Hurricane opal had left me rather horrified. I watched people put back together shattered lives. For two weeks after the storm I had suffered from nightmare about the storm. I would dream about children drowning, homes destroyed and places I once cared about made into ruins. It left me with a deep melancholy that still haunts my soul.

To my recent horror I found out it could be worse from the fate New Orleans had suffered.

I now could only imagine the horrible fates those had faced in Hurricane Katrina. Watching it on the news that summer brought back many horrible memories in my thoughts.

I had blocked out the memory of looking about the side yard and finding a black and white kitten that had died in the storm. She drowns in the same water that flooded the dining room. She had a collar on the said “Missy“. She was flung upside down in branches and trash.

Living though a hurricane feels like being violated and you never feel the same after.

My friend mike lost many of his accounts and had no savings and the window company and did not pay the rent. They shut off the power to his house. He had no savings. His two roommates where long gone. After the storm the roommates all moved out. During that time I remember I stayed over and we where up at 4am.

Some Bacon was being made so mike went out to dump the greases outside being we did have a jar. The old Woman next door was out in her nightgown saw mike and screamed help R - a- p - e! She was quite let’s say robust and not exactly attractive. I am not trying to be rude just as I saw it. My friend screamed at her heck no! No even if you paid me! Who does that with a frying pan anyhow?

I found this sort of funny.

I admit I did misbehave and made a cat call at her later that day. I was young stupid and male. The male and stupid have not left but the young sure has! Youth has do all sorts of retarded things.

I had just gotten out of the hospital at this time after having server stomach surgery. I could not keep food down and was very ill. So for me it was an odd time. I was very thin at this time in my life. You never know it now. I was still recovering. I almost died in the hospital. I am still very ill now. It was an odd time in my life.

During that time we visited Mikes Grandparents.

They where nice people very warm and loving. They where your typical example of Grandparents. His step grandmother Opal was a very good woman that cared a great deal about people but I could tell Mike resented her from the attention it took from his relationship from his Grandfather.

I feel he had a father but he was divided from him and the Grandfather may have represented a father figure.

He also resented his stepfather. I could see issues. At most such things do occur in the world often.

The crime he committed still puzzles me greatly. Its one thing to resent someone it’s another to shoot them.

I took the name of the hurricane and his grandmother’s name being the same as an omen now.

We did many things together friends do.

We watched movies went to get fast food hung out and even urban explored. He was good company and fun to be around.

We would look around at places that where forgotten.

We had a few odd adventures we found an abandoned nursery that was overgrown in the woods. It was odd to see plants and things 5 times there normal size and to see the decaying green houses.

I felt like I was being watch the area had a creepy vibe. I saw what looked like a lady in white for a moment then she was gone.

We also explored the abandoned Railroad station. I think it became restaurant supply place later. It was an interesting building. It had an octagon building that went upward. It even had a walk in safe! It was very interesting and you could tell homeless had been living there. It gave a vibe like being forever watched inside. The top floor was very Victorian with lots of wood out looking the city. I would have loved to turn it into a house.

I felt free at this time like I could do anything.

Around that time he had ended up with an African hedge hog that ended up with me.

It was around 3 times to 3 owners!

At this time there was little supernatural activity in the story but there where small things.

I did have an odd experience there one night at in the summer. I heard what sounded like a Women singing for 30 seconds. It was ghostly and haunting. But the sound went as quickly as it came. It left me in a cold feeling. I think they follow me sometimes.

I think they try and warn me with events. I listen with care now.

He had a several roommates at that time in and out. You had happy go lucky young couple. They had no idea what it took to live in real life and did not last long.

Then you had our friend “R”. He was not ready to live on his own. He moved back in with his family. He also had a dog that would poop everywhere and he would not take care of it. I felt because they fought about it is why he left.

Then you had “A” He had moved from California. He was older and I felt hated Fl. He would complain a lot about it. He worked at a Pizza joint and would spend all his time over magic cards and video games.

He moved in with his brother and had horrible back problems he a nice guy but I always felt something off.

The other Guy who lived there was “J“. He was your typical golfer prep and left right after the storm. He was a nice guy but we had nothing in common. I met him just once. It was quite the sinking ship.

Anyhow, my friend was alone and had no power.

It was surreal going into the first home. All was quiet and dark.

My friend was being evicted on Halloween night from his duplex.

Mike went to the store and left me alone in the dark house and it was scary but a whole new scary.

No power and an angry woman came driving up the driveway. Who is that I thought?

It was the land Lady. She was a cross between Judge Judy and a broom butt sales person.

She was collecting rent. She was enraged!!

She ran up to the door. CLOMP! CLOMP! CLOMP!

She then stormed into the home and did not even knock.

I said what the frick do you want lady?

“I did not live there but don't like being startled so she set me off.”

None of you have paid rent since September!

DO YOU LIVE HERE? I said no I do not. Where are the people who live here? I said at the store.

She left the eviction notice at the door. She left with a huff and puff got in her car. Slamming her car so loud it made an echo. I yelled after her you will never get Toto and I will tell the Wizard about you! She sped off twice the speed limit. The old man down the street was watching in wonder.

He then started to hum the wicked witch of the west theme.

Well... It seems that even before the hurricane my friend at the time did not pay rent.

We had no money for candy nor decor.... I took a can of shaving cream and sprayed on the window happy Halloween...

It melted and read happy Mallomar as the letters warped. Ding dong… How it rang without power I will never know.

Everything’s off but the doorbell works! I said: I thought the power is off? Mike said: It is!

The bell was more scary then the land lady.

We had no decor but the shaving cream but the bell rang it was a woman with kids....

I swear people become greedy when it comes to free anything... I answered the door and said we don't celebrate Halloween can't you see this is the sacred night of mallomar???

WE EAT CHEESE AND DANCE ON MALLOMAR! I said in foreign accent.

I gave the children a pack of crackers to share. They where confused.

As they walked down the walk I said in my phony accent: Place the crackers under your pillow for a wish!

We did have costumes. I was in my graduation high school robe my friend Mike was Dracula his Jen was a black cat. We took off just on a drive and went to the Old Martin house to see if we could see any ghost from the outside.

The Martin house was built upon a large man made hill. It was a beautiful Old stately Plantation. From it's ballroom to it's attic it had an air of parties and southern belles. If you closed your eyes you could still here them in a party in the night air. It had a dark history.

The story is not about this home but it was of interest. “They hide everything in forgotten Fl.”

Several died in the building of the house. You can still see a man sometimes at night walking across the lawn under the oak trees.

Later on it was owned by another family that built a paper mill that you could see sitting by the bay like some sort of broken amusement ride. It was lit up like a roller coaster and smelled like a dead man and skunk was boiled.

Many have died working at that mill. Most in horrible accidents going up in

fire from boilers gone wrong or the chemicals killing them.

It seems the man of the house back in the 1960's went insane and killed his wife his two children and mother law and placed them in the basement on a mother’s day.

Older Locals tell me the murderer acted like nothing had happened and placed a fake wall over the basement door. Odd in urban story but very interesting. Some say there are still a body in there they could not find.

It was odd to have a basement in Fl. being if you dug in the ground you hit water after 3 feet.

This was also on a hill even odder so I suspected at one time to be more water in this are years ago and the house was made to face the bay. The hill may have been beach.

This place looked something out of a civil war movie. It was now owned by the mill. They had spelled the name of the mill on the side of the hill. STONE in white marble. It looked odd with the high prison fence around it.

I also was told the older stories by a woman who spent here whole life in the area.

She tell about a girl in the 1930's who still opens the garden gate everyday at 3:00 to meet

her Beloved that never comes. She may have been jilted or her beloved murdered but we will never know. The gate was removed. It is said: She went mad soon after and drowned herself into the sea.

Also another story: A little girl had fallen out of the second story window to her death.

She could be seen skipping or crying around the giant Spanish moss covered oaks in the

yard then walking up the side of the house backwards.

Security now watches the house where forced to stay there would say flash lights would only work when they want to and would feel cold winds. Lights could be seen in some room where no one was.

My brother had once gone in about 1986 before they restored the old house. He went in though the second story window with friends on a tree. I knew why he went. In his own way he had a past with the darker occult he would not tell me about. He told me the house was filled with old furniture. In the attic he found a mothers day card with brown drops on it. He showed it off and was quite proud.

It was the most bizarre trophy to be proud about.

I was told of sick and twisted imagery from the past in the house. My brother saw a vase with dead roses sitting on dust covered table and broken chairs everywhere.

He said someone had drawn a large pentagram on the floor that had been in there before in chalk.

They all left in fear when they saw a gray shadow moving towards them.

In the 90's they began to restore the house and rent it out for parties. We could not see in the house but sat in a car at the base of the hill. The fog would move in the dark. We watched the house then we saw it. It was a light that moved from room to room. Yellow white it was like a giant fire fly.

We took off like a bat out of hell only to go to the parker cemetery.

This was an odd place and an old grave yard. We where filled with laugher of youth and doing the

things youth does on Halloween. We where drinking beer and hanging out.

The town of Parker was small and eaten up by Panama city. It had the feel of an older town that has fallen apart.

It’s said: The founder of Parker wanders till the name he picked for the Town gets put back in place. This town was named new Austerlitz.

Lore has it, the name changed in the 40's from anti-German ideas of the second world war. It was an odd thing to think about.

The graveyard was cold and well quite boring. We talked about what we saw with glee. Everything was surreal.

I went home got some money I was saving and we went to see that horrible vampire movie that had

Eddie Murphy in it. “That was scary also for the wrong reasons.”

We dropped Jen off, My friend wanted me to stay out with him and go bar hoping. I said no... I really have to go home I had a horrible feeling of doom. I felt I had to go home right then.

We where 5 Min's from my house. I said you have had a lot to drink.

Do you want to crash at my house tonight?

He said no. He wanted to go out I guess. Anyhow on his way home he went to jail. He went to jail dressed as Dracula...

I am sure that men in puffy shirts have a special time in the county jail.....

Gave me jokes for weeks.

He got out 3 days later. We where able to get the stuff out of the house. They took the house plants. I found that funny.

The furniture was on the back porch....

He just took the things he needed.

He moved in with some of the people that committed the crime later in the story.....

The next part will talk about Role playing hell hole and a lack of reality.