Note: I had to edit this. I wrote it early this morning and it seems my normal biorhythms will affect my ability to communicate.ha. Thank you to Fairy for being the first one to suck it up and say something along the lines of: "Huh, what are you talking about woman?" I wondered why no one had commented.
--------------------------------
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Not because I was the only one at work--
(incidentally, I like to work late,
in fact I don't even consider myself fully conscious until after 4 pm night person that I am).
or because it was dark
or because I don't generally believe in the paranormal.
well other than being accused of not being normal myself.

Still
Like I said, the hair on my neck was up on end night before last.

Ohmyhell," I thought straining to see and hear.

(Thanks for the new expletive L, I knew it would come in handy when I read it on your blog
just not this soon or for this kind of reason.)

Trying to reason things out did not correlate to other human processes,
in this case the process being thought--
I was trying to identify the noises I was hearing from the other part of the school. I was trying to be rational and not choke on my heart now pounding somewhere up around my tonsils as the sounds came from down and across the hall.

I looked down the hallway transformed from a lack of light.
The normally short, sunny, hallway with pictures of scarecrows and pilgrims plastered on the walls
was now a narrow, incredibly long portal
which I wouldn't run down now if I was on fire
and water was on the other end.


"Hello?"
Is anyone there?" I say trying to sound casual and vague.

Sick pause.

"Why are you asking that you idiot?" I think.
"It's 130 in the morning.
No one that you WANT to know is there, is there,
so why are you trying to strike up a conversation with them?
Finish painting your damn flag for Veteran's Day,
get your purse
and
get
the
fuck
out,
dumbass."

Logic and processing were starting to jibe.

Good plan, I think.

Fast forward to playground the next day.
Two faculty were standing on the steps having a chat.

I bypass pleasantries.
Actually,
I probably totally interrupted the conversation
about just how afflicted one of the kindergartners is
as we all watch him fall off the back end of the swing for the fourth brain stem bruising time to find out more about the night before from my colleagues.

"So umm..when did someone plan on telling the new girl?"

They look at me with eyebrows up.

"Uh huh...don't look at me like that.
When had you brilliant people planned on mentioning the 'night' faculty to me?"

"You,"pointing to the Blond, "went to school here and
"You,"pointing to the Brunette, "were here when she, pointing to the Blondie, was toting her Scooby Doo lunch box. You both have to know something about whatever is wandering around in that school at night."

Their eyes get bigger.

"WTF people?"
By this time I'm laughing and gauging a the 'should we tell her looks' they are exchanging.

"Spill!!!!, I say, then rethink.

"No wait.
I'll tell you what I heard and you just tell me I'm not crazy.
It's a good plan.
K?"

They nod.

"Okay here goes," I say as I tick things off on my fingers.

"Doors slamming,
someone walking with keys in their pocket,
and knobs turning on the doors.
How 'bout that?"

I look from one of them to the other them expectantly in a kind of 'so where is your homework?' kind of way.

They both start in at the same time:

"Well you have been coming late since school started and you never said anything"
"We wondered, but you never--"

I interrupted them for the second time silently comparing the goosebumps on my arms to theirs...

"Yeah yeah...what were you waiting for--the bad Monday night movie to come out???
I mean.
COME
ON
PEOPLE.
Why didn't anyone tell me about the ghost or whatever it is in there?"

"Yep," nods the brunette to the blond, "She definitely heard him."

"Ohmyhell...," I mutter.

"Well," the brunette goes on, "did you hear any growling? He'll growl at you sometimes."

OH.
MY.
HELL!!!!
now they know the new expletive,too.

Let me tell you something dear readers, I will never be hearing any freaking growling,
much less
door slamming,
knob turning
or key rattling again
cause, I am now officially a morning person.