A haunted hello from Mile 14,078...
...where a good-leg day meets a pain in the neck!
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| (That's a vampire joke!) |
Remember Rainbow?
Well, she's 16 now, and while she's darkened her outerwear, she's still as colorful as ever on the inside.
She's also old enough to do her own "googling," so she's been obsessed with visiting Vampa, the Vampire and Paranormal Museum in Doylestown, PA, about an hour north of Philly.
I'd been dragging my feet -- prosthetic and real -- because of the hassle of getting there.
But at Mile 14,078, we finally make the coveted trip, just in time for Halloween.
And it does not disappoint!
Stakes and crosses and Ouija boards -- Oh, my!
Not to mention a collection of (probably) haunted dolls.
News to me: Vampire hunting was all the rage in 19th century France. (Who knew?)
News to Rainbow: Even Michael Jackson owned a vampire hunting kit. (Maybe not that surprising!)
But it's the hourglass exhibit that appeals to me most.
My grandparents used to have one, and I'd completely forgotten about it until now.
I can picture myself, maybe 9 years old -- two feet in socks -- standing on the flat carpeting of their home, gripping the hourglass in my hand.
Watching the sand rain down.
Turning it again.
Was it real? An antique? Or just a toy?
My grandfather pretended to be Béla Lugosi. Love at First Bite was in theaters, although he was a fan of the original.
A sign at the museum draws me back, bridges the gap between then and now:
Just like the hourglass, we have the power to turn our hardships around.
This time of year, my emotions run thick as witches' brew. Everything stirs them.
For a taste, revisit Mile 143 or 2,127, or 6,825.
November is coming, and with it, the anniversary of my accident. It's been 15 years, but it still makes me pause.
Next to a heavy-curtained window, another sign catches my eye.
Here, at Mile 14,078, that last part resonates most.
Memento Vivere.
It sparkles like a vampire in the sun.
(Or is that only in Twilight?)
Rebecca
