The autumn light shines gray through the slate sky over Barnegat Bay. Peaking out her window on Pelican Island, the bay reminds Patty of looking into an antique mirror: shadowy, distorted, reflections, tarnished black near the docks. You see yourself differently....in that relection...kinda what you bring to the mirror enters into it. Framed by a lifeless off-season Jersey Shore, today the only thing missing from the haunted bay is a fog bank and rolling sea mist.
At about 3, just in time for me worry about walking along the bay and up to the ocean to John's Aunt's house, Patty thinks, the fog rolls in. But it isn't until she steps outside that she realizes how murky and indistinguishable the world has become. Is it the mist that is making me shiver, the loneliness or how the fog is making ghostly outlines of cedar shake houses. Even the front cottage gardens resemble grave yards with boney, dead twig hands reaching for the sky.
Walking off the porch, she laughs at her unsafe feeling. Seaside Park isn't the kind of place where you have to be streetwise. The wealth ensures mostly wealthy people own vacation houses here. As she makes her way down the grassy path in front of Nautical Notions, she has to remind herself of that. Still, wealth attracts creeps. And they are only a bridge away from strangers. Looking up the path and to the right is a figure in the mist. Oh...who is that?, Patty thinks. Maybe I know him. Is he walking towards me? Most people say hello...there's so few of us who live here year-round. The mist billows around him. Obscuring him and then revealing him again. Is he walking towards me? You know on Discovery ID...lot's of times the nut is the next door neighbor, she remembers. She slows down her pace. Is he waiting for me to walk closer to him? We'll, if he moves, I'll just run across the street, she decides. But he's not moving. He's standing there in the sea grass. Oh...maybe he's staring out towards the bay. Maybe he doesn't see me at all, she reassures herself.He's like...6 foot. Big. Patty trips and all of her senses are heightened. She has goose bumps. Her mind is telling her to stop, stop stop. Don't walk closer to him. Patty stops and looks across the street. There are no lights on in any of the houses. People are either gone for the season or at work. She looks back at the man at a momentary lull in the mist. I can make out a face. He's smiling at me, Patty thinks. I can make out a...
Patty calls out.
'Hey'
Figure in the mist
no answer
The grasses around Patty's feet blow against her legs-reaching out like tiny fingers to grab her.
Patty yells.
'Do I know you?'
Figure in the mist
no answer
Patty gets a glimpse of a smile.
Patty
'Creepy day right?'
Figure in the mist smiling
no answer
God he's a big guy, Patty thinks. If I move...will he move? Like on Animal Planet? You run the animal thinks you are prey? Could I make it back to my porch. Doesn't matter, mom and dad are both at work. Shoot. And my cell phone is in the house.
The mist has billowed in thick around the figure again. She can barely see him.
Patty
'Answer me dammit.'
Oh that was smart Patty she thinks. Get the smiling maniac angry. Or maybe he gets off on scaring women.
The figure disappears in the mist. Did he move?, Patty asks herself. Fear takes over and she is running across the street with someone close behind. Someone is grabbing the back of her hooded sweat shirt jacket. She bolts and turns around. She puts her hood up. Then realizes with it up she can't hear who's behind her. What if he made an end run and is behind her. She spins around. No one. Her heart is pounding. Oh, she realizes. No one chased me...that was my hood flopping up and down on my back.
She stares across the street. Oh, my God. I was by the Nautical Notions driveway. That man in the mist is that stupid, big, carved sailor smiling at me. Nobody bought that thing all summer.
Patty yells across the street
'Screw you...you Popeye wannabe!'
At about 3, just in time for me worry about walking along the bay and up to the ocean to John's Aunt's house, Patty thinks, the fog rolls in. But it isn't until she steps outside that she realizes how murky and indistinguishable the world has become. Is it the mist that is making me shiver, the loneliness or how the fog is making ghostly outlines of cedar shake houses. Even the front cottage gardens resemble grave yards with boney, dead twig hands reaching for the sky.
Walking off the porch, she laughs at her unsafe feeling. Seaside Park isn't the kind of place where you have to be streetwise. The wealth ensures mostly wealthy people own vacation houses here. As she makes her way down the grassy path in front of Nautical Notions, she has to remind herself of that. Still, wealth attracts creeps. And they are only a bridge away from strangers. Looking up the path and to the right is a figure in the mist. Oh...who is that?, Patty thinks. Maybe I know him. Is he walking towards me? Most people say hello...there's so few of us who live here year-round. The mist billows around him. Obscuring him and then revealing him again. Is he walking towards me? You know on Discovery ID...lot's of times the nut is the next door neighbor, she remembers. She slows down her pace. Is he waiting for me to walk closer to him? We'll, if he moves, I'll just run across the street, she decides. But he's not moving. He's standing there in the sea grass. Oh...maybe he's staring out towards the bay. Maybe he doesn't see me at all, she reassures herself.He's like...6 foot. Big. Patty trips and all of her senses are heightened. She has goose bumps. Her mind is telling her to stop, stop stop. Don't walk closer to him. Patty stops and looks across the street. There are no lights on in any of the houses. People are either gone for the season or at work. She looks back at the man at a momentary lull in the mist. I can make out a face. He's smiling at me, Patty thinks. I can make out a...
Patty calls out.
'Hey'
Figure in the mist
no answer
The grasses around Patty's feet blow against her legs-reaching out like tiny fingers to grab her.
Patty yells.
'Do I know you?'
Figure in the mist
no answer
Patty gets a glimpse of a smile.
Patty
'Creepy day right?'
Figure in the mist smiling
no answer
God he's a big guy, Patty thinks. If I move...will he move? Like on Animal Planet? You run the animal thinks you are prey? Could I make it back to my porch. Doesn't matter, mom and dad are both at work. Shoot. And my cell phone is in the house.
The mist has billowed in thick around the figure again. She can barely see him.
Patty
'Answer me dammit.'
Oh that was smart Patty she thinks. Get the smiling maniac angry. Or maybe he gets off on scaring women.
The figure disappears in the mist. Did he move?, Patty asks herself. Fear takes over and she is running across the street with someone close behind. Someone is grabbing the back of her hooded sweat shirt jacket. She bolts and turns around. She puts her hood up. Then realizes with it up she can't hear who's behind her. What if he made an end run and is behind her. She spins around. No one. Her heart is pounding. Oh, she realizes. No one chased me...that was my hood flopping up and down on my back.
She stares across the street. Oh, my God. I was by the Nautical Notions driveway. That man in the mist is that stupid, big, carved sailor smiling at me. Nobody bought that thing all summer.
Patty yells across the street
'Screw you...you Popeye wannabe!'
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