Dark Thoughts: My Story
A look at the paranormal from a professional amateur.
Vicksburg
When I was a child I lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi. My grandmother lived in a large, old house on the corner of Clay St. On the opposite corner there was another old house. This one was older, one story with a basement, and surrounded by an iron fence. This house had belonged to my Great Aunt Letitia. She’d died sometime in the late 1960’s and my step-grandfather being who he was refused to rent it or sell it. It sat there locked with everything left exactly as it had been the day Letitia died. Occasionally he and my mother would go in to make sure everything was in order and that no one had broken in. It never had been. It was a different time. The electricity, gas, and water had been turned off for decades. Growing up in the 80’s I knew all this.
An Old House
On rare occasions when my mother and grandmother were getting along I’d spend the night in her house. I’d stay in the big bedroom at the front of the house, just off the main hallway, on the side away from Clay Street. It had high ceilings and a feel of age I can only describe as oppressive. I’d lay there staring up at a hundred year old chandelier and try to sleep as the the traffic light outside shone red and green through the window all night. It wasn’t conducive to rest. At some point in the night I’d wake up and wander the house while everyone slept. The furniture was all vintage. I don’t think there was anything newer than the 1960’s in that house. The TV had a remote that made a massive “CLONK!” when you pressed a button so TV was out of the question. I’d just look at things. After a while I’d look out the window facing Clay St. and stare at the massive house across from me.
Visions of the Past
I brought up the situation in the house earlier because it comes up now. As I said, I knew the history of the house. I knew who’d lived there. I knew there were no utilities and the doors were locked and that no one ever went in there. I’d look out that window and see a lamp turn on in the bedroom window and watch as the silhouette of Great Aunt Letitia would go about her nightly routine before bed, then she’d turn out the light. I’d go back and lay down and pray to God I could fall asleep for the remainder of the night. It still stands there today and houses a law firm. I sometimes wonder what goes on there in the wee hours of the morning and if the lawyers ever find things out of place. . .
-Mountains-
A serene mountain landscape yawns; monumental evergreen trees fingering a brilliant azure sky stroked with wispy clouds. The air is crisper and fresher here, wafting its piney fragrance along the meandering deer path that bends and swerves down the gradual slope…
-Reset-
-City-
A bustling urban environment beckons, its diverse, brightly-clothed denizens laughing with one another, casually parting as you stroll through their midst. Sunlight dances through the crowd, reflecting off of towering buildings, cars, and bicycles. Sounds swell together as though breathing life into all interconnected within this rich tapestry of time and space. The street is a cacophony of alluring smells, and the savory scent of kosher all-beef hot dogs…
-Vegetarian-
Fragrant cumin zing of vegetable samosas…
-European-
Perfume of freshly baked baguettes embraces you in a warm hug as you sit at a small metal café table, savoring an espresso…
-Caffeine Free-
Lavender cremosa…
-Non-Carbonated-
Limonade…
-Reset-
-Beach-
The warm sand squishes between your bare toes as the soft ocean waves lap at your feet, beckoning you to wade further into the cool water…
-No Swimming-
The woven rope hammock stretched between two perfectly-spaced palm trees sways slowly as you lounge in its cradle, sipping a Mai Tai…
-Non-Alcoholic-
Iced lemonade in a highball glass through a red plastic straw…
-Eco-Conscientious-
Paper straw, the citrusy elixir providing respite from the steamy…
-Less Hot-
Warm breezy summer…
-Spring-
Spring air, children…
-Nature-
Birds…
-Silence-
You close your eyes, hammock gently rocking you to slumber.
We here at My Universe wish to thank you again for choosing our services. We know that there are many post-cataclysmic alternative realities available, and we appreciate your business. Please enjoy your respite from the societal collapse, and remember us next time you need to unwind.
And feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or here on her website. And if you really feel like getting away and helping clean up the beach a bit, check out this relaxing video from Dylan Clark titled Seagrass. Or maybe that wasn’t so relaxing after all… 😉
Somehow I came across an older Midnight Panther comic book, Feudal Fantasy #2 from the late 1990s to be precise, and I thought I’d reappropriate it into a new story as a collage. Anyway, this is what evolved. Honestly there wasn’t a lot of content to work with, but that isn’t surprising seeing as how that wasn’t really the point of the original… And sorry, I saved the erotic bits for another project, though even that was pretty tame in this one – just a bunch of boobies.
Images: Black and white line drawings of wide-eyed anime women and men in various states of undress, looking cute, being coyly pensive, and hack ‘n slashing.
Text reads: I like… men who are dying. We ought to just kill everyone involved. The scent of blood!! I never see his face, he always wears a mask. What a waste of time. I don’t like this. The horny bastard. What a pig!! -Slash- Sounds like it could be fun.
Images: More black and white line drawings of wide-eyed anime women and men kissing and hack ‘n slashing.
Text reads: Mercenaries of glorious Edo, if you can make the flowers that bloom along the rivers during spring drop their petals, then do so. I’m the Ferryman of the River Styx. Whssh.
OK, OK – here are some boobies since you stuck with this so long. And here’s a link to some more of my comic book collages, in case you are interested.
And feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or here on her website.
Black Friday.
You can’t beat the deals. So many of us. Waiting. Readying. Checking the time. Counting down the seconds. You better believe I earned my place at the start of the line. I’ve been camping out here since late Wednesday. Yeah, yeah, the holiday was yesterday. Whatever, I had my family’s full endorsement.
Because that new high-definition television beckons. The best in zoning out technology. All channel access. Cutting edge entertainment. Bleeding edge. That blade is sharp, baby. Like a razor.
But this kind of escapism is costly. A reality check says it’s not in my family’s budget. We don’t make that kind of money, and so here I am. Among all the others vying for the same prize.
Only one will get there first. Only one available. Must have TV. Must have T.V. Must. Have. T. V.
An employee approaches the door. Nobody noteworthy. A soon-to-be-casualty. No more. No less.
We rise and lurch into place. Ready…
On your mark.
Get set.
Go!
Original images generated with Nightcafe AI art generator.
And feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or here on her website. Or if you just want more zombies, might I recommend either Elvis or the Fashionistas?
-
Movies n TV6 days agoFreak Out, a Rocky Horror Memoir by Jennifer Weigel
-
Movies n TV5 days agoDexter lives in Original Sin, And In the Beginning
-
Book Reviews6 days agoDepression + Apocalype = ?: This Is Not a Test Book Review
-
Movies n TV4 days ago
Christmas Crime Story, A Nonsensical Holiday Romp
David Davis
February 11, 2020 at 5:39 am
This is a lot of fun, I have had my own little brushes with the uncanny that were a lot like this.
Ted Neatherwood
February 15, 2020 at 11:52 pm
It seeks out the receptive. Unless they’re desperate.