Morning all. I hope your week is going well. I actually got a good night sleep and am feeling pretty good today. The weather is nice and my tomatoes desperately need water before the sun gets too hot. So let’s get started with this day before the plants wilt any further. Ready? Excellent.
Not sure where this is going, but it looks like it could be an interesting start to something.
Thursday, June 17th: I thought we were going to talk about aliens.
I thought we were going to talk about aliens. It was what I was led to expect. I came armed with all of my facts lined up in my brain. I went over the details of the few conspiracy theories I knew and memorized reference points. I even came across a couple of new theories that prior to my research hadn’t occurred to me. I added them to my mental list and added as many details as possible.
I was as prepared as I was going to get.
I arrived at the appointed time, bringing the bag of chips that was assigned to me as my contribution to the whole. I walked up to the door and knocked. No one answered. The house remained quiet. I waited, listening for sound.
I heard nothing.
I knocked again and held my breath as I listened for the sound of approaching footsteps from behind the thick door.
Nothing.
Had I gotten the date wrong?
Had the gathering been canceled?
Were they playing a cruel joke on my and hiding until I went away so I couldn’t join them?
I frowned and pulled out my cell phone. I called Hattie first. She would know if anything was changed and she was what my Uncle Jared called terminally nice. She was the sort of person who would bake muffins for someone who stabbed her three days after being released from hospital. If this was a practical joke, there was no way she would be in on it.
I pressed the buttons and held the phone to my ear. Hattie answered on the second ring.
“Hello,” she said. She sounded out of breath.
“Hi, it’s me, do you know if Todd’s gathering was canceled or moved or something?”
“Not that I know of. I’m almost there. Hold on I see you.”
I frowned and looked around. Sure enough Hattie was just coming around the corner. She was moving at a brisk walk, occasionally breaking into a trotting footstep. I hung up the phone so she could save her breath and tucked it back in my pocket. I likewise watched her drop her phone from her ear and slide it into her back pocket. In her other hand she held a two liter bottle of soda, her contribution to the festivities. It made me feel somewhat better about my bag of chips.
She came around the corner and stopped a few feet away. She panted and pressed a hand to her side as though she had a stitch in it.
“Ran late,” she gasped. “Last minute. Let me catch my breath.”
I nodded and watched as she took a moment to settle herself. I knew she lived only a few blocks over which is why she was on foot instead of driving. Slowly her breathing calmed and she wiped a sweaty strand of hair from her face.
“Do I look okay?” She asked.
“Fine,” I told her. As always Hattie looked round faced, pink cheeked and fairly radiated good will. “But if no one answers I don’t know if it matters.”
I turned back to the door and knocked again. This time we both waited, but there was no response. Hattie frowned, looking a bit like a disappointed cherub. She pulled out her phone.
“I’m sure this is the day and time,” she said.
Ten til Midnight 