The craft alarm, today, sounded like shipping containers in distress—filled with festive kraken parts—plopping into the Pacific Ocean during a bomb-cyclone-atmospheric-river-event. However, this member of the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team is safe inside, doing a craft that’s quick; involves just a few markers; and does not require a crane, the United States Coast Guard, helicopters, or an actual kraken.
While Nate was at Costco, (during a break in the bomb/kraken cyclone), I found a wooden haunted house-shaped thing-a-ma-doo that I bought on a whim during a wild spring break in Michaels Crafts. “The heck with spring!” I must have shouted, giddy from guzzling a box of Peeps. “Let’s get ready for Halloween!”
However, way back in a corner of the craft drawer somewhere, that haunted house dinga-ma-boop stayed hidden—until now.
Too lazy to rake through Alex’s paints supplies in his empty room, I ransacked his old schools supplies instead (which were within easier reach), and found some markers. Then, I basically colored the haunted house-a-ma-roo in five minutes flat. (Full confession: I haven’t finished the other side, yet.) I had plans to spring it on Nate when he came back home, loaded down with packages—exhausted—and in no mood for shenanigans, which is the best time to for surprise-flinging. But, I held back because I got distracted by this thought:
What could be the reason for this house’s crooked lines and crazy paint job? What might be causing this house to be haunted? I got a list going:
–Kraken
–Underground zombie bomb cyclones
–Orcas that are bored and want to shake things up a bit
–Possessed thing-a-ma-bops, deep in the ground water
–Some guy’s cat
–A couple of deceased alligators and pythons on holiday from Florida
–A half-eaten toasted cheese sandwich that’s somehow wedged between a hair salon and a Taco Bell that fell into the foundation while the house was being built.
And that’s it. These are the only possibilities I can come up with, as the rain pelts the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team Headquarters, the wind blows, and Kraken tentacles fill the sky.
In Other News: I have another story out. It’s called “The Manuscript Room,” and it’s in Fiery Scribe Review, a super cool, brand-new literary magazine out of Nigeria. (My story begins on page 63 of issue 1).
Your Turn: What’s the most haunted place you suspect you’ve ever visited?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
I’ve never thought about haunted places. My dad used to tell my brother and me to “go haunt a house” when we were getting on his nerves–but I don’t think that counts.
Congratulations on your latest story publication! The tear is just the right image to follow the story.
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Thanks so much! Yes, they did an incredible job with the artwork and everything.
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You’re welcome! It’s always gratifying when a journal puts some time and thought into how our work is presented on the screen or page.
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Congratulations on your newest story!
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Thank you!
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Not really haunted by a place I looked at to buy to live had this amazing set of bedrooms with mirrors and murals and very large showers with multiple heads. The kitchen was sparse with no cooktop or oven. I realised it had been a brothel. I did not but it.
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Probably a wise choice. Yikes!
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I’m sometimes haunted by restaurants, usually Italian or Indian have the strongest manifestations. I’ll have shrimp scampi or lentil soup and no matter how often I use bell, book, candle and minty toothpaste, The Ghost of Garlic Past will reappear and make its presence known even in broad daylight.
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Yes–but it helps to ward off vampires!
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Ah, good point!
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I’ve been to a lot of places that claim to be haunted but sadly, they’re not! Congratulations on the story!
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Thanks! Yes, non-haunted houses/places, with real-life people in them, can be much scarier, depending on the situation.
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We did a ghost tour in Charleston (yes…I am oddly addicted to going to historical cities and going on ghost tours) I will say that there are some building there that genuinely freaked me out
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I love ghost tours! There were several I wanted to go on when we went to England years ago, but we spent so much of the day touring and walking, that by the time I’d get back to the hotel, I’d just want to go to bed. I couldn’t stay up past 8 p.m.! But that just meant we got a good head start on our day.
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💗💗
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…The St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico. 🙂
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Oooh!
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I love your list of what might cause the house to be haunted! Each one better than the last. 🙂
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Thanks! I think that’s a pretty exhaustive list. 🙂
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Yep! It ought to be one of those things for sure!
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