[crabapple]

Okay, here's mine. It's not too much but maybe you'll like it. This happened about ten years back. A friend of mine named Frank had bought a house out in the desert a good hour and a half drive from Los Angeles. Real estate was cheap in this area because seriously, this was way in the middle of nowhere and I thought he was a little kooky for buying something this far out. You had to drive through lots of totally barren desert just to get to their neighborhood, which was just a few streets stuck together. And some of the streets weren't even paved. I only mention this to make the point that by the time I got there for my first visit, I hadn't seen anyone for miles and miles and that feeling of being "isolated" was quite pronounced.

Anyway, it was my understanding that this neighborhood itself was only a few years old and had been nothing but rocks and tumbleweeds, probably since forever. So his wife Gloria has cooked this amazing dinner of beef brisket and fresh rolls and stuff. Dinner is nice, and so Frank says, "I bet you want to sleep in the haunted room tonight. Well actually that's the only room, unless you want the couch in the livingroom." It was a two bedroom house. He and his wife had the master bedroom of course, and the other one was like a small guest bedroom.

Naturally I think he's having a fun on me. I am also aware that the house is only a few years old and they are the first occupants. So the idea that one of the rooms is haunted doesn't make a whole lot of sense, right? I ask him what the deal is. "Well, I'm not going to tell you. It's not a big deal, really, it's a really subtle thing. You sleep there tonight, and in the morning you can tell me if you noticed anything. That way you can't blame me for suggesting anything to you."

This bothers me, because I figure, well, if he's not going to even tell me what it is, and wants me to find out myself, then there must be something to it. So I bring my stuff into the room, and I am kind of disgusted by the girly bed they give me...I don't know why, it's just all kind of...too nice and too unslept-in. It looks like a display bed in a colonial museum or something. It's all firm and cold, in fact the whole room is cold, this is the desert, remember, so anything that's in direct contact with the elements outside will become like a popsicle on a cold night. I never feel comfortable sleeping away from home, anyway, so I am noticing all the little details with dissatisfaction. One thing that seems reassuring is that the room itself is really small, so if it is haunted, then literally, there isn't much room for a haunt. Whatever the haunting is, it's got to be something pretty damn small.

(Continued in a moment.)