May Days: Part Two
"Hi, can I help you?" I said to the little girl at the desk.
She looked up at me. She was maybe five years old. "Yeah. I need to bring my dog in so nobody steals him."
"Oh...." I glanced at Joe. "Um....If it was up to me, sure. I like dogs. But we have a rule about dogs, though....I'm sorry."
"But I don't want anyone to steal him," she said. "I'll just be a minute."
"Yeah, I know, hon," I said. "I wish I could let you. But I'm not allowed."
"Some people are afraid of dogs," Joe pointed out. "They wouldn't like him in here."
"It's hot out, though," I said. "Let me bring him a bowl of water."
I got a bowl of cool water and walked outside with the little girl. The dog was a little white Westie or something. I set down the water and let the dog lap up some. When I went back in, the little girl was tying the dog's leash up to a bush.
I sat down at my desk. Checked my e-mail, drank some coffee. I started typing and lost myself in an article about historic incidents I'd like to have witnessed. Ordered some comic books for the graphic novel section. An hour went by. It was almost time for me to take the desk.
When I went up to the desk, Adam was downstairs. He'd been working up in Children's all morning. He said,"Hey, guys, should we do something about that dog? It's still outside the doors. A couple of patrons have complained."
"Wait....What? I thought the kid was going home. She asked about the dog like an hour ago."
"No, she's been upstairs the whole time. Should we let the dog come in?"
Joe and I looked at each other again. I said,"I'm not going to complain, but it's really against the rules."
"I know," said Adam. "But it's really hot out. The best thing might be to let the dog in the lobby."
"The best thing," I pointed out,"Would be for the dog to go home and someone to take responsibility."
A patron was walking in, and she said,"That dog outside? Is there a little girl with it? The parents have reported her missing."
Adam and I both gaped at her.
"Missing?" I said. "She's been here an hour!"
Five minutes later, a cop was there, putting the girl and the dog in the back of his car. Adam said,"I never even thought she might have run away. She's not from very close, either---She came a couple of miles."
"I'd have called the parents, if I'd realized," I said. "It never even occurred to me. We get unsupervised kids all the time."
"I got something I want to show you," the guy at the desk said to me, all excited. "My girlfriend's house is haunted. I got some evidence."
He pulled out his cell phone. Every once in a while, this happens to me. I said,"Okay, sure. Let's see."
"I was doing some investigating," he said. "I wanted to show you this. I know you're with the paranormal society and the historic society."
"Not anymore. Not in three years."
"See, I know a little bit about you." The guy started playing something on his cell phone. I heard a sort of whispery, whoosh voice get louder and then fade away: WHOOOOOOoooooo.
The guy looked at me with anticipation. "Did you hear that? Did you hear that? What did you think?"
What I really think is, it's bullshit. But I can't say that to people, not flat-out like that.
"Well, it's hard to say. I wasn't there for it, I don't really know what the situation was."
"But you heard it, right?"
"Yeah, but it's hard to say what I heard. You got this with your phone, right? Was this a ghost-hunting app? There are a lot of those, and most of them will insert stuff. They're basically a toy that creates false evidence so that people think they found something."
"But....I got this voice...."
"Yes, and thanks for letting me listen. But it's just impossible to say what it is. If you'd like a free investigation, though, feel free to contact our team. Here's my card."
"Did you get my letter?"
I was with Paul, pushing his stroller in the grocery store. We were picking out items for dinner when I looked up to see someone I recognized. She was an older, black woman who livedin the same building as my daughter.
"What---Oh! Yes," I said. It took a moment to dawn on me. "That was you!"
She nodded. "I wrote it while I was feeling pretty discouraged. With the riots in Baltimore, and all the race problems in America...."
Knowing who had written the letter gave it a fairly different perspective. She continued,"But the car chase the other day made me feel better."
"Yeah, a good car chase always does that for me, too."
"The Lock Haven police managed to bring him in without killing him. That guy was actually trying to get killed, and they arrested him alive. That was good."
"Yeah, Lock Haven could have been the next Ferguson, but they avoided that."
"Yes." She nodded. "Thanks for understanding."
"Thanks for reading my column."
I got the groceries, and headed out. As we went home, I said,"How about that, Paul Matthew? Mystery solved."
"Bah bah bah," said Paul.
She looked up at me. She was maybe five years old. "Yeah. I need to bring my dog in so nobody steals him."
"Oh...." I glanced at Joe. "Um....If it was up to me, sure. I like dogs. But we have a rule about dogs, though....I'm sorry."
"But I don't want anyone to steal him," she said. "I'll just be a minute."
"Yeah, I know, hon," I said. "I wish I could let you. But I'm not allowed."
"Some people are afraid of dogs," Joe pointed out. "They wouldn't like him in here."
"It's hot out, though," I said. "Let me bring him a bowl of water."
I got a bowl of cool water and walked outside with the little girl. The dog was a little white Westie or something. I set down the water and let the dog lap up some. When I went back in, the little girl was tying the dog's leash up to a bush.
I sat down at my desk. Checked my e-mail, drank some coffee. I started typing and lost myself in an article about historic incidents I'd like to have witnessed. Ordered some comic books for the graphic novel section. An hour went by. It was almost time for me to take the desk.
When I went up to the desk, Adam was downstairs. He'd been working up in Children's all morning. He said,"Hey, guys, should we do something about that dog? It's still outside the doors. A couple of patrons have complained."
"Wait....What? I thought the kid was going home. She asked about the dog like an hour ago."
"No, she's been upstairs the whole time. Should we let the dog come in?"
Joe and I looked at each other again. I said,"I'm not going to complain, but it's really against the rules."
"I know," said Adam. "But it's really hot out. The best thing might be to let the dog in the lobby."
"The best thing," I pointed out,"Would be for the dog to go home and someone to take responsibility."
A patron was walking in, and she said,"That dog outside? Is there a little girl with it? The parents have reported her missing."
Adam and I both gaped at her.
"Missing?" I said. "She's been here an hour!"
Five minutes later, a cop was there, putting the girl and the dog in the back of his car. Adam said,"I never even thought she might have run away. She's not from very close, either---She came a couple of miles."
"I'd have called the parents, if I'd realized," I said. "It never even occurred to me. We get unsupervised kids all the time."
"I got something I want to show you," the guy at the desk said to me, all excited. "My girlfriend's house is haunted. I got some evidence."
He pulled out his cell phone. Every once in a while, this happens to me. I said,"Okay, sure. Let's see."
"I was doing some investigating," he said. "I wanted to show you this. I know you're with the paranormal society and the historic society."
"Not anymore. Not in three years."
"See, I know a little bit about you." The guy started playing something on his cell phone. I heard a sort of whispery, whoosh voice get louder and then fade away: WHOOOOOOoooooo.
The guy looked at me with anticipation. "Did you hear that? Did you hear that? What did you think?"
What I really think is, it's bullshit. But I can't say that to people, not flat-out like that.
"Well, it's hard to say. I wasn't there for it, I don't really know what the situation was."
"But you heard it, right?"
"Yeah, but it's hard to say what I heard. You got this with your phone, right? Was this a ghost-hunting app? There are a lot of those, and most of them will insert stuff. They're basically a toy that creates false evidence so that people think they found something."
"But....I got this voice...."
"Yes, and thanks for letting me listen. But it's just impossible to say what it is. If you'd like a free investigation, though, feel free to contact our team. Here's my card."
"Did you get my letter?"
I was with Paul, pushing his stroller in the grocery store. We were picking out items for dinner when I looked up to see someone I recognized. She was an older, black woman who livedin the same building as my daughter.
"What---Oh! Yes," I said. It took a moment to dawn on me. "That was you!"
She nodded. "I wrote it while I was feeling pretty discouraged. With the riots in Baltimore, and all the race problems in America...."
Knowing who had written the letter gave it a fairly different perspective. She continued,"But the car chase the other day made me feel better."
"Yeah, a good car chase always does that for me, too."
"The Lock Haven police managed to bring him in without killing him. That guy was actually trying to get killed, and they arrested him alive. That was good."
"Yeah, Lock Haven could have been the next Ferguson, but they avoided that."
"Yes." She nodded. "Thanks for understanding."
"Thanks for reading my column."
I got the groceries, and headed out. As we went home, I said,"How about that, Paul Matthew? Mystery solved."
"Bah bah bah," said Paul.