We have a shed in our backyard. 'Rustic' would be the word to describe it as the wood is rotting and it's not the most stable structure you've ever seen. But it does the job of housing the lawnmower and some tools, so whatever. We don't own the property so it's not on our list of priorities at all.
Theo calls it The Barn which, from a toddler point of view, makes sense. We see The Barn from the dining room and he talks about it a lot. "Aw, squirrel on da barn! So ca-uuuute!" "Look mommy, kicked ball by da barn!" But a week ago. . .he started saying something ELSE about The Barn.
It was early in the morning, not yet seven o'clock and Theo and I were plodding around the kitchen and dining room. The sun was coming up and it was a bit foggy. Bryan was still asleep and the house was otherwise quiet, aside from the cat meowing for breakfast. Then, out of nowhere, Theo points to the backyard and said, "Man live in da barn mommy." Okay, I know he's two and isn't the most trustworthy source when it comes to information, especially since he lies about the contents of his diaper even when the smell can knock you over dead, but still. He freaked me OUT. Because I then immediately pictured some zombie ghost-like GUY appearing out of the vapor and coming towards our house and then when I try to run or scream I'm stuck in slow motion and can't move to save my family and OH GOD THE THINGS I CONJURED UP IN MY HEAD. Instead I gave a little laugh and mentioned trains and Theo was off on something else.
I had forgotten about the incident until yesterday, who knows why, so I mentioned it to Bryan. He laughed and said that Theo said the same thing to him a few days before. We paused and then decided the best thing to do was to create a horrid scenario of The Guy Who Lives In Our Barn and let me just say that by the time our imaginations were finished we were ready to pack up and move. Okay, well, maybe me more than Bryan but still. AIEEEEE. And ESPECIALLY since I'm dealing with Haunted House At Workplace, this is the last thing I'm prepared to deal with. Doctor Spock makes no mention of this in his books!
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I have a new Craftastrophe post up today. It's all about the accessories.
You do realize that Mike would have been staked out there with a K2 meter and trying to catch EVPs?
Posted by: AndreAnna | March 31, 2010 at 12:17 PM
Well, CLEARLY ghost-zombies are the mostly LIKELY possibility, but also I am wondering if anyone has checked the barn for evidence of, say, someone camping out there?
Posted by: Swistle | March 31, 2010 at 01:54 PM
I'm with Swistle. We had a rampant problem with that in my old neighborhood.. vagrants sleeping in unlocked cars and sheds. True story.
Posted by: Sarah Lena | March 31, 2010 at 02:37 PM
Chills! You can move to Utah and live with me. :D No crazy barn men here!
Posted by: Equipoise | March 31, 2010 at 02:49 PM
Eff. What if someone IS living in there?
Posted by: Korinna | March 31, 2010 at 02:57 PM
Thank you Korinna. Not to be a panicker but i was thinking the same thing. theo said it to both parents at different times, and he's only two, they aren't prone to making things like that up. what if someone IS living there. sorry. i'm sure i'm being unnecessarily scary. it's fine, i'm sure it's fine.
Posted by: melissa | March 31, 2010 at 05:14 PM
yeah.....you should probably go take a look. that is scarey.
Posted by: kristin c. | March 31, 2010 at 08:20 PM
I don't want to scare you, but I heard a lady tell a story about her son who would say, "Who dat man?" They really think the house was haunted. Maybe you could leave a "trap" like an unopened food item on a window ledge that isn't visible to the public and see if it disappears. Please keep us posted.
Posted by: Terri | April 01, 2010 at 02:26 PM
Okay yall, we checked it out in the daylight and all signs point to NO. Theo hasnt mentioned it again so maybe he plays Barn at daycare or something but it doesnt seem that we have a squatter. Or a ghost. *shudder*
Posted by: samantha campen | April 01, 2010 at 07:50 PM
Oh my, that's freaky. Glad to hear things checked out okay and it doesn't look like you have a little visitor.
Posted by: Kate | April 05, 2010 at 09:39 AM
Maybe if it is a ghostie, he's some sort of lovely protective barn guy? If he doesn't freak out a 2 year old, he's probably ok.
Glad to hear there were no sightings of a real live fellow.
Posted by: Eleanor's Trousers | April 05, 2010 at 12:19 PM
I was going to chime in with "...well, have you checked for a squatter?" but I see that you HAVE and I am OH SO RELIEVED.
Silly toddlers, filling our heads with fears.
Posted by: Marie Green | April 07, 2010 at 05:06 PM