FOUR MEN

Source:p-e-r-p-e-t-u-a-l

I see the men.

They are walking.

Through the cold forest.

Coming closer to my house.

Snow swirls around them.

Their feet crunch on the ice.

There are four of them.

Why are they here?

Four men of the night.

The window mists from my breath.

It fogs my view of them.

I must run.

I must hide.

There are four of them.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Life can be lonely.
Life can be sad.
Why reinforce it?
Why stand alone?
No smiling.
No talking.
What’s next?
No breathing?

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 130

The party in Diane's glass house was becoming stranger and stranger. Linda didn't want to make friends with the guests. They were too friendly.   

     Caroline von Strobe seized the opportunity to speak with Linda alone. She smiled as she spoke. “We would love to have you as a guest at our castle. It isn’t cold and drafty like the way castles are usually depicted in books. It has been modernized with all the luxuries of a hotel. We have fox hunting, tennis, swimming, and any sport you could think of…I get lonely in the large place all by myself. John is away a lot on business and I would love to have a companion at those times.”

      “That sounds very tempting, but I’ve been very busy with my new store. However, when I have some free time, I’d love to visit your country. I’ve never been outside the United States.”

     “Then most definitely you must visit. I’ll have John arrange something with Todd. In a few months, there will be fox hunting. It is a very popular sport in our country.”

     Linda said, “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to skip the hunting. I adore animals and couldn’t imagine allowing one to be chased to be killed.”

     “We don’t kill the fox; we let him go. The chase is the whole fun.”

     “But the chase is cruel. The poor animal is running for his life—not knowing if he’ll live or not or if he’ll ever see his family again.”

     Caroline hung her head in shame. “You’re right! Now I can never go hunting again.”

     “I’m so sorry; I feel bad that I’ve ruined the whole experience for you. I’ve ruined many Disney movies for my friends. I could still visit and we could do anything else.”

     “Sure! We’ll find something that we both enjoy.”

     John walked over, excusing himself and his wife for the next dance. “The dance is a waltz. It is the most romantic dance, and we never miss it. We’ll see you again soon.” He bowed and left with his wife for the dance floor.

     She turned and found the Russian couple standing right behind her. Oh no! What could she say to them without putting her foot into her big mouth?

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 118

THE DEAD GAME — DAY 118

Linda and Shana continued their investigation of the town’s residents to find out who was responsible for the disappearances and murders in town.
They continued their journey down the road until they reached the tall black metal gate of the mansion. The house stood dark and bleak on a small rise of land that lacked any form of vegetation among its rocks and dirt. They entered through the open gate.
The property appeared to be deserted and very isolated from the rest of civilization. Shana shivered. The wind moaned, brushing the dirt back and forth beneath their feet like a giant invisible broom. Huge mounds of dust rolled by, resembling a deserted town from the Old West.
Shana heard weird shuffling noises down by her feet. She looked down and was terrified to find two Doberman Pinschers growling up at her.
Both of the women stood still, not wanting to agitate the dogs any further. A tall man approaching them from the direction of the house, called out, “Zeus! Apollo! Heel!”
Shana felt like she’d been in a vampire movie at the bed and breakfast and now she was smack in the middle of an episode of Magnum P.I. At least the man didn’t look like Tom Selleck. He was more of a cross between John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. He was tall, with a cheerful smile on his face. He looked strong and muscular. He also appeared ageless—like Shirley and Hank—with his thick black hair and unlined face.
The dogs trotted away, their tongues lolling out to one side, to stand on either side of their master. Shana realized that she was able to breathe normally again, now that the dogs weren’t standing so close to her anymore.
“What can I do for you, pretty ladies?” asked the huge man.
“We’ve been having problems in town and were wondering if you were experiencing similar unexplained occurrences out here?” Shana asked while eying the two panting dogs.
“What kind of occurrences are we talking about?”
“Strange shadows stalking us, young girls disappearing from town, and a deadly party at End House that ended in two disappearances…” said Shana.
“Out here it is always quiet, but over the years I’ve heard about the strange events in your town. That’s why I’ve kept away from town and don’t visit any longer.”
“I guess that’s why we’ve never seen you before. What about the couple who own the bed and breakfast? Do you ever talk to them?” Linda asked.
“I met those two a long time ago. I’d found them to be very strange, so I’ve kept my distance from them.”
Shana believed that they were getting nowhere with this man. She wondered if he would let them inside the house to look around. She noticed that Linda was glancing back over her shoulder. However, she was determined to remain here until she found some answers.
“Does anyone live here? Could we come in and see the house?” asked Shana, despite the murderous looks being given to her by Linda.
“Sure. I live here alone. By the way, my name is James. Please follow me and the dogs…they are really harmless, but enjoy barking at strangers.”
“My name is Shana, and this is Linda.”
They followed him through the front yard, which was overgrown with weeds. The tall trees and the rocky ground were bare of any greenery. Shana looked around and saw that nothing seemed to flourish here; even the house looked dead, with its grey walls and grimy-looking windows.

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THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 91

THE PEACEFUL TOWN OF OASIS WAS IN TURMOIL.
NOTHING MADE SENSE ANY LONGER.
ANIMALS ROAMED THE HAUNTED HOUSE. 
DARK SHADOWS STALKED THE RESIDENTS AT NIGHT.
SECRET PARTIES BROUGHT STRANGERS TO TOWN.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PERFECT PARADISE?
IT MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN THERE,
BUT HAS ALWAYS BEEN JUST AN ILLUSION.

     On their walk home, Linda noticed that most of the stores on Main Street still remained closed. People must have heard about the party at End House and decided to remain close to home.

     As they strolled along the deserted walkway, Linda decided that it was time to come clean to Shana about the destruction of her store and Todd’s strange request for a cover-up.

    “Don’t get excited, Shana, but on Thursday my store began shaking. The bookcases toppled over…one on top of the other…like dominoes. Then the shaking just stopped, leaving the store a total mess. No one else was around except for Todd, who just happened to walk in at the precise moment that the rumbling stopped. After helping me clean up, he suggested that I should keep quiet about the incident for now…that I should wait until he found some answers.”

     Now that she said it out loud, the whole story began to sound a little silly to her. She shouldn’t have agreed to hide the truth from everyone. She should have confided in Shana and her friends right away. And who knew if Todd and Sam were going to research the matter further? Maybe they were just going push the whole episode under the rug—like they had done with all the other unpleasant episodes in town.