Happy Halloween

So this story didn't happen on Halloween but aside from being a parent, this is the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.

As a young teenager I held a job that many teenagers hold.  Babysitter.  I mainly babysat Saturday mornings, but sometimes I was required on weeknights.  

There was a boy and a girl.  The boy always went to bed without a problem.  He was used to routine and he stuck to it.  The girl on the other hand was a princess.  She didn't like going to sleep in her own room at night,  and she was afraid of the dark.  So the routine with her became letting her fall asleep on the couch and then carry her into her bed.   Not long after this began, I learned she was a sleep talker.  Fun at first, but it lost it's flare so I soon learned that when she started talking it was time to put her in bed.

One night, I was watching cable tv (a luxury at that time) and the girl was drifting asleep on the couch.  The lights were off and I became entranced in what ever show was on at 9:00pm at night.  The girl began to talk so I set the remote down and got up and walked over to her.  As I got a couple feet away, I noticed her eyes were wide open and they were set on me.

"Oh, you're awake.  Do you need a drink?"

Blank stare, and no answer.

"Hey, what did you say?" I prodded to no avail.

I felt something was off so I took a step closer and leaned in and said her name.

At the sound of her name she instantly sat straight up and her eyes were fixed on mine.
Her face glowed in the reflection of the television.  Her hair was disheveled and frizzy.  She didn't blink. Not once.

My heart began to race as I said "Hello!  Ash!  Are you awake!??!"  And she kept staring.  Then she began to mumble.

"What!?" I spat out in a whisper.

She repeated her mumble.

"Ashton!  Wake up!"

And she laid back down.  Still staring at me.  Not blinking.

She finally closed her eyes and turned her head.

She had a tv in her room so I left her on the couch and watched tv in there until her mom got home.

I swear I'm not high

So I went to the bathroom today at work.  Not a ground breaking experience but something did happen that was worth a blog.

Whilst on the throne, I looked down at the floor and noticed a cute little centipede, no longer than an inch, making its way to who knows where.  I watched as its tiny little legs made wave like ripples through its body.  It was almost poetic.   Then I witnessed it making a zig zag formation and as my little bug went on, I thought maybe it would walk in the depression of the tiles, but no, it turned it's head and again the path turned jagged.

This puzzled me.  Why wouldn't this damned bug walk in a straight line?  Then I pondered, why do I expect it to?  Does this bug know where it is traveling to?  Do I know where I am traveling to?  Do I walk in straight lines? 

Sometimes I feel like people expect me to walk in the depression of the tiles.  An indentation that they made themselves and expect me to just follow along.

So then I thought, way to go little bug!  Do your own thing!  I don't know where you are going, and I don't know where I am going, but we are going to find our own paths to get there!  And then the wave motioned body crawled out of my sight and I realized where I was.  So I finished my business and exited the stall. 

Kind of intense for a bathroom break eh?