This page last updated on 01/26/2019.

Copyright © 2001-2019 by Russ Meyer

1982 and 1983

Willy and I had bought a half acre up Mill Creek, past the Kiwanis Camp on the Oregon side.  While we built our house, we stayed in someone's 8x10' tool shed and used their electricity, water, and outhouse.

In back of our property was a small cabin that belonged to a hippy lawyer in town, the same guy who "loaned" us the use of his tool shed; he and his family came up about once a month or so to spend the weekend.  We got water from a spring next to their cabin as we didn't have potable water yet.   I always felt uneasy around that cabin because it felt like I was being watched with malice by something. 

Another time we were walking down the long driveway to sit by the creek.  I was carrying Margaret, Willy was to my right about 10-15 feet, and Zach and our two dogs were in front of me a bit.  I am suddenly shoved from behind, stagger, and nearly fall down.  I certainly didn't trip over anything.  Later I began to wonder if the uneasy feeling I got when at our neighbor's spring was connected to this shoving incident, or to look at it differently - perhaps my spiritual allies were shoving me out of harm's way.  Sure is something to wonder over, isn't it!?

Once or twice a week I would pick Willy up in town when he got off work after midnight; we had one car at the time and sometimes I had errands to run in the afternoons.  Because our flashlights seem to be perpetually jinxed, I put a votive candle in a glass measuring cup to see by when I went out in the dark.   On the night of this story, it is very, very dark under the trees and pouring rain.  In order to get to the car, I have to walk down a path that runs through the trees.  I am carrying Margaret and nearly dragging poor little Zach who is only half awake.  Our two dogs run ahead of me and disappear into the dark.  Suddenly they come running back and hide behind my legs.  I freeze and expect to see a bear, a cougar, or a Sasquatch bounding up the path towards us.  I think if something is after us, there is no safety in our half-built house that has no doors or windows to shut and lock and I'm less than half way to the car.  I stand there for nearly 10 minutes hoping and praying nothing will start screeching or growling at us.  After hearing no noises and seeing nothing, I move on toward the car stumbling over the dogs who won't move away from the cover of my legs and poor little Zach.  I don't know if whatever it was that scared the dogs had taken off or if we passed within a hairbreadth of it while it stood beside the path.  I got everyone in the car, locked the doors, turned the headlights on, and floored the gas pedal. 

Now that I think back on that time I wonder if whatever it was that gave me the creeps at our neighbor's cabin was there on the path watching us, or if it was connected with the invisible thing that shoved me, or if all three incidents are somehow connected.  Or maybe it was just an animal that scared the dogs in the dark.  Maybe it's better I don't know.