Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Creative Cooking & The Finale Of My Haunted House Series

Today's blogs....

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Creative cooking. Interesting. I was talking about this with my sister – in – law this afternoon. We were laughing about my husband’s inflexibility to eat new variations of foods he already likes. He refuses to go to Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt’s because they deep fry the turkey. He loves turkey, but he refused the deep frying of anything. So we will not be going to their dinner.

I don’t think we are going to his family’s gathering either as his other sister has decided not to cook a turkey.... instead there will be nibblies. I feel I am going to miss out on family gatherings and the tradition of it all... but maybe I will go visit my mother tomorrow afternoon before she goes with her boyfriend to his family’s meal – that is going to be at a local restaurant.

When I make something new, I try to always have things he loves with it so that if he does not like the food, he will at least have something to tide him over. Generally, he comes around to enjoying the new item – I do choose things that have a chance.
If I change or modify a dish we already enjoy, I am required to rename it so that he will not expect the same taste. My sister – in – law thinks this is funny.... and it is her brother, but it is what it is.

I save my creative adventures into food to those nights when my husband is working nights. Then I can play with tastes and try new things I knew he would not like.

The Haunted House - Day 10 - My Escape Or My Doom

The hallway came to a flight of stairs that took me back to the main floor. I started down them feeling the apprehension build with each step down. I tried to focus my mind and my breathing. Tried to latch on to a pure light within me and prayed for a way out. My mind caught on the wondering of where my friends were. All those footsteps in the front hall let me know I was not alone, but then again they could have been etched over time, but they have seemed so fresh and wouldn't the dust build and cover any evidence of others. If they were here, where were they? This thought skittered and fled around within my mind and I stopped on the stairs, willing myself to find my center and slow my thoughts back into the less frantic.

When I had managed some semblance of that, I resumed my descent.

I was careful to keep quiet and strained my ears to listen for any possible sounds. Muted shuffling froze me to my place and I turned to go back up, but looking back I saw nothing there, like the house was closing in on me and forcing me forward. The breath caught in my throat and I gasped for air clawing and flailing my arms like I was drowning. When I finally was able to draw in some air, I felt weak and faint. I leaned into the stairwell paneling and fought to regain my composure. I would need my head if I was going to make it out of here. Losing it would only ensure that I would lose myself forever into the depths of this house... something told me I could be wandering around for the rest of my years and that thought alone, chilled my blood and held me to my spot.

More shuffling focused my gaze back to the opening of the stairwell and I decided that being trapped within this small space was not safe. I needed to emerge into a room and find a place to hide so that I could plan some kind of escape. I began to move forward again.
Emerging from the stairwell, I saw no sign of anyone, but the room held a chill that had me wrapping my arms about me.

A loud thump and bump had me scampering behind a panel of curtains that hung just behind me. The dust filled my nose and I struggled to suppress the sneezes that threatened to give me away. I scrunched my eyes closed and held my breath listening as the bump and thump continued.

"They have to be in here!" growled a voice thick and rough.

"I think they all got away!" screeched a second voice. "Now what will we do?"

"Wait for more, I suppose... they all seem to stumble in here at some point. Curiosity and all that..."

"Curiosity?" the second voice screeched.

"A human trait... a weakness, I am thinking or else they would steer clear." the roughened voice grumbled.

"Well, I will go tell Greselda..."

"Don't. It will only enrage her and the last time that happened she blew out the wall..."

There was a pause and then they began to laugh, their voices high and low grating on my already strained senses.

When their laughter died away, the second voice whined, "I'll go back to the kitchen then..."

The rough voice let out another growl of agreement.

Then much to my delight the two left the room and I was left alone in the dark. For a moment I stood there considering my options. Getting caught now ensured the end of my life and that was not something I wanted.

I moved out from behind the curtain and felt along the wall hoping I could find some way out. My foot caught on a loose board and I went down hard. Feeling around the floor, I located the board and worked away at it until it released itself from the floor. A draft of air blew up through the hole.

I searched my pockets and located my flashlight, covering it to mute the light I angled it towards the hole to see if this was a possible option. Pale light, like moon light, shimmered like a dance beyond the boards and in my excitement I began to pry the boards up, careful to be as quiet as was possible.

When the hole was big enough for me to slip through I lowered myself into the opening. Just as I went to slip through, I saw the far door open. I looked up for a moment, and froze with the sight of boring red evil eyes peeking out from a dark hood in a flowing robe. The creature moved forward, almost floating across the room. A few feet from me it stopped and hovered. The eyes flickered, then darkness sliced the glowing light. It raised an arm and pointed at me.

In a voice that tripped along my spine sending out a flurry of trembling. a grating like nails on a chalk board the creature said, "Go and never return. You have been given safe passage. Be gone."

Freed from the creatures hold, I fell through the hole and landed in a painful lump on the ground below. Pulling myself up, I crawled toward the day's dying light. I emerged to find the sun dipping below the horizon. It left the sky a fiery red. The wind howled through the trees that bordered the house, their empty boughs swaying in the wind. An owl gave a hoot to welcome the evening and I could swear. I heard a wolf howl deep and threatening in the distance.

Gaining my feet, I drew myself up to my full height, then I ran. I ran without looking back. I had no wish to discuss my adventure, only a need to warn others away, but I knew the house would capture those that ventured forth. For me, I knew I would never return. The memories that stirred my mind were enough to give me nightmares to last a life time. What I needed now was a pub and a good strong stout. Drown my mind in the film of alcohol to dim the memories, at least for the night.