Strange AND eerie.

[HogwartsAlum]

Aaaaaaa!!! You guys are freaking me out!!!!  I love it though. Even though I'll be up all night long. 

I hate when I go into a convenience store and there's no one in there.  I always think that it's going to be the next hit on the Killer Armed Robbery list!

What if you went to an antique shop that wasn't really there and got waited on by a dead guy you thought was alive? (That's part of what happens in another story I wrote.)

That would be okay unless he sold me something cursed a la Friday the 13th! 

No, no, nothing like that - he's not an evil dead guy antique dealer.

If I thought he was alive, then I guess it wouldn't bother me...if I went back and found that the storefront was all dusty and closed and someone said, "That place closed around 1923," and I said, "But I was just in there yesterday!?" I'd think it was kinda cool.  Especially if I bought something good!

[Bijou]

I gave up on the dental clinic where they never answer the phone.  Instead I found a clinic run by the the state department of public health. 

The building it's in is located wayyy out in a nearby town. It used to be a turberculosis sanitarium, which is why it's out in the country.  Now it's a long term care facility and has dental and vision clinics.  They have no ER.


Anyways, the place is just lovely in that old historical kind of way. You look out the window and you can see the old nursing school, which is vacant now.  Just imagine the stories that building could tell.

The staff is so nice and they charge sliding scale.

They even have current magazines neatly arranged in the waiting room.

Now here's the weird part.  Despite all this appeal, I have never seen another patient.  There are employees bustling around and the cafeteria is busy, but I have never seen another patient.  I always have a hard time getting an appointment and the phones are always ringing, but a live person?  Nope.

I even mentioned this to the dentist, she laughed and assured me they have them.

Is this a Twilight Zone episode waiting to happen?

Speaking of the twilight zone...My dh and I were driving back home from a day trip one night and were on a rural deserted road, dark, lots of tall trees.  Suddenly we realized we were in an area much closer to home than we should have been and neither of us were aware of having traveled so far.  It was like missing time that we both experienced at the same time.  We said, "How'd we get here?"  Very strange and unexplained, to this day.

I am just reminded of this story by our trips out of town.  We were leaving at night, in the dark to drive about 35 miles over a dark, isolated winding road and then on the freeway for another 150 miles.  When we got about 5 miles out on that old road, I started worrying that I had forgotten to turn off the light on my sewing machine.  We turned around and went back home to check and when we got home realized that we had a split in one of our tires, and that it probably would have blown out either on that bad road or the freeway.  The light was off and I can't help but think someone was watching over us.

[MadMadge43]

I am just reminded of this story by our trips out of town.  We were leaving at night, in the dark to drive about 35 miles over a dark, isolated winding road and then on the freeway for another 150 miles.  When we got about 5 miles out on that old road, I started worrying that I had forgotten to turn off the light on my sewing machine.  We turned around and went back home to check and when we got home realized that we had a split in one of our tires, and that it probably would have blown out either on that bad road or the freeway.  The light was off and I can't help but think someone was watching over us.

Ok, now that reminded me of the time that I took my 12 year old niece skiing in Northern AZ. On our way home we had to go through some majorly scary canyons and hills with many many turns. My tire kept acting funny, I'd pull over and couldn't see anything wrong with it. We had about a 300 mile trip home through these canyons and if a tire had blown we probably would have drove off a cliff.

I just kept asking praying nothing would go wrong. I dropped off my niece and drove home, as I entered my driveway my tire blew, I sighed and said "thanks Dad". I knew he had been watching over that trip.

[Bijou]

I am just reminded of this story by our trips out of town.  We were leaving at night, in the dark to drive about 35 miles over a dark, isolated winding road and then on the freeway for another 150 miles.  When we got about 5 miles out on that old road, I started worrying that I had forgotten to turn off the light on my sewing machine.  We turned around and went back home to check and when we got home realized that we had a split in one of our tires, and that it probably would have blown out either on that bad road or the freeway.  The light was off and I can't help but think someone was watching over us.

Wow.  That's a wonderful story

Ok, now that reminded me of the time that I took my 12 year old niece skiing in Northern AZ. On our way home we had to go through some majorly scary canyons and hills with many many turns. My tire kept acting funny, I'd pull over and couldn't see anything wrong with it. We had about a 300 mile trip home through these canyons and if a tire had blown we probably would have drove off a cliff.

I just kept asking praying nothing would go wrong. I dropped off my niece and drove home, as I entered my driveway my tire blew, I sighed and said "thanks Dad". I knew he had been watching over that trip.

Bless your Dad for keeping watch.  Wonderful story.

[Clara Bow]

Jean, about the getting further than you thought you were, I've heard of this and had it happen to me. It's called highway hypnosis. You get to going and you kind of zone out a little and drive on autopilot (for lack of a better term). It's especially bad when you're on the interstate and driving straight for long periods of time.
I'm so glad that you were safe with the split tire! I worry about people getting stuck on the road, even in ideal circumstances that can be very dangerous. On a country road at night? Yikes!

[sparksals]

This story reminds me when visited Edinburgh, Scotland several years ago.  I had just graduated from uni and dad gave me a ticket to the UK as a grad gift.  I had done all the tourist things in London and headed to Scotland, the homeland of my grandparents.  It was eerie enough walking down the Royal mile thinking that my long dead Grandfather used to walk those same streets.  I felt a very weird "connection" to the place.

Anyway, one day I went to Mme. Trusseau's Museum in Edinburgh.  I was told it was an absolute must to visit, so I did.  I found it extremely spooky because of the dark lighting and some of the wax figures in there.  However, what was even more creepy was I was the ONLY person in the place.  No one else was touring it, it was dark, creepy, gloomy and eerie. 

I had the heebeejeebees the entire time I was in there.  I kept looking around to see if the figures would jump out at me.  I literally RAN through the place I was so creeped out because I couldn't believe I was the only one there.  I can't even remember any of the figures in there because I ran through the place so fast! LOL

I still get a chill up my spine thinking about it.  The only other place I felt especially creeped out at was Westminister Abby in London where all the shrines of former royalty are.  I don't get freaked out at a cemetery, but I sure did there. 

Strange, eh?