I watched her each morning walk through the heavy white mist to unlock the wooden shed. She carried with her a basket covered with an old tattered scarf in which the contents I couldn’t ascertain. She would put the basket on the ground just right of the door then she slowly moved her head and body around so as not to make a sound. I guess she was listening for any unusual sounds in her private area in the middle of this plush forest. She then reached into her left pocket, producing a rust colored key. After she inserted the rusted key the old rusted lock was sprung. She then picked up her covered basket and entered the shed swiftly…about 15 seconds. I timed her each day…she was precise! I was close enough to know that she had freshly cooked food in that basket of hers. The aroma of the contents drifted my way with each breeze of the north- westerly winds. I hated those moments because my stomach grumbled loudly and yelled out to be fed. If she heard my intruding sounds she had never let it interrupt her thoughts while she entered the shed. Apparently she had to be oblivious to some things around her since I was only a mere twenty feet from her. I was hidden in a large evergreen bush that along with my apparel I blended in. Thank heaven my allergies didn’t act up because I didn’t sneeze like any animal known around this area!

The wait was long…at least four hours some times. During this time I could hear her talking, I’m sure she wasn’t alone.

"Well! Good day old friend! How are we today?" she would ask most of the time.

In a deeper voice, "I’m ready whenever you are."

Some days it was pretty quiet with minimal verbalization going on. Other days there was screaming and yelling and I really had to strain to hear what was going on.

"What’s wrong with you today? You can’t produce?" A groaning sound could be heard. "Well ya better get a grip on it man or you’ll be here for a-l-o-n-g time!"

Sounds of heavy objects being thrown on the walls shook the old wooden planks of the shed. I thought that I would soon see the expulsion of the other individual, but no one ever flew out.

"Okay buster! Are you ready to try again?" (Silence) "WHAT…you need to rest!

Get real! We’re going to start again and you will produce or I’ll make mince meat

out of you!"

The deeper voice emerged, with a gruffness that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

"Yeah, come on…let’s see! Direct me baby!

Why was I inclined to watch her day after day in that stupid crouched position? I could only contribute this action to my great curiosity of the unknown. Wouldn’t you, if you had thought that your neighbor had imprisoned one of her relatives, and they had not been seen in months. Actually it had been over two months since he had visited her. I was convinced that he was locked up in that shed.

I had my chance to investigate; the lock was left flung open after she left. After ten minutes I knew that she would be at the main house so I tried hurriedly to get out of the bush. What a mess! I was partially out, then fell backwards and landed in some slime…probably some animal dung. I had no time to get it off since time was a great factor at this point. Tripping over my own feet I landed smack in front of the shed. What a person has to go through just to relieve their curiosity! Quietly I removed the lock from its position, opened the door and entered. I held my breath…I was speechless. There, in the middle of the shed, on an old worn out wooden table sat a lap top computer. Next to the computer there sat a neatly stacked pile of white paper. I went over and began reading the top sheet… I dared not touch anything since my hands were dirty and sweaty. "Well I’ll be," she’d been writing some sort of story. But whom was she talking to? I just shook my head and thought, "What some writer’s will do to get them selves to get motivated!

©HCD 2004