Open House

[Mrs. Garrison]

A large black cat strutted across the front porch of the old home, between freshly carved pumpkins, on this unusually warm autumn day. The regal cat took a minute to sniff the pumpkins which were unfamiliar to him, before dismissing them with a twitch of his glorious tail as he pranced over to his favorite spot underneath a large oak tree. The neighborhood was full of wonderful trees like this, and this property was no exception.

Soon this fantastic property would be full of guests, admirers, and prospective buyers as the estate was up for sale after the owners had passed away. The surviving family members had listed it through a realtor who was an old family friend, one who knew them intimately. As the listing went on folks came and went, some were there out of genuine curiosity while others were chasing the dreams they couldn't quite escape.

Towards the end of the listing a sedan pulls up in front of the magnificent estate and a young couple emerge. They stood at the street looking up at the home for a few moments, as if trying to summon the courage to begin a new journey in the dawn of their marriage. The wind blew a few freshly turned leaves at their feet as together they grasped nervous hands and walked towards the front door.

The realtor greeted them at the entrance and welcomed them inside the well appointed home. Once inside, the young wife looked around with eager eyes at the grand entrance complete with spiral staircase and waterfall chandelier brilliantly poised above them. Everything was just perfect as she had imagined it would be. They went from room to room and took in every little detail, listened to every story the realtor had about why a certain paint color was chosen, or where a specific piece of furniture was found, from what corner of the world a painting was discovered, etc. It was as if this house was a museum of art and history as well as a place to live and love.

On the back deck they noticed the property went down towards a cement wall that was adorned with gothic figureheads at every few feet. Beyond this wall was some type of drainage channel, and then some trees, from which other majestic homes would occasionally appear down the curve of the land. It was a beautiful setting, flowers and exotic plants grew along this wall, and each one had their own specific care that was required, of which the realtor was more than willing to share with them.

Having toured the entire home and grounds with the exception of the third story attic, which was unfortunately locked, the couple accepted the realtors invitation of a glass of wine on the back patio on this pleasant fall afternoon. When the couple inquired as to why the homeowners would be selling such a fantastic property, the realtor became somewhat somber and even a bit embarrassed. He apologized for his oversight as he thought he had mentioned it previously, the homeowners had passed away suddenly, several months prior, in a tragic boating accident.

The news of the previous homeowners demise put a damper on the young couples enthusiasm. Neither one of them could imagine life without the other, as she was the neon light on top of his skyscraper and he was the fiery ring around her sun. They were perfectly in love for the first time and their love was a powerful enough force to light up the milky way.

After finishing their glass of wine on the patio, the young couple decided it was best if they excuse themselves and go back on their way. They loved the house but it was probably more of someone else's dream than their own. They bid farewell to the realtor and thanked him for his time and for the showing. With hands clasped together they strolled down the walk towards their parked car out on the street. He opened the door for her to get inside and then closed it gently behind her. As he walked around to the driver side of the car she stared at the home, perhaps wondering what it would be like to raise a family there and grow old with her husband.

He slid into the drivers seat and buckled himself in while starting the car and putting it into gear. As they eased away from the home she still watched it as it started to disappear out of view, specifically looking up at the third story window which was in the attic that they didn't enter because it was locked...

 

[MsPurrl]

More, please. Happy Halloween, Mrs. Garrison!

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

The realtor had closed up shop for the day and was more than ready to unwind after what had been a busy and stressful week. He secured the lock box on the front door of the home and proceeded down the sidewalk towards his car, taking note of the large black cat that watched him underneath the oak tree in the front yard. The cat had not moved in probably an hour, his only activity was to watch people walk by with his exotic yellow eyes.

The car barely started for him, and he knew that one day when his ship came in, he'd finally land a big listing and sell it for a good commission, he would buy some more reliable and desirable means of transportation. The cat watched him as he pulled away from the beautiful home and struggled up the hill of the tree lined street.

On the way home to his bungalow in one of the cities up and coming historical districts, the realtor gave in to his desire for a much needed detour. Nestled between historical and entertainment districts was an area of town he frequented occasionally, one in which he had grown up in and around, in more ways than one. The half dozen or so bars that lined the street for a quarter of a mile was known as the gay district, which also included a hotel that served as a destination of sorts for many in the southwest.

He pulled up to his favorite bar, perhaps the oldest in this town, a tin facade building on the corner that was famous for diversity among the diverse, and also had a killer drag show that kept people coming back on saturday and sunday nights. They had it all here; twinks, bears, prime-timers, drag queens, transgender, leather cubs, club kids, hustlers, hags, tramps, and drama queens. This was the place to be if you wanted a good time and to expect the unexpected.

He immediately ran into a couple of old friends near the exit to the patio and they caught up on what had been going on in their lives since their last visit, with the help of several of the strongest drinks in town. The sweet smell of something exotic wafted in from the open patio doors, naturally they wandered outside to see what was going on behind the bushes as the sun set and the moon came out to play.

Eventually they came back into the bar for another round of drinks when the realtor saw the man of his dreams standing there near the end of the bar. He was absolutely stunning; blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a pink shirt that may as well have been painted on his muscular tan body, light colored khaki pants that were also very flattering to his physique. As the realtor ordered a drink at the bar, he stared at the chiseled face of this stranger, his high cheekbones and square jaw cast from stone. He was lost in the deep blue sea of the stranger's eyes and it took the bartender shoving a drink in front of him and demanding payment to shake his attention away from this blond haired god that had so captured his attention.

Before the realtor could pay for his drink, the stranger approached him with a smile, then pulled out a bill and handed it to the bartender. Afterwards he turned back to the realtor and introduced himself to him, and then quietly walked back to the corner of the bar, sipping from a bottle of water.

The realtor was a bit overwhelmed and somewhat lightheaded as he went back over to his friends near the door. He asked them if they had seen the stranger at the end of the bar in the pink shirt, this perfect specimen who was heaven-sent, and yet somehow they had not seen this mysterious person who had just rocked his world.

The stranger winked at the realtor as he set down his water bottle on the bar. He turned to walk away, flashing a quick smile, as he exited the front door of the establishment out into the wild unknown...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

The skies overhead were a mix of purple and green haze, reddish-orange clouds billowing about like steam rising from the smoke stack of some futuristic industrial hell.

His head felt like a stuck train whistle as he walked down the pathway where the whispers told him he should go. An elevated pathway it was, like a miniature canal filled with several inches of flowing water, and decorated on each side with river rocks, cactus, and other desert vegetation. To his left a rock wall separated the pathway from what was on the other side, to his right a murky haze of mystery.

He remembered waking up this morning in some downtown condo, how he arrived there was something he would have to figure out. He was alone in this immaculate condo, surrounded by sparse furnishings which led him to believe the property had been staged. Awake and in a strange bed was something he was not used to. He tried to live his life by a certain set of principles that he did his very best to abide by. Even though he might occasionally slip up, it was never this awful.

Walking down the watery trail, he thought he remembered a big black car in a parking lot of the club he might have visited, sitting alone underneath a giant moon. The car was setup to go; blacked out in every way from the wheels to the emblems to the windows. It had roared off into the night like a bat from it's cave.

The fog parted to his right to reveal a gated area leading into a small garden. He paused at first, but then entered knowing there were secrets needing to be found inside of this place. As he entered the garden some clouds had lifted from the sky to reveal what he knew deep inside, he was not alone in here. A bearded man sitting on a stump was using a large stick to draw figures in the dirt. He approached this man and asked him where this place was. The man seemed to ignore him and continue to use the stick to turn over the dirt.

It was only when he put his hand on the bearded man's shoulder that he got any kind of reaction. The man looked up at him and mumbled something he did not understand, his mouth void of most of his teeth and his tongue was partially missing, his eyes were blacked out tissue and the skin around them was bloodied. The man continued to mumble as he pointed towards the doorway of the garden, opposite of where the realtor had entered.

He followed the stony garden path as it snaked around dried up land and the occasional rock jutting from the dirt. In a corner area of this garden was a wall of stone that rose above his head to protect a sort of tomb. Inside of this stony room a pathway emerged into another partially covered area. Once inside he smelled something awful, and there lying in front of him, the body of the mysterious stranger he had met the night before. His shirt was drenched in blood and there were apparent multiple wounds covering his upper torso. His eyes were dark tissue and blood streamed down his expressionless face...