True Story

Debra over at She Who Seeks had me in stitches this morning with some of the Halloween themed images she’d posted.

One in particular, having to do with, instead of an Elf on the Shelf, do an Annabel Doll in the Hall ─ “that your kids already believe is haunted and keep secretly moving it around the house” had me ROFLMAO.

It also brought up a memory from when I was a kid.

I scare easily, so easily that when my own girls wanted to do a Halloween Haunted House, I put my big girl panties on and did the house for their sake; BUT, I sent them in ahead of me AND as the first spooky character showed itself, I closed my eyes, buried my head in the back of whichever of my girls was ahead of me, clung to her, eyes closed, and screamed my way through the haunt until I felt her lead us through the maze and outside.

After that, when they wanted to do haunted ─ and they did, I’d send them in alone and wait outside at the exit.

So, anyway, though I scare easily, don’t like to be scared, as a kid I did enjoy scaring others and Debra’s doll prank reminded me of when I had my brothers and sister convinced that I was cursed to, at times, become a werewolf.

As the oldest, left in charge when mom was working ─ now I don’t know if I did this to keep the others in line OR just for the hell of it, but I convinced them I had no control over when the change from human to werewolf would occur, that I didn’t want to hurt them so, when I felt the change coming, I’d lock myself in the bathroom to keep them safe.

Once locked in the bathroom, I’d howl and growl as they huddled up outside the door listening.

Once, and this was the last time I pulled that prank on them, I’d taken my mom’s cheap fur coat into the bathroom with me, wrapped my arm with the fur, howled, growled, then stuck my fur covered arm outside the door.

That was IT insofar as they were concerned. Hearing is one thing, seeing and thinking the beast already had an arm outside the door, not knowing what was next, had the kids running out of the house. Looking out the bathroom window, I could see them running down the street.

Where they were headed to, I do not know; but, I called them back saying I was myself again, it was safe to return.

I was cured me of becoming a werewolf after that, and I don’t think mom ever knew of the shenanigans.

But get this .... at my sister’s place for Thanksgiving back in 2011 ─ in her 60’s by then, I overheard her say to someone that “Shirley used to turn into a werewolf”. Whoever she was speaking with must have given sister a look of skepticism because sister followed up with “It’s true! I really saw it”.

I said not a word but, inasmuch as sister passed away that next year, every time I think of not speaking up, I feel guilty for having not dispelled sister of that belief, tell her how I'd tricked her and the others by covering my arm with mom’s fur.

I was much too gentle a mom to pull any scares on my own girls but, for reasons I can’t explain, Twin 1 must have believed I had powers that could not be explained because there was an event she and her BFF wanted to attend and was afraid would be rained out because it was raining so hard that day ... the day before.

Twin 1 comes to me (she was around 13 or 14 years of age by then) and says, “Mom, can you make it not rain tomorrow?”

“I’ll do my best” says I.

The BFF asks, “How’s she supposed to do that?”

“She has her ways” was Twin 1’s reply.

I thought about the rain stopping, that the sun would indeed come out the next day and guess what .... it didn’t rain that next day. Pure happenstance, but Twin 1 and her BFF didn't know that. LOL

Whatever so-called powers, or just dumb luck, I had must have dissipated over the years, because the plan this past weekend was to do the DC Batman 5K in some nice cool walking weather.

The 5K didn’t happen because cool weather didn't manifest, it was just too hot outside.