Just a girl who walks dogs and hangs out in cemeteries. Stay feral, y'all.
Every autumn, Clara complained about the leaves. They were beautiful for approximately eleven minutes, she thought. Then they landed on the lawn, clogged the gutters, stuck to her shoes, followed her into the house and somehow appeared in rooms nowhere near a door. Autumn was basically nature throwing confetti and refusing to clean it up.... Continue Reading →
In October 1955, William Roe set out alone into the mountains of British Columbia. He had no idea that before the afternoon was over, he would find himself sitting only feet away from a creature he could neither comfortably call human nor animal and that the experience would remain with him strongly enough that he... Continue Reading →
For a long time, Nora thought joy was supposed to be obvious. She imagined it arriving with fireworks. A fantastic new job. An unexpected vacation. A winning lottery ticket would certainly do the trick. Something big enough to make her stop in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday and think, There it is. Life is... Continue Reading →
In the spring of 1662, in the quiet Wiltshire countryside of England, John Mompesson could hardly have imagined that confiscating a wandering man's drum would lead to one of the most famous haunting stories of the seventeenth century. Mompesson was a landowner, magistrate and local official living with his family at Zouch Manor in Tedworth,... Continue Reading →
I decided to go to the cottage for the weekend because I needed to “get away from it all.” You know. Relax. Recharge. Reconnect with nature. Nature, as it turns out, had not been consulted about this arrangement. I packed Friday morning with the confidence of someone preparing for a casual two-day getaway and the... Continue Reading →
It had been one of those mornings when everyone seemed to be in a hurry. Cars rushed through the intersection, people hurried along the sidewalk staring at their phones, and the little coffee shop on the corner had a line nearly to the door. In the middle of it all, an elderly man named Arthur... Continue Reading →
The Wampus Cat is one of those Appalachian creatures whose story seems to change depending on which mountain, hollow, or small town you happen to be standing in. Sometimes it is described as an enormous black panther with glowing yellow or green eyes. Other accounts give it an almost human posture, capable of rising onto... Continue Reading →
It started with one tiny raindrop. Just one. It landed directly on my forehead as I stepped outside, which I chose to interpret as Mother Nature affectionately booping me on the head. “Aw,” I thought. “A little rain.” That was adorable. Ten minutes later, Mother Nature was apparently trying to drown me. The weather forecast... Continue Reading →
It had been raining since before sunrise. Not the dramatic kind of rain with thunder and lightning that at least gave you something interesting to watch. This was the slow, grey, miserable kind - the sort that made the sky look permanently stuck at 4:30 in the afternoon. Maggie stood at the kitchen window in... Continue Reading →
I woke up Wednesday morning with absolutely no intention of achieving greatness. I wasn’t going to exercise. I wasn’t going to meditate. I wasn’t going to journal about gratitude while drinking lemon water and watching the sunrise. No, my goal was much more realistic. Coffee. Pants. Survive. I felt this was an achievable three-step program.... Continue Reading →
The Cool Beans 