The Negative Zone

I can tell it is Halloween time again, mainly due to the unnatural and inexplicable things that have been happening recently. The most recent example comes from last night, when I and my two dogs were haunted up and down the dirty streets of Pocatello by an actual hound of hell. While walking by dogs at about midnight, I glimpsed him only briefly before he slipped off into the darkness and mist, but in the moment he appeared to be an extraordinarly large St. Bernard. And although he disappeared from all sight, he continued to bark at my two dogs and myself as we walked down the street, always sounding like he was right behind us. Yet every time I turned around the dog was nowhere to be seen; although he clearly sounded as if he were hard on our heels he remained invisible to the naked eye. Now that I'm aware that neighborhood is guarded by a demon dog, I hesitate to return there.

The second recent example is the bizarre series of phone calls I've been getting on my cell phone, which have been originating from a phone with almost the exact same number as me. Now I understand that people misdial, or write down number wrong and sometimes call someone other than they intended, but I fail to understand why someone with what is essentially the same phone number as me is calling me. The only difference is that instead of the first 3 digits being 240, they are 250, but the rest is the same. And although I haven't ever answered when this other number called, they continue to call me without ever leaving a message.

Only one explanation occurs to me: my doppleganger is haunting me, my absolute converse, my utter negative, has finally tracked me down. I fear it is only a matter of time before I have to meet him face to face. How would that be? How do I look at a creature who is exactly like me, physically, but who embodies everything that I detest? How can a evil, evil man face such an angelic creature, one who holds all the goodness that I lack. So, I implore you, whoever you are with cell phone prefix 250, spare me!

And speaking of Halloween, I saw one of the more terrifying, nightmarish movies I've ever come across: Eraserhead, David Lynch's first film. A journey through self-loathing, parenthood, and family, this one gave me chills even in the middle of the day. Oh, and as a bonus, Pocatello, Idaho gets mentioned in the DVD extras by David Lynch!