Sunday evening, I drove through old parts of my hometown. Parts that had that enchanting layer of pristine houses next to buildings that were abandoned long ago. The history there, whether you believe in ghosts or not, is still vital. People lived their lives in these places, and maybe that's what pulls me back: these lost and abandoned buildings...and how they are (in many ways) a continuation of graves for the dead.
Another element is actually talking to people who had (at one time or another) connections to these places. And there's always something quirky or off about the connections. Like Hank Jr.'s story.
Hank Jr.'s dad, Hank Sr., grew up in a loft on top of an old sale barn. Hank Sr. married, had children, and raised them in the same loft until 1960. So, what's so special about an old loft on top of a dilapidated sale barn?
Not much. It's just that next to the bed where little Hank Jr. slept was where his grandfather was found dead. Hank's grandfather, it should be said, was little more than 4 feet tall. The cause of death? An abnormally small heart.
The eeriness of the story? Hank Jr. alleges that before the building was "let go", he once found his young daughter upstairs in the old loft (then converted into an office). She was scribbling on the wall "little hearts will kill you."
When questioned about this, the girl replied, "that's what the little man told me."
Hank Jr. closed the sale barn for good in 1970. His father had been dead for nearly a decade. Hank Jr. was an accountant, not a farmer. And no one in the family had any desire to keep the sale barn going -- especially when the county built their own, which was much more modernized (and much larger).
The family still owns the lot where the original sale barn was, though. Hank Jr. says he will eventually tear what's left of the building down. Eventually. His daughter says he's been saying that for twenty years...
~~~~~
There are a couple projects I'm planning on finalizing in the next 6 months...right in time for the New Year (I know -- it's still only June!).
The 2nd short story for October Syndrome will likely be released as a free blog post on this forum (my way of saying thank you). The final odds and ends will be that the Lana Moon Facebook page has been closed.
Why? Because it seemed redundant since the original Facebook page (Moon/Bryant Books) is still gaining momentum. <-- PS: check out the link to those eerie ghost pics here.
That's it for now. More on those end of year projects soon! Thanks for following!
~~~~~
*images courtesy of Google. I do not own rights.*
