I let a woman stay in my house during a storm. She…
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I let a woman stay in my house during a storm. She disappeared overnight.
​
Its been years since I moved but the snow still amazes me. I miss the warm sunsets in the Arizona desert so much, but green keeps me here. The parks and trails here are so vibrant and full of color. I could do without the humidity but the humidity in the summer means snow in the winter. Snow is so strange to me. Its beautiful and pure at first but soon the cold seeps into your bones and the dirty roads turn the slush black. Its like watching us corrupt nature in a snapshot.
The worst thing about snow is the power outages. They happen here more than I have ever experienced in my travels. Last year we were stuck in a storm for a week without power. I was sleeping on the couch with my dog wrapped in blankets. I learned how to prepare better for this year. How to try to keep out the cold. My dog is fatter now so she is more prepared too. When I found her in last years winter storm she was a skin wrapped skeleton. twenty pounds underweight and laying in the road. She was so cold when I touched her I would have said she was a corpse but I saw her breath in the freezing air.
Its snowing heavy today. I brought my equipment home because I am expecting to get snowed in again. The news has been droning on about the "storm of the century." I swear they say that every year. My house isn't to far from the city but the area is unincorporated. You are on the bottom of the totem pole when only 80 people are on your portion of the power grid. I get it from a logical point of view. You have to prioritize densely populated areas in intense snow. It still sucks to wait days for the roads to clear. I'm not worried though, I am stocked up on canned food, a propane camping stove, and dog kibble.
I must have jinxed myself though, because I had no idea how to handle my surprise guest.
TAP TAP TAP there was a soft noise at my door. I might have missed it if Tiger hadn't started barking. She was at full attention and her eyes were locked on the front door.
I looked through my window. I wanted to avoid letting any cold air inside if possible. Then I saw her. A woman standing in the snow. She was in thin clothes and standing in snow up to her knees. I swung the door open and rushed her inside. She walked in and sat on the couch. She was shaking and soaked to the bone. I didn't know what to say so I focused on getting her warmed up. I brought her a set of clean winter pjs, fuzzy socks, and a warm blanket. Once she was changed and dry I started to ask her questions.
" Are you okay? What the hell are you doing out in those clothes?"
She stared straight ahead and flatly said, "Looking for a place to sleep."
I didn't want to ask if she was homeless, it felt rude. So I focused on keeping her comfortable.
"Do you want to use my phone? I was making some food if you are hungry."
"Yes please." she spoke so calmly for someone shaking with cold. Her teeth weren't chattering and her voice was smooth.
I went to the kitchen and tried to think of what to do next. I guess she was in luck because my chicken noodle soup was almost done. Just had to let the noodles cook. As soon as I thought that, the power cut off.
"This stupid power station sucks." I muttered as I put a lid on the pot. Hoping the heat would be enough to cook the noodles.
"It may take fifteen minutes to cook the noodles but hopefully they aren't too undercooked." I sighed as I sat in the loveseat sofa across from the woman. I was able to get a better look at her. She looked ill. Skin pale, lips blue, and her cheeks were hollow. Her brown eyes sat on top of sunken dark eye sockets. She needed medical intervention but there was no way an ambulance was getting down this road. Its not even paved, just uneven ground barely covered in gravel.
Eventually I served up dinner. A bowl for me, for her, and for Tiger. Don't nag me about what dogs can eat. She was so thin I let her get a treat when I can. Even dogs need a warm meal in the snowy evenings. She ate slowly but finished her bowl and brought it to the kitchen.
"Can I stay the night?" she asked in that flat tone of voice.
"Of course. What kind of person would let you walk back out there in this storm. You can take the couch and I'll grab you another blanket." I opened the closet to start looking for a thick blanket. "The main floor is the warmest because the house has crap insulation."
Tiger was still staring at the woman. It was odd because she was eating slowly. Tiger ate so fast I was usually worried she'd puke. Once I dropped a wonton out of the air fryer and she snatched it up before I could stop her. She immediately threw it back up, still steaming, before trying to eat it again.
"Don't be rude dumb dog." I said as I pat her head. "I will take the upstairs room. The bathroom is the first door on the right down the hall. You are welcome to any food you'd like but try not to open the fridge too much, it lets the food spoil sooner."
I took Tiger up to my room and got changed for bed. Before getting into bed I saw Tiger staring at the door. There was nothing there when I looked but I felt uneasy. I locked the door and slept with a light on.
The next few days were uneventful for the most part. The snow kept falling. It was difficult to open the back door to let Tiger out to go potty. I don't think the snow had been this bad since I moved here.
The main focus of my time was caring for the woman. She seemed to get sicker by the day. She stopped eating after the third day. The emergency services were no help. Whenever I called they basically told me unless she was bleeding out it was best to shelter in place. The woman wasn't even talking anymore. Just staring ahead laying on her side. I never even caught her name.
On the sixth morning she was gone. I came downstairs to an empty couch and blankets on the ground.
I looked everywhere. The bathroom, the basement, under the bed, I even looked outside. There were no foot prints or tail leading anywhere. The snow had stopped and the air was dead silent. No matter how much I tore apart my house I found nothing. Not a trace that the woman had ever been here.
I called the police and filed a report but there wasn't a crime. Its not illegal to leave a strangers house unannounced. Rude, yeah but not criminal or malicious. Eventually I wrote it off as a mentally unwell woman and hoped she got help on her own.
It was a few months later when I found her.
Christmas was coming up and I decided it was time to decorate. Not much but I wanted to put up my little plastic tree and get Tigers Christmas sweaters out.
My attic is very small. Its more of a closet then a room. Only part of the floor was finished and there is no light. The entrance is a small door. Small enough that a fat man couldn't fit through it. The door sits in the back corner of my bedroom, across the room form the door to the hall. My sister says it's a "Coraline" door, which I think is pretty cute.
I crawled threw the door with flashlight in hand. I pulled out the first box. When I set the light down to drag out the tree something caught my eye. A weird brown shape on the wall.
I stopped and took a closer look. It was a large paper like mass. Brown and red like dried blood. It was like a huge wasps nest but there was no way they could make something this big. Especially since there were no bugs flying or crawling around.
I inched closer. I don't know why. I have seen enough horror movies to know better but I was just so confused.
"What the hell are you?" I asked but heard no response.
As I got closer I saw the mass move slightly and heard a strange noise. A groan similar to a corpse lets out when the body loses its last breath. Something is alive in there.
I don't know what to do now. I pushed a dresser in front of the door to keep it shut. I'm sitting at my computer trying to figure out who to call. The emergency hotline was no help, they think I am losing my mind. Tiger won't leave the landing to the stairs. Her fur is bristled and she's growling in a way I have never seen.
#entertainment
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​
Its been years since I moved but the snow still amazes me. I miss the warm sunsets in the Arizona desert so much, but green keeps me here. The parks and trails here are so vibrant and full of color. I could do without the humidity but the humidity in the summer means snow in the winter. Snow is so strange to me. Its beautiful and pure at first but soon the cold seeps into your bones and the dirty roads turn the slush black. Its like watching us corrupt nature in a snapshot.
The worst thing about snow is the power outages. They happen here more than I have ever experienced in my travels. Last year we were stuck in a storm for a week without power. I was sleeping on the couch with my dog wrapped in blankets. I learned how to prepare better for this year. How to try to keep out the cold. My dog is fatter now so she is more prepared too. When I found her in last years winter storm she was a skin wrapped skeleton. twenty pounds underweight and laying in the road. She was so cold when I touched her I would have said she was a corpse but I saw her breath in the freezing air.
Its snowing heavy today. I brought my equipment home because I am expecting to get snowed in again. The news has been droning on about the "storm of the century." I swear they say that every year. My house isn't to far from the city but the area is unincorporated. You are on the bottom of the totem pole when only 80 people are on your portion of the power grid. I get it from a logical point of view. You have to prioritize densely populated areas in intense snow. It still sucks to wait days for the roads to clear. I'm not worried though, I am stocked up on canned food, a propane camping stove, and dog kibble.
I must have jinxed myself though, because I had no idea how to handle my surprise guest.
TAP TAP TAP there was a soft noise at my door. I might have missed it if Tiger hadn't started barking. She was at full attention and her eyes were locked on the front door.
I looked through my window. I wanted to avoid letting any cold air inside if possible. Then I saw her. A woman standing in the snow. She was in thin clothes and standing in snow up to her knees. I swung the door open and rushed her inside. She walked in and sat on the couch. She was shaking and soaked to the bone. I didn't know what to say so I focused on getting her warmed up. I brought her a set of clean winter pjs, fuzzy socks, and a warm blanket. Once she was changed and dry I started to ask her questions.
" Are you okay? What the hell are you doing out in those clothes?"
She stared straight ahead and flatly said, "Looking for a place to sleep."
I didn't want to ask if she was homeless, it felt rude. So I focused on keeping her comfortable.
"Do you want to use my phone? I was making some food if you are hungry."
"Yes please." she spoke so calmly for someone shaking with cold. Her teeth weren't chattering and her voice was smooth.
I went to the kitchen and tried to think of what to do next. I guess she was in luck because my chicken noodle soup was almost done. Just had to let the noodles cook. As soon as I thought that, the power cut off.
"This stupid power station sucks." I muttered as I put a lid on the pot. Hoping the heat would be enough to cook the noodles.
"It may take fifteen minutes to cook the noodles but hopefully they aren't too undercooked." I sighed as I sat in the loveseat sofa across from the woman. I was able to get a better look at her. She looked ill. Skin pale, lips blue, and her cheeks were hollow. Her brown eyes sat on top of sunken dark eye sockets. She needed medical intervention but there was no way an ambulance was getting down this road. Its not even paved, just uneven ground barely covered in gravel.
Eventually I served up dinner. A bowl for me, for her, and for Tiger. Don't nag me about what dogs can eat. She was so thin I let her get a treat when I can. Even dogs need a warm meal in the snowy evenings. She ate slowly but finished her bowl and brought it to the kitchen.
"Can I stay the night?" she asked in that flat tone of voice.
"Of course. What kind of person would let you walk back out there in this storm. You can take the couch and I'll grab you another blanket." I opened the closet to start looking for a thick blanket. "The main floor is the warmest because the house has crap insulation."
Tiger was still staring at the woman. It was odd because she was eating slowly. Tiger ate so fast I was usually worried she'd puke. Once I dropped a wonton out of the air fryer and she snatched it up before I could stop her. She immediately threw it back up, still steaming, before trying to eat it again.
"Don't be rude dumb dog." I said as I pat her head. "I will take the upstairs room. The bathroom is the first door on the right down the hall. You are welcome to any food you'd like but try not to open the fridge too much, it lets the food spoil sooner."
I took Tiger up to my room and got changed for bed. Before getting into bed I saw Tiger staring at the door. There was nothing there when I looked but I felt uneasy. I locked the door and slept with a light on.
The next few days were uneventful for the most part. The snow kept falling. It was difficult to open the back door to let Tiger out to go potty. I don't think the snow had been this bad since I moved here.
The main focus of my time was caring for the woman. She seemed to get sicker by the day. She stopped eating after the third day. The emergency services were no help. Whenever I called they basically told me unless she was bleeding out it was best to shelter in place. The woman wasn't even talking anymore. Just staring ahead laying on her side. I never even caught her name.
On the sixth morning she was gone. I came downstairs to an empty couch and blankets on the ground.
I looked everywhere. The bathroom, the basement, under the bed, I even looked outside. There were no foot prints or tail leading anywhere. The snow had stopped and the air was dead silent. No matter how much I tore apart my house I found nothing. Not a trace that the woman had ever been here.
I called the police and filed a report but there wasn't a crime. Its not illegal to leave a strangers house unannounced. Rude, yeah but not criminal or malicious. Eventually I wrote it off as a mentally unwell woman and hoped she got help on her own.
It was a few months later when I found her.
Christmas was coming up and I decided it was time to decorate. Not much but I wanted to put up my little plastic tree and get Tigers Christmas sweaters out.
My attic is very small. Its more of a closet then a room. Only part of the floor was finished and there is no light. The entrance is a small door. Small enough that a fat man couldn't fit through it. The door sits in the back corner of my bedroom, across the room form the door to the hall. My sister says it's a "Coraline" door, which I think is pretty cute.
I crawled threw the door with flashlight in hand. I pulled out the first box. When I set the light down to drag out the tree something caught my eye. A weird brown shape on the wall.
I stopped and took a closer look. It was a large paper like mass. Brown and red like dried blood. It was like a huge wasps nest but there was no way they could make something this big. Especially since there were no bugs flying or crawling around.
I inched closer. I don't know why. I have seen enough horror movies to know better but I was just so confused.
"What the hell are you?" I asked but heard no response.
As I got closer I saw the mass move slightly and heard a strange noise. A groan similar to a corpse lets out when the body loses its last breath. Something is alive in there.
I don't know what to do now. I pushed a dresser in front of the door to keep it shut. I'm sitting at my computer trying to figure out who to call. The emergency hotline was no help, they think I am losing my mind. Tiger won't leave the landing to the stairs. Her fur is bristled and she's growling in a way I have never seen.
#entertainment
source
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