Fast Feet

"Things happen for a reason"...What a cliche. It's certainly been around for many, upon many years. I grew up hearing it, as did my parents, their parents before them, and now my children hear it.

But there are some things that do happen, that have no reason behind it. There are no explanations. No way of figuring out why it happened.

Take for instance, the time that I was twelve years old. My mother had recently passed away, just about a month before. Of course, it was just myself and my father at the time. He was in a very deep state of depression and grief. I was also grieving, in my own way, being my father was so bad. But I didn't 'show' mine. And I did what I could to go on with life as normally as I could for my situation.

Late one night, say about 2:30, or 3:00 in the morning, I was unusually thirsty. This is not a normal thing for me. Not then, not now these days (unless I'm sick, I don't get up in the middle of the night for anything). But on this particular very late night (or very early morning if you wish to say) I had this huge urge to get a drink.

The way the kitchen was set up, and it's route of entry varied. You could go from the main hall that leads to the bedrooms and the hall bath, to the living room. Or take a shorter cut by going in to the side hall that goes in to the sink and refrigerator side of the kitchen and where the door was to go out to the back yard and back porch.

Needless to say, I decided to take the back hall that lead to outside in the back of the house. It was an eat-in, full kitchen. As I entered through the side hall, I had to pass the fridge on my right, the sink on the left that was directly parallel to the fridge. Then, pass the stove that was on the fridge's side, but was separated by a small counter and pantry (where the spices were kept). Finally, on the left, at the main counter area, just before getting to the dining table area, was where the glasses and plastic cups were. All the fine china and dining glasses were in the main pantry for safe keeping.

After getting my glass, I went back to the refrigerator and decided to get some milk.  As I did, for some unearthly reason, I felt like I was being watched, and not very alone in the kitchen. Even though, I know for a fact that my Dad was in bed, sleeping. As was the cat. The light to the living room's fish tank was on. And no one else but myself and my father were in that house.

As best as I could, I tried to ignore what I felt and sensed. I poured my milk in to my glass. Then like a good girl, I placed the milk (with the top on, thank you!) back in to its spot of the refrigerator. Then, I started walking towards the table in the dining area. Mind you that also, the stove range light was on as well.

No sooner that I had reached the table, I really and strongly felt like someone was there with me, and was watching me. So, I placed my glass upon the table, and the slowly, I turned around. What I had seen next, literally froze me still with fear.

From the point of where I was at the refrigerator, I had seen glowing feet. From ankle, down to toes. They were an ashen gray in color. And what struck me most I think was the fact that they were "lit up".  And they remained that way the entire time that I had watched them.

These feet came darting at me. Walking in a very quick pace. They never stopped. Never came at me as if to attack me. In fact, they rounded the corner of the stove, turning to the right. They walked swiftly past me. As soon as the feet struck the partition between the living room and the kitchen, before my very eyes, they disappeared.

When they vanished in to thin air, they didn't leave in a mist-like fashion. They didn't make like they were walking up steps. They just went. Poof! Gone, no more. Just as quick as they came before my eyes, they left with the same lightening speed.

But even after all of these years, I can still describe what they looked like. They as I stated earlier, were an ashen gray color. The feet were "heavy set", as if the person was overweight. There was a visible curvature, like a "down grade"-look on a highway sign. The toes were "meaty" or fat. Also, there was a crooked toe to one of the feet.

And I have that very same crooked toe. Same toe, too. Just the opposite foot.