Monday, October 26, 2009

One Night at Grandma's

By Jenna Byrnes


When I was a child, we'd travel regularly to visit my grandparents who lived two hours away in an old farmhouse. My older brother, whose main goal in life was to torment me, liked to tell me spooky stories about the farmhouse. These invariably kept me from a good night's sleep. But no story came close to what he and I witnessed firsthand, one night at grandma's.

Our family history contained a sad and scary (to parents everywhere) tale about my uncle who died as a small child. The house, built by my great-grandfather (or maybe two greats in there, can't remember) had a long flight of stairs leading to the bedrooms on the upper floor. One Christmas morning, my uncle, who must have been three years old at the time, found a shiny, red tricycle under the tree. He pestered and pestered for someone to take him outside to try out the trike, but his parents and older siblings were busy opening their holiday gifts. The way the story goes, no one noticed little Jimmy missing until he hollered and got their attention. There he was, at the top of the stairs, sitting on his tricycle. How he dragged it up there, to this day, no one knows. Just as his folks dashed to the staircase, Jimmy shoved off to take the bumpy ride of his life. He finally fell off the trike about two-thirds of the way down, snapping his neck in the process. He died instantly, and was buried three days later in a family plot on the back edge of the farm.

Fast forward thirty years or so. My grandmother made the best homemade candy by melting big Hershey bars and adding nuts and marshmallows, or sometimes a simple layer of peanut butter between two chunks of chocolate. My brother and I could never get enough of the stuff-because mom would cut us off after a couple pieces. But after the grown-ups were in bed, the candy was left unattended. We'd sneak out to the enclosed porch just off the living room, where grandma kept her table of treats, and indulge in some late night chocolaty goodness.

One night, after we were sure the elders were asleep, my brother and I slipped out of our makeshift beds on the laundry room floor, and tripped out to visit the candy. Just as we rounded the corner to the living room, we heard a noise at the top of the stairs. We froze, fearful it was mom--or worse yet, dad--catching us in the candy-thieving act. Hugging the wall, neither of us scarcely dared to take a breath. When we saw who was on the stairs, the air couldn't whoosh from my lungs fast enough. A small boy, on a shiny red tricycle, hurtling down the stairs at an amazing speed. Only this time, he didn't fall off the trike. He rode it all the way to the landing and raced past my brother and I. His face was a mask of victorious triumph. We turned our heads to follow him and see where he'd end up, but the boy and trike vanished as they reached the stone fireplace.

I'm lucky I only wet my pants that night. My brother didn't say a word, just helped me clean up the puddle with some paper towels and we both hurried back to our beds. I changed into clean pajamas and crawled into my sleeping bag, which I scooted a little closer to my sister. She might have wondered why, but she never asked.

It took my brother and I years before we could talk about that night. Both of us remembered it the same way, and we never talked about it again. We didn't sneak out for candy after that, either. And when grandma and grandpa sold the farm and moved into town, I wasn't unhappy. That place literally scared the piss outta me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The one thing I forgot to tell you about this story is that none of it is true. Okay, my dad was Jimmy, he did live in a farmhouse when he was a kid, and he did ride his trike down the staircase (he survived, thankfully, or I wouldn't be here to tell the tale.) Oh, and my grandma did make the greatest chocolate candy, but grandma was a softie and I got all I wanted. (Weight Watchers thanks her.) The only other part of the story that's true? I would have peed my pants if anything like that ever happened to me.

'Now That's Scary' was a great topic choice for Halloween week, but I had not one freaking thing to contribute. Nothing very scary has ever happened to me, thank heavens. So I decided to make something up. I'm a writer after all. And this being my last post for Oh Get a Grip, I wanted to leave with a bang instead of a whimper. *grin*

I've enjoyed blogging here these past months, and meeting a lot of new people. Time constraints and other obligations are bogging me down, so I'm going to bow out. Devon Rhodes, another erotic romance author from Total E-Bound, will begin blogging here next week. I look forward to reading her take on the new topics, and I'll see the rest of you around the web. Thanks for the great run, and Happy Halloween!!!


~ Jenna






23 comments:

  1. http://nickgilmartin.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/murder-in-old-snydale/

    Here's another one. I cannot verify the ghost but the murder definately happened. I have seen the man's headstone.

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  2. Hello, Jenna,

    I swear, you had me believing every word!

    No wonder you're so popular.

    We're going to miss you. Don't be surprised if we drag you back into the guest spotlight.

    Thanks for nine great months.

    Warmly,
    Lisabet

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  3. Thanks for stopping by, Nick.

    Lisabet, thanks for the kind words. It's been a great trip. I know I'll miss it, and I'll have to stop by often to visit.

    Thanks again, for everything,

    Jenna

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  4. Hey Jenna
    you fooled me!
    You'll be missed here, but good luck with your other projects!
    take care
    Chloe

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  5. Thanks Chloe! I'll see you around, I know.

    Hugs,

    Jenna

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  6. You made a believer outta me, I could just see that kid flying down the stairs on his trike.

    Sorry to hear that you're moving on. But good luck with your new projects.

    Christine

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  7. Jenna,

    Wicked storytelling. You had me suckered in. Good luck with all your future projects and please don't be a stranger.

    Best,

    Ash

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  8. Jenna, you dumbass. Okay, I fell for it, and I freakin know you! That's some story you dreamed up. I could picture little Jimmy flying by you and your brother. Dayum!

    I'm going to miss you here, BUT, I have a feeling my posts will be a little easier to come up with. I don't know how many times I've grumbled about you stealing my ideas. LOL

    I know I'll be seeing you around, so it's not like you'll be vanishing from my life, so no goodbyes from me. Just a wish for great success in your future endeavors and continued friendship.

    Hugs

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  9. Christiane,

    Thanks for stopping by and for the support. I'll see you around the web!

    Jenna

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  10. Hey Ash,

    I'll be around, don't you worry. Thanks for everything and best to you, too.

    Jenna

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  11. Hi Jude,

    I'll ignore the dumbass comment, but you do know you'll pay for that somewhere down the line, don't you? I might leave Alex hanging off a cliff when I send him back to you.

    *G*

    Hugs,

    Jenna

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  12. Mercy me, no wonder you are such a good author. I believed every word you wrote. Gulli...what? Yep, that's me...gullible!LOL We will all miss you.

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  13. Yep. I awallowed that story. Hook, line,sinker and half way up the rod! I suppose that's what marks out the difference between story tellers and just writers.

    Sorry to hear you're leaving here, Jenna, but I wish you all the best in whatever direction life takes you.

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  14. Jenna,

    You never disappoint. Always a good story, although you did scare me. It definitely gave me the willies. I know I will see you around other places. You take care and Happy Halloween.

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  15. Hi Patsy,

    I'm tickled you believed my story, and no, that does not make you gullible! LOL

    Thanks for the support, see you around!

    Jenna

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  16. Hey Verb,

    I'll still be around to pester you, don't worry about that. *G*

    Thanks for the lovely comment and the tremendous support!

    Hugs,

    Jenna

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  17. Susilien,

    Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I will definitely see you around. I try to keep up with the activity at Carol's but holy guacamole, that loop is jumping!

    Take care hon and Happy Halloween to you, too!

    Hugs,

    Jenna

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  18. I fell for it too. On the other hand I was watching a creepy movie on TV just before I came to check on this. If that story ain't true, it oughta be.

    I'm sorry you're leaving. I hope you'll visit us.

    Garce

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  19. Thanks Garce,

    In the immortal words of Arnold, I'll be back. *G*

    Take care and think 'short and tight', man! hee hee hee

    Jenna

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  20. Got that hinky feeling the pit of my stomach reading...compliments of your storytelling. Arrgh!

    You've been wonderful, love. I have some majorly huge shoes to fill... (hugs) As you say, not a goodbye, just a see you elsewhere!

    Oh, and quick plug for the emotional rollercoaster ride that is Jenna's Stroke Of Luck, keep an eye out for this one.

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  21. Thanks so much Devon. My feet aren't that big so don't give another thought to filling any shoes...

    But I do appreciate the help on, and the lovely words for Stroke of Luck!

    Take care,

    Jenna

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  22. You had me believing it! I've enjoyed your blog posts, and I'll miss them. I won't say good-bye because I'm sure I'll see you around and your newsletter will keep me updated.

    Hugs

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  23. Jenna,

    We'll welcome Devon with open arms, but you will be sorely missed even so. You know, you could make a living writing ghost stories, if you ever get tired of erotica ;)

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