Live Alien Abduction on the Evening News

Hello All:
I had a bizarre dream on Wednesday night about a family alien abduction. It was so bizarre that I though I should make a story about it. And so, today's featured writing is a detailed account of that strange dream. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend! And if you see a bright light outside your front door, don't open it.

Live Alien Abduction on the Evening News

It was supposed to be the night of a special, never-seen-before meteor shower. Astronomers theorized that two colliding asteroids in Earth's usual path of orbit (when Earth wasn't in that location, of course!) had resulted in countless fragments of shattered space matter.

And this is what the weather anchor, Steve Sodaman, reported to the much-intrigued city and surrounding suburbs after presenting the nightly weather forecast.  It was the 10:00 edition. "Now astronomers say that this will be an absolutely fantastic meteor shower.” he explained. “It's supposed to be unlike anything people have seen before! The sky will be lit up for hours..."

Just then, one of the news anchors interrupted, "Steve, you might want us to click over to the other screen. We've got a caller who claims to have some amazing, live video footage of the meteor shower."

"Let's see it!" agreed the weather anchor.

The entire city and surrounding suburbs watched as the screen switched over from the weather anchor's presentation, to what appeared to be the broadcasted web cam from someone's cell phone. But it wasn't a view of the sky. Rather, it was simply the view of someone's front door—taken from inside a home—with a brilliant, red light shining through the plate glass from above.

"And we have them on the phone, too." informed the news anchor. "You can talk to them."

"Hello?" called out Steve Sodaman.

The caller's voice (a woman) could be heard through the broadcasted receiver of a phone. "Yes, I thought I should share this video with you. It's live. It's a terribly bright, red light that is shining through our front door. See the large plate glass, above?"

"Yes, we see that." confirmed the weather anchor. "From what we see on the screen, it looks like enormous lava light. The red color has swirling, globs of color to it."

"Exactly!" agreed the caller. "We're wondering if this is what we are supposed to be seeing."

"Well are you sure that's actually from the meteor shower?" asked the weather anchor. "That looks like a decorative light outside on your front porch."

One of the news anchors interrupted and asked the caller, "Did you go outside to see what it is?"

"We can't!" answered the caller. "We're afraid to go out there."

"Afraid to go out there?" exclaimed the weather anchor, Steve Sodaman. "Just open your door so we can see what it is. I'm curious."

"Yeah, I think we all are." chimed in one of the news anchors, Laurie Sandcastle. "And the same goes for everyone else watching in this city."

"We're actually afraid that something is out there with it." informed the caller. "We think there is some intelligent presence beyond our comprehension that is trying to get our attention."

"Wow!" exclaimed the other news anchors. "Like what?"

"Well don't be afraid." reassured weather anchor, Steve Sodaman. "You've got the whole city with you right now. We are broadcasting your live video."

The caller sighed and then spoke to another person who was apparently her husband. "They want us to open door and see what it is." Some arguing could be heard before she returned to speaking to the newscast. "Okay, we're going to open the door."

The phone was set on a nearby table in the family room with camera lense facing the foyer so that the whole world could watch the family—a husband, wife and three kids—approach and open the front door.

As the front door opened, a blinding red light nearly exploded through the foyer and family room. It was so bright, that it flooded the phone's light detectors. This triggered the automated light adjust so that video could still be detected. While this occurred, all those who watched the news broadcast that evening heard bloodcurdling screams from the family.

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed the weather anchor, Steve Sodaman. "What could possibly be happening?"

The phone's camera gradually adjusted the light exposure so that identifiable video footage returned. The whole city watched as the trailing bodies of family members ran for dear life to some other area of the home. Seconds later, a mysterious cable (or hose) floated its way through the front door. It was apparently very long and stretched to the outside world from wherever it had come.

"This is very bizarre." commented news anchors, Laurie Sandcastle. The camera switched over to her as she announced to the city's millions of viewers. "Ladies and Gentleman, we originally accepted live video footage of the meteor shower from a caller. But the live video has evolved into something bizarre. It would appear that a mysterious force has penetrated a home and has the family terrified. We'll continue broadcasting this video as time permits."

The whole world continued to watch as the bright light from outside the door continued to shine through the home. Additional wires and hoses floated inside and towards the area where the family was presumed to be.

"Hello?" called out the voice of a little girl.

"Yes who is this?" answered weather anchor, Steve Meteor.

"This is Allison. I live here with my Mommy and Daddy."

"What's going on right now?" asked the Steve Sodaman. "Is someone in your home?"

"We can't see them." answered little Allison. "There's a big, floating house outside with bright lights on it."

"Like a space ship?" suggested one of the news anchors.

"Yeah..." answered little Allison.

"And did the people on this space ship come in your home?" further probed the news anchor.

"We can't see them. They move too fast" explained little Allison.

Suddenly, bloodcurdling screaming could be heard from one of the rooms. "Stop it! Go away! Leave us alone!"

"Who is that?" asked the news anchor.

Allison sounded so sad, "It's my Mommy. She wants them to go away."

"Awe..."

"Awe..."

"Awe..."

The news and weather anchors all exclaimed sadness together.

Just then, a lighted object with peculiar writing that was attached to one of the hoses floated in through the door. It was difficult to make out what is said. Most people watching the video assumed that it was too fuzzy to be seen clearly.

"Something just floated in through the family home." announced weather anchor, Steve Meteor. Like Laurie said a few minutes ago, we were watching what was supposed to be live video footage of tonight's meteor shower, but it's turned into what appears to be a family alien abduction."

Steve Meteor then asked the little Allison, "Do you know what that thing is that just floated in with the hoses."

"It's a sign, "answered Allison. "It has writing on it."

"Do you know what the sign says?" asked the weather anchor.

"No, it has strange writing on it." answered Allison. "I think it says that medicine is going to be used for the surgery. It's the name of the medicine, and it's inside the sign.

"Surgery???" shouted news anchor, Laurie Sandcastle. "They're doing surgery on all of you?"

"Yeah..." answered little Allison. "That's why Mommy was so upset. The surgery hurts and makes all of us sick."

Screams from the other end of the house suddenly turned softer and softer. Whatever the aliens were doing to the family, it caused them to grow weak—maybe unconscious.

"I have to go now." informed little Allison. "It's my turn for surgery."

***

And that's what was reported during the 10:00 news on a night of a meteor shower.

You Shouldn’t Play with Hieroglyphs

You Shouldn’t Play with Hieroglyphs
Originally majoring in anthropology, I focused my degree on Egyptology and Egyptian hieroglyphs. It's an interest I've had since I was a boy when given an ancient Egyptian scarab one year for Christmas. I examined the strange pictures on the bottom of the scarab while wondering what they all meant.
“Nobody knows!” was Mother and Father’s answer.
So I made it my life goal to solve the mystery of the scarab. I fancy myself as a modern day Jean Francois Champollion; the pioneer who deciphered the once undecipherable ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
After completing my degree, it was time to turn my studies into a career; but I found out that work as an Egyptologist was far and few between. The only job available at the museum was to pre-rinse the cafeteria pans before loading them in the dishwasher. It was a job that at the time only paid $6.50 per hour. If they opportunity presented itself, eventually I could work my way into maintenance and actually build the displays that showcase ancient instruments and mummies. But it still wouldn't pay very well. Currently I am thinking of turning my attentions towards teaching.
I have a friend who takes an interest in strange things, along with a morbid fascination with the macabre. His home is decorated with frightful things. Among his decor is a native-American mummy hanging over the staircase in his home. He somehow purchased it from an archaeological dig that had been done out in Arizona where a collection of perfectly mummified corpses were preserved in the dry, desert sands.
Anyway, I visited him one afternoon when he and his wife had complained about these strange, paranormal activities happening around the home. It got so bad that they hired a paranormal investigator to come in the home and provide some answers. Nothing out of the ordinary was found.
After hearing their stories, I finally commented and asked if they thought maybe removing the damned corpse from the ceiling of their staircase (which overlooked the family room) would improve things. I pointed out that people with a fascination of the macabre tend to attract strange things like hauntings. But my friend didn't think the mummy or frightful objects had anything to do with the paranormal activities in his home!
My friend soon cracked open a bottle of gin, and we had a few shots while watching TV. Just then, the Antique Road Show came on. I asked my friend if he ever thought his collection of frightful objects could be sold for money. In particular, I asked if he ever checked what the price of his mummy could bring. At that very moment, we mutually decided to bring it to the Antique Road Show! It was the craziest idea. But what made it so pursuable was the fact that the Antique Road Show was coming to Chicago, soon! We all agreed to take the mummy down from the ceiling and place it in a wooden box to bring in for an antique appraiser to examine on the show.
Now the mummy itself doesn't weigh very much. I believe the corpse is that of a child and couldn't weigh more than 60 pounds. But the wooden box with 60 pounds of mummy made it heavier. Packaging such an item is no easy task either. You wonder if it will hold up and withstand possible shifting while in the box.
On the morning of the appearance of the Antique Road Show we started to think that our plan was a bad idea. Fortunately, my friend brought along his bottle of gin and we all had a few shots before getting out of the truck and carrying the box into the building.
We never made it to an appraiser, but the mummy sure caused a scene! You see, there was a long line of people bringing in boxes and suitcases of their antique junk which needed to be inspected by security. When it was finally our turn, we were asked of the contents of the box in which my friend had replied that it was the 10,000 year old mummy of a native American child dug up in the Arizona desert. The box was opened and the security guard's jaw dropped!
Screams could be heard from people. Some crazy lady kept yelling that we had a mummy in the box and that it was so ugly. The security guard sternly told us that we could not bring something like that in the building and ordered us to remove it from the premises.
I really hoped I could solve the problem of my friend's paranormal activities by having the mummy sold; but after the incident, it continues to be hung over the staircase of their home.

Coffee for Prison

GET THE TREE GODDESS FOR JUST 99 CENTS!

Hello All:
I almost forgot! This week is the big week that Amazon Kindle offers The Tree Goddess for only 99 cents. Don't miss out on this promotion! The Tree Goddess is the second book of the Mapleview series and a very enjoyable read.
***
Today's featured writing is a brand new story about coffee in prison.

Coffee for Prison

It was a wake at the Mayberry funeral home where dozens of mourners came to pay their last respects to sweet Matilda, who passed away at the ripe old age of ninety-nine years old. In the chapel; immediate relatives stood near the casket to greet those who were lined up to view their beloved departed.

Standing in the lobby was a large group of additional family and friends who engaged in idle chat of recent events or family updates. One such topic that was brought up was the recent return from prison of Dan, or Psycho Dan—as some people preferred to call him. And surely he was there at the funeral home with everyone else.

“Hey where's Danny at?” finally asked Dan's great uncle, Frank. "Didn't he just get out of jail?"

"Psycho Dan?” clarified another family member. "Oh he's here alright! He's in the kitchen, over by the coffee."

"In the kitchen down the hall?" further probed great Uncle Frank. "Well I'm going to have to go over there and see how he's doing. It's been a while since I've seen him." Then great Uncle Frank looked over to his nearby great nephew, Scott, and invited him to join him. "Come on, Scotty, let's go over and talk to Danny; see what he's up to now that he's out of jail."

As reported by family members, Psycho Dan was in the nearby small kitchen which contained a number of baked goods that had been provided by fellow mourners along with refreshments, one of these refreshments being coffee. And just as people had reported, Psycho Dan was standing near the coffee— actually standing over it and appearing to guard it.

"Danny?" called out great Uncle Frank as he entered the small kitchen with Psycho Dan's younger cousin, Scott.

"Uncle Frank!" shouted Psycho Dan. "Long time no see!" Rather than rush over to greet his Uncle Frank, Psycho Dan remained near the coffee as-if it were his duty to guard it.

Uncle Frank approached the refreshments table. "So how long has it been? I heard they let you out early for good behavior."

"Six years, eight months and nine days." answered Psycho Dan while finally embracing his great uncle. "And who is this little snot you've got with you?" he asked while messing up Scott's hair. "The last time I saw you, you had just started grammar school." Psycho Dan's cousin was now in seventh grade and had grown considerably since reporting to prison nearly seven years ago. But he was finally out, and it was time to catch up with family.

"You want some coffee?" offered Psycho Dan to great Uncle Frank.

"Sure..." agreed great Uncle Frank. "Black with one packet of Sweet 'N Low."

"Okay... one coffee with Sweet 'N Low coming up!" announced Psycho Dan. "And how about you?—you little snot?" teased Psycho Dan. "You want some coffee, too?"

"No, I'm good." answered Scott.

"Hey, Danny?" began to ask great Uncle Frank. "You're not standing here in the kitchen and pouring coffee for everyone, are you? Why don't you come out to the lobby and visit everyone? And did you see Matilda?"

"Oh I already saw Matilda, Uncle Frank." answered Psycho Dan. "And I'm fine over here in the kitchen." He handed the cup of coffee to great Uncle Frank.

"Well was that your job in prison?" probed great Uncle Frank. "We're you supposed to serve everyone coffee?"

Just then Psycho Dan's father, George, entered kitchen and overheard his uncle's question to Psycho Dan. "Yeah, that was his job in prison." he informed his uncle. "Ever since he came home, he's sat near the kitchen counter and made sure that the coffee pot has fresh coffee in it. He pours coffee for all of us and any guests who visits. I guess his special job in prison was to make and guard the coffee throughout the day."

"It was more than a job." argued Psycho Dan to his father. "It was an honorable duty; a duty that I had earned. I wonder who's taken my spot now that I'm gone."

"Bah, don't worry about who's taken your job!" urged great Uncle Frank. "You're out of jail, now. You've got a new lease on life. Forget about the special job you had while in prison!"

As Psycho Dan stood there with everyone; a man entered the kitchen and fixed a plate of goodies for himself and his wife. Then he approached the coffee pot and a reached for a Styrofoam cup.

"Whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Psycho Dan. "I've got that, okay!" He blocked the Styrofoam coffee cups with his muscular, tattooed forearm and then glared at the man with menacing eyes.

"Well can have some coffee?" asked the man in an irritated tone of voice.

Psycho Dan wasn't going to make it easy. "Well weren't you here about a half hour ago for some coffee?"

"Yes I was.” he answered. “Is that a problem?"

"Well where's your Styrofoam cup?" asked Psycho Dan.

"I threw it out." answered the man.

"You threw... your cup... out???" asked Psycho Dan as-if it were a crime.

Psycho Dan's father, George, finally broke in. "Alright, that's enough! Let the man have some coffee for cripes sake!" He was about to reach for a Styrofoam cup but was blocked by his son's muscular, tattooed forearm.

"I've got this, Dad!" He looked back with menacing eyes at the man who simply wished to help himself to a cup of coffee. "So you want some coffee, huh? Well no problem." He poured coffee into a fresh Styrofoam cup. "No problem at all... We can definitely do that."

"Umm… is there some kind of shortage of coffee in this place?" asked the man with a queer expression on his face.

"No, there's no shortage." reassured Psycho Dan. "We've got plenty of coffee."

"So then I guess it's just your job to stand there and harass everyone while serving coffee for the afternoon?"

"And what if it is?" threatened Psycho Dan. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"That's enough!" warned George to his son. "Now give him the cup of coffee!"

Psycho Dan wouldn't budge. He stood still like a statue with Styrofoam cup in his thick hand.

"Give him his coffee, now!" demanded George.

Reluctantly, Psycho Dan handed the cup of coffee over as his father ordered. The man then stormed out of the kitchen which left Psycho Dan alone with his father, great uncle and nephew.

"Listen..." began George to his son. "...Why don't you get away from the coffee pot and come out to the lobby to visit everyone. You look really stupid just standing there and guarding the coffee pot with your life. Now you're out of prison. You can forget whatever duty is that you had there. It's time to join the civilized world. What do you say?"

Psycho Dan stared at the coffee pot and then looked over to his father. "I'm fine, Dad. I don't need to go out and visit everyone."

Disgusted, George threw his hands in the air; turned around and stormed out of the kitchen.

"He just doesn't get it." complained Psycho Dan to his great uncle and nephew. "I had a very, important duty during my time spent in prison. You see; one of the things you have to do once you check into prison is join a gang. The gang members actually look out for each other. It's not like the different gangs are at war with each other. Really, everyone gets along. It's just that certain rules need to be put in place for everyone to follow in prison. One of them pertains to coffee."

Psycho Dan further explained, "Now in prison, coffee isn’t regularly supplied to inmates. Prisoners are served one cup of instant coffee for breakfast which really sucks. But you can pretty much get anything you want in prison if you have outside sources to bring it in. And it just so happened that members of my gang had a supplier of fresh coffee beans. We controlled the coffee. And it was my job to watch over the coffee while out in the prison yard each day.

How do you suppose I got this job? Well it was my initiation into the gang. I asked if I could join, and someone noticed that I'm big and muscular. I was told that the only position they had open for the time was coffee guard. The person who used to do it had finally been released from prison.

I was like, 'Yeah, sure I'll do it.'

Then I was told what I needed to do for initiation. I had to drink three pots of coffee in less than an hour; after which I was brought into the restroom and given a coffee enema. I don't know if either of you had one of these, but they clean your colon out pretty good.

So there I was; all jacked up on three pots off coffee, and desperately wanting to take a massive shit. But I couldn't shit until I found this member of another gang who had recently been starting trouble. I had to go and beat him up—teach him a good lesson for everyone in the prison. He was some big, Filipino guy with a mean look on his face. The guy had muscle, but everything was loose and baggy. It looked like he had tits. Still, the guy was really strong and really tough. I had to beat the guy up and prove that I was worthy to join the gang that I wanted to join. Obviously I succeeded, and I ran to the bathroom to take the shit of my life. I passed the initiation and was given the duty of coffee guard. That's why it pisses me off when my dad tells me to step away from the coffee pot. It's not that easy."

Great Uncle Frank interrupted. "But, Danny, you're out of prison, now. It's time to leave all of that behind you. What about a job? Have you started looking for a job?"

Just then, an attractive forty-something brunette with pretty brown eyes approached the refreshments table. She was about to reach for a Styrofoam coffee cup.

"Well, well, well; what do we have here?" exclaimed Psycho Dan in a sweet tone of voice. It looks like this lady wants some coffee. I can get that for you."

"Thank you!" acknowledged the woman.

"One cup of coffee for the lady with pretty eyes." commented Psycho Dan.

The woman did her best to hold back her smile. Although appreciating what was said, it just wasn't right to be complimented by a stranger at a wake—especially when married with husband out in the hallway.

"So do you want some cream and sugar with that, sweet stuff?" asked Psycho Dan.

Then again, maybe it wasn't so bad to accept a little flirting from the nice man at the coffee pot. It had been while since the woman felt this way. Her face beamed as she answered in a friendly tone of voice. "Two creams and two sugars."

"As if you weren't already sweet enough." commented Psycho Dan. He looked up towards her while stirring the cup. "See, you like all of that nice talk.—don't you? I bet you don't get enough compliments from your husband. I bet he takes you for granted and totally forgets what a beautiful wife he has. Well I'm definitely not like that. You see, I just got out of prison—spent six years, eight months and nine days in the cell. And let me tell you that there weren't beautiful women like you in that place. So if you ever feel like you're not getting enough compliments from your husband, just look me up, okay?"

Now it just so happened that the woman's husband was the man who had been in the kitchen a few minutes ago; the same man who Psycho Dan got into an argument with. Realizing that his wife was now in the kitchen, he felt it was best to see if everything was okay. And he walked in just as Psycho Dan lay on the unnecessary invitation to look him up if every lacking compliments from her husband.

"Hey, that's my wife you're talking to!" exploded the now outraged man.

"Yeah? Well what are you going to do about it?" challenged Psycho Dan. So unbelievable; he actually stepped away from the coffee pot and approached the man, fully prepared to fight.

But rather than come down to Psycho Dan's level, the man simply ordered to his wife. "Come on, let's go."

"She's going nowhere!" declared Psycho Dan.

"I don’t think I asked you!" returned the outraged man before repeating to his wife. "Let's go... now!"

"Well I've had just about enough of you!" announced Psycho Dan. With his thick hand and muscular, tattooed forearm; he took a swing at the man's face. Then he threw a second punch into the man's bleeding face before jabbing him in the stomach.

The assaulted man’s wife screamed, but secretly enjoyed the excitement.

Great Uncle Frank said to his nephew, "Well, Scotty, it looks like your cousin Danny can get his old job back in prison.

The End!

Surviving a Cocktail Party Discussion on Cosmology

Hello All:
Cosmology--NOT COSMETOLOGY!--is a science that studies the origination and on going evolution of our universe. It deals with items such as the Big Bang Theory, Einstein's Theory of Relativity, black holes, and all sort of far out things like quasars and pulsars. And thanks to specialized programming on cable TV, discussing these topics are becoming more and more commonplace.
It's the holidays. What would you do if you found yourself at a cocktail party with clients or co-workers, and some of them began engaging in a bizarre discussion of traveling at the speed of light or cruising through a black hole in space? Now you can't write them off as simply being a bunch of geeks and walk away. These are clients or co-workers of yours and your career depends on being able to get along with them.
Fortunately for you I have a survival guide to help understand and intelligently respond to discussions of cosmology in the every-day business world. You don't need a physics degree to understand this stuff, just an open mind and a few minutes to read.

Cosmic Tales

Starting Point (the basics)

            One good thing about engaging in a discussion on cosmology is the fact that the concepts are almost always theoretical. That's good for you and me because one guy's idea is just as good as the other's. How is one going to understand the age or size of the universe when we as humans are infinitely smaller and younger? So when you suddenly find yourself in a discussion surrounding deep space and cosmology; relax, the key contributors of this conversation really don't know for a fact that what they are saying is true.

            There are a few common pieces of information that all cosmologists agree on. First is the fact that the universe was created out of the Big Bang. The Big Bang theoretically happened some 25-30 billion years ago when the universe was what physicists describe as a primordial atom. A cosmic reaction took place which caused the atom to explode with incredible force, creating the universe we live in today.  Now not everyone believes in the Big Bang. Many people (including myself) prefer to believe that God made the universe. If you are like me, you can believe that the Big Bang is an attempt to understand how God created the universe. The initial explosion was God saying, "Let there be light." That's not so bad, is it?

            Another piece of information that all cosmologists agree on are points made by Einstein's theory of relativity. Actually it is broken into two theories: the special and general theory. You don't need to fully grasp what each theory is trying to prove, but these theories are often referenced to discuss and back up these ideas:

• Gravity bends light. 
• Gravity can alter the transition of time. 
• Traveling at the speed of light will cause the traveler to fast-forward into the future.  
• It is impossible to exceed 99% of the speed of light -- although fiction and imagination presses this theory that we can exceed the speed of light. It has often been imagined that exceeding the speed of light would have a similar effect to breaking the speed of sound where-as breaking the sound barrier creates an audible explosion, and breaking the light barrier would cause a visual explosion.

Stories and Riddles of Time Travel

            Many times cosmologists will break out the 'ole Tales of Cosmology story. It's a favorite story; some kind of paradox of time lost. The story involves one brother briefly leaving the other on a motorcycle ride. The brother riding his motorcycle approaches the speed of light and observes his surroundings look as if it were in a concave mirror. As he nears the speed of light he can only see a spec in front of him. As he backs off the speed of light the spec and concave view returns to normal.
     Towards the ending of the story he returns to his brother who has been patiently waiting. But what's this? The brother who had been waiting has aged 70 years!
What happened?
     Well now that you know a little about Einstein's Theory of Relativity, you know that traveling near the speed of light caused the bike-riding brother to rapidly accelerate into the future.
***

            A little riddle often brought up in the speculation of traveling through time is the "Grandfather Clause". It asks, "If you went back into time and shot your grandfather, would you be able to come back to the future? How would you have been born?
     The answers to this riddle are amazing. Remember, your answer is just as good as anyone else's. There is a popular explanation that says that you would go back to a parallel universe with a profound amount of changes experienced since your grandfather was not alive to create your father who was not alive to create you. And the whole ripple effect that people make in their lives would be felt as well.
***

            Here's a burning question often asked about time travel: If time travel is possible, then where are the time travelers? This question implies that one day we as humans will figure out how to travel through time. But if this is possible, how come time travelers from the future don't come and visit us? Many answers to this question say that whatever avenue or technique being used cannot traverse before the initial date of when time travel was made possible. My favorite answer simply says that future time travelers know it is unwise to give us the technology of time travel because we won't know how to use it correctly.

Impossible to Know (size, age, shape of universe)

            When a discussion about the size, age, or condition of the universe is taking place, the initiator relies on his or her favorite theorist to make a point. What I mean by this is no one could possibly know for sure how large the universe is; how old it is; what the shape is, etc. But there are a few different schools of thought. One way of thinking believes that the universe is continuing to expand since the Big Bang. Because it is the Big Bang that caused this expansion, it is assumed that the expansion will eventually cease as the momentum of the explosion will die off. The total gravity of the universe will cause the walls to sink in, and one day shrink back to nothingness again. This belief opens the possibility that trillions of years will generate another Big Bang to start the whole process up again.

            Another theory says that black holes (see black hole discussion below) generate doorways to other universes that are growing/shrinking as well. In short, the theory says that our universe is a collection of countless other universes that are interwoven through little holes (actually tremendous holes in comparison to us).

            There is also the simple theory that our universe is simply a blob of shapeless mass that contains stars and planets, and the limitations of the universe is the size of that mass and it will always be simply that.

Black Holes (everyone's favorite)

            Many people are familiar with black holes. Although they can not be seen, astronomers detect these massive voids in space that seem to eat up all light and matter. Because of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, it is theorized that black holes contain an inconceivable amount of gravity that pulls all light in along with mass. Black holes seem to be drains in the universe that eat everything up. You can also say that time stops in a black hole because the intense gravity will affect time. There are complex formulas that demonstrate how a black hole causes time to no longer transition.

            One favorite story of fans of black holes suggests that at the other end of a black hole is white hole. This implies that all the matter and light being sucked in by a black hole is ejected out of the other end. There isn't any significant evidence of white holes, so technically they have not been proven. Also, there are a couple laws of physics that pretty much disprove that a white hole is the other end of a black hole.

Far out Stuff (supernovae, pulsars, and quasars)

            Sometimes a discussion on cosmology will venture into deep water and bring up items such as supernovae, quasars, or pulsars. These are actual objects that have been discovered but are still not fully understood.

            To understand a supernova or pulsar, you need to first understand that a star has a life span. As the star runs out of energy and eventually dies-off, there is a gravitational collapse that sucks up everything nearby in. Eventually there is a release of this matter which is seen as a supernova. Supernovae radiate enough light and energy to equal millions of our suns. Often they over-light an entire galaxy for several days or weeks until all the energy is released.

            Once a supernova has ejected all its energy and light, it becomes a pulsar. This is a dead neuron star that rotates on its axis at a rapid rate. It has a tremendous amount of gravity and is believed to be the seed of a black hole.

            Quasars are named from the fact that they can only be detected by radio telescopes. The name combines the words Quasi-stellar-radio-source. Quasars are believed to be at the center of a distant galaxy that contains a black hole. The quasar generates enough energy to equal trillions of suns. So far away, and impossible to see; they are detected through radio signal due to their tremendous amount of energy.

Bizarre Stuff (wormholes, Tripler Cylinders and cosmic strings)

            Be careful when bringing up these controversial topics in cosmology. Depending on the people engaged in the discussion, you can either raise the bar and impress people with your cutting edge knowledge, or give people the impression you took acid some time in your life.

            Wormholes are pretty much widely accepted, though still only theoretical. A wormhole involves applying a gravitational field that is strong enough to bring two points of the universe closely together. This is the basis of hyper-warp. In some future starship, it is hoped that astronauts will be able to open a worm whole tunnel and travel light years into space within seconds.

            Tripler cylinders aren't as commonly known as worm holes. A Tripler Cylinder involves creating a spaghetti like object that spans billions of light years, but is about the diameter of a spaghetti noodle. You then rotate the tube at a very high RPM. Since the tube is spanned for such a large distance, there is a time-space continuum alteration due to the energy sharing of one medium throughout the cosmos. If you intersect various points of the Tripler Tube, you will jump forward or backwards into the future, or could even jump to a galaxy very far away.

            "Where would you get the materials to make such a cylinder?"--you might ask?
            Well you could take a star, and roll it up like play dough so that it stretches across space.
            "Impossible!"--you might declare?

            Well no problem! You see, you don't need to change a star to make a Tripler Cylinder. Instead, you can use a cosmic string!
           "What's a cosmic string?"--you might ask?

            A cosmic string is a remnant of the transition of the universe at the moment of the Big Bang. Trillions of shredded matter still in the one-dimensional state spread out throughout the universe, and are now known as cosmic strings. Cosmic strings are the diameter of the proton but the length of several billion light years. One piece of a cosmic string only 1 meter long would weigh 10 times the amount of Earth! If you could get your hands on a cosmic string, you could use it to make a Tripler Cylinder and create a time machine. Not only that, cosmic strings have a sense of polarity. Supposedly, a cosmic string can tell us which is north, south, east, and west in the universe. They also contain material and energy that was ejected at the moment of the Big Bang.

            I hope you find my survival guide to cosmology discussions very useful. Remember, you are not an expert on these concepts and neither is anyone else!

Welcome the Winter Sky--2015

Hello All:
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to our annual publication of Welcome the Winter Sky. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the winter holidays. And if you step outside in the evening, you can immediately recognize the beautiful, winter sky. That's why tonight is the perfect night to dust off the telescope or binoculars and head outside to see what the sky has to offer.
***
Happy Thanksgiving! If the weather permits, do step outside to check out the winter sky.




Welcome the Winter Sky--2015

Most people who observe the night sky plan on doing so in the evening. But for some extra credit; why not venture outside on the morning of Thanksgiving, before dawn, and view the Moon's occultation of the star Aldebaran? This is a major occultation as Aldeberan is a bright, red star in the constellation, Taurus. You won't want to miss it! The Moon will actually pass in front of this star.

Go back outside in the evening. The Moon's phase will just start waning from full on the night of Thanksgiving which means it will be approximately 99% illuminated. It will begin rising just a couple of hours past sunset, and will--unfortunately--interfere while viewing fainter celestial objects on Thanksgiving night. But don't get too discouraged. Viewing other objects in the sky won't be entirely impossible.
The waning gibbous Moon will be with us all night. Even a couple hours after sunrise, the Moon will still be visible in the sky. So if you're really into the Moon, Thankgiving night will be your night!



Although Mercury has recently transitioned to an evening sky object, any viewing will continue to be drowned by the sunlight. The planet will set below the western horizon around 4:30 in the afternoon. So I guess that means good luck with trying to see Mercury on Thanksgiving night! You might want to wait a few weeks when Mercury will be in an optimal viewing position throughout the Month of December.

Do you love Saturn? Everybody loves Saturn! Those glorious rings can be seen with a decent pair of binoculars. Unfortunately, Saturn is at solar conjunction which means that the planet will will mostly be hidden behind the Sun. Sure, you might be able to see it with some sophisticated equipment and discern the 1 degree separation imagery from the Sun. I won't be able to do that, and I'm sure the same holds true for many of you. Word of advice: Don't even try to view Saturn through a telescope on Thanksgiving night. You'll damage your eyes, and won't be able to see the turkey or pumpkin pie.

All hope isn't lost for planetary viewing on Thanksgiving night. Pluto doesn't set until around seven o'clock at night. But keep in mind that it's a dwarf planet and roughly 4.5 billion miles away. It takes much skill to catch a glimpse of Pluto through a telescope. If you can do it, then this challenge can be found somewhere in the constellation of Sagittarius throughout November and December.

You'll probably have better luck locating the outer heavenly giants, Neptune and Uranus on Thanksgiving night. Both planets rise in the early afternoon. Neptune will set around 11:30PM. Uranus will set at 3:00 in the morning. So there is plenty of time to view these wonderful planets. Neptune can be found in the constellation, Aquarius. Uranus can be found Pisces.




You can't go wrong with the king... the king of the planets that is! Jupiter never disappoints those who view it. Even in a pair of modest binoculars, one can see the bright colors and four of its orbiting moons. If you stay up late on Thanksgiving night, you'll be happy to know that Jupiter rises around 12:30 AM. Just look for the brightest star in the eastern sky. That should be Jupiter.

By predawn, Venus and Mars should be fairly high in the eastern horizon. Both planets are absolutely beautiful with the naked eye. They look even better through a telescope. Mars comes up at 2:00 AM; Venus comes up at 3:00 AM. 

We are still waiting for details on the exact position and location; but the theoretical planet, Nibiru, is supposed to near Earth some time in December. Planet Nibiru has been a concern for many people since its discovery. Some fear that it may one day collide with Earth. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Nibiru, please feel free to comment. Many would love to view this planet through a telescope.

There is still time to left to see the Summer Triangle!

If you get outside early enough--say around 9:00pm--you will find yourself in the very center of the autumn and winter sky with the famous Summer Triangle in the west and the winter objects in the east. The Summer Triangle is a beautiful right triangle in the sky that is formed by the stars  Altair, Deneb, and Vega. You can think of the Summer Triangle as an "unofficial" constellation as the bright stars belong to the individual constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra. But how nice of these borrowed stars to be joined in a right triangle whose hypotenuse is formed by the vertices of  Altair and Deneb. Be sure to bid this beautiful, celestial summer shape goodbye as the sky will soon be dominated by the objects of winter.
In the east, the first thing you will probably notice are 3 bright stars with a patch of light underneath them.
As most people are aware, these belong to the constellation Orion as the belt. Take a look through your binoculars at this patch and you will be amazed. This is the Orion nebula, or what some people call it: the stellar nursery. At this moment millions of stars are being created and migrating their way out of this nursery. Our sun came from the Orion nebula.
Unfortunately you will not be able to see the intense red color as seen in the photograph. You will see however a hazy cloud surrounded by stars.

Now scan around the Orion belt. Above the belt and slightly to the left is the star Betelgeuse. You can recognize this as the star that glows with a dull red. In the opposite corner of the constellation, to the southwest is the star called Rigel. This is the brightest star in the constellation and has a mass estimated to equal 250 of our suns. The most recognizable feature of Orion is, of course, the three stars ( Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak) which form the belt.

The famous Horsehead Nebula is immediately recognized by the striking resemblance of a horse's head as formed by a dark shadow. Not much further south of Orion is this famous nebula that might be a challenge to see in a telescope or binoculars  Of course the red color isn't seen from Earth. Long-exposure photography must absorb this light to reveal it--so beautiful.

Look for the recognizable, small patch of stars called the Pleiades. Sometimes beginning astronomers mistake this group of stars as the Little Dipper. It is not the Little Dipper, but it yields a spectacular view in binoculars. The Pleiades are a network of young stars which were formed together and still travel together. We know that they are young as evidenced by their blue color. One day they will change color and eventually through billions of years go in their own directions.
Looking above the eastern horizon is an unusual looking star that catches the attention of many people later in the evening. It appears to have a fluorescent glow when rising and is very bright. This is the star named Sirius and is the main star in the constellation Canis Major. Actually there is nothing out of the ordinary about Sirius. The only reason why it is so bright is because it is closer to us than many other stars. It is so bright, that star maps use it as a reference to compare large objects to. There is something interesting about Sirius. It has a small companion (invisible to Earth) that orbits with it. This star is called Sirius B and it plays a gravitational dance with the larger.
 There are so many objects to entertain us in the winter sky and we could never get to them all in one edit. If you do not go out on Thanksgiving night and look at all of this, at least venture out some time this winter and see what I am talking about.

Terror at the Public Storage Facility

Hello All:

What sort of vehicle does my fictional character, Daren, from the Mapleview series of novels drive? Now if you've read the Tree Goddess and Sex Magick, then you might answer that he actually has two vehicles. (Shhhh... don't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read these books.)

Okay, so you can quickly identify one of Daren's vehicles; but he does have a main vehicle used for business, and driving around town with his wife in the passenger seat. Might you know what sort of vehicle this is?

The truth is, I have never described this second vehicle, until now. In writing the upcoming Mapleview novel, House of Witches, it's disclosed that Daren drives a black Lexus IS250 with license plate that reads A554073. I'm not too familiar with the Lexus brand of vehicles. It's just that when asking myself what sort of car Daren would drive, I immediately answered a Lexus, of course. I guess characters come to life for a writer, and supply the writer with necessary information.

This morning I was commuting to work, and stopped at a red light. And right in front of me was a Lexus IS250. "Whoa!" I exclaimed. "It's a Lexus IS250! That's the sort of car that Daren drives!" It was an interesting moment for me because up until then I had never paid attention to the Lexus IS250.

So now you know.

***

Today's featured writing as an old, old story of mine that had been written a number of years ago. Are you fearful of being alone at public storage facilities?

Terror at the Public Storage Facility
It was just what newly weds, Andy and Trish, needed who moved to the beautiful and semi-rural town that seemed so isolated from the hustle and bustle. Andy had accepted a promotion which resulted in transferring out of state. In the new environment, Andy's work was now 45 minutes from the country-like setting, making it nice to come home to tranquility and after a stressful day. The only problem was the builders had yet to complete their new home! There was about a month left to go which forced Andy and Trish to live out of a hotel. Good thing the company covered job transfer expenses.
Living out of a hotel, it felt as though they were on vacation. Dining out every night and attending the various sources of entertainment in town, Andy and Trish took full advantage of their 100% covered living expenses while waiting for the home to finish. They simply kept all their furniture and other belongings at a public storage facility located on the outskirts of town. But this did present a small problem because they were inconvenienced with the need to get something at the garage from time-to-time.
And this is what led to their suspenseful moments late one Friday afternoon at the public storage facility. It was a strange place for a business to be located; making it necessary for Andy and Trish to drive about 15 minutes in wide, open, cornfield highway.
Suddenly it’s there, out in the middle of the open. The business was a state-of-the-art facility as it offered keyless entry, environmentally controlled garages and security cameras—not to mention the fact that everything was brand-new and well maintained.

Andy was a bit annoyed that he had to rush out to pick up a few odds and ends with his wife after a long day of work. "You couldn't drive out here today and pick this stuff up?"

But Trish was not easy with going alone. “Andy, I told you I'm not comfortable with these places, not after what happened to Lori years ago."
When Trish was younger, her best friend had been abducted. Her body was found with many others in a garage at a public storage facility. The tragic event caused Trish to pay attention to the many crimes that took place at remote businesses, and she learned to never trust them.
Andy sighed and maintained his patience. “Alright, fine; the house is almost done and soon we won't have to come here.” He realized it was a small inconvenience to put up with, and his wife's safety should have been a concern. Besides, the possibility remained that someone could, in fact, find his wife alone as a perfect opportunity to attack Trish.
“Awe jeez… I’m almost out of gas!” exclaimed Andy as they finally pulled in to the parking lot. The next opportunity to fuel up was 10 minutes away.
"Why don't you get yourself something more economical?" challenged Trish. "You drive 45 minutes to work each day and you do it in an oversized, gas-guzzling pickup truck!"
There wasn’t a soul in sight. The only thing that could be heard was the gentle wind blowing through the cornfield next door as they got their needed items from the rented storage garage. Andy locked up and made his way for the exit. But what they saw next was a bit alarming.
There was a very, large, dark SUV blocking the exit gate and parked at a diagonal as if not to let someone in or out of the gated premise. As Andy and Trish examined the situation more, they realized that the only way out was through the electronically, controlled gate which was now blocked by the large SUV. It was easy to conclude that whoever parked the truck there was making sure no one could escape.
"I thought they allow 24 hour access here?" Andy was searching for a rational explanation as to why the entrance was blocked.
Trish shrugged her shoulders and hoped, too, that there was some rational explanation for the exit being blocked.
But soon a rugged man who wore nothing more than suspendered-coveralls approached their pickup truck. He was nearly bald with a dirty, messy, red beard. We are often instructed in life not to judge a book by its cover; but in an isolated situation like this, Andy and Trish felt obligated to be fearful and mistrusting.
Trish begged her husband, "Andy, get away! Get away!"
Andy immediately put the pickup truck in reverse, and backed through the alley of storage garages until able to turn 180 degrees and go forward. “Call the Police!” He shouted at his wife as he realized this was a seriously, dangerous situation. He didn't care what explanation there was to block the entrance; this guy had no business locking them in the gated facility.
Andy made it to the main roadway of the property and could see the diagonally parked SUV at the entrance about a 1/4 block away. They were now as deep into the facility as one could go. Imagine pulling through the gated entrance and driving until reaching the other end of the property. This is where Andy and Trish sat parked, and the only thing behind them was a fence. For some reason Andy felt safe being able to see everything as his wife tried to call the police.
Trish began to cry. "Andy... there is no service out here! I can't get a signal!"
He yanked his own cell phone out and gave it to Trish. "What do you mean no signal? Try mine; not that piece of crap you own! We have to get the police here!" Andy was too busy to worry about silly, technical glitches as he needed to watch for their captor.
Trish grew increasingly hysterical with uncontrollable crying. “Yours doesn’t work, either! No Signal!”
He yanked the phone from his delirious wife who was obviously unable to work it properly. Those years of fear towards isolated businesses were having a serious impact on Trish. It was best that Andy remove her from the current situation as quickly as possible. But then Andy verified for himself that his own cell phone did not work, finally concluding they were in an area with no signal. He looked up and saw the creepy guy in suspendered-coveralls running up to them.

"Alright, we need to let this guy know we mean business." Andy floored the pickup truck and headed towards their captor, showing intent to run him over.

The man simply ducked in one of the walkways to avoid getting hit.
Andy hoped that the frightening-looking man received the message, and would move his SUV. He drove around the garages until back where he started, keeping watchful eye on the entire roadway and SUV blocking the entrance.
But moments later, the man in suspendered-coveralls emerged with a brick in one hand and a baseball bat in another. Andy had no items that could be used as a weapon in the truck which was seriously low on gas. Could he fight this man hand-to-hand? In his late-teens and early 20s, Andy studied the art of Jiu-Jitsu which offered some means of self defense. And perhaps if he was still 20 years old he would jump out of the truck and do some moves as Andy felt invincible back then. But there was something frightening about the captor, almost as if he had a strength that could out-smart and overpower the frightened couple. Aside from that, Andy was wiser and older than in his early 20’s. He decided that staying in the truck was much safer.
The creepy guy in suspendered-coveralls was in a furious psychosis while yelling out, "You son-of-a-bitch!" He hurled a brick which landed on the hood of Andy's pickup truck and cracked the windshield. That was Andy’s cue to floor the pickup truck and chase the man to a crossroad. The man desperately turned left to avoid the assailing vehicle, but Andy spun around in a donut maneuver which caused their captor to reverse direction. Andy’s defensive attack in the pickup truck looked like a mad bull chasing someone in circles.
And then out of the corner of his eye, Andy saw a child in one of the roadways, crying. He stopped and could hear the child screaming, “Daddy!”
Now Andy was confused as he watched the man in suspendered-coveralls run towards the crying child, scoop him up and hide in one of the walkways. Andy slowly pulled up to the walkway, but was still in battle mode and ready for another possible assault from their captor.
Andy yelled out his window, "What are you trying to do? Get your freakin' SUV out of the entrance so we can leave!"
The creepy guy in suspendered-coveralls held his crying child behind him and was prepared to spring out in attack. "You son-of-a-bitch; I have my kids here riding their go-carts around. You're going to run them over!"
It was a small misunderstanding that could have easily turned into a tragedy of errors as this man had brought his children to the public storage to ride their go-carts. Apparently he parked his SUV to block the entrance and monitor who was coming in, thereby preventing his kids from being run over by vehicles.
It was a very awkward 10 minutes. Andy exited the pickup truck while hearing the irate man cuss and yell. And through this, he attempted to explain the series of misunderstandings which led to the potentially, tragic event. Andy found out that their perceived captor in suspendered-coveralls was the actual owner of the public storage facility! He usually parked his SUV diagonally at the entrance every Friday afternoon so his children could cruise around the gated parking lot with their go-carts. His business was usually a ghost-town Friday afternoons; but today, Andy and Trish were there.
After the apologies were given and accepted, Andy drove to the nearest gas station while yelling at his wife for causing so much trouble!

The Ghost in the Rocking Chair

Hello All:
The Ghost in the Rocking Chair: a spooky mystery that offers an important lesson to be learned. The short story was written a few years ago, and reminds me of a Goosebumps meets the Brady Bunch episode. As you'll find out, the Smith family is a totally normal family. Paranormal experiences will not happen in this family home! But what can be said of the spooky rocking chair in the attic with invisible ghost that sits in it?

The Ghost in the Rocking Chair
The Smith Family lives in two story home on a quiet street in the Atlanta suburb, Decatur. Husband and father, John Smith, works as an executive account manager for a highly established marketing firm. His wife, Mary, is a stay-at-home mom.

John and Mary have two children. They have a ten-year old son named Dan and a seven-year old daughter named Jill. Dan is in fifth grade elementary school. Jill is in the second grade.

***

It was a windy night in March when ten-year-old Danny was awoken from his sleep because of a banging noise. The banging noise seemed to be coming from upstairs in the attic. Curious of the noise, Dan got out of bed and quietly walked down the hall to the attic door. Opening the door provided an unfinished staircase to the attic.

The staircase and attic were pitch-black. This was certainly something that would have made a ten-year-old child uneasy. So before ascending the staircase, he switched on a light located on the wall which provided some crude lighting to the attic. Then he slowly and carefully ascended the staircase.

While climbing up to the attic, the banging noise got louder. Dan was scared! What could that noise have been? It wasn't until he reached the top step and looked over to the far wall of the attic that he could see what the noise was. Dan couldn't believe his eyes. An old rocking chair was rocking back and forth in the attic all by itself! Sometimes it rocked so hard that the top banged into the wall. That certainly explained the banging noise heard from the attic. But what could have possibly caused the chair to rock back and forth on its own?

There was only one rational explanation at the moment for ten-year-old Dan. He believed that an invisible ghost was sitting in the chair and rocking it.

Dan was terrified at the sight. He was so frightened that he ran down the stairs and closed the attic door behind him. But unbeknown to him, it didn't fully close. He also forgot to turn off the attic light. Dan jumped back into bed and pulled the covers over his head and tried to forget what he saw. But the rocking chair could be heard from upstairs in the attic. Dan put both of the pillows over his head to block the noise. It was some time before he could finally fall back to sleep.

***

The following morning was a Wednesday and certainly a school day, Dan dressed and went downstairs into the kitchen where Mother made breakfast and Father sat at the table reading the morning paper. Dan's younger sister, Jill, hadn't made it to the breakfast table.

Dan sat down in his seat and took a sip of his orange juice. From what he could see, it looked like Mother was making eggs for breakfast.

Just as Dan put his glass of orange juice down after taking a sip, Father lowered his newspaper and asked Dan a question. "Dan, I noticed this morning that the attic door was opened a crack and that the attic light was left on. Do you know anything about this?"

Dan was speechless at first and looked at the table.

Father didn't appreciate his son not being so quick to answer. "Dan, I asked you a question and I expect an answer. Do you know anything about that door being open and the light on?"

Dan hesitated for a second and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I heard a strange noise upstairs in the attic last night and I wanted to see what it was."

"So you went up there?" Father asked.

"Yes." answered Dan

Father was puzzled and further probed. "Well why didn't you shut the light off and close the door?"

Poor, frightened Dan did all he could to hold back the tears. "I saw a ghost up there and I was scared. I really thought I shut the door, and I guess I was so scared that I forgot to turn off the light."

Father gave his son a very, strange look. "Dan, you know that there are no such things as ghosts. Why would you be afraid of a ghost in the attic? Ghosts aren't real. They are just a figment of your imagination."

"I know" answed Dan. "But I saw it rocking in the chair. I saw it with my own, two eyes."

Father took a sip of his coffee and continued. "Son, sometimes the mind plays tricks on us. Sometimes you truly believe in some circumstance or some fact that you actually think you see something that really isn't there. That's just how the mind works. Like I said, ghosts are just a figment of the imagination. You were probably half asleep and dreaming while up in that attic. Doesn't that seem like a more reasonable explanation?"

Just then, Mother walked over and put a scoop of eggs on Father's plate along with two slices of buttered toast. Then she did the same for Dan. She could see the pouty expression on her son's face and knew that he wasn't fully agreeing with Father. "Your father is right, Dan." mother reaffirmed. "Listen to your father. There are no such things as ghosts." Then she smiled at Father while walking away to check on her daughter, Jill.

Father took a couple bites of breakfast and wrapped up the conversation. "You don't still think you saw a ghost in the attic, do you?"

"No sir..."

"Good!" answered Father. "Now after breakfast, turn off the attic light and make sure the door is shut."

"Yes sir..."

After breakfast, Dan did as ordered and returned upstairs to the attic door. It was now morning, and not so frightening to reach his hand over to the wall and switch off the light. But he was quick to make sure the door was closed and maybe walked away a little faster than usual. As he believed, perhaps a ghost was behind the door and just seconds from opening it!
***

During the bus ride to school, Dan mostly forgot the previous night's experience. By midmorning, it was nearly purged from memory. But at recess on the playground, Dan spotted a plastic bag that had somehow blown into one of the branches of a tree. It was a gusty March morning which resulted in the bag blowing from side to side in the tree. It reminded Dan of a ghost and immediately called to mind last night's experience in the attic.

Now Father always stressed the importance of never standing out among peers or appearing different. Being different or having some unusual characteristic of uniqueness is not a good thing. This includes believing in things that go against the norm or what other people believe. As Father always explained to his son, it's important to be exactly like everyone else. That way, it will be easier to socialize and network throughout life and in a career.

But in that moment, Dan disregarded his father's wisdom and commented on the bag blowing in the wind. He pointed it out to his playground friends, "Hey, look at that bag! Doesn't it look like a ghost?"

All of Dan's friends laughed.

"Ghost?" asked one of Dan's friends. "You think that looks like a ghost? Everyone knows there are no such things as ghosts!"

Everyone agreed and chimed in laughter. Poor Dan was the butt-end of the joke for the rest of the morning. And it was a good lesson for Dan! He should have listed to Father and never said anything that might have stood out from the ordinary. Fortunately his ghost comment was forgotten by lunch.

***

The gusty winds of March died down and didn't return until Thursday evening. Dan was awoken late at night from the same noise of something banging in the attic. Despite the fact that Father advised him of ghosts being a figment of the imagination, a surge of terror rushed through him. As he believed, the ghost was up there and being just as noisy as ever.

At first, Dan pulled the pillows over his head to block out the noise. But for some reason, the sound seemed louder than on Wednesday and impossible to ignore. Lying there, Dan's imagination played all sorts of tricks on him. From what he believed, the ghost could easily open the attic door, come down the hallway and float into his room.

The dreaded fears were finally too much for Dan. He had no choice but to scurry into Mother and Father's room and whisper out to his father. "Dad? Dad?"

Father rolled over. "What is it son?"

"I hear that noise in the attic, again."

Father got out of bed and walked into the hallway. Sure enough, the banging noise could be heard from the attic.

"Hear it?" asked Dan. "That's the ghost rocking in the chair."

Father gave his son a strange look. "Now didn't I tell you that there are no such things as ghosts?"

Just then, Mother walked into the hallway where her husband and son stood. "What's going on?" she asked.

Father replied, "Dan woke me up because of a noise in the attic. I wonder what that is."

As the three of them approached the attic door, Dan's younger sister, Jill, quietly walked over in curiosity. Her presence startled Dan and momentarily caused him to believe that the ghost had vaporized through the door. He nearly screamed while quickly backing away from his sister.

Father was losing his patience. "Calm down! I don't know what's happening to you. See what I mean about your mind playing tricks on you? I'm going upstairs into the attic and get to the bottom of this so we can go back to sleep."

The family watched as brave Father opened the attic door, switched on the light and ascended the stairs. Banging could be heard, and Dan just knew that Father would finally see the ghost. But in a much unanticipated move, Father turned from the staircase and walked right over to the direction of the noise! Then he returned to the stairs and looked down the staircase to his son. "Dan, I want to show you something. Come up here."

Dan hesitated as he wasn't comfortable going up into the attic where he would encounter a possible ghost.

Mother encouraged her son. "Go ahead. Your father wants to show you something."

Now Dan knew that when Mother and Father asked him to do something, he was supposed to obey and do it. This included venturing into the attic where a ghost could be heard. Reluctantly, Dan ascended the stairs--maybe a bit slower than what he should have.

"Come on!" ordered Father. "I don't have all night. I want to get back to sleep."

Dan made his way up the final steps and took sight at what he believed to be the invisible ghost rocking back and forth in the rocking chair. Sometimes it rocked so hard that the back hit the wall.

Father gave his son a weird look while asking, "You don't think that's a ghost, do you?" Then he explained, "Now I want to show you something. See that window open near the chair?"

"Yes..."

"I was up here doing work last autumn and opened the window to get some air up here. Apparently I forgot to shut it. The wind is now blowing through the window and rocking the chair." Father walked over to the window and shut it. Immediately, the chair slowed down and finally stopped. "There's your ghost. Mystery solved!"

Dan was in disbelief! All this time he thought that an invisible ghost was sitting in the chair. Instead, it was the wind. How silly of Dan!

***

The following morning was a Friday as the entire family sat down to eat breakfast. Mother made waffles with bacon--Dan's favorite. As he took a bite of crispy bacon Father cleared his throat to speak.

"So do we have the mystery of the rocking chair ghost finally solved?"

Dan nodded his head. "Mmm-hmm..."

"Good!" said Father. "And let this be a lesson to you. You can't always believe what you see and draw inferences to create facts. If something mystifies you, there is probably some fact or truth that you are not aware of. There is always a rational explanation for some out-of-the-ordinary experience and it's best to get to the bottom of things before jumping to conclusions."

Dan continued to eat his breakfast. But unlike Wednesday morning, he believed everything that Father told him. The mystery of the ghost had been solved by Father.

THE END!