The Bathroom

August 2nd 2005 7:00 pm, the rain is pouring down outside. Kids are playing in the streets having a ball in the rain. The wind is blowing wildly. BANG there is a loud noise outside in the distance. The power is out in the house. I look out my door and see neighbors looking out their doors telling me that their power is also out. It is still light outside thought parts of the house are showing signs of night fall coming on. The birds are a little restless with the lights being out so early. The house has an eerie silence about it. The phone is dead. No calls in. No calls out. It is now 7:30 pm. The rain and the wind have stopped. It is very calm and somewhat quite outside, except for the sound of the crickets. You can also hear cars in the distance on the freeway. The cat comes in from the other room and stops at the bathroom door. She sits there in the doorway peering in, giving me the impression that she sees something. I slowly move to the bathroom with a flashlight in hand. There is nothing to be seen. Returning to my chair in the living room I observe that the birds have become quite now. As I return to my chair thoughts of the shower curtain fill my now slightly disturbed mind. A noise from the bathroom catches my attention. As I carefully listen I recognize the sound. It is the sound of the water running in the toilet. It stops and is quite again. Though I am left with the disturbing thoughts of what made the water run in the toilet. Now the house has become very dark. The dogs are lying quietly in the living room. Then suddenly with a jerk Gingers head rises quickly as she stares towards the bathroom. A very low growl comes from her as she stares into the now very darkened bathroom. Again I take the flashlight to the bathroom and find nothing there. I return to my chair where the oil lamp and radio with headphones awaits me. And again I find myself ignoring the shower curtain. The music from the radio calms my slightly stirred up nerves. Where I sit the bathroom is in clear view. It is not totally dark. The light from the oil lamp gives the room an eerie look. I can see most of the room except for behind the shower curtain. It is now 9:30 and very dark inside and out. I can hear the rain lightly coming down outside. The lights come back on, and 3 seconds later they are off again. Then outside there is a loud bang. A near by transformer must have blown. The rain becomes heavier and the wind starts up again. This time we also have thunder and lightening. For a brief moment my mind was taken from the thoughts of the animal’s interest in the bathroom. Though it has returned to wondering what caught the cat and dogs interest in that room. Suddenly I have the urge to turn my head and peer into the bathroom. With the fear of what I might see I talked myself out of turning my head and continued to watch the lightening show outside. It was starting to get warm in the house with no air conditioners running. Though there is a slight breeze coming through the screen door from the cool rain and wind. A half an hour has passed and it is once again calm outside. The wind and rain have stopped. I remove my headphones to hear what is happening outside. I can hear a rumbling sound in the far off distance. An air plane passed over the house. The dogs are sleeping peacefully. A car passes by, another car passes by. One of the birds fluffs their feathers reminding me I have forgotten to put them to bed. I get up to go to the kitchen, quickly passing the bathroom paying it no attention. I reach the kitchen and put the birds in their cage. As I turn to return to my chair in the living room not seeing the cat in my pathway I step on her tail. She lets out a scream and runs in the direction of the bathroom. I am not sure if she entered the bathroom or ran somewhere else. I shine my flash light into the bathroom to see if she went in there. I do not see her. I hear the raining coming down lightly again. I can still hear the rumbling in the far distance. In an effort to take my mind away from where the cat went I returned to my chair and place my headphones back on. The calming music will help to take my mind off the disturbing thoughts of the bathroom. Though before I place my headphones back on I can hear the weaning sound of the wind along with the pitter patter of the rain. It is now 5 minuets before midnight. I set back in my chair and relax listening to the music. Again the power comes on and off again followed by yet another loud bang. The dogs start to bark. Ginger runs from one room to another stopping briefly at the bathroom doorway and again stares into the darkness. All is quite again except for the rain and wind. It is now 12:05 am. The power has been out for about 5 hours now. Once again I settle back in my chair with headphones on. I must have dosed off. I awoke with the need to use the restroom. I sat in my chair wondering just how much longer it would be until the lights came back on. My mind was clouded with thoughts of the cat and dog peering into the bathroom. Sitting here in my chair with thoughts of not knowing what may be behind the shower curtain ran through my head. 10 minutes passed as I became more uncomfortable with going into the bathroom. The need to use the restroom has forces me out of my chair. As I slowly move toward the very dark bathroom my eyes are glued to the shower curtain. Nothing else mattered at that moment in time. It was like a magnet was drawing my eyes towards the shower curtain. With the flashlight in hand I enter the bathroom. Moving ever so slowly towards the tub my free hand reaches for the shower curtain. My trembling hand touches the curtain. Swiftly in a flash I rip open the curtain and in that very instance before I get the chance to see what was behind the curtain I am back in my chair in the living room. I sit there quietly for a moment trying to collect my thoughts. I look around the room. The computer is on and the dogs are quietly sleeping in different parts of the house. The birds are talking some but quietly. I have my headphones on with the radio going. I look at the clock and it says 3:07 pm. It is light outside and I am remembering the cat staring into the bathroom and the dog growling, the power being out and the rain and the wind. I sit there remembering all the terrifying events that just took place. And I remember all the fear I had just gone though, the bathroom, the darkness and the fear I had just before I opened the shower…………Then at that same instance of trying to remember what was behind the shower curtain I realized I had come in from working in the hot sun to sit and relax in my chair. I had dosed off and just had a bad dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the relief of knowing what I had just gone through I get up to go to the bathroom. As I pass the kitchen doorway I glance at the birds and see that they are just fine, then I look down and there is the cat. Just sitting there in the doorway peering into the…………