Green Room - Week 2 -Day 6

[clauderainsrm]

If you missed the announcement yesterday - I extended the deadline until TONIGHT! https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1001164.html Which means now there's even less of an excuse to get your entry in! I'm hoping this means there will be fewer byes this week, but if there aren't, then there aren't. I did what I could do.

Perhaps I just need to kick harder!

***

We live near a "spooky house" by a cemetery.

When I say "near a cemetery", I mean both "the house is near the cemetery" AND "we live near the same cemetery as well". The busier entrance is across the street from our road and the less busy one, if you were to barrel through the intersection, you'd end up in the yard of the spooky house.

We regularly take evening walks in that cemetery, which is how we have encountered the house, before and after the transition.


I'm pretty sure there's a new owner of that place, because for the first time since I've lived in the neighborhood, they have decorated for Halloween. They have those purple and green lights on the house and yard decorations meant to convey a sense of being "spooky".

They shouldn't have bothered.

It was much spookier the way it used to be, before the new person moved in.

The yard was overgrown and vines were growing up the side of the two story white house with it's paint flaking off. There was a shed in the middle of the yard where, if you went out in the middle of the night, there was almost always a light on. I'm talking after midnight someone was usually out there, doing something.

There was an inflatable rattlesnake that was weaved into the chain link gate to the property and then of course there was a plain white van parked in the driveway with the only bumper sticker being one that said "Caution: Weird Cargo".

They could have charged admission to go to the old place, and maybe someone would have been scared - or perhaps they would have just ended up buried out behind the shed. This new one? I don't know, kids can probably get candy.

It's just not the same.

Comments

[rayaso]

First! Sounds like you're all set for Halloween. Also, you could be living near ghouls, zombies, and other assorted B-movie denizens. Has your neighborhood been missing any slow-moving teenagers -- the kind that ignore all the signs of trouble ahead and increase the body count of horror movies? Have you seen the new residents of the spooky house? In the daylight? Be afraid, be very afraid!

[clauderainsrm]

Aren't most teenagers slow moving? ;)

Yeah. I've seen the new residents. Which is disappointing since we never saw the old ones. (which just made it more creepy)

[bleodswean]

I've seen the new residents.

I wish there was a "new" Residents. I miss those crazy eyeballs.

[bleodswean]

Other than my "other" deadlines, I'm feeling pretty chill today having spent half the weekend writing for Idol. Of course, the moment you announced an extension my mind wanted me to sit BACK down and write a futuristic piece in which it only takes three generations post-EMP attack to wipe out all culture and history and in that scenario Mount Rushmore is stumbled upon and no one can figure out what in the #$%^ it means. I offer that plot bunny to anyone still trying to come up with something for this strangely difficult prompt.

I've always wanted to live right. next. door to a cemetery.

[clauderainsrm]

Technically we live a few houses down and across the street from one. But it's close enough that "someone" (not naming names) refers to it as "the park". As in "let's go to the park" or "I'm going for a walk in the park"

[bleodswean]

"the park". As in "let's go to the park" or "I'm going for a walk in the park" OH WOW!!! That's fantastic. *steals and runs away* I'm using that somehow somewhere.

Do these walkers stay on the paths?

[clauderainsrm]

They do.

Occasionally they might go into the currently empty field (although part of it is now being developed) to throw the ball for the dog. But otherwise they stay on the paths.

[tatdatcm]

We live across the street from the cemetery. Also next to a church (my husband worked there for years - still volunteers there). We go for walks in the cemetery all the time. I'm pretty sure my dogs go over there to make deals with the devil to extend their life span. We had one live to 20 and the other lived to 17. The new dog is six, so we'll see where she ends up.

The church is more haunted feeling than the cemetery. Especially when you have to go lock up at night in the dark. It's spooky. And creepy. The evil cat goes to the church. I'm pretty sure she's looking for absolution.

[bleodswean]

This comment FTW!!! You've got stories -

I'm pretty sure my dogs go over there to make deals with the devil to extend their life span. We had one live to 20 and the other lived to 17. The new dog is six, so we'll see where she ends up. I want to read this right now!

And The evil cat goes to the church. I'm pretty sure she's looking for absolution. I want to read this immediately after the dog/devil deal one!

OT

[murielle]

Sorry guys, I know I'm late with replies to comments etc., and my plan to re-work my entry is a no-go. I will read and I will comment and I will vote and I will respond to comments, but it might take me a bit longer than usual...struggling a bit these days.

[halfshellvenus]

I'm talking after midnight someone was usually out there, doing something.
Burying bodies, obviously! :O

I guess this proves that sometimes, a little mystery is more intriguing than the truth. ;)

[adoptedwriter]

We used to have a “vulture house” in our community. Literally w birds of prey casing and pooping everywhere. It was held up in a long probate battle. It got condemned and leveled eventually.

[sonreir]

Oh, wow! I totally missed the deadline, was perfectly all right with it, and cheerfully finished my piece after the fact with the idea that I would end up posting it as a "home game" entry. Thanks for the extension and the reminder, Gary! Looks like I managed to just squeak in!

[dmousey]

My hubs and I live across the street from The Old Leeds Cemetery, in NJ. We also live (no lie) a mile and a half from the House the Jersey Devil was supposedly born in. Now I'm not saying he's real, but none of the oystermen will be caught in the back bays at night! 😁

[dmousey]

I changed my declaration!!! I'm in!

[megatronix]

Hooray!

[megatronix]

I've never lived near a cemetery, but I drive by them sometimes. My grandmother used to like to say "that's where the dead people live!" and cracked herself up.

I just have to say somewhere that it was really awesome reading everyone's entries, especially since I took a trip to Mt. Rushmore over the summer. I'd thought about writing something super literal about going there, but fiction just worked better. Anyway, it's just fun reading stuff and thinking, hey I've been there! Likewise with people's writing about Los Angeles or any place else I've been! I'm going to have to read some Seattle based fiction soon, I think. :)