by Bill Russo from the eerie, but true files..................................................
I have a strange tale to tell you. It's about a doppelganger and I vow that it's true. Not that finding your double is that hard. I found mine back in the 1970s in a city called Brockton, Mass. What makes this story so odd is that I found a homeless kitty and its "Human Doppelganger", also apparently homeless... No this was no witch that turned into a kitty or vice versa. It was a real person.
I first met the little Tortoise shell kitty shown in the photo, two years ago at the most unusual auto repair shop in Palm Beach County, FLA. It fronts one of the busiest roadways in South Florida, five lanes combined and almost always full of speeding cars. But the rear of the property graduates to something as rural as Arkansas, but with the unique charm of South Florida flora and fauna such as the palms of course, but also the Slash Pines, the Cypress and more, along with an endless variety of birds and animals.
The boldest and brightest peacock you have ever seen, around noon, each day strolls from a secret spot in the brush and wanders regally into the repair bays, in full display. His minions fawn over him and feed him his lunch, after-which he checks out the quality of the work being done to the cars, and then wanders back into the thicket.
A number of other birds and animals, including the Terry the Tortoise Shell kitty, also come to the garage to commune with the folk, scarf a little food, and then head back to the coolness of the shade trees.
Of all the creatures that bravely saunter into the shop, I love little Terry the best. When ever I come in for an oil change, new tires, or whatever, she seems to know I am around. She talks to me, rubs up against me and royally entertains me while I wait for my car to be attended to.
But today, Five-One-2020, she wasn't at the place we usually meet - a shallow basin that catches rain and usually holds it, even in the hot weather. I walked the entire parking lot, checking some two dozen vehicles looking for her, without success.
I started looking for Terry around 1:30 in the most gorgeous afternoon, in a place where every day is close to perfect. But this was even more perfect. It was about 82, yet there was a brisk, dry wind that gave the effect of a cleansing, and refreshing air bath. So it was not oppressive heat that was keeping her away....it was something else.
I asked the guys inside, "Have you seen the kitty today?" They said they had not, but assured me she was around somewhere. Then I saw her - or the human version of her.
A frail, tiny, old woman - shorter than a three drawer dresser walked towards me.
"I'm looking for the Tortoise shell cat." she said from a face that was shrunken and partly obscured by a mangled tousle of hair of various mixed shades of yellow, dirt, white, and gray.
"So am I, I replied."
I first met the little Tortoise shell kitty shown in the photo, two years ago at the most unusual auto repair shop in Palm Beach County, FLA. It fronts one of the busiest roadways in South Florida, five lanes combined and almost always full of speeding cars. But the rear of the property graduates to something as rural as Arkansas, but with the unique charm of South Florida flora and fauna such as the palms of course, but also the Slash Pines, the Cypress and more, along with an endless variety of birds and animals.
The boldest and brightest peacock you have ever seen, around noon, each day strolls from a secret spot in the brush and wanders regally into the repair bays, in full display. His minions fawn over him and feed him his lunch, after-which he checks out the quality of the work being done to the cars, and then wanders back into the thicket.
A number of other birds and animals, including the Terry the Tortoise Shell kitty, also come to the garage to commune with the folk, scarf a little food, and then head back to the coolness of the shade trees.
Of all the creatures that bravely saunter into the shop, I love little Terry the best. When ever I come in for an oil change, new tires, or whatever, she seems to know I am around. She talks to me, rubs up against me and royally entertains me while I wait for my car to be attended to.
But today, Five-One-2020, she wasn't at the place we usually meet - a shallow basin that catches rain and usually holds it, even in the hot weather. I walked the entire parking lot, checking some two dozen vehicles looking for her, without success.
I started looking for Terry around 1:30 in the most gorgeous afternoon, in a place where every day is close to perfect. But this was even more perfect. It was about 82, yet there was a brisk, dry wind that gave the effect of a cleansing, and refreshing air bath. So it was not oppressive heat that was keeping her away....it was something else.
I asked the guys inside, "Have you seen the kitty today?" They said they had not, but assured me she was around somewhere. Then I saw her - or the human version of her.
A frail, tiny, old woman - shorter than a three drawer dresser walked towards me.
"I'm looking for the Tortoise shell cat." she said from a face that was shrunken and partly obscured by a mangled tousle of hair of various mixed shades of yellow, dirt, white, and gray.
"So am I, I replied."
I offered her one of the two chilled bottles of water that I had brought with me. She darted towards a grassy patch at the edge of the parking lot and found an empty plastic tub, that once held butter or margarine. She dumped the entire contents of the bottle into the container and set it near a fence post. She looked parched - like she really needed the water.
"Aren't you going to drink the water?" I asked.
"Later, she replied.
"Later, she replied.
It was then that I noticed her eyes. They were not really eyes. At least not in the way we know eyes. She had eye-whites, but in the center of each where the pupil should have been, was nothing but a thick, round circle of what I can only describe as a build-up of dead, or infected cells that had turned what must once have been eye-pupils, to infected piles of 'pus'.
Worse yet was her clothing - or lack of it. She wore a soiled, well used, black trash bag for a dress, and draped pieces of broken trash bags around her shoulders, the way regular women wear shawls. More pieces of trash bag dangled from her arms, waving in the wind (the trash bag fragments, not her arms!)
Worse yet was her clothing - or lack of it. She wore a soiled, well used, black trash bag for a dress, and draped pieces of broken trash bags around her shoulders, the way regular women wear shawls. More pieces of trash bag dangled from her arms, waving in the wind (the trash bag fragments, not her arms!)
Her speech was garbled and I was able to comprehend little more than half of what she said. I offered her my other bottle of water which she accepted and stowed in her trash bag dress.
The service manager shouted from the office door that my car was ready. Nervously I retrieved my keys, got in my car and drove off. As I left the parking lot I looked for Terry. Still not there! And neither was the lady with the eyes of pus!
-0-
Be sure to check out Short Story Theater on all audio video sites world wide....you'll find dramatized versions of many of my books and stories. FREE all the time. Click the Link for the Jack In the Box - ever wonder what would happen if you let Jack out of the Box? Listen and find out...……...
https://www.spreaker.com/user/11578348/the-jack-in-the-box
No comments:
Post a Comment