-wolf mask, of course, because who ever heard of a were-oak? Anyway, I wore it several times, walking alone at night, hoping I might lure him back. But no luck."
She laughed. "I still have the mask."
"You mean the one you used to wear at Halloween? I remember that. You still have it?" I asked eagerly.
"Sure. You want to borrow it?" She kidded me.
"You bet." I told her.
So, I too, took to wearing a mask on my nocturnal outings, but I, too, had no luck. One incredibly moon-filled night, in a fit of desperation, I took off the mask and I flung it down at the base of the tree -- THE tree -- the one I had seen transformed. I flung myself, weeping, at the base of the tree, and then I stood and threw my arms around it. I hugged it tightly, my tears still flowing. And then -- then he was there -- clasped in my embrace.
Later, he told me "I can't help it. Whenever there's a full moon, I feel such strange urges come over me."
"I thought it was a person who turned into a creature." I said.
"Well, mostly." he agreed. "But often it is the other way around -- flora or fauna can become briefly human. No one seems to notice, though."
As you might have guessed, I saw him only rarely over the years, but I loved him deeply and I think, I hope, he loved me in return.
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Sometimes, even now, living alone in the Ghost Forest, I can almost think I see him still, proud and free, part human, part Oak tree, as perhaps he was meant to be. And I mourn, I grieve, I long, for that past time when we all roamed as creatures of the woods.
Eerie Shrieks in the Night
Blood-curdling screams in the middle of the night blasted me out of a sound sleep. The shrieks went on and on. What was it? A dog being tortured? Domestic violence? Supernatural creatures such as Banshees? Or could it be the influence of the book on my bedside table? Although I adore horror stories, perhaps reading Michel Parry’s The Hounds Of Hell right before falling asleep wasn’t the best idea.
The shrieks had slowly subsided, then vanished. I would have thought it my imagination -- overactive due to my reading material. Or possibly the effect of the recent horrifying current news stories of Dr. Dog Killer and #BeagleGate. Except my son heard the sounds too.
Both of us, by now wide awake, speculated on the cause of the sounds. Someone being murdered? Wild animals? Years ago an eccentric neighbor raised peacocks and they make horrible noises too. Josh, much braver than I, grabbed a flashlight and ventured outside to investigate but found nothing.
The next morning we walked around our huge backyard to search for we knew not what. Extra-terrestrials? Or Satanic rituals? Mutilated animals? Discarded corpses in our woods? But again – nothing.
That night it started again. About the same time -- incredible yowling. Someone or something was terrified. Or in extreme pain. What could I do help? How could I even figure out what was going on? But this time it lasted only briefly and seemed to me to be on a much lower key.
This morning, thinking about the mysterious occurrences, I had a sudden epiphany!! Someone in the neighborhood must have adopted a brand new puppy. I knew it was quite common for pets to undergo a crisis when adjusting to their new environments. Imagine the upheaval. Old enough now to be weaned from mother’s milk but still living in the warm companionship of litter-mates, tussling, exploring together. New sights, new sounds, new people.
The little pup enjoys the attention from the new people and when they take him home with them, he happily prowls around, sniffing, playing. Night comes and he’s exhausted so he falls asleep in his new bed. When he wakens, oh, the terror. Where am I, he wonders? Where’s Mommy? Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, he wails repeatedly in puppy talk. I don’t know where I am and I want my Mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. This kind of behavior can last several days until puppy finally fits in with his new family.
And sure enough, later, on our usual walk around the block, we saw some people outside playing with a puppy. They apologized for the noise but we all agreed he was a cute little tyke. We spent several happy minutes watching the precious little baby – er, I mean puppy -- as he frolicked in the newly fallen autumn leaves.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Spooky sounds are coming from the kitchen. Is it Ghosts? Goblins? Witches or Skeletons? Peek carefully around the corner. BOO! Be ready to jump. But, hey, it’s just a couple of happy Holiday Bakers nibbling on their freshly made Gingersnaps.
Even though it’s not quite Halloween, it’s not too soon to start thinking about making some Christmas goodies. These two books can help kids do just that. Check out my books: Christmas With The Carruthers and Christmas Cookie Exchange.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Vintage "New Baby" Cards
cards from friends and relatives
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Mrs. McGruder and the House Full of Books: Easter Bunnies
Thursday, March 28, 2019
SPIFFNOTES
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Mrs. McGruder and the House Full of Books: CATS. And books, of course
Thursday, December 13, 2018
A Busy Time of Year
21st Century Five and Dime: Cheap Christmas Decorations
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Mrs. McGruder and the House Full of Books: Xmas 2018
Saturday, December 1, 2018
November Fuchsia
A single drooping blossom.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Vignetta Tomes: A Wrought Iron Candlestick
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
The Orange Cat Cookbook: HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Friday, October 19, 2018
BUMBLEBEES
The Orange Cat Cookbook: Autumn Leaves
Tyke Bikes
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Mrs. McGruder and the House Full of Books: Anne McCaffrey Books
Friday, August 17, 2018
Sheila Simonson Books
Thursday, July 19, 2018
A July Wedding
