The Ruby Rose Report: Walking with the Spirits

 

I enjoy walking around my village. It is quiet, except for the tiny white dog who lives four houses down, and charged me a total of one time. That interaction has caused me to stop walking and be carried until I am safely past the house. I don’t imagine I will continue to demand to be carried past that house after. November 1, 2027.

    Before moving here two dogs ago my parents lived in a condo across the street from the local state hospital for morons, psychopaths, and mental defectives. The designers of the facility created a tranquil setting with long tree-lined paths and soothing floral arrangements.

    It may have been good for the crazies, although I doubt any of the residents stopped beating an attendant with a hammer to remark that the Azaleas were in bloom.

    But if did make a perfect place for pups to walk, which Foley and Blake did, then later when Blake went to the Bridge, Pocket, did. My parents can still remember the spectacular sunset over the cornfield at the hospital, on September 11, 2001l, which told them that all would be peaceful again soon.

    Last week, when I went with my parents to run errands, and my Mom was dropped off to get her nails done, Daddy told me we were going for a walk, at the state hospital a half mile away.

I was nervous. I have never been in a situation where I wasn’t supremely confident, but this was like being in centerfield at Fenway Park. I would be walking with the legends.

We parked in the driveway at the top of the hill across from where the abandoned patient quarters once were, and where Foley would look up at the empty building with broken windows and growl like she did when she saw someone. One evening the old buildings burned. Dad and Foely walked over and watched them burn. The site is part of the Bridgewater Triangle, one of the largest areas of paranormal activity in the country. God knew what those walls were saying before consumed by fire.

The area where the building stood is still fenced in as if that could stop the spirits. There is a tree-lined path to the east. Daddy pulled me twice but I stayed on my butt until I saw them.

Then I saw them, the friendly spirits, Blake, Foley, and Pocket, urging me to join them, which I gladly did.

We walked together, me feeling for the first time a part of the family pack. We crossed the road to another, path, with a yard, with trees that have seen something, and the squirrels who I chased with Foley.

We walked past the corn stalks, and the greenhouse, through a field, and around the new gymnasium. Then we headed back to the car. I crunched my way over freshly fallen leaves and Pocket showed me how to make them fly.

When we reached the bottom of the hill I said goodbye to my angel sisters, and led Daddy up the hill and back to the car where I laid down on a mat and gave thank that I lived on the edge of a paranormal ground zero which made it a lot easier to walk with my angel friends.

I am looking forward to the next one. I just hope there are no pukwudgies around.