Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Sunday, March 2, 2014

On a Dark and Quiet Night...


Debbie.
Mischief, mayhem and entertainment in one package.
In college, I shared a two-bedroom apartment with three other girls.
Debbie, she of the famed moth abhorrence, and I in one room, the other two girls in the second.
The apartment was on the main floor of an older, period home, with wonderful hardwood floors and original doors and fixtures.
And windows.
And therein hangs a tale. 
So to speak.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
We loved it there.
The south window in Debbie's and my bedroom faced the garage.
It was never locked.
The window, I mean.
With a barrel pushed underneath, it made an excellent entrance to our apartment.
None of this having to tramp around the house, through the entrance and clear across the living room.
Nope. We could step right into our room, drop our boots under the window, and we were home.
I don't think we used our keys to the front door once in the entire year we lived there.
And neither did our friends . . .
So noises from that window were not unusual.
Though not always expected.
One evening, Debbie and I were getting ready for bed.
Well, she was.
I was busy selecting a book for my usual nighttime read.
Without warning, the blind, which had been pulled down over the window, snapped up.
Whip! Whip! Whip!
Debbie, standing there half in and half out of her jammies, screamed. (And you can believe me when I say that no one could scream quite like Debbie.)
And scurried out into the front room.
Then she screamed again.
Louder, this time.
Then I heard a thump. A decided body-hitting-the-hardwood thump.
Thinking something had happened, I dropped my book and dashed out into the front room.
To find Debbie collapsed on the floor in front of our little entryway.
I should mention here that the entry to our apartment was about four feet square.
There was a tiny coat rack built into one side. On the wall between that rack and the door was a small window.
Uncurtained.
It was dark outside.
And the lights were on inside.
Moving on . . .
I rushed over to my friend.
And realized that she was lying there . . . helpless with laughter.
She had dashed out of our room, pulling up her pajama bottoms.
Then she had seen movement in the entry.
Someone was looking at her!
She screamed and collapsed.
Only then realizing that the combination of dark night and lighted room had created a mirror-like trait in our little entry window.
She had seen . . . Debbie.
It must have been a scary sight.

14 comments:

  1. I have so many college roommate stories...it is always fun to think about them and have a laugh!! Good story!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Funny story, nicely written. I've scared the bejezzus out of myself walking to the bathroom half-awake in the middle of the night and seeing myself in the mirror.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hahahaha!!! Too funny! Great description!

    I so sympathize with your friend - I startle easily (my family has learned never to come up from behind without a lot of noise) and usually follow it up with that helpless laughter ... I think it's a part of the startle reflex :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nothing freakier than your own reflection in the dark.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This reminds me of the story of the biker riding home from the bar. He pulls up beside a glass truck and sees his own reflection on one of the mirrors. He immediately challenges that scooter tramp riding that piece of crap beside him,to a race, or fight, or both.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is a very cute story; I am chuckling on this one.
    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can understand Debbie's fright; I've caught sight of myself unexpectedly a time or two.

    ReplyDelete

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