Hair salon coeur d alene idaho
The Lake City
2010.12.15 11:29 hotchocolateboy The Lake City
Coeur d'Alene is a city of ⁓50,000 that sits on Lake Coeur d'Alene in Northern Idaho
2012.07.26 05:58 yourmom2000 North Idaho
The North Idaho subreddit!
2020.03.08 03:59 YbarMaster27 TransID
This subreddit is for trans Idahoans and discussion relating to issues that they face.
2023.06.03 06:18 quartersniff Try going to a hair salon, it’s absolutely worth it
I can only attest for medium to long hair, as that’s what I’ve had most of my life, but at about 13, my mom started dragging me to her hair salon, and it’s great, and I’m kinda sad that it’s not generally thought of as a place for guys. All of the barbers I’ve seen in salons seem way better than anything I’ve seen in standard haircut places. I’m not trying to say they’re perfect, they’re definitely more expensive, and if you’re looking for shorter, more stylized hair, I’d assume you’re better off going with a barber specializing in male haircuts. But if you don’t need your hair cut often, or you’re thinking of growing it out, I’d highly recommend it. I cut my hair short in 8th grade, and for that I just went to a normal barbershop, I’m not sure I ever came out actually satisfied with my hair, which might be because of my bias towards long hair, but I definitely know it was a lot more of a gamble on how close what you get is to what you wanted. I started going to a salon again recently, and my hairs honestly never looked better, it’s healthier, and I even enjoy going and getting my hair cut now. Highly recommend.
TLDR; if you have medium/long hair, try going to a salon if you haven’t already. You’ll probably find it’s worth the price.
submitted by quartersniff to malehairadvice [link] [comments]
TLDR; if you have medium/long hair, try going to a salon if you haven’t already. You’ll probably find it’s worth the price.
2023.06.03 00:34 LoPriore [WTS] Vintage Nevada Treasure Hill Mine Dore silver/gold pour and cool lot of randoms.
Proof below
https://imgur.com/a/bGl975D
Another eclectic group of AG.
Extremely rare mine ingot from Treasure Hill nevada Dore pour 3.7 oz with paperwork dated Jan 82
This was a reclaim of the famous historical Treasure Hill distribution of silver and gold not many of these around and awesome in hand. Nobody else I know has one.
425 🚢d priority
5.5 oz assorted lot of cool stuff! Comes with my favorite 1959 silver dime. 1/2 oz dragon thing in capsule 2012 Ase 2011 Cascade idaho dateless version safety round COUER d'Alene PBS round which is awesome Dinosaur bobcat round I think theyre high premium.
199 shipped.
.
If I were you I'd take it all 599 shipped Really I would!
Venmo zelle
submitted by LoPriore to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
https://imgur.com/a/bGl975D
Another eclectic group of AG.
Extremely rare mine ingot from Treasure Hill nevada Dore pour 3.7 oz with paperwork dated Jan 82
This was a reclaim of the famous historical Treasure Hill distribution of silver and gold not many of these around and awesome in hand. Nobody else I know has one.
425 🚢d priority
5.5 oz assorted lot of cool stuff! Comes with my favorite 1959 silver dime. 1/2 oz dragon thing in capsule 2012 Ase 2011 Cascade idaho dateless version safety round COUER d'Alene PBS round which is awesome Dinosaur bobcat round I think theyre high premium.
199 shipped.
.
If I were you I'd take it all 599 shipped Really I would!
Venmo zelle
2023.06.02 22:18 Safe_Regular4195 Should i dye my hair again
So today i went to a new hair salon and i showed the hairdresser what i wanted.I wanted a few blonde highlights mostly on my ends.She did not do any of that.She gave me a blayage but that’s not the worst part.SHE DID NOT DYE MY ROOTS!So my whole hair is dyed except my rots/all of my scalp.You could argue that maybe she didn’t understand but you can not mess up this bad.I have a rectangle shape on my head of my own hair like it has been dyed for months.It’s awful!The lady that was doing my hair like ditched me at the end and her colleague dried my hair.Maybe she realised what she did and ran off because my mum had waited for me and she was going to pay.When i was done i couldn’t say anything because my eyes were already full of tears and i felt even more awful because my mum insisted on paying.So my question now is should i dye my hair again.I’m really scared of damaging because if i were to dye it again i’d have to dye my whole haid or should i just dye it back to brown.
submitted by Safe_Regular4195 to femalehairadvice [link] [comments]
2023.06.02 19:48 Global-Nectarine4417 Why do reception/admin assistant jobs want experience in their specific field?
Just curious- maybe I’m ignorant. I understand that a law office gig would be different. But companies involved in beverage distribution/veterinary offices/manufacturing specific products seem to only want applicants who have done secretarial work in their particular industry. There are differences in the operations of every company. Some minor training will always be necessary. All of our servers at my bar have experience, and we still have to train them on how we do things. In the end, these admin jobs all involve answering calls, entering data, scheduling, filing information, and being polite and discreet, right? Why is 5+ years of experience specifically in administrative assistance necessary for someone with a bachelor’s degree, a good GPA, and 15+ years of customer service experience? I can’t even get a job at a hair salon as a receptionist. I can wait on 20 tables at a time- I promise I can politely answer a phone and book appointments correctly.
Oh, and to the recruiters who keep contacting me to sell their bs insurance - I’d rather be slinging beer at 89 years old than make cold-calls all day for your “unlimited growth potential”. Working for tips is awful, but I bet working for commission for a borderline MLM is worse.
submitted by Global-Nectarine4417 to recruitinghell [link] [comments]
Oh, and to the recruiters who keep contacting me to sell their bs insurance - I’d rather be slinging beer at 89 years old than make cold-calls all day for your “unlimited growth potential”. Working for tips is awful, but I bet working for commission for a borderline MLM is worse.
2023.06.02 19:03 cryosoleil affordable, scenic cities (US)
my boyfriend and i (mid 20s) currently live in Overland Park, KS and are looking to move elsewhere next summer. we both love the outdoors and enjoy the more woodsy/mountainous scene; access to hiking trails and parks is important. ideally, the area would be more on the blue side but we are both from the midwest so we can handle some red. we are both in college and don't have a ton to spend on housing, so our budget for an apartment is $1,300. career availability for STEM in nearby cities would be great. any ideas?
we have looked at (and would love to hear about) these cities:
submitted by cryosoleil to SameGrassButGreener [link] [comments]
we have looked at (and would love to hear about) these cities:
- boise, idaho
- coeur d'alene, idaho
- spokane, washington
- vancouver, washington
- longview, washington
- boone, north carolina
- wilmington, north carolina
- roanoke, virginia
- logan, utah
- rapid city, south dakota
- fayetteville, arkansas
2023.06.02 17:05 SchlesingerMindy323 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in ID Hiring Now!
2023.06.02 14:34 AgustaProLink OR RN needed in Coeur d'Alene, ID
 | OR - PM SHIFT needed in Coeur d'Alene, ID submitted by AgustaProLink to Travel_Nurse_Jobs [link] [comments] Pay package-$3582 gross/wk, $47/hr, $70.50 OT, $1701Stipend 40H/wk Start dates 6/13 and 6/20 13 weeks CNAs and Phlebotomists on PM shifts! RTO and exemptions accepted! Will take blocked scheduling! Text for details or Job list in your skillset! 614-254-6567 https://preview.redd.it/83uhwcx4nl3b1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8fadde2f6abc56f43e773789286a4b1f45e0490 Nestled in a beautiful resort town! https://www.cdaresort.com/ |
2023.06.02 07:44 InsularAvarice The Western Union: A Fictional Nation From a Larger World Map I Have Been Working On For The Past Four Years
 | submitted by InsularAvarice to imaginarymaps [link] [comments] |
2023.06.02 02:12 jeepersoh Can anyone help/advise me?
I got a very disappointing haircut two weeks ago. I requested a balayage, and a trim, but I was left with a very botched haircut.
The blonde hasn’t lifted properly, and has toned awfully. I would have preferred they said it didn’t lift the way it should’ve, and requested I come back at a later date but instead it was completed in one session.
Some parts of it are very bleached and icy, others are copper, some parts are just blotchy and it really doesn’t look right. The cut also isn’t great, but I can hide the weird bangs they gave me with a clip so that’s fine.
I could’ve dealt with the bad bleach job, I could’ve just went to another stylist in a month or sos time. However, my hair is falling the fuck out. So bad. Everytime I brush and wash it my hair is coming out IN CLUMPS.
Now, this is only the second time I have ever bleached my hair. Before this it wasn’t bleached in about a year and three months, and I had been getting my ends trimmed every 4 weeks so a lot of the previous dye job had been trimmed off. I also tend to only use heat on my hair about once a month, and I use a heat protectant cream so it wasn’t heat damaged, either.
Just so much clumps of hair are falling out. I have no clue what has happened. I feel really distrusting, and I don’t want to go back to another salon.
Is there anything I can do at home to fix/stop this? My hairs getting so thin, this isn’t the usual amount of hair loss you’d usually get from brushing. It’s snapping and falling out, EVERYWHERE
submitted by jeepersoh to Hair [link] [comments]
The blonde hasn’t lifted properly, and has toned awfully. I would have preferred they said it didn’t lift the way it should’ve, and requested I come back at a later date but instead it was completed in one session.
Some parts of it are very bleached and icy, others are copper, some parts are just blotchy and it really doesn’t look right. The cut also isn’t great, but I can hide the weird bangs they gave me with a clip so that’s fine.
I could’ve dealt with the bad bleach job, I could’ve just went to another stylist in a month or sos time. However, my hair is falling the fuck out. So bad. Everytime I brush and wash it my hair is coming out IN CLUMPS.
Now, this is only the second time I have ever bleached my hair. Before this it wasn’t bleached in about a year and three months, and I had been getting my ends trimmed every 4 weeks so a lot of the previous dye job had been trimmed off. I also tend to only use heat on my hair about once a month, and I use a heat protectant cream so it wasn’t heat damaged, either.
Just so much clumps of hair are falling out. I have no clue what has happened. I feel really distrusting, and I don’t want to go back to another salon.
Is there anything I can do at home to fix/stop this? My hairs getting so thin, this isn’t the usual amount of hair loss you’d usually get from brushing. It’s snapping and falling out, EVERYWHERE
2023.06.01 21:31 Clay_Bricks Every retiring LEGO set (June 2023 update)
Another month, another retirement update! A lot of sets changed dates this month, and even more new sets got added! Which reminds me, I'm considering making a /legoleak Discord server in order to expand more on leaks, answer questions, and provide daily retirement updates. If there's interest in that, I'll work on having it done before the next list!
As always, we owe a massive thanks to ZombieYeti from the BrickHound Discord for providing this valuable data. If you're looking for real-time in-stock/deal alerts for Lego.com and other sites, make sure to check out his server: https://discord.gg/BwezK2t5qf
This information is scraped directly from Lego's website, and all dates are subject to change. ZombieYeti is currently developing a website to host this data and offer real-time updates. In the meantime, here is a list of every set and their corresponding retirement date as per LEGO's system!
FULL LIST ON GOOGLE SHEETS HERE <--
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Due to Reddit's character limits, we can't include everything here, but the full spreadsheet contains every set.
CHANGES IN JUNE:
NEW SETS ADDED:
SETS RETIRING IN 2023:
submitted by Clay_Bricks to Legoleak [link] [comments]
As always, we owe a massive thanks to ZombieYeti from the BrickHound Discord for providing this valuable data. If you're looking for real-time in-stock/deal alerts for Lego.com and other sites, make sure to check out his server: https://discord.gg/BwezK2t5qf
This information is scraped directly from Lego's website, and all dates are subject to change. ZombieYeti is currently developing a website to host this data and offer real-time updates. In the meantime, here is a list of every set and their corresponding retirement date as per LEGO's system!
FULL LIST ON GOOGLE SHEETS HERE <--
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Due to Reddit's character limits, we can't include everything here, but the full spreadsheet contains every set.
CHANGES IN JUNE:
| Theme | Set # | Set Name | Old Date | New Date | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar | 75577 | Mako Submarine | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| Avatar | 75578 | Metkayina Reef Home | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| Classic | 11020 | Build Together | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| Duplo | 10966 | Bath Time Fun: Floating Animal Island | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | -1 year |
| City | 60388 | Gaming Tournament Truck | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Creator | 31143 | Birdhouse | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Friends | 41735 | Mobile Tiny House | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Harry Potter | 75969 | Hogwarts Astronomy Tower | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Icons | 10306 | Atari 2600 | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Ideas | 21331 | Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76946 | Blue & Beta Velociraptor Capture | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76951 | Pyroraptor & Dilophosaurus Transport | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76226 | Spider-Man Figure | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76241 | Hulk Mech Armor | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76243 | Rocket Mech Armor | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76245 | Ghost Rider Mech & Bike | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Marvel | 76256 | Ant-Man Construction Figure | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Speed Champions | 76906 | 1970 Ferrari 512 M | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Speed Champions | 76907 | Lotus Evija | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Star Wars | 75333 | Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Star Wars | 75344 | Boba Fett's Starship Microfighter | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
| Technic | 42138 | Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 | +1 year |
NEW SETS ADDED:
| Theme | Set # | Set Name | Retirement Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday / City | 60381 | City Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Friends | 41758 | Friends Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Harry Potter | 76418 | Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Marvel | 76267 | Marvel Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Star Wars | 75366 | Star Wars Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71777 | Kai's Dragon Power Flip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71778 | Nya's Dragon Power Drift | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71779 | Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Batman | 30653 | Batman 1992 Polybag | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76224 | Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76252 | Batcave – Shadow Box | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76264 | Batmobile Pursuit: Batman vs. The Joker (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Batman | 76265 | Batwing: Batman vs. The Joker | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City | 60367 | Passenger Airplane | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City / 2K Drive | 60395 | Combo Race Pack | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City / 2K Drive | 60396 | Modified Race Cars | Dec 31, 2024 |
| City / 2K Drive | 60397 | Monster Truck Race | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Creator | 31144 | Exotic Pink Parrot | Dec 31, 2024 |
| DREAMZzz | 40657 | Dream Village | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Friends | 41756 | Holiday Ski Slope and Café | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Friends | 41760 | Igloo Holiday Adventure | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Harry Potter | 76419 | Hogwarts Castle and Grounds | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Harry Potter | 76421 | Dobby the House-Elf | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Icons | 40634 | Icons of Play | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Mario | 71422 | Picnic at Mario's House | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76249 | Venomised Groot | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76261 | Spider-Man Final Battle | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76262 | Captain America's Shield | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76263 | Iron Man Hulkbuster vs. Thanos (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Marvel | 76266 | Endgame Final Battle | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21247 | The Axolotl House | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21248 | The Pumpkin Farm | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21249 | The Crafting Box 4.0 | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Minecraft | 21250 | The Iron Golem Fortress | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71789 | Kai and Ras's Car and Bike Battle (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71790 | Imperium Dragon Hunter Hound | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71791 | Zane's Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71792 | Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71793 | Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71794 | Lloyd and Arin's Ninja Team Mechs | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71795 | Temple of the Dragon Energy Cores | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71796 | Elemental Dragon vs. The Empress Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71797 | Destiny's Bounty - Race Against Time | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Ninjago | 71798 | Nya and Arin's Baby Dragon Battle (4+) | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Sonic | 76993 | Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75359 | 332nd Ahsoka's Clone Trooper Battle Pack | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75360 | Yoda's Jedi Starfighter | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75365 | Yavin 4 Rebel Base | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75368 | Darth Vader Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75369 | Boba Fett Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Star Wars | 75370 | Stormtrooper Mech | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Duplo | 10987 | Recycling Truck | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Duplo | 10994 | 3-in-1 Family House | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Duplo | 10997 | Camping Adventure | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Ninjago | 71799 | NINJAGO City Markets | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Technic | 42161 | Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Icons | 10323 | PAC-MAN Arcade | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Technic | 42160 | Audi RS Q e-tron | Dec 31, 2026 |
SETS RETIRING IN 2023:
| Theme | Set # | Set Name | Retirement Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 11015 | Around the World | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31123 | Off-Road Buggy | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 10780 | Mickey and Friends Castle Defenders | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43203 | Aurora, Merida and Tiana's Enchanted Creations | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41962 | Unicorn Creative Family Pack | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71404 | Goomba's Shoe | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71407 | Cat Peach Suit and Frozen Tower | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71409 | Big Spike's Cloudtop Challenge | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71412 | Big Bad Island | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Mindstorms | 51515 | Robot Inventor | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21187 | The Red Barn | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71738 | Zane's Titan Mech Battle | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71754 | Water Dragon | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71756 | Hydro Bounty | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71759 | Ninja Dragon Temple (4+) | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71762 | Kai's Fire Dragon EVO | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71770 | Zane's Golden Dragon Jet | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71773 | Kai's Golden Dragon Raider | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42129 | 4x4 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck | Jul 31, 2023 |
| Minifigures | 71038 | LEGO® Minifigures Disney 100 | Aug 31, 2023 |
| Architecture | 21054 | The White House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31203 | World Map | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31205 | Jim Lee Batman Collection | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31206 | The Rolling Stones | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Art | 31207 | Floral Art | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75571 | Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75573 | Floating Mountains: Site 26 & RDA Samson | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75577 | Mako Submarine | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Avatar | 75578 | Metkayina Reef Home | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Batman | 76181 | Batmobile: The Penguin Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Batman | 76220 | Batman versus Harley Quinn (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz | 40540 | Lion Dance Guy | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz | 40541 | Manchester United Go Brick Me | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz | 40542 | FC Barcelona Go Brick Me | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Brickheadz / Avatar | 40554 | Jake Sully & his Avatar | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40377 | Donald Duck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40378 | Goofy & Pluto | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40476 | Daisy Duck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40477 | Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey & Louie | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40550 | Chip & Dale | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40553 | Woody and Bo Peep | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Disney | 40622 | Disney 100th Celebration (Oswald, Mickey, Snow White, Tinker Bell) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Harry Potter | 40495 | Harry, Hermione, Ron & Hagrid | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Harry Potter | 40560 | Professors of Hogwarts | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Minecraft | 40624 | Alex | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Minecraft | 40625 | Llama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Minecraft | 40626 | Zombie | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Star Wars | 40539 | Ahsoka Tano | Dec 31, 2023 |
| BrickHeadz / Star Wars | 40623 | Battle of Endor Heroes | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 30590 | Farm Garden & Scarecrow Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 30638 | Police Bike Training Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 30639 | Dog Park and Scooter Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 41723 | Donut Shop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 41726 | Holiday Camping Trip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60253 | Ice-Cream Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60313 | Space Ride Amusement Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60314 | Ice Cream Truck Police Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60315 | Police Mobile Command Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60317 | Police Chase at the Bank | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60318 | Fire Helicopter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60319 | Fire Rescue & Police Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60320 | Fire Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60321 | Fire Brigade | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60322 | Race Car Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60323 | Stunt Plane | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60324 | Mobile Crane | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60325 | Cement Mixer Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60327 | Horse Transporter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60330 | Hospital | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60332 | Reckless Scorpion Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60333 | Bathtub Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60335 | Train Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60338 | Chimpanzee Smash Stunt Loop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60339 | Double Loop Stunt Arena | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60341 | The Knockdown Stunt Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60342 | The Shark Attack Stunt Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60343 | Rescue Helicopter Transporter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60346 | Barn & Farm Animals | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60348 | Lunar Roving Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60349 | Lunar Space Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60350 | Lunar Research Base | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60351 | Rocket Launch Centre | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60353 | Wild Animal Rescue Missions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60354 | Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60355 | Water Police Detective Missions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60356 | Bear Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60357 | Stunt Truck & Ring of Fire Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60358 | Cyber Stunt Bike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60359 | Dunk Stunt Ramp Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60360 | Spinning Stunt Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60361 | Ultimate Stunt Riders Challenge | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60371 | Emergency Vehicles HQ | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60382 | Vet Van Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60385 | Construction Digger | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60390 | Park Tractor | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60393 | 4x4 Fire Truck Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60394 | ATV and Otter Habitat | Dec 31, 2023 |
| City | 60398 | Family House and Electric Car | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11014 | Bricks and Wheels | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11018 | Creative Ocean Fun | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11019 | Bricks and Functions | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11020 | Build Together | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11021 | 90 Years of Play | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11022 | Space Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 11031 | Creative Monkey Fun | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Classic | 30510 | 90 Years of Cars Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 30641 | Panda Bear Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 30644 | Vintage Car Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31111 | Cyber Drone | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31118 | Surfer Beach House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31127 | Street Racer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31128 | Dolphin and Turtle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31130 | Sunken Treasure Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31131 | Downtown Noodle Shop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 31132 | Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40461 | Tulips | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40469 | Tuk Tuk | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40568 | Paris Postcard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Creator | 40646 | Daffodils | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 10777 | Mickey and Minnie's Camping Trip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 30646 | Moana's Dolphin Cove Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 40521 | Mini Disney The Haunted Mansion | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 41168 | Elsa's Jewellery Box | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43187 | Rapunzel's Tower | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43189 | Elsa and the Nokk Storybook Adventures | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43194 | Anna and Elsa's Frozen Wonderland | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43196 | Belle and the Beast's Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43197 | The Ice Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43198 | Anna's Castle Courtyard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43199 | Elsa's Castle Courtyard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43202 | The Madrigal House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43204 | Anna and Olaf's Castle Fun | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43207 | Ariel's Underwater Palace | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43208 | Jasmine and Mulan's Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Disney | 43209 | Elsa and the Nokk's Ice Stable | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 30560 | Pineapple Photo Holder & Mini Board Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41801 | My Pets Bracelet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41802 | Unicorns Forever Bracelet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41803 | Extra Dots series 8 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41805 | Creative Animal Drawer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41806 | Ultimate Party Kit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41807 | Bracelet Designer Mega Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41947 | Mickey and Friends Bracelets Mega Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41948 | Cute Banana Pen Holder | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41950 | Lots of DOTS - Lettering | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41951 | Message Board | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41957 | Adhesive Patches Mega Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41959 | Cute Panda Tray | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41960 | Big Box | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots | 41961 | Designer Toolkit - Patterns | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Disney | 41963 | Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Stitch-on Patch | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Disney | 41964 | Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Back-to-School Project Box | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Harry Potter | 41808 | Hogwarts Accessories Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Harry Potter | 41809 | Hedwig Pencil Holder | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Dots / Harry Potter | 41811 | Hogwarts Desktop Kit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10411 | Learn About Chinese Culture | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10872 | Train Bridge and Tracks | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10882 | Train Tracks | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10930 | Bulldozer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10938 | Dinosaur Nursery | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10944 | Space Shuttle Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10948 | Parking Garage and Car Wash | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10949 | Farm Animal Care | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10955 | Animal Train | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10956 | Amusement Park | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10964 | Bath Time Fun: Floating Red Panda | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10966 | Bath Time Fun: Floating Animal Island | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10968 | Doctor Visit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10972 | Wild Animals of the Ocean | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10973 | Wild Animals of South America | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10974 | Wild Animals of Asia | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10977 | My First Puppy & Kitten with Sounds | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10978 | Creative Building Time | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 10979 | Wild Animals of Europe | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo | 30648 | Whale Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Disney | 10899 | Frozen Ice Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Disney | 10960 | Belle's Ballroom | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Disney | 10962 | Buzz Lightyear's Planetary Mission | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Holiday | 10976 | Santa's Gingerbread House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Duplo / Marvel | 10963 | Spider-Man & Friends: Funfair Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 30633 | Skate Ramp | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 30634 | Friendship Flowers Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41443 | Olivia's Electric Car | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41677 | Forest Waterfall | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41696 | Pony-Washing Stable | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41697 | Turtle Protection Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41699 | Pet Adoption Café | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41703 | Friendship Tree House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41704 | Main Street Building | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41705 | Heartlake City Pizzeria | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41707 | Tree-Planting Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41708 | Roller Disco Arcade | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41711 | Emma's Art School | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41712 | Recycling Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41713 | Olivia's Space Academy | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41714 | Andrea's Theatre School | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41715 | Ice Cream Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41716 | Stephanie's Sailing Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41717 | Mia's Wildlife Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41718 | Pet Day-Care Center | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41719 | Mobile Fashion Boutique | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41720 | Water Park | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41721 | Organic Farm | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41722 | Horse Show Trailer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41729 | Organic Grocery Store | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41732 | Downtown Flower and Design Stores | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41733 | Mobile Bubble Tea Shop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41741 | Dog Rescue Van | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41742 | Cat Hotel | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41743 | Hair Salon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Friends | 41751 | Skate Park | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 30435 | Build Your Own Hogwarts Castle Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 30651 | Quidditch Practice Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 75968 | 4 Privet Drive | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 75979 | Hedwig | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76386 | Hogwarts: Polyjuice Potion Mistake | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76398 | Hogwarts Hospital Wing | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76399 | Hogwarts Magical Trunk | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76400 | Hogwarts Carriage and Thestrals | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76401 | Hogwarts Courtyard: Sirius's Rescue | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76403 | The Ministry of Magic | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76406 | Hungarian Horntail Dragon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76408 | 12 Grimmauld Place | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76409 | Gryffindor House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76410 | Slytherin House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76411 | Ravenclaw House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Harry Potter | 76412 | Hufflepuff House Banner | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40426 | Christmas Wreath 2-in-1 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40522 | Valentine Lovebirds | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40523 | Easter Rabbits Display | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40570 | Halloween Cat and Mouse | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 40571 | Wintertime Polar Bears | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 80110 | Lunar New Year Display | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday | 80111 | Lunar New Year Parade | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / City | 60381 | City Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Creator | 30584 | Winter Holiday Train Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Creator | 30642 | Birthday Train Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Creator | 30643 | Easter Chickens Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Friends | 41758 | Friends Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Harry Potter | 76418 | Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Icons | 10293 | Santa's Visit | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Marvel | 76267 | Marvel Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Holiday / Star Wars | 75366 | Star Wars Advent Calendar 2023 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10265 | Ford Mustang | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10266 | NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10273 | Haunted House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10276 | Colosseum | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10289 | Bird of Paradise | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10290 | Pickup Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10292 | The Friends Apartments | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10299 | Real Madrid - Santiago Bernabéu Stadium | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 10497 | Galaxy Explorer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons | 76989 | Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons / Modular | 10255 | Assembly Square | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons / Modular | 10270 | Bookshop | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Icons / Modular | 10278 | Police Station | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21325 | Medieval Blacksmith | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21326 | Winnie the Pooh | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21329 | Fender Stratocaster | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ideas | 21337 | Table Football | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76943 | Pteranodon Chase (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76945 | Atrociraptor Dinosaur: Bike Chase | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76947 | Quetzalcoatlus Plane Ambush | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76948 | T. rex & Atrociraptor Dinosaur Breakout | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76950 | Triceratops Pickup Truck Ambush | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Jurassic Park / World | 76956 | T. rex Breakout | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Lightyear | 76830 | Zyclops Chase (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Lightyear | 76831 | Zurg Battle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Lightyear | 76832 | XL-15 Spaceship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 30509 | Yellow Yoshi's Fruit Tree Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71406 | Yoshi's Gift House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71413 | Character Packs Series 6 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71414 | Conkdor's Noggin Bopper | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71415 | Ice Mario Suit and Frozen World | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71416 | Lava Wave Ride | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71417 | Fliprus Snow Adventure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Mario | 71418 | Creativity Toolbox | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 10781 | Spider-Man's Techno Trike (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 10784 | Spider-Man Webquarters Hangout (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 10790 | Team Spidey at Green Goblin's Lighthouse (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 30652 | Doctor Strange's Interdimensional Portal Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76187 | Venom | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76193 | The Guardians' Ship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76206 | Iron Man Figure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76207 | Attack on New Asgard | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76208 | The Goat Boat | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76209 | Thor's Hammer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76211 | Shuri's Sunbird | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76212 | Shuri's Lab (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76213 | King Namor's Throne Room | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76214 | Black Panther: War on the Water | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76215 | Black Panther | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76216 | Iron Man Armory | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76225 | Miles Morales Figure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76230 | Venom Figure | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76242 | Thanos Mech Armor | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76253 | Guardians of the Galaxy Headquarters | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Marvel | 76255 | The New Guardians' Ship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21164 | The Coral Reef | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21170 | The Pig House | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21172 | The Ruined Portal | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21177 | The Creeper Ambush | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21180 | The Guardian Battle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21181 | The Rabbit Ranch | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21183 | The Training Grounds | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21184 | The Bakery | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21185 | The Nether Bastion | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21186 | The Ice Castle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21188 | The Llama Village | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 21190 | The Abandoned Village | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Minecraft | 30647 | The Dripstone Cavern/The Stalactite Cave Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40174 | LEGO Chess | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40382 | Birthday Set | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40393 | LEGOLAND Fire Academy | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Miscellaneous | 40584 | Birthday Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 30656 | Monkey King Marketplace Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80008 | Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80030 | Monkie Kid's Staff Creations | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80032 | Chang'e Moon Cake Factory | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80033 | Evil Macaque's Mech | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80034 | Nezha's Fire Ring | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80035 | Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80037 | Dragon of the East | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80038 | Monkie Kid's Team Van | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Monkie Kid | 80039 | The Heavenly Realms | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 30649 | Ice Dragon Creature Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71757 | Lloyd's Ninja Mech (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71760 | Jay's Thunder Dragon EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71761 | Zane's Power Up Mech EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71763 | Lloyd's Race Car EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71765 | Ninja Ultra Combo Mech | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71766 | Lloyd's Legendary Dragon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71767 | Ninja Dojo Temple | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71768 | Jay's Golden Dragon Motorbike | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71769 | Cole's Dragon Cruiser | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71771 | The Crystal King Temple | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71772 | The Crystal King | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71774 | Lloyd's Golden Ultra Dragon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71775 | Nya's Samurai X MECH | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71776 | Jay and Nya's Race Car EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71777 | Kai's Dragon Power Flip | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71778 | Nya's Dragon Power Drift | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71779 | Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Ninjago | 71781 | Lloyd's Mech Battle EVO | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 30657 | McLaren Solus GT Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76900 | Koenigsegg Jesko | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76901 | Toyota GR Supra | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76910 | Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76911 | 007 Aston Martin DB5 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Speed Champions | 76912 | Fast & Furious 1970 Dodge Charger T | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 30654 | X-wing Starfighter Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75288 | AT-AT | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75292 | The Razor Crest | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75300 | Imperial TIE Fighter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75301 | Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75309 | Republic Gunship (Ultimate Collector Series) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75312 | Boba Fett's Starship | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75317 | The Mandalorian & The Child | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75318 | The Child | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75320 | Snowtrooper Battle Pack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75322 | Hoth AT-ST | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75323 | The Justifier | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75324 | Dark Trooper Attack | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75326 | Boba Fett's Throne Room | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75327 | Luke Skywalker (Red Five) Helmet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75329 | Death Star Trench Run Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75330 | Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75332 | AT-ST (4+) | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75334 | Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75335 | BD-1 | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75336 | Inquisitor Transport Scythe | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75338 | Ambush on Ferrix | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75339 | Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75342 | Republic Fighter Tank | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Star Wars | 75343 | Dark Trooper Helmet | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 30655 | Forklift with Pallet Polybag | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42096 | Porsche 911 RSR | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42107 | Ducati Panigale V4 R | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42111 | Dom's Dodge Charger | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42117 | Race Plane | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42118 | Monster Jam Grave Digger | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42122 | Jeep Wrangler | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42123 | McLaren Senna GTR | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42125 | Ferrari 488 GTE 'AF Corse #51' | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42127 | The Batman - Batmobile | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42128 | Heavy-Duty Tow Truck | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42131 | Cat D11 Bulldozer | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42132 | Chopper | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42133 | Telehandler | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42134 | Monster Jam Megalodon | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42135 | Monster Jam El Toro Loco | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42137 | Formula E Porsche 99x Electric | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42139 | All-Terrain Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42140 | App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle | Dec 31, 2023 |
| Technic | 42144 | Material Handler | Dec 31, 2023 |
2023.06.01 17:33 SchlesingerMindy323 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in ID Hiring Now!
2023.06.01 17:00 Mesartihm What local businesses do you absolutely love & support?
I posted about the boycott post and now I want to know what local businesses ya’ll absolutely love!
This is the positive post! Go to the boycott one if you disagree with some one hahaa
I’ll start:
Growing Season/Rebel salad. I would eat their food every day of the week if I had endless pockets. Everything is always so damn delicious.
Bonobos - I’m not even vegan but hot damn their food is also amazing. If they did delivery I’d order it a lot (I’m on the other side of town so I don’t get there too often)
Karma hair salon - hands down my favourite place to go for a haircut.
submitted by Mesartihm to ThunderBay [link] [comments]
This is the positive post! Go to the boycott one if you disagree with some one hahaa
I’ll start:
Growing Season/Rebel salad. I would eat their food every day of the week if I had endless pockets. Everything is always so damn delicious.
Bonobos - I’m not even vegan but hot damn their food is also amazing. If they did delivery I’d order it a lot (I’m on the other side of town so I don’t get there too often)
Karma hair salon - hands down my favourite place to go for a haircut.
2023.06.01 05:40 Guilty_Chemistry9337 Hide Behind the Cypress Tree, pt. 1
There are instincts that you develop when you’re a parent. If you don’t have any children it might be a little hard to understand. If you have a toddler, for example, and they’re in the other room and silent for more than a few seconds, there’s a good chance they’re up to no good. I take that back, most of the time they’re doing nothing, but you still have to check. You feel a compulsion to check. I don’t think it’s a learned skill, I think it’s an actual instinct.
Paleolithic parents who didn’t check on their toddlers every few minutes, just to double check that they weren’t being stalked by smilodons were unlikely to have grandchildren and pass on their genes. You just feel you need to check, like getting goosebumps, a compulsion. I suppose it’s the same reason little kids are always demanding you look at them and what they’re doing.
I think that instinct starts to atrophy as your kids grow. They start learning to do things for themselves, and before you know it, they’re after their own privacy, not your attention. I don’t think it ever goes away though. I expect, decades from now, my own grown kids will visit and bring my grandkids with them. And the second I hear a baby crying in the earliest morning hours, I’ll be alert and ready for anything, sure as any old soldier who hears his name whispered in the dark of night.
I felt that alarm just the other day. First time in years. My boy came home from riding bikes with a couple of his friends. I’m pretty sure they worked out a scam where they asked each of their parents for a different new console for Christmas, and now they spend their weekends traveling between the three houses so they can play on all of them.
We all live in a nice neighborhood. A newer development than the one I grew up in, same town though. It’s the kind of place where kids are always playing in the streets, and the cars all routinely do under 20. My wife and I make sure the kids have helmets and pads, and we’re fine with the boy going out biking with his friends, as long as they stay in the neighborhood.
You know, a lot of people in my generation take some weird sort of pride in how irresponsible we used to be when we were young. I never wore a helmet. Rode to places, without telling any adults, that we never should have ridden to. Me and my friends would make impromptu jumps off of makeshift ramps and try to do stupid tricks, based loosely on stunts we’d seen on TV. Other people my age seem to wax nostalgic for that stuff and pretend it makes them somehow better people. I don’t get it. Sometimes I look back and shudder. We were lucky we escaped with only occasional bruises and road burns. It could have gone so much worse.
My son and his buddies came bustling in the front door at about 2 PM on a Saturday. They did the usual thing of raiding the kitchen for juice and his mother’s brownies, and I took that as my cue to abandon the television in the living room for my office. I was hardly noticing the chaos, by this point, it was becoming a regular weekend occurrence. But as I was just leaving, I caught something in the chatter. My boy said something about, “... that guy who was following us.”
He hadn’t said it any louder or more clearly than anything else they’d been talking about, all that stuff I’d been filtering out. Yet some deeper core process in my brain stem heard it, interpreted it, then hit the red alert button. My blood ran cold and every hair on my skin stood at attention.
I turned around and asked “Somebody followed you? What are you talking about?” I wasn’t consciously aware of how strict and stern my voice came out, yet when the jovial smiles dropped off of their faces it was apparent that it had been so.
“Huh?” my son said, his voice high-pitched and talking fast, like when he thinks he’s in trouble and needs to explain. “We thought we saw somebody following us. There wasn’t though. We didn’t really see anybody and we’d just spooked ourselves.”
“What did he look like?” I asked.
“Nothing? We really didn’t see anybody! Honest! I just saw something out of the corner of my eye! But there wasn’t really nobody there!”
“Yeah!,” said one of his buds. “Peripheral! Peripheral vision! I thought maybe I saw something too, but when I looked I didn’t see anything. I don’t have my glasses with me, but when I really looked I got a good look and there was nothing.”
The three boys had that semi-smiling but still concerned look that this was only a bizarre misunderstanding, but they were still being very sincere. “Were they in a car?”
“No, Dad, you don’t get it,” my boy continued, “They were small. We thought it was a kid.”
“Yeah,” said the third boy. “We thought maybe it was Tony Taylor’s stupid kid sister shadowing us. Getting close to throwing water balloons. Just cause she did that before.”
“If you didn’t get a good look how did you know it was a kid?”
“Because it was small!” my kid explained, though that wasn’t helping much. “What I mean is, at first I thought it was behind a little bush. It was way too small a bush to hide a grown-up. That’s why we thought it was probably Tony’s sister.”
“But you didn’t actually see Tony’s sister?” I asked.
“Nah,” said one of his buds. “And now that I think about it, that bush was probably too small for his sister too. It would have been silly. Like when a cartoon character hides behind a tiny object.”
“That’s why we think it was just in our heads,” explained the other boy, “That and the pole.”
“Yeah,” my son said. “The park on 14th and Taylor?” That was just a little community park, a single city block. Had a playground, lawn, a few trees, and some benches. “Anyway, we were riding past that, took a right on Taylor. And we were talking about how weird it would be if somebody really were following us. That’s when Brian thought he saw something. Behind a telephone pole.”
“I didn’t get a good look at it either,” the friend, Brian, “explained. Just thought I did. Know how you get up late at night to use the bathroom or whatever and you look down the hallway and you see a jacket or an office chair or something and because your eyes haven’t adjusted you think you see a ghost or burglar or something? Anyway, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned there wasn’t anything there.”
“Yeah, it was just like sometimes that happens, except this time it happened twice on the same bike ride, is all,” the other friend explained.
“And you’re sure there was nothing there?”
“Sure we’re sure,” my boy said. “We know because that time we checked. We each rode our bikes around the pole and there was nothing. Honest!”
“Hmmm,” I said. The whole thing seemed reasonable and nothing to be concerned about, you’d think.. The boys seemed to relax at my supposed acceptance. “Alright, sounds good. Hey, just let me know before you leave the house again, alright?” They all rushed to seem agreeable as I left the room, then quickly resumed their snacking and preceded to play their games.
I kept my ear out, just in case. My boy, at least this time, dutifully told me his friends were about to leave. He wasn’t very happy with me when I said they wouldn’t be riding home on their bikes, I was going to drive them home. The other boys didn’t complain, but I suppose it wasn’t their place, so my boy did the advocating for them, which I promptly ignored. I hate doing that, ignoring my kid’s talkback. My dad was the same way. It didn’t help that I struggled to get both of their bikes in the trunk, and it was a pain to get them back out again. My boy sulked in the front seat on the short ride back home. Arms folded on chest, eyes staring straight ahead, that lip thing they do. He seemed embarrassed for having what he thought was an over-protective parent. I suppose he was angry at me as well for acting, as far as he knew, irrationally. Maybe he thought he was being punished for some infraction he didn’t understand.
Well, it only got worse when we got home. I told him he wasn’t allowed to go out alone on his bike anymore. I’d only had to do that once before, when he was grounded, and back then he’d known exactly what he’d done wrong and he had it coming. Now? Well, he was confused, furious, maybe betrayed, probably a little brokenhearted? I can’t blame him. He tramped upstairs to his room to await the return of his mother, who was certain to give a sympathetic ear. I can’t imagine how upset he’ll be if he checks the garage tomorrow and finds I’ve removed his tires, just in case.
I wish I could explain it to him. I don’t even know how.
Where should I even begin? The town?
When I was about my son’s age I had just seen that movie, The Goonies. It had just come out in theaters. I really liked that movie, felt a strong connection. A lot of people do, can’t blame them, sort of a timeless classic. Except I wasn’t really into pirate’s treasure or the Fratellis, what really made me connect was a simple single shot, still in the first act. It’s right after they cross the threshold, and leave the house on their adventure. It was a shot of the boys, from above, maybe a crane shot or a helicopter shot, as they’re riding their bikes down a narrow forested lane, great big evergreen trees densely growing on the side of the road, they’re all wearing raincoats and the road is still wet from recent rain.
That was my childhood. I’ve spent my whole life in the Pacific Northwest. People talk to outsiders about the rain, and they might picture a lot of rainfall, but it’s not the volume, it’s the duration. We don’t get so much rain, it just drizzles slowly, on and on, for maybe eight or nine months out of the year. It doesn’t matter where I am, inside a house, traveling far abroad, anywhere I am I can close my eyes and still smell the air on a chilly afternoon, playing outdoors with my friends.
It’s not petrichor, that sudden intense smell you get when it first starts to rain after a long dry spell. No, this was almost the opposite, a clean smell, almost the opposite of a scent, since the rain seemed to scrub the air clean. The strongest scent and I mean that in the loosest sense possible, must have been the evergreen needles. Not pine needles, those were too strong, and there weren’t that many pines anyway. Douglas fir and red cedar predominated, again the root ‘domination’ seems hyperbole. Yet those scents were there, ephemeral as it is. Also, there was a sort of pleasant dirtiness to the smell, at least when you rode bikes. It wasn’t dirt, or mud, or dust. Dust couldn’t have existed except perhaps for a few fleeting weeks in August. I think, looking back, it was the mud puddles. All the potholes in all the asphalt suburban roads would fill up after rain with water the color of chocolate milk. We’d swerve our BMX bikes, or the knock-off brands, all the way across the street just to splash through those puddles and test our “suspensions.,” meaning our ankles and knees. The smell was always stronger after that. It had an earthiness to it. Perhaps it was petrichor’s lesser-known watery cousin.
There were other sensations too, permanently seared into my brain like grill marks. A constant chilliness that was easy to ignore, until you started working up a good heart rate on your bike, then you noticed your lungs were so cold it felt like burning. The sound of your tires on the wet pavement, particularly when careening downhill at high speed. For some reason, people in the mid-80s used to like to decorate their front porches with cheap, polyester windsocks. They were often vividly colored, usually rainbow, like prototype pride flags. When an occasional wind stirred up enough to gust, the windsocks would flap, and owning to the water-soaked polyester, make a wet slapping sound. It was loud, it was distinct, but you learned to ignore it as part of the background, along with the cawing of crows and distant passing cars.
That was my perception of Farmingham as a kid. The town itself? Just a typical Pacific Northwest town. That might not mean much for younger people or modern visitors, but there was a time when such towns were all the same. They were logging towns. It was the greatest resource of the area from the late 19th century, right up until about the 80s, when the whole thing collapsed. Portland, Seattle, they had a few things going on beyond just the timber industry, but all the hundreds of little towns and small cities revolved around logging, and my town was no exception.
I remember going to the museum. It had free admission, and it was a popular field trip destination for the local school system. It used to be the City Hall, a weird Queen Anne-style construction. Imagine a big Victorian house, but blown up to absurd proportions, and with all sorts of superfluous decorations. Made out of local timber, of course. They had a hall for art, I can’t even remember why, now. Maybe they were local artists. I only remember paintings of sailboats and topless women, which was a rare sight for a kid at the time. There was a hall filled with 19th-century household artifacts. Chamber pots and weird children's toys.
Then there was the logging section, which was the bulk of the museum. It’s strange how different things seemed to be in the early days of the logging industry, despite being only about a hundred years old, from my perspective in the 1980s. If you look back a hundred years from today, in the 1920s, you had automobiles, airplanes, electrical appliances, jazz music, radio programs, flappers, it doesn’t feel that far removed, does it? No TV, no internet, but it wouldn’t be that strange. 1880s? Different world.
Imagine red cedars, so big you could have a full logging crew, arms stretched out, just barely manage to encircle one for a photographer. Felling a single tree was the work of days. Men could rest and eat their lunches in the shelter of a cut made into a trunk, and not worry for safety or room. They had to cut their own little platforms into the trees many feet off the ground, just so the trunk was a little bit thinner, and thus hours of labor saved. They used those long, flexible two-man saws. And double-bit axes. They worked in the gloom of the shade with old gas lanterns. Once cut down from massive logs thirty feet in diameter, they’d float the logs downhill in sluices, like primitive wooden make-shift water slides. Or they’d haul them down to the nearest river, the logs pulled by donkeys on corduroy roads. They’d lay large amounts of grease on the roads, so the logs would slide easily. You could still smell the grease on the old tools on display in the museum. The bigger towns had streets where the loggers would slide the logs down greased skids all the way down to the sea, where they’d float in big logjams until the mills were ready for processing. They’d call such roads “skid-rows.” Because of all the activity, they’d end up being the worst parts of town. Local citizens wouldn’t want to live there, due to all the stink and noise. They’d be on the other side of the brothels and the opium dens. It would be the sort of place where the destitute and the insane would find themselves when they’d finally lost anything. To this day, “skidrow” remains a euphemism for the part of a city where the homeless encamp.
That was the lore I’d learned as a child. That was my “ancestry” I was supposed to respect and admire, which I did, wholeheartedly. There were things they left out, though. Things that you might have suspected, from a naive perspective, would be perfect for kids, all the folklore that came with the logging industry. The ghost stories, and the tall tales. I would have eaten that up. They do talk about that kind of thing in places far removed from the Pacific Northwest. But I had never heard about any of it. Things like the Hidebehind. No, that I’d have to discover for myself.
There were four of us on those bike adventures. Myself. Ralph, my best friend. A tough guy, the bad boy, the most worldly of us, which is a strange thing to say about an eight-year-old kid. India, an archetypal ‘80s tomboy. She was the coolest person I knew at the time. Looking back, I wonder what her home life was like. I think I remember problematic warning signs that I couldn’t have recognized when I was so young, but now raise flags. Then there was Ben. A goofy kid, a wild mop of hair, coke bottle glasses, type 1 diabetic which seemed to make him both a bit pampered by his mother, who was in charge of all his insulin, diet, and schedule, and conversely a real risk taker when she wasn’t around.
When we first saw it…
No, wait. This was the problem with starting the story. Where does it all begin? I’ll need to talk about my Grandfather as well. I’ve had two different perspectives on my Grandfather, on the man that he was. The first was the healthy able-bodied grandparent I’d known as a young child. Then there was the man, as I learned about him after he had passed.
There was a middle period, from when I was 6 to when I was 16, when I hardly understood him at all, as he was hit with a double whammy of both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. His decline into an invalid was both steep and long drawn out. That part didn’t reflect who he was as a person.
What did I know of him when I was little? Well I knew he and my grandmother had a nice big house and some farmland, out in the broad flat valley north of Farmingham. Dairy country. It had been settled by Dutch immigrants back in the homesteading days. His family had been among the first pioneers in the county too. It didn’t register to me then that his surname was Norwegian, not Dutch. I knew he had served in the Navy in World War II, which I was immensely proud of for reasons I didn’t know why. I knew he had a job as a butcher in a nearby rural supermarket. He was a bit of a farmer too, more as a hobby and a side gig. He had a few cattle, but mostly grew and harvested hay to sell to the local dairies. I knew he had turned his garage into a machine shop, and could fix damn near anything. From the flat tires on my bicycle to the old flat-bed truck he’d haul hay with, to an old 1950s riding lawnmower he somehow managed to keep in working order. I knew he could draw a really cool cartoon cowboy, I knew he loved to watch football, and I knew the whiskers on his chin were very pokey, and they’d tickle you when he kissed you on the cheek, and that when you tried to rub the sensation away he’d laugh and laugh and laugh.
Then there were the parts of his life that I’d learn much later. Mostly from odd passing comments from relatives, or things I’d find in the public records. Like how he’d been a better grandfather than a father. Or how his life as I knew it had been a second, better life. He’d been born among the Norwegian settler community, way up in the deep, dark, forest-shrouded hills that rimmed the valley. He’d been a logger in his youth. Technologically he was only a generation or two from the ones I’d learned about in the museum. They’d replaced donkeys with diesel engines and corduroy roads with narrow gauge rail. It was still the same job, though. Dirty, dangerous, dark. Way back into those woods, living in little logging camps, civilization was always a several-day hike out. It became a vulgar sort of profession, filled with violent men, reprobates, and thieves. When my grandfather’s father was murdered on his front porch by a lunatic claiming he’d been wronged somehow, my grandfather hiked out of there, got into town, and joined the Navy. He vowed never to go back. The things he’d seen out in those woods were no good. He’d kept that existence away from me. Anyways…
Tommy Barker was the first of us to go missing. I say ‘us’ as if I knew him personally. I didn’t. He went to Farmingham Middle School, other side of town, and several grades above us. From our perspective, he may as well have been an adult living overseas.
Yet it felt like we got to know him. His face was everywhere, on TV, all over telephone poles. Everybody was talking about him. After he didn’t return from a friend’s house, everybody just sort of assumed, or maybe hoped, that he’d just gotten lost, or was trapped somewhere. They searched all the parks. Backyards, junkyards, refrigerators, trunks. Old-fashioned refrigerators, back before suction seals, had a simple handle with a latch that opened when you pulled on it. It wasn’t a problem when the fridges were in use and filled with food. But by the 80s old broke-down refrigerators started filling up backyards and junkyards, and they became deathtraps for kids playing hide-and-seek. The only opened from the outside. I remember thinking Tommy Barker was a little old to have likely been playing hide-and-seek, but people checked everywhere anyway. They never found him.
That was about the first time we saw the Hidebehind. Ben said he thought he saw somebody following us, looked like, maybe, a kid. We’d just slowly huffed our way up a moderately steep hill, Farmingham is full of them, and when we paused for a breather at the top, Ben said he saw it down the hill, closer to the base. Yet when we turned to look there was nothing there. Ben said he’d just seen it duck behind a car. That wasn’t the sort of behavior of a random kid minding his own business. Yet the slope afforded us a view under the car’s carriage, and except for the four tires, there were no signs of any feet hiding behind the body. At first, we thought he was pulling our leg. When he insisted he wasn’t, we started to tease him a little. He must have been seeing things, on account of his poor vision and thick glasses. The fact that those glasses afforded him vision as good as or better than any of us wasn’t something we considered.
The next person to disappear was Amy Brooks. Fifth-grader. Next elementary school over. I remember it feeling like when you’re traveling down the freeway, and there’s a big thunderstorm way down the road, but it keeps getting closer, and closer. I don’t remember what she looked like. Her face wasn’t plastered everywhere like Tommy’s had been. She was mentioned on the regional news, out of Seattle, her and Tommy together. Two missing kids from the same town in a short amount of time. The implication was as obvious as it was depraved. They didn’t think the kids were getting lost anymore. They didn’t do very much searching of backyards. The narratives changed too. Teachers started talking a lot about stranger danger. Local TV channels started recycling old After School Specials and public service announcements about the subject.
I’m not sure who saw it next. I think it was Ben again. We took him seriously this time though. I think. The one I’m sure I remember was soon after, and that time it was India who first saw it. It’s still crystal clear in my memory, almost forty years later, because that was the time I first saw it too. We were riding through a four-way stop, an Idaho Stop before they called it that, when India slammed to a stop, locking up her coaster brakes and leaving a long black streak of rubber on a dry patch of pavement. We stopped quickly after and asked what the problem was. We could tell by her face she’d seen it. She was still looking at it.
“I see it,” she whispered, unnecessarily. We all followed her gaze. We were looking, I don’t know, ten seconds? Twenty? We believed everything she said, we just couldn’t see it.
“Where?” Ralph asked.
“Four blocks down,” she whispered. “On the left. See the red car? Kinda rusty?” There was indeed a big old Lincoln Continental, looking pretty ratty and worn. I focused on that, still seeing nothing. “Past that, just to its right. See the street light pole? It’s just behind that.”
We also saw the pole she was talking about. Metal. Aluminum, I’d have guessed. It had different color patches, like metallic flakeboard. Like it’d had been melted together out of scrap.
I could see that clearly even from that distance. I saw nothing behind it. I could see plenty of other things in the background, cars, houses, bushes, front lawns, beauty bark landscape.. There was no indication of anything behind that pole.
And then it moved. It had been right there where she said it had been, yet it had somehow perfectly blended into the landscape, a trick of perspective. We didn’t see it at all until it moved, and almost as fast it had disappeared behind that light pole. We only got a hint. Brown in color, about our height in size.
We screamed. Short little startled screams, the involuntary sort that just burst out of you. Then we turned and started to pedal like mad, thoroughly spooked. We made it to the intersection of the next block when it was Ralph who screeched to a halt and shouted, “Wait!”
We slowed down and stopped, perhaps not as eagerly as we’d done when India yelled. Ralph was looking back over his shoulder, looking at that metal pole. “Did anybody see it move again?’ he asked. We all shook our heads in the negative. Ralph didn’t notice, but of course, he didn’t really need an answer, of course we hadn’t been watching.
“If it didn’t move, then it’s still there!” Ralph explained the obvious. It took a second to sink in, despite the obvious. “C’mon!” he shouted, and to our surprise, before we could react, he turned and took off, straight down the road, straight to where that thing had been lurking.
We were incredulous, but something about his order made us all follow hot on his heels. He was a sort of natural leader. I thought it was total foolishness, but I wasn’t going to let him go alone. I think I got out, “Are you crazy?!”
The wind was blowing hard past our faces as we raced as fast as we could, it made it hard to hear. Ralph shouted his response. “If it’s hiding that means its afraid!” That seemed reasonable, if not totally accurate. Lions hide from their prey before they attack. Then again, they don’t wait around when the whole herd charges. Really, the pole was coming up so fast there wasn’t a whole lot of time to argue. “Just blast past and look!” Ralph added. “We’re too fast! It won’t catch us.”
Sure, I thought to myself. Except maybe Ben, who always lagged behind the rest of us in a race. The lion would get Ben if any of us.
We rushed past that pole and all turned our heads to look. “See!” Ralph shouted in triumph. There was simply nothing there. A metal streetlight pole and nothing more. We stopped pedaling yet still sped on. “Hang on,” Ralph said, and at the next intersection he took a fast looping curve that threatened to crash us all, but we managed and curved behind him. We all came to the pole again where we stopped to see up close that there was nothing there, despite what we had seen moments before.
“Maybe it bilocated,” Ben offered. We groaned. We were all thinking it, but I think we were dismissive because it wasn’t as cool a word as ‘teleport.”
“Maybe it just moved when we weren’t looking,” I offered. That hadn’t been long, but that didn’t mean anything if it moved fast. The four of us slowly looked up from the base of the pole to our immediate surroundings. There were bushes. A car in a carport covered by a tarpaulin. The carport itself. Garbage cans. Stumps. Of course the ever-present trees. Whatever it was it could have been hiding behind anything. Maybe it was. We looked. Maybe it would make itself seen. None of us wanted that. “OK, let’s get going,” Ralph said, and we did so.
I got home feeling pretty shaken that afternoon. I felt safe at home. Except for the front room, which had a big bay window looking out onto the street, and the people who lived across it. There were plenty of garbage cans and telephone poles and stumps that a small, fast thing might hide behind. No, I felt more comfortable in my bedroom. There was a window, but a great thick conical cypress tree grew right in front of it, reaching way up over the roof of the house. If anything, it offered ME a place to hide, and peer out onto the street to either side of the tree. It was protective, as good as any heavy blanket.
submitted by Guilty_Chemistry9337 to EBDavis [link] [comments]
Paleolithic parents who didn’t check on their toddlers every few minutes, just to double check that they weren’t being stalked by smilodons were unlikely to have grandchildren and pass on their genes. You just feel you need to check, like getting goosebumps, a compulsion. I suppose it’s the same reason little kids are always demanding you look at them and what they’re doing.
I think that instinct starts to atrophy as your kids grow. They start learning to do things for themselves, and before you know it, they’re after their own privacy, not your attention. I don’t think it ever goes away though. I expect, decades from now, my own grown kids will visit and bring my grandkids with them. And the second I hear a baby crying in the earliest morning hours, I’ll be alert and ready for anything, sure as any old soldier who hears his name whispered in the dark of night.
I felt that alarm just the other day. First time in years. My boy came home from riding bikes with a couple of his friends. I’m pretty sure they worked out a scam where they asked each of their parents for a different new console for Christmas, and now they spend their weekends traveling between the three houses so they can play on all of them.
We all live in a nice neighborhood. A newer development than the one I grew up in, same town though. It’s the kind of place where kids are always playing in the streets, and the cars all routinely do under 20. My wife and I make sure the kids have helmets and pads, and we’re fine with the boy going out biking with his friends, as long as they stay in the neighborhood.
You know, a lot of people in my generation take some weird sort of pride in how irresponsible we used to be when we were young. I never wore a helmet. Rode to places, without telling any adults, that we never should have ridden to. Me and my friends would make impromptu jumps off of makeshift ramps and try to do stupid tricks, based loosely on stunts we’d seen on TV. Other people my age seem to wax nostalgic for that stuff and pretend it makes them somehow better people. I don’t get it. Sometimes I look back and shudder. We were lucky we escaped with only occasional bruises and road burns. It could have gone so much worse.
My son and his buddies came bustling in the front door at about 2 PM on a Saturday. They did the usual thing of raiding the kitchen for juice and his mother’s brownies, and I took that as my cue to abandon the television in the living room for my office. I was hardly noticing the chaos, by this point, it was becoming a regular weekend occurrence. But as I was just leaving, I caught something in the chatter. My boy said something about, “... that guy who was following us.”
He hadn’t said it any louder or more clearly than anything else they’d been talking about, all that stuff I’d been filtering out. Yet some deeper core process in my brain stem heard it, interpreted it, then hit the red alert button. My blood ran cold and every hair on my skin stood at attention.
I turned around and asked “Somebody followed you? What are you talking about?” I wasn’t consciously aware of how strict and stern my voice came out, yet when the jovial smiles dropped off of their faces it was apparent that it had been so.
“Huh?” my son said, his voice high-pitched and talking fast, like when he thinks he’s in trouble and needs to explain. “We thought we saw somebody following us. There wasn’t though. We didn’t really see anybody and we’d just spooked ourselves.”
“What did he look like?” I asked.
“Nothing? We really didn’t see anybody! Honest! I just saw something out of the corner of my eye! But there wasn’t really nobody there!”
“Yeah!,” said one of his buds. “Peripheral! Peripheral vision! I thought maybe I saw something too, but when I looked I didn’t see anything. I don’t have my glasses with me, but when I really looked I got a good look and there was nothing.”
The three boys had that semi-smiling but still concerned look that this was only a bizarre misunderstanding, but they were still being very sincere. “Were they in a car?”
“No, Dad, you don’t get it,” my boy continued, “They were small. We thought it was a kid.”
“Yeah,” said the third boy. “We thought maybe it was Tony Taylor’s stupid kid sister shadowing us. Getting close to throwing water balloons. Just cause she did that before.”
“If you didn’t get a good look how did you know it was a kid?”
“Because it was small!” my kid explained, though that wasn’t helping much. “What I mean is, at first I thought it was behind a little bush. It was way too small a bush to hide a grown-up. That’s why we thought it was probably Tony’s sister.”
“But you didn’t actually see Tony’s sister?” I asked.
“Nah,” said one of his buds. “And now that I think about it, that bush was probably too small for his sister too. It would have been silly. Like when a cartoon character hides behind a tiny object.”
“That’s why we think it was just in our heads,” explained the other boy, “That and the pole.”
“Yeah,” my son said. “The park on 14th and Taylor?” That was just a little community park, a single city block. Had a playground, lawn, a few trees, and some benches. “Anyway, we were riding past that, took a right on Taylor. And we were talking about how weird it would be if somebody really were following us. That’s when Brian thought he saw something. Behind a telephone pole.”
“I didn’t get a good look at it either,” the friend, Brian, “explained. Just thought I did. Know how you get up late at night to use the bathroom or whatever and you look down the hallway and you see a jacket or an office chair or something and because your eyes haven’t adjusted you think you see a ghost or burglar or something? Anyway, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned there wasn’t anything there.”
“Yeah, it was just like sometimes that happens, except this time it happened twice on the same bike ride, is all,” the other friend explained.
“And you’re sure there was nothing there?”
“Sure we’re sure,” my boy said. “We know because that time we checked. We each rode our bikes around the pole and there was nothing. Honest!”
“Hmmm,” I said. The whole thing seemed reasonable and nothing to be concerned about, you’d think.. The boys seemed to relax at my supposed acceptance. “Alright, sounds good. Hey, just let me know before you leave the house again, alright?” They all rushed to seem agreeable as I left the room, then quickly resumed their snacking and preceded to play their games.
I kept my ear out, just in case. My boy, at least this time, dutifully told me his friends were about to leave. He wasn’t very happy with me when I said they wouldn’t be riding home on their bikes, I was going to drive them home. The other boys didn’t complain, but I suppose it wasn’t their place, so my boy did the advocating for them, which I promptly ignored. I hate doing that, ignoring my kid’s talkback. My dad was the same way. It didn’t help that I struggled to get both of their bikes in the trunk, and it was a pain to get them back out again. My boy sulked in the front seat on the short ride back home. Arms folded on chest, eyes staring straight ahead, that lip thing they do. He seemed embarrassed for having what he thought was an over-protective parent. I suppose he was angry at me as well for acting, as far as he knew, irrationally. Maybe he thought he was being punished for some infraction he didn’t understand.
Well, it only got worse when we got home. I told him he wasn’t allowed to go out alone on his bike anymore. I’d only had to do that once before, when he was grounded, and back then he’d known exactly what he’d done wrong and he had it coming. Now? Well, he was confused, furious, maybe betrayed, probably a little brokenhearted? I can’t blame him. He tramped upstairs to his room to await the return of his mother, who was certain to give a sympathetic ear. I can’t imagine how upset he’ll be if he checks the garage tomorrow and finds I’ve removed his tires, just in case.
I wish I could explain it to him. I don’t even know how.
Where should I even begin? The town?
When I was about my son’s age I had just seen that movie, The Goonies. It had just come out in theaters. I really liked that movie, felt a strong connection. A lot of people do, can’t blame them, sort of a timeless classic. Except I wasn’t really into pirate’s treasure or the Fratellis, what really made me connect was a simple single shot, still in the first act. It’s right after they cross the threshold, and leave the house on their adventure. It was a shot of the boys, from above, maybe a crane shot or a helicopter shot, as they’re riding their bikes down a narrow forested lane, great big evergreen trees densely growing on the side of the road, they’re all wearing raincoats and the road is still wet from recent rain.
That was my childhood. I’ve spent my whole life in the Pacific Northwest. People talk to outsiders about the rain, and they might picture a lot of rainfall, but it’s not the volume, it’s the duration. We don’t get so much rain, it just drizzles slowly, on and on, for maybe eight or nine months out of the year. It doesn’t matter where I am, inside a house, traveling far abroad, anywhere I am I can close my eyes and still smell the air on a chilly afternoon, playing outdoors with my friends.
It’s not petrichor, that sudden intense smell you get when it first starts to rain after a long dry spell. No, this was almost the opposite, a clean smell, almost the opposite of a scent, since the rain seemed to scrub the air clean. The strongest scent and I mean that in the loosest sense possible, must have been the evergreen needles. Not pine needles, those were too strong, and there weren’t that many pines anyway. Douglas fir and red cedar predominated, again the root ‘domination’ seems hyperbole. Yet those scents were there, ephemeral as it is. Also, there was a sort of pleasant dirtiness to the smell, at least when you rode bikes. It wasn’t dirt, or mud, or dust. Dust couldn’t have existed except perhaps for a few fleeting weeks in August. I think, looking back, it was the mud puddles. All the potholes in all the asphalt suburban roads would fill up after rain with water the color of chocolate milk. We’d swerve our BMX bikes, or the knock-off brands, all the way across the street just to splash through those puddles and test our “suspensions.,” meaning our ankles and knees. The smell was always stronger after that. It had an earthiness to it. Perhaps it was petrichor’s lesser-known watery cousin.
There were other sensations too, permanently seared into my brain like grill marks. A constant chilliness that was easy to ignore, until you started working up a good heart rate on your bike, then you noticed your lungs were so cold it felt like burning. The sound of your tires on the wet pavement, particularly when careening downhill at high speed. For some reason, people in the mid-80s used to like to decorate their front porches with cheap, polyester windsocks. They were often vividly colored, usually rainbow, like prototype pride flags. When an occasional wind stirred up enough to gust, the windsocks would flap, and owning to the water-soaked polyester, make a wet slapping sound. It was loud, it was distinct, but you learned to ignore it as part of the background, along with the cawing of crows and distant passing cars.
That was my perception of Farmingham as a kid. The town itself? Just a typical Pacific Northwest town. That might not mean much for younger people or modern visitors, but there was a time when such towns were all the same. They were logging towns. It was the greatest resource of the area from the late 19th century, right up until about the 80s, when the whole thing collapsed. Portland, Seattle, they had a few things going on beyond just the timber industry, but all the hundreds of little towns and small cities revolved around logging, and my town was no exception.
I remember going to the museum. It had free admission, and it was a popular field trip destination for the local school system. It used to be the City Hall, a weird Queen Anne-style construction. Imagine a big Victorian house, but blown up to absurd proportions, and with all sorts of superfluous decorations. Made out of local timber, of course. They had a hall for art, I can’t even remember why, now. Maybe they were local artists. I only remember paintings of sailboats and topless women, which was a rare sight for a kid at the time. There was a hall filled with 19th-century household artifacts. Chamber pots and weird children's toys.
Then there was the logging section, which was the bulk of the museum. It’s strange how different things seemed to be in the early days of the logging industry, despite being only about a hundred years old, from my perspective in the 1980s. If you look back a hundred years from today, in the 1920s, you had automobiles, airplanes, electrical appliances, jazz music, radio programs, flappers, it doesn’t feel that far removed, does it? No TV, no internet, but it wouldn’t be that strange. 1880s? Different world.
Imagine red cedars, so big you could have a full logging crew, arms stretched out, just barely manage to encircle one for a photographer. Felling a single tree was the work of days. Men could rest and eat their lunches in the shelter of a cut made into a trunk, and not worry for safety or room. They had to cut their own little platforms into the trees many feet off the ground, just so the trunk was a little bit thinner, and thus hours of labor saved. They used those long, flexible two-man saws. And double-bit axes. They worked in the gloom of the shade with old gas lanterns. Once cut down from massive logs thirty feet in diameter, they’d float the logs downhill in sluices, like primitive wooden make-shift water slides. Or they’d haul them down to the nearest river, the logs pulled by donkeys on corduroy roads. They’d lay large amounts of grease on the roads, so the logs would slide easily. You could still smell the grease on the old tools on display in the museum. The bigger towns had streets where the loggers would slide the logs down greased skids all the way down to the sea, where they’d float in big logjams until the mills were ready for processing. They’d call such roads “skid-rows.” Because of all the activity, they’d end up being the worst parts of town. Local citizens wouldn’t want to live there, due to all the stink and noise. They’d be on the other side of the brothels and the opium dens. It would be the sort of place where the destitute and the insane would find themselves when they’d finally lost anything. To this day, “skidrow” remains a euphemism for the part of a city where the homeless encamp.
That was the lore I’d learned as a child. That was my “ancestry” I was supposed to respect and admire, which I did, wholeheartedly. There were things they left out, though. Things that you might have suspected, from a naive perspective, would be perfect for kids, all the folklore that came with the logging industry. The ghost stories, and the tall tales. I would have eaten that up. They do talk about that kind of thing in places far removed from the Pacific Northwest. But I had never heard about any of it. Things like the Hidebehind. No, that I’d have to discover for myself.
There were four of us on those bike adventures. Myself. Ralph, my best friend. A tough guy, the bad boy, the most worldly of us, which is a strange thing to say about an eight-year-old kid. India, an archetypal ‘80s tomboy. She was the coolest person I knew at the time. Looking back, I wonder what her home life was like. I think I remember problematic warning signs that I couldn’t have recognized when I was so young, but now raise flags. Then there was Ben. A goofy kid, a wild mop of hair, coke bottle glasses, type 1 diabetic which seemed to make him both a bit pampered by his mother, who was in charge of all his insulin, diet, and schedule, and conversely a real risk taker when she wasn’t around.
When we first saw it…
No, wait. This was the problem with starting the story. Where does it all begin? I’ll need to talk about my Grandfather as well. I’ve had two different perspectives on my Grandfather, on the man that he was. The first was the healthy able-bodied grandparent I’d known as a young child. Then there was the man, as I learned about him after he had passed.
There was a middle period, from when I was 6 to when I was 16, when I hardly understood him at all, as he was hit with a double whammy of both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. His decline into an invalid was both steep and long drawn out. That part didn’t reflect who he was as a person.
What did I know of him when I was little? Well I knew he and my grandmother had a nice big house and some farmland, out in the broad flat valley north of Farmingham. Dairy country. It had been settled by Dutch immigrants back in the homesteading days. His family had been among the first pioneers in the county too. It didn’t register to me then that his surname was Norwegian, not Dutch. I knew he had served in the Navy in World War II, which I was immensely proud of for reasons I didn’t know why. I knew he had a job as a butcher in a nearby rural supermarket. He was a bit of a farmer too, more as a hobby and a side gig. He had a few cattle, but mostly grew and harvested hay to sell to the local dairies. I knew he had turned his garage into a machine shop, and could fix damn near anything. From the flat tires on my bicycle to the old flat-bed truck he’d haul hay with, to an old 1950s riding lawnmower he somehow managed to keep in working order. I knew he could draw a really cool cartoon cowboy, I knew he loved to watch football, and I knew the whiskers on his chin were very pokey, and they’d tickle you when he kissed you on the cheek, and that when you tried to rub the sensation away he’d laugh and laugh and laugh.
Then there were the parts of his life that I’d learn much later. Mostly from odd passing comments from relatives, or things I’d find in the public records. Like how he’d been a better grandfather than a father. Or how his life as I knew it had been a second, better life. He’d been born among the Norwegian settler community, way up in the deep, dark, forest-shrouded hills that rimmed the valley. He’d been a logger in his youth. Technologically he was only a generation or two from the ones I’d learned about in the museum. They’d replaced donkeys with diesel engines and corduroy roads with narrow gauge rail. It was still the same job, though. Dirty, dangerous, dark. Way back into those woods, living in little logging camps, civilization was always a several-day hike out. It became a vulgar sort of profession, filled with violent men, reprobates, and thieves. When my grandfather’s father was murdered on his front porch by a lunatic claiming he’d been wronged somehow, my grandfather hiked out of there, got into town, and joined the Navy. He vowed never to go back. The things he’d seen out in those woods were no good. He’d kept that existence away from me. Anyways…
Tommy Barker was the first of us to go missing. I say ‘us’ as if I knew him personally. I didn’t. He went to Farmingham Middle School, other side of town, and several grades above us. From our perspective, he may as well have been an adult living overseas.
Yet it felt like we got to know him. His face was everywhere, on TV, all over telephone poles. Everybody was talking about him. After he didn’t return from a friend’s house, everybody just sort of assumed, or maybe hoped, that he’d just gotten lost, or was trapped somewhere. They searched all the parks. Backyards, junkyards, refrigerators, trunks. Old-fashioned refrigerators, back before suction seals, had a simple handle with a latch that opened when you pulled on it. It wasn’t a problem when the fridges were in use and filled with food. But by the 80s old broke-down refrigerators started filling up backyards and junkyards, and they became deathtraps for kids playing hide-and-seek. The only opened from the outside. I remember thinking Tommy Barker was a little old to have likely been playing hide-and-seek, but people checked everywhere anyway. They never found him.
That was about the first time we saw the Hidebehind. Ben said he thought he saw somebody following us, looked like, maybe, a kid. We’d just slowly huffed our way up a moderately steep hill, Farmingham is full of them, and when we paused for a breather at the top, Ben said he saw it down the hill, closer to the base. Yet when we turned to look there was nothing there. Ben said he’d just seen it duck behind a car. That wasn’t the sort of behavior of a random kid minding his own business. Yet the slope afforded us a view under the car’s carriage, and except for the four tires, there were no signs of any feet hiding behind the body. At first, we thought he was pulling our leg. When he insisted he wasn’t, we started to tease him a little. He must have been seeing things, on account of his poor vision and thick glasses. The fact that those glasses afforded him vision as good as or better than any of us wasn’t something we considered.
The next person to disappear was Amy Brooks. Fifth-grader. Next elementary school over. I remember it feeling like when you’re traveling down the freeway, and there’s a big thunderstorm way down the road, but it keeps getting closer, and closer. I don’t remember what she looked like. Her face wasn’t plastered everywhere like Tommy’s had been. She was mentioned on the regional news, out of Seattle, her and Tommy together. Two missing kids from the same town in a short amount of time. The implication was as obvious as it was depraved. They didn’t think the kids were getting lost anymore. They didn’t do very much searching of backyards. The narratives changed too. Teachers started talking a lot about stranger danger. Local TV channels started recycling old After School Specials and public service announcements about the subject.
I’m not sure who saw it next. I think it was Ben again. We took him seriously this time though. I think. The one I’m sure I remember was soon after, and that time it was India who first saw it. It’s still crystal clear in my memory, almost forty years later, because that was the time I first saw it too. We were riding through a four-way stop, an Idaho Stop before they called it that, when India slammed to a stop, locking up her coaster brakes and leaving a long black streak of rubber on a dry patch of pavement. We stopped quickly after and asked what the problem was. We could tell by her face she’d seen it. She was still looking at it.
“I see it,” she whispered, unnecessarily. We all followed her gaze. We were looking, I don’t know, ten seconds? Twenty? We believed everything she said, we just couldn’t see it.
“Where?” Ralph asked.
“Four blocks down,” she whispered. “On the left. See the red car? Kinda rusty?” There was indeed a big old Lincoln Continental, looking pretty ratty and worn. I focused on that, still seeing nothing. “Past that, just to its right. See the street light pole? It’s just behind that.”
We also saw the pole she was talking about. Metal. Aluminum, I’d have guessed. It had different color patches, like metallic flakeboard. Like it’d had been melted together out of scrap.
I could see that clearly even from that distance. I saw nothing behind it. I could see plenty of other things in the background, cars, houses, bushes, front lawns, beauty bark landscape.. There was no indication of anything behind that pole.
And then it moved. It had been right there where she said it had been, yet it had somehow perfectly blended into the landscape, a trick of perspective. We didn’t see it at all until it moved, and almost as fast it had disappeared behind that light pole. We only got a hint. Brown in color, about our height in size.
We screamed. Short little startled screams, the involuntary sort that just burst out of you. Then we turned and started to pedal like mad, thoroughly spooked. We made it to the intersection of the next block when it was Ralph who screeched to a halt and shouted, “Wait!”
We slowed down and stopped, perhaps not as eagerly as we’d done when India yelled. Ralph was looking back over his shoulder, looking at that metal pole. “Did anybody see it move again?’ he asked. We all shook our heads in the negative. Ralph didn’t notice, but of course, he didn’t really need an answer, of course we hadn’t been watching.
“If it didn’t move, then it’s still there!” Ralph explained the obvious. It took a second to sink in, despite the obvious. “C’mon!” he shouted, and to our surprise, before we could react, he turned and took off, straight down the road, straight to where that thing had been lurking.
We were incredulous, but something about his order made us all follow hot on his heels. He was a sort of natural leader. I thought it was total foolishness, but I wasn’t going to let him go alone. I think I got out, “Are you crazy?!”
The wind was blowing hard past our faces as we raced as fast as we could, it made it hard to hear. Ralph shouted his response. “If it’s hiding that means its afraid!” That seemed reasonable, if not totally accurate. Lions hide from their prey before they attack. Then again, they don’t wait around when the whole herd charges. Really, the pole was coming up so fast there wasn’t a whole lot of time to argue. “Just blast past and look!” Ralph added. “We’re too fast! It won’t catch us.”
Sure, I thought to myself. Except maybe Ben, who always lagged behind the rest of us in a race. The lion would get Ben if any of us.
We rushed past that pole and all turned our heads to look. “See!” Ralph shouted in triumph. There was simply nothing there. A metal streetlight pole and nothing more. We stopped pedaling yet still sped on. “Hang on,” Ralph said, and at the next intersection he took a fast looping curve that threatened to crash us all, but we managed and curved behind him. We all came to the pole again where we stopped to see up close that there was nothing there, despite what we had seen moments before.
“Maybe it bilocated,” Ben offered. We groaned. We were all thinking it, but I think we were dismissive because it wasn’t as cool a word as ‘teleport.”
“Maybe it just moved when we weren’t looking,” I offered. That hadn’t been long, but that didn’t mean anything if it moved fast. The four of us slowly looked up from the base of the pole to our immediate surroundings. There were bushes. A car in a carport covered by a tarpaulin. The carport itself. Garbage cans. Stumps. Of course the ever-present trees. Whatever it was it could have been hiding behind anything. Maybe it was. We looked. Maybe it would make itself seen. None of us wanted that. “OK, let’s get going,” Ralph said, and we did so.
I got home feeling pretty shaken that afternoon. I felt safe at home. Except for the front room, which had a big bay window looking out onto the street, and the people who lived across it. There were plenty of garbage cans and telephone poles and stumps that a small, fast thing might hide behind. No, I felt more comfortable in my bedroom. There was a window, but a great thick conical cypress tree grew right in front of it, reaching way up over the roof of the house. If anything, it offered ME a place to hide, and peer out onto the street to either side of the tree. It was protective, as good as any heavy blanket.
2023.06.01 03:37 PeppermintViral AITA for refusing to make my son cut his hair to meet dresscode a week before the end of school?
So my son “Adrian” (17) will be graduating highschool in a week. He keeps his hair just above his shoulders due to his school dress code (boys can’t have hair at or below their shoulders). Apparently, his hair has grown out to the point that it’s no longer up to code, and on Tuesday he asked me to take him to trim his hair. I obliged.
Earlier today, I got an email from my son’s homeroom teacher asking me to have his hair cut back to his ears. I responded to ask why, and he said (in more polite terminology) that my son has been skirting the hair length rules this whole year, and his hair length/style are against the spirit of the rules. That graduation is coming up, and all the students need to look mature and put together for the ceremony. He then gave me unsolicited parenting advice, saying (again in more polite terms) that, as a father himself, we need to discipline our sons and teach them to obey authorities. I respond curtly and ended the conversation.
I showed my wife the conversation, and she said that Adrian’s teacher had a point. She basically agreed with all the teacher’s points (he’s skirting the rules and needs discipline). She said she’s been letting it go this long because it was technically within dress code, but now that we’ve gotten a complaint from the school, we need to lay down the law with Adrian. She asked me to talk to him about cutting it, and when I refused and called her ridiculous (this was where our argument got a bit heated), she stormed off to, supposedly, talk to him herself. Though I haven’t heard anything from him and his hair has remained intact.
I’ve let him know not to let anyone cut his hair if he doesn’t want to, and made it clear to my wife that I’d be extremely upset with her if she took him to the salon behind my back. I can’t believe we’re fighting over our son’s hair, and I feel like an idiot for getting so worked up over this. I figure I should get a reality check, so AITA?
submitted by PeppermintViral to AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]
Earlier today, I got an email from my son’s homeroom teacher asking me to have his hair cut back to his ears. I responded to ask why, and he said (in more polite terminology) that my son has been skirting the hair length rules this whole year, and his hair length/style are against the spirit of the rules. That graduation is coming up, and all the students need to look mature and put together for the ceremony. He then gave me unsolicited parenting advice, saying (again in more polite terms) that, as a father himself, we need to discipline our sons and teach them to obey authorities. I respond curtly and ended the conversation.
I showed my wife the conversation, and she said that Adrian’s teacher had a point. She basically agreed with all the teacher’s points (he’s skirting the rules and needs discipline). She said she’s been letting it go this long because it was technically within dress code, but now that we’ve gotten a complaint from the school, we need to lay down the law with Adrian. She asked me to talk to him about cutting it, and when I refused and called her ridiculous (this was where our argument got a bit heated), she stormed off to, supposedly, talk to him herself. Though I haven’t heard anything from him and his hair has remained intact.
I’ve let him know not to let anyone cut his hair if he doesn’t want to, and made it clear to my wife that I’d be extremely upset with her if she took him to the salon behind my back. I can’t believe we’re fighting over our son’s hair, and I feel like an idiot for getting so worked up over this. I figure I should get a reality check, so AITA?
2023.06.01 02:48 lindsaymichiel Gotta watch out for those tarts!
 | submitted by lindsaymichiel to AccidentalComedy [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 23:57 iceroadthrower Hey mom, I love being bald, but also have hair regrets
 | 3 observations I have now as an almost 30 year old submitted by iceroadthrower to MomForAMinute [link] [comments]
|
2023.05.31 21:03 Head-Platform-4686 Demi permanent coloring 6/5 at home?
So I’ve been a dark blond my entire life and recently I have had my hair professionally dyed with wella demi permanent colour 6/5 (mahogany shade).
I absolutely love this colour on me, however doing a root/colour retouch at the salon regularly is way too expensive.
Knowing nothing about colouring, do you think I’d be able to do it myself at home? What developer and what ratio do I need? What brands do you recommend? (I am based in the UK)
I did use semi permanent colour and it did seem like something I could do.
submitted by Head-Platform-4686 to haircoloring [link] [comments]
I absolutely love this colour on me, however doing a root/colour retouch at the salon regularly is way too expensive.
Knowing nothing about colouring, do you think I’d be able to do it myself at home? What developer and what ratio do I need? What brands do you recommend? (I am based in the UK)
I did use semi permanent colour and it did seem like something I could do.
2023.05.31 20:59 Head-Platform-4686 Demi permanent 6.5 colour at home?
So I’ve been a dark blond my entire life and recently I have had my hair professionally dyed with wella demi permanent colour 6/5 (Wella mahogany shade).
I absolutely love this colour on me, however doing a root/colour retouch at the salon regularly is way too expensive.
Knowing nothing about colouring, do you think I’d be able to do it myself at home? What developer and what ratio do I need? What brands do you recommend? (I am based in the UK)
I did use semi permanent colour and it did seem like something I could do.
submitted by Head-Platform-4686 to HairDye [link] [comments]
I absolutely love this colour on me, however doing a root/colour retouch at the salon regularly is way too expensive.
Knowing nothing about colouring, do you think I’d be able to do it myself at home? What developer and what ratio do I need? What brands do you recommend? (I am based in the UK)
I did use semi permanent colour and it did seem like something I could do.
2023.05.31 16:15 igorcarbex16 Bully Soundtrack References & Similarities in Details...
https://preview.redd.it/ahl29u0mu73b1.jpg?width=453&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=cc1b571612182aff5e4cef882d9095a7be6f2375
Hello Bully it's me again, The Bully soundtrack composed by the genius Shawn Lee is pretty rad, so as a music enthusiastic, i want to share this post for people really obsessed with the Bully songs like me, tried to include every song in the game like as puzzle pieces getting together with the greatest amount, most accurate and similar as possible in one sitting, with some help around the internet, personal discoveries and songs already mentioned for yourselves so thank you nonetheless, and sorry for the repetition. Unfortunately some will still be missing so "a little help"/hits for these unreferenced sounds are very welcome.
Some songs are pretty obvious but others looks well hidden, but that's the fun of it, not every song is a sample, they just sound alike or has interpolations.
I know it would be boring to reading all of this so also dedicated this YouTube playlist in details for, so that you can check thoroughly for a more accurate comparison: 😎👍 - Have Fun! https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtZ1VivcLOsiTtYHUrK-xw8OHZZAeOzRf
★ Main Storyline
·Welcome to Bullworth (Menu theme): Suspiria Theme - Goblin
·This Is Your School: The Duck - Shawn Lee
·The Setup/Bait/The Gym is Burning: Organ Donor - DJ Shadow
·Slingshot/Revenge on Mr. Burton "Part 3" (Fun): My Sweet Lord - George Harrionson the ex-Beatles & Billy Preston
·Save Algie: Love My Way - Psychedelic Furs
·Defend Bucky/The Eggs/Weed KilleStronghold Assault (Action): Shake, Shake, Shake - KC & The Sunshine Band, A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley, Hocus Pocus - Focus
·That B****/The Diary/Jealous Johnny/Paparazzi: This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
·The Candidate/Cook's Date: Oh Yeah - Yello
·Halloween/The Big Prank: The Chase - Shawn Lee, Burning Bridges - The Republic From The Getaway Game - Shawn Lee
·Help Gary: Cannonball - Breeders (it also reminds me the "X-Files Theme - Mark Snow" but this is overthinking)
·Character Sheets: Agent Woodrow - The Woodies
·Hattrick vs. Galloway: Cat Blues - Seatbelts (Drum Patterns)
·Movie Tickets (Sneaking On A Date): All Mine, Glory Box - both by Portished
·Carnival Date (Romance): Kiss The Sky - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra (also features in "Tales from the Bordelands Episode 2")
·Prep Challenge/Boxing Challenge: Drums on Phasing - Joe Ufer (Sample)
·Race the Vale/Lola's Race: Casio VL-1 Tone (Sampler) *a lot of songs use this instrument for samples, for Bully this is predominant in bike races, it also reminds the iconic song "Funkytown - Lipps inc."
·Beach Rumble: Tenebre 12 mix - Claudio Simonetti
·Tad's House: Billie Jean (Bass Only) - Michael Jackson
·Tagging/Making a Mark (Wildstyle): Chic - Good Times
·Wrong Part of Town/Busting In, Part I: Prog Punk, Psyche Drums (*After The Release!) - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
·The Tenements/Norton Boss Fight: Human Fly - Cramps, I Wanna Be Your Dog - Iggy Pop & the Stooges
·The Rumble/Defender of the Castle (Epic Confrontation): Matador - X Mal Deutschland (as the "wildstyle" music many songs are similar to this, i listed the most accurate or the most fun imo, at least)
·Nerd Challenge/Consumo Arcade (Menu): Sakura, Sakura - Traditional Japanese Folk Song
·Nerd Challenge/Consumo (Main): Four Thousand Years of Chinese History - SNK Sound Team from Fatal Fury: King of Fighters Game
·Glass House/Smash It Up (Destruction/Vandalism): Rapture - Blondie, The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
·Nice Outfit: Odetta - Hit or Miss (Drum Patterns), Dig Your Own Hole - Chemical Brothers (Drum Patterns)
·The Big Game (Nerds "Agent")/Revenge on Mr. Burton "Part 2": Big Bad Wolf - Shawn Lee
·Rats in the Library: You Rock My World - Michael Jackson, Spies In The Wires - Cabaret Voltaire
·Preppies Vandalized (Punishment): D12 40 Oz. - Mr. Stan
·Busting In, Part II/Paper Route: Identity - X-Ray Spec, Mongoloid - Devo
·Showdown at the Plant (Overture): "Saracens Theme" - The Warriors Game
·Complete Mayhem (Street Fight): Criminal - Fiona Apple (also resembles "All Caps - Madvillain-Madvillainy or MF Doom" and "Intermezzo 2 - Mr. chop" but this was released in 2009)
·School's Out (End Credits): Walk On The Wild Side (Bass and Rhythm Pattern) - Lou Reed by Velvet Underground
\Christmas is Here, Small Offences, Discreet Deliveries, The Collector, Mailbox Armageddon and Go See The Principal doesn't feature a unique theme or has any song.*
★ Miscellaneous, Ambience & Shop themes
·Chase Prefect and Police: The Shaft intro and end themes - Isaac Hayes, Beat Dis (12 Version) - Bomb The Bass
·Chase Adults/A Little Help: Take California - Propellerheads, Secret Agent - Bjorn Lynne
·Detention/Mowing Laws - Unused track from The Warrior Game (it doesn't have an actual name, sorry)
·Bike Race 1: Casio VL-1 Tone (Sampler)
·Bike Race 2: Sonic CD Game - Wacky Workbench Zone - Bad Future
·Kart Race (Main) or "Lowrider": You Baby - The Turtles
·Kart Race (Beta): Baba Hya - Lafayette Afro Rock Band
·General Store "Yum Yum Market": Cover Girl - Gabriele Ducros
·Hair Saloon (Poor) "The Final Cut": Punky Dragster - Tele Music
·Hair Saloon (Rich) "Old Bullworth Vale": Dance Feeling - Tele Music
·Clothing Store (Poor) "Worn In Used Clothing": Disco Revisited - Tele Music
·Clothing Store (Rich) "Aquaberry Outlet" (*After The Release!): Now That Is Jazz - Charlie's Bistro Ensemble
·Janitor's Room: Lonesome Heart Swing - Dennis Caplinger
·Carnival Ambience "Billy Crane's Traveling Carnival": Golden Brown - Stranglers
·Box Club Ambience "Glass Jaw Boxing Club": Icy Nation - Tele Music
·Preppie's Hideout Beach "Lighthouse" (*After The Release!): With My Maker I Am One - Chill Coffehouse Drip
·Dragon's Wing Comic Store (*After The Release!): Daniel Loves Singing - C. Allocco
·Nerd's Hideout "Dragon's Wing Comic Store" (Under): Soaring Song - Tele Music
·Jock's Hideout "Jock's Clubhouse": Grand Theft Auto (Song) - Craig Conner
·Monkey Fling (Menu): it reresemble Super Mario World Overworld theme
·Future Street Racer (Main): The Doom - Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 Game
★ Xmas Themes
Holiday themes features various artists, this list is based on the ones made by Shawn lee itself for his album "A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats form Santa's Bag", The original composers is on the song description.
·Balls of Snow: Carol of the Bells - Mykola Leontovych
·Miracle on Bullworth St.: Jingle Bells - James Lord Pierpont
·Rudy the Red Nosed Santa: O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) - John Francis Wade & Frederick Oakeley
·Nutcrackin': Deck The Halls - Thomas Oliphant, Little Dummer Boy - Katherine Kennicott Davis, Harry Simeone & Henry Onorati
·Bike Shop (Xmas) "Shiny Bikes": Let it Snow! - Gary Hoey (Dean Martin is the original composer) (Most famous by Frank Sinatra)
·Clothing Store (Poor) (Xmas) "Worn In"/Clothing Store (Rich) (Xmas) "Aquaberry": Jingle Bells (Dan The Automator) - Dean Martin, *the Aquaberry outlet uses a different tone in jazz
·Janitor's Room (Xmas)/Hair Saloon (Poor)(Xmas) "The Final Cut": Up On The House Top (Ho, Ho, Ho) - Gene Autry
·Dragon's Wing Comic Store (Xmas)/Hair Saloon (Rich)(Xmas)"Old Bullworth Vale": We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Traditional English (Britain) Folk Song
·Xmas Tree: Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy - Piotr Ilitch Tchaikovski
\The General Store "Yum Yum Market" reuses a song collage of various themes as Deck the Halls, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells in that order on looping.*
★ Classes
·Music classes features American Folk and American March Songs since the game takes place in USA
Class 1: Turkey In The Straw
Class 2: Masterpiece Fanfare
Class 3: She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
Class 4: Liberty Bell March (also known as "Monty Python Theme")
Class 5: The Washington Post March (also sounds similar to "Willian Tell Act" by Charlie Chaplin)
·English Class: Piéces de Clavecin en concert; La Timide - Jean-Philippe Rameau
·Art Class: Come With the Night (Drum Patterns) - Sugar Stick (also resembles "Test Area - Broadcast" or "Serpent Magique - Tangerine Dream")
·Photography Class/BMX Park (*After The Release!): Automatic - Shawn Lee & AM (for observation, the Bike Park and Photography theme are slightly different, not the same)
·Biology: Dara Factor One - Weather Report Music, Heist in Helsinki (*After The Release!) - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
\Geography class uses a medley of characteristic instruments and sounds of world nations*
★ Cliques & Boss fights
·Vendetta Non-Clique: Ode To Billie Joe - Lou Donaldson
·Vendetta Bullies: Skin Therapy - Mr. Dibbs (also features in Tony Hawk's Underground 2003 Game), And on the Sixth Day - Pat Williams
·Vendetta Nerds/Stronghold Assault (Nerd Boss Fight): Casio VL-1 Tone (Sampler), Da Da Da - Trio (not only the song but the nerds cliques itself looks heavy inspired by the movie Revenge of the Nerds, some themes would also fit for Nerds in particular "Burning Down The House by Talking Heads")
·Vendetta Preppies: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson, Whip it - Devo
·Vendetta Greasers: Play For Today - The Cure, Private Idaho - B-52's, Disorder - Joy Division
·Vendetta Jocks: Amen, Brother - The Winstons, Drums Away - The Simon Song (Drums Intro), The Assembly Line - Commodores (this one use one of the most famous samples in music the "Amen Break" by Winstons as initially mentioned)
·Vendetta Dropouts/Townie Challenge: Tédio - Biquíni Cavadão, I Love Rock 'N Roll - The Arrows (Original Composers) *the guitar riff and bass pattern is extremely similar to "Pretty Fly by Offspring" but the song "Tédio" is alot older and still more accurate to the townies theme
·Russell in the Hole: Firestarter (Drum Patterns) - Prodigy, Devotion (Voice of Paradise) - Ten City
·Dishonorable Fight: Eye of the Tiger, Burning Heart - both by Survivor
·Fighting Johnny Vincent: Boogie Woodie - The Beach Boys, Caldonia Boogie - Louis Jordan (also covered by James Brown) *this song line is also referred as "The Walking Bass" featured in many Classic Rock songs
·The Big Game (Jock Boss Fight): Just Like Heaven, A Forest - The Cure, Harmonia - Dino
·Showdown at the Plant: Headhunter - Front 242, Are You Red..Y - The Clash
·Final Showdown: Underwater March - Klaus Badelt, 2001 NBA Ultimate Player (Film Score) *God of War (2018) Game also has a similar tone in "Spartan Rage" overture by Bear McCreary
★... Uncertain? ...Suggestions
·Bully Main Theme (Running Theme): Maniac - Michael Sembello, the synthesizer effect looks an interpolation of the xylophone effect used in the game.
·Overworld (Walking Theme) - The Phantom of the Opera Motion Picture Overture (this also resambles "echoes" by pink floyd but that peculiar melody is more predominant in this theme), Let's Ge Started (Bass Only) - Black Eyed Peas, it looks heavily inspired by Dario Argento movies (as the overall soundtrack).
·Here's to you Ms. Philips/Last Minute Shopping/Cook's Crush/Discretion Assured/Finding Johnny Vincent/Revenge on Mr. Burton "Part 1" (The Search): Sounds similar to "Tenant - Siouxsie And The Banshees", people often confuse this theme to "Cheating Time" but the track is named "Here's to you Ms. Philips" as does the mission, it also resembles a Giorgio Gaslini piece an italian jazz pianist or the american compositor Henry Mancini the creator of Pink Panther iconic theme.
·Panty Raid/Galloway Away/Cheating Time (Stealth): Love Theme From "The Godfather" or "Speak Softly, Love" or just The Godfather Theme from Nino Rota a renowned italian composer, written by Larry Kusik, also resembles the song "Hey by Pixies".
·Comic Klepto: Where’d You Go - Fort Minor e Jonah Matranga (interpolation), also resembles Gramatik, Transplants, Flobots or X-Ecutiornes style of song.
·Funhouse Fun/ Funhouse (Ambience): Carnival of the Animals; Introduction and Royal March of the Lion ("Marche Royale du Lions") - Camille Saint-Saëns (interpolation)
·Funhouse Graveyard "Carnival Funhouse Graveyard" (Unused/Beta): Lux Aeterna - Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet; Requiem For A Killer Movie Score
·Shop Class "Auto Repair Shop": Sounds similar to Star Guitar - Chemical Brothers, Cities in the Dust - Siouxie And The Banshees
·Math Class (Beta): Sounds similar to Nightmare on Elm Street Theme
·Gym Class/Lockpicking/Jocks Challenge: Sounds similar to "Resucitó" an old catholic song
·Bike Shop "Shiny Bikes": Sounds similar to Billy Club - Junkie XL, Horndog - Overseer
·Greaser's Hideout/Greaser's Challenge "Blue Balls Pool House" "Tattoo Parlor" & "The Happy Mullet": Sounds similar to In-Cut Overdrive - Tomonori Sawada; Sega Rally 2006 Game
·Townies/Dropouts Hideout "Dropout Hangout": Sounds similar to Babel - Covenant
★ Still Missing... Unknown?
·Chemistry Class: although i can't find a matching song it doesn't sound like music per se
·Math Class (Main): definitely a funky/soul tune, unfortunately i couldn't find a corresponding song for it
·Nut Shots: resembles Gradius songs a game by Konami or AiAce Combat a Namco Game
I REALLY LOVE BUNNIES, THEY'RE SO NICE!
I Hope you like it 😎👍
submitted by igorcarbex16 to bully [link] [comments]
https://preview.redd.it/ahl29u0mu73b1.jpg?width=453&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=cc1b571612182aff5e4cef882d9095a7be6f2375
Hello Bully it's me again, The Bully soundtrack composed by the genius Shawn Lee is pretty rad, so as a music enthusiastic, i want to share this post for people really obsessed with the Bully songs like me, tried to include every song in the game like as puzzle pieces getting together with the greatest amount, most accurate and similar as possible in one sitting, with some help around the internet, personal discoveries and songs already mentioned for yourselves so thank you nonetheless, and sorry for the repetition. Unfortunately some will still be missing so "a little help"/hits for these unreferenced sounds are very welcome.
Some songs are pretty obvious but others looks well hidden, but that's the fun of it, not every song is a sample, they just sound alike or has interpolations.
I know it would be boring to reading all of this so also dedicated this YouTube playlist in details for, so that you can check thoroughly for a more accurate comparison: 😎👍 - Have Fun! https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtZ1VivcLOsiTtYHUrK-xw8OHZZAeOzRf
★ Main Storyline
·Welcome to Bullworth (Menu theme): Suspiria Theme - Goblin
·This Is Your School: The Duck - Shawn Lee
·The Setup/Bait/The Gym is Burning: Organ Donor - DJ Shadow
·Slingshot/Revenge on Mr. Burton "Part 3" (Fun): My Sweet Lord - George Harrionson the ex-Beatles & Billy Preston
·Save Algie: Love My Way - Psychedelic Furs
·Defend Bucky/The Eggs/Weed KilleStronghold Assault (Action): Shake, Shake, Shake - KC & The Sunshine Band, A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley, Hocus Pocus - Focus
·That B****/The Diary/Jealous Johnny/Paparazzi: This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
·The Candidate/Cook's Date: Oh Yeah - Yello
·Halloween/The Big Prank: The Chase - Shawn Lee, Burning Bridges - The Republic From The Getaway Game - Shawn Lee
·Help Gary: Cannonball - Breeders (it also reminds me the "X-Files Theme - Mark Snow" but this is overthinking)
·Character Sheets: Agent Woodrow - The Woodies
·Hattrick vs. Galloway: Cat Blues - Seatbelts (Drum Patterns)
·Movie Tickets (Sneaking On A Date): All Mine, Glory Box - both by Portished
·Carnival Date (Romance): Kiss The Sky - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra (also features in "Tales from the Bordelands Episode 2")
·Prep Challenge/Boxing Challenge: Drums on Phasing - Joe Ufer (Sample)
·Race the Vale/Lola's Race: Casio VL-1 Tone (Sampler) *a lot of songs use this instrument for samples, for Bully this is predominant in bike races, it also reminds the iconic song "Funkytown - Lipps inc."
·Beach Rumble: Tenebre 12 mix - Claudio Simonetti
·Tad's House: Billie Jean (Bass Only) - Michael Jackson
·Tagging/Making a Mark (Wildstyle): Chic - Good Times
·Wrong Part of Town/Busting In, Part I: Prog Punk, Psyche Drums (*After The Release!) - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
·The Tenements/Norton Boss Fight: Human Fly - Cramps, I Wanna Be Your Dog - Iggy Pop & the Stooges
·The Rumble/Defender of the Castle (Epic Confrontation): Matador - X Mal Deutschland (as the "wildstyle" music many songs are similar to this, i listed the most accurate or the most fun imo, at least)
·Nerd Challenge/Consumo Arcade (Menu): Sakura, Sakura - Traditional Japanese Folk Song
·Nerd Challenge/Consumo (Main): Four Thousand Years of Chinese History - SNK Sound Team from Fatal Fury: King of Fighters Game
·Glass House/Smash It Up (Destruction/Vandalism): Rapture - Blondie, The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
·Nice Outfit: Odetta - Hit or Miss (Drum Patterns), Dig Your Own Hole - Chemical Brothers (Drum Patterns)
·The Big Game (Nerds "Agent")/Revenge on Mr. Burton "Part 2": Big Bad Wolf - Shawn Lee
·Rats in the Library: You Rock My World - Michael Jackson, Spies In The Wires - Cabaret Voltaire
·Preppies Vandalized (Punishment): D12 40 Oz. - Mr. Stan
·Busting In, Part II/Paper Route: Identity - X-Ray Spec, Mongoloid - Devo
·Showdown at the Plant (Overture): "Saracens Theme" - The Warriors Game
·Complete Mayhem (Street Fight): Criminal - Fiona Apple (also resembles "All Caps - Madvillain-Madvillainy or MF Doom" and "Intermezzo 2 - Mr. chop" but this was released in 2009)
·School's Out (End Credits): Walk On The Wild Side (Bass and Rhythm Pattern) - Lou Reed by Velvet Underground
\Christmas is Here, Small Offences, Discreet Deliveries, The Collector, Mailbox Armageddon and Go See The Principal doesn't feature a unique theme or has any song.*
★ Miscellaneous, Ambience & Shop themes
·Chase Prefect and Police: The Shaft intro and end themes - Isaac Hayes, Beat Dis (12 Version) - Bomb The Bass
·Chase Adults/A Little Help: Take California - Propellerheads, Secret Agent - Bjorn Lynne
·Detention/Mowing Laws - Unused track from The Warrior Game (it doesn't have an actual name, sorry)
·Bike Race 1: Casio VL-1 Tone (Sampler)
·Bike Race 2: Sonic CD Game - Wacky Workbench Zone - Bad Future
·Kart Race (Main) or "Lowrider": You Baby - The Turtles
·Kart Race (Beta): Baba Hya - Lafayette Afro Rock Band
·General Store "Yum Yum Market": Cover Girl - Gabriele Ducros
·Hair Saloon (Poor) "The Final Cut": Punky Dragster - Tele Music
·Hair Saloon (Rich) "Old Bullworth Vale": Dance Feeling - Tele Music
·Clothing Store (Poor) "Worn In Used Clothing": Disco Revisited - Tele Music
·Clothing Store (Rich) "Aquaberry Outlet" (*After The Release!): Now That Is Jazz - Charlie's Bistro Ensemble
·Janitor's Room: Lonesome Heart Swing - Dennis Caplinger
·Carnival Ambience "Billy Crane's Traveling Carnival": Golden Brown - Stranglers
·Box Club Ambience "Glass Jaw Boxing Club": Icy Nation - Tele Music
·Preppie's Hideout Beach "Lighthouse" (*After The Release!): With My Maker I Am One - Chill Coffehouse Drip
·Dragon's Wing Comic Store (*After The Release!): Daniel Loves Singing - C. Allocco
·Nerd's Hideout "Dragon's Wing Comic Store" (Under): Soaring Song - Tele Music
·Jock's Hideout "Jock's Clubhouse": Grand Theft Auto (Song) - Craig Conner
·Monkey Fling (Menu): it reresemble Super Mario World Overworld theme
·Future Street Racer (Main): The Doom - Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 Game
★ Xmas Themes
Holiday themes features various artists, this list is based on the ones made by Shawn lee itself for his album "A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats form Santa's Bag", The original composers is on the song description.
·Balls of Snow: Carol of the Bells - Mykola Leontovych
·Miracle on Bullworth St.: Jingle Bells - James Lord Pierpont
·Rudy the Red Nosed Santa: O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) - John Francis Wade & Frederick Oakeley
·Nutcrackin': Deck The Halls - Thomas Oliphant, Little Dummer Boy - Katherine Kennicott Davis, Harry Simeone & Henry Onorati
·Bike Shop (Xmas) "Shiny Bikes": Let it Snow! - Gary Hoey (Dean Martin is the original composer) (Most famous by Frank Sinatra)
·Clothing Store (Poor) (Xmas) "Worn In"/Clothing Store (Rich) (Xmas) "Aquaberry": Jingle Bells (Dan The Automator) - Dean Martin, *the Aquaberry outlet uses a different tone in jazz
·Janitor's Room (Xmas)/Hair Saloon (Poor)(Xmas) "The Final Cut": Up On The House Top (Ho, Ho, Ho) - Gene Autry
·Dragon's Wing Comic Store (Xmas)/Hair Saloon (Rich)(Xmas)"Old Bullworth Vale": We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Traditional English (Britain) Folk Song
·Xmas Tree: Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy - Piotr Ilitch Tchaikovski
\The General Store "Yum Yum Market" reuses a song collage of various themes as Deck the Halls, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells in that order on looping.*
★ Classes
·Music classes features American Folk and American March Songs since the game takes place in USA
Class 1: Turkey In The Straw
Class 2: Masterpiece Fanfare
Class 3: She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
Class 4: Liberty Bell March (also known as "Monty Python Theme")
Class 5: The Washington Post March (also sounds similar to "Willian Tell Act" by Charlie Chaplin)
·English Class: Piéces de Clavecin en concert; La Timide - Jean-Philippe Rameau
·Art Class: Come With the Night (Drum Patterns) - Sugar Stick (also resembles "Test Area - Broadcast" or "Serpent Magique - Tangerine Dream")
·Photography Class/BMX Park (*After The Release!): Automatic - Shawn Lee & AM (for observation, the Bike Park and Photography theme are slightly different, not the same)
·Biology: Dara Factor One - Weather Report Music, Heist in Helsinki (*After The Release!) - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
\Geography class uses a medley of characteristic instruments and sounds of world nations*
★ Cliques & Boss fights
·Vendetta Non-Clique: Ode To Billie Joe - Lou Donaldson
·Vendetta Bullies: Skin Therapy - Mr. Dibbs (also features in Tony Hawk's Underground 2003 Game), And on the Sixth Day - Pat Williams
·Vendetta Nerds/Stronghold Assault (Nerd Boss Fight): Casio VL-1 Tone (Sampler), Da Da Da - Trio (not only the song but the nerds cliques itself looks heavy inspired by the movie Revenge of the Nerds, some themes would also fit for Nerds in particular "Burning Down The House by Talking Heads")
·Vendetta Preppies: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson, Whip it - Devo
·Vendetta Greasers: Play For Today - The Cure, Private Idaho - B-52's, Disorder - Joy Division
·Vendetta Jocks: Amen, Brother - The Winstons, Drums Away - The Simon Song (Drums Intro), The Assembly Line - Commodores (this one use one of the most famous samples in music the "Amen Break" by Winstons as initially mentioned)
·Vendetta Dropouts/Townie Challenge: Tédio - Biquíni Cavadão, I Love Rock 'N Roll - The Arrows (Original Composers) *the guitar riff and bass pattern is extremely similar to "Pretty Fly by Offspring" but the song "Tédio" is alot older and still more accurate to the townies theme
·Russell in the Hole: Firestarter (Drum Patterns) - Prodigy, Devotion (Voice of Paradise) - Ten City
·Dishonorable Fight: Eye of the Tiger, Burning Heart - both by Survivor
·Fighting Johnny Vincent: Boogie Woodie - The Beach Boys, Caldonia Boogie - Louis Jordan (also covered by James Brown) *this song line is also referred as "The Walking Bass" featured in many Classic Rock songs
·The Big Game (Jock Boss Fight): Just Like Heaven, A Forest - The Cure, Harmonia - Dino
·Showdown at the Plant: Headhunter - Front 242, Are You Red..Y - The Clash
·Final Showdown: Underwater March - Klaus Badelt, 2001 NBA Ultimate Player (Film Score) *God of War (2018) Game also has a similar tone in "Spartan Rage" overture by Bear McCreary
★... Uncertain? ...Suggestions
·Bully Main Theme (Running Theme): Maniac - Michael Sembello, the synthesizer effect looks an interpolation of the xylophone effect used in the game.
·Overworld (Walking Theme) - The Phantom of the Opera Motion Picture Overture (this also resambles "echoes" by pink floyd but that peculiar melody is more predominant in this theme), Let's Ge Started (Bass Only) - Black Eyed Peas, it looks heavily inspired by Dario Argento movies (as the overall soundtrack).
·Here's to you Ms. Philips/Last Minute Shopping/Cook's Crush/Discretion Assured/Finding Johnny Vincent/Revenge on Mr. Burton "Part 1" (The Search): Sounds similar to "Tenant - Siouxsie And The Banshees", people often confuse this theme to "Cheating Time" but the track is named "Here's to you Ms. Philips" as does the mission, it also resembles a Giorgio Gaslini piece an italian jazz pianist or the american compositor Henry Mancini the creator of Pink Panther iconic theme.
·Panty Raid/Galloway Away/Cheating Time (Stealth): Love Theme From "The Godfather" or "Speak Softly, Love" or just The Godfather Theme from Nino Rota a renowned italian composer, written by Larry Kusik, also resembles the song "Hey by Pixies".
·Comic Klepto: Where’d You Go - Fort Minor e Jonah Matranga (interpolation), also resembles Gramatik, Transplants, Flobots or X-Ecutiornes style of song.
·Funhouse Fun/ Funhouse (Ambience): Carnival of the Animals; Introduction and Royal March of the Lion ("Marche Royale du Lions") - Camille Saint-Saëns (interpolation)
·Funhouse Graveyard "Carnival Funhouse Graveyard" (Unused/Beta): Lux Aeterna - Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet; Requiem For A Killer Movie Score
·Shop Class "Auto Repair Shop": Sounds similar to Star Guitar - Chemical Brothers, Cities in the Dust - Siouxie And The Banshees
·Math Class (Beta): Sounds similar to Nightmare on Elm Street Theme
·Gym Class/Lockpicking/Jocks Challenge: Sounds similar to "Resucitó" an old catholic song
·Bike Shop "Shiny Bikes": Sounds similar to Billy Club - Junkie XL, Horndog - Overseer
·Greaser's Hideout/Greaser's Challenge "Blue Balls Pool House" "Tattoo Parlor" & "The Happy Mullet": Sounds similar to In-Cut Overdrive - Tomonori Sawada; Sega Rally 2006 Game
·Townies/Dropouts Hideout "Dropout Hangout": Sounds similar to Babel - Covenant
★ Still Missing... Unknown?
·Chemistry Class: although i can't find a matching song it doesn't sound like music per se
·Math Class (Main): definitely a funky/soul tune, unfortunately i couldn't find a corresponding song for it
·Nut Shots: resembles Gradius songs a game by Konami or AiAce Combat a Namco Game
I REALLY LOVE BUNNIES, THEY'RE SO NICE!
I Hope you like it 😎👍
2023.05.30 22:09 haircuthelpplz any advice on hair styles that’d suit me better?
 | these 2 pics are my current length & style. i grew my hair out since buzzing it during the winter time. as much as i liked the low maintenance of a buzz, it didn’t suit me IMO. pic #3 is me with a buzz. submitted by haircuthelpplz to malehairadvice [link] [comments] im not sure really what to do or ask for at the salon/barbershop beyond asking for a trim. any advice of what’d best suit me would be greatly appreciated 🙏 |
2023.05.30 18:54 SchlesingerMindy323 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in ID Hiring Now!
2023.05.30 15:18 Guilty_Chemistry9337 Hide Behind the Cypress Tree (Part 1)
(owing to the reddit character limit, I'm posting this in two parts, but it's one contiguous story)
There are instincts that you develop when you’re a parent. If you don’t have any children it might be a little hard to understand. If you have a toddler, for example, and they’re in the other room and silent for more than a few seconds, there’s a good chance they’re up to no good. I take that back, most of the time they’re doing nothing, but you still have to check. You feel a compulsion to check. I don’t think it’s a learned skill, I think it’s an actual instinct.
Paleolithic parents who didn’t check on their toddlers every few minutes, just to double check that they weren’t being stalked by smilodons were unlikely to have grandchildren and pass on their genes. You just feel you need to check, like getting goosebumps, a compulsion. I suppose it’s the same reason little kids are always demanding you look at them and what they’re doing.
I think that instinct starts to atrophy as your kids grow. They start learning to do things for themselves, and before you know it, they’re after their own privacy, not your attention. I don’t think it ever goes away though. I expect, decades from now, my own grown kids will visit and bring my grandkids with them. And the second I hear a baby crying in the earliest morning hours, I’ll be alert and ready for anything, sure as any old soldier who hears his name whispered in the dark of night.
I felt that alarm just the other day. First time in years. My boy came home from riding bikes with a couple of his friends. I’m pretty sure they worked out a scam where they asked each of their parents for a different new console for Christmas, and now they spend their weekends traveling between the three houses so they can play on all of them.
We all live in a nice neighborhood. A newer development than the one I grew up in, same town though. It’s the kind of place where kids are always playing in the streets, and the cars all routinely do under 20. My wife and I make sure the kids have helmets and pads, and we’re fine with the boy going out biking with his friends, as long as they stay in the neighborhood.
You know, a lot of people in my generation take some weird sort of pride in how irresponsible we used to be when we were young. I never wore a helmet. Rode to places, without telling any adults, that we never should have ridden to. Me and my friends would make impromptu jumps off of makeshift ramps and try to do stupid tricks, based loosely on stunts we’d seen on TV. Other people my age seem to wax nostalgic for that stuff and pretend it makes them somehow better people. I don’t get it. Sometimes I look back and shudder. We were lucky we escaped with only occasional bruises and road burns. It could have gone so much worse.
My son and his buddies came bustling in the front door at about 2 PM on a Saturday. They did the usual thing of raiding the kitchen for juice and his mother’s brownies, and I took that as my cue to abandon the television in the living room for my office. I was hardly noticing the chaos, by this point, it was becoming a regular weekend occurrence. But as I was just leaving, I caught something in the chatter. My boy said something about, “... that guy who was following us.”
He hadn’t said it any louder or more clearly than anything else they’d been talking about, all that stuff I’d been filtering out. Yet some deeper core process in my brain stem heard it, interpreted it, then hit the red alert button. My blood ran cold and every hair on my skin stood at attention.
I turned around and asked “Somebody followed you? What are you talking about?” I wasn’t consciously aware of how strict and stern my voice came out, yet when the jovial smiles dropped off of their faces it was apparent that it had been so.
“Huh?” my son said, his voice high-pitched and talking fast, like when he thinks he’s in trouble and needs to explain. “We thought we saw somebody following us. There wasn’t though. We didn’t really see anybody and we’d just spooked ourselves.”
“What did he look like?” I asked.
“Nothing? We really didn’t see anybody! Honest! I just saw something out of the corner of my eye! But there wasn’t really nobody there!”
“Yeah!,” said one of his buds. “Peripheral! Peripheral vision! I thought maybe I saw something too, but when I looked I didn’t see anything. I don’t have my glasses with me, but when I really looked I got a good look and there was nothing.”
The three boys had that semi-smiling but still concerned look that this was only a bizarre misunderstanding, but they were still being very sincere. “Were they in a car?”
“No, Dad, you don’t get it,” my boy continued, “They were small. We thought it was a kid.”
“Yeah,” said the third boy. “We thought maybe it was Tony Taylor’s stupid kid sister shadowing us. Getting close to throwing water balloons. Just cause she did that before.”
“If you didn’t get a good look how did you know it was a kid?”
“Because it was small!” my kid explained, though that wasn’t helping much. “What I mean is, at first I thought it was behind a little bush. It was way too small a bush to hide a grown-up. That’s why we thought it was probably Tony’s sister.”
“But you didn’t actually see Tony’s sister?” I asked.
“Nah,” said one of his buds. “And now that I think about it, that bush was probably too small for his sister too. It would have been silly. Like when a cartoon character hides behind a tiny object.”
“That’s why we think it was just in our heads,” explained the other boy, “That and the pole.”
“Yeah,” my son said. “The park on 14th and Taylor?” That was just a little community park, a single city block. Had a playground, lawn, a few trees, and some benches. “Anyway, we were riding past that, took a right on Taylor. And we were talking about how weird it would be if somebody really were following us. That’s when Brian thought he saw something. Behind a telephone pole.”
“I didn’t get a good look at it either,” the friend, Brian, “explained. Just thought I did. Know how you get up late at night to use the bathroom or whatever and you look down the hallway and you see a jacket or an office chair or something and because your eyes haven’t adjusted you think you see a ghost or burglar or something? Anyway, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned there wasn’t anything there.”
“Yeah, it was just like sometimes that happens, except this time it happened twice on the same bike ride, is all,” the other friend explained.
“And you’re sure there was nothing there?”
“Sure we’re sure,” my boy said. “We know because that time we checked. We each rode our bikes around the pole and there was nothing. Honest!”
“Hmmm,” I said. The whole thing seemed reasonable and nothing to be concerned about, you’d think.. The boys seemed to relax at my supposed acceptance. “Alright, sounds good. Hey, just let me know before you leave the house again, alright?” They all rushed to seem agreeable as I left the room, then quickly resumed their snacking and preceded to play their games.
I kept my ear out, just in case. My boy, at least this time, dutifully told me his friends were about to leave. He wasn’t very happy with me when I said they wouldn’t be riding home on their bikes, I was going to drive them home. The other boys didn’t complain, but I suppose it wasn’t their place, so my boy did the advocating for them, which I promptly ignored. I hate doing that, ignoring my kid’s talkback. My dad was the same way. It didn’t help that I struggled to get both of their bikes in the trunk, and it was a pain to get them back out again. My boy sulked in the front seat on the short ride back home. Arms folded on chest, eyes staring straight ahead, that lip thing they do. He seemed embarrassed for having what he thought was an over-protective parent. I suppose he was angry at me as well for acting, as far as he knew, irrationally. Maybe he thought he was being punished for some infraction he didn’t understand.
Well, it only got worse when we got home. I told him he wasn’t allowed to go out alone on his bike anymore. I’d only had to do that once before, when he was grounded, and back then he’d known exactly what he’d done wrong and he had it coming. Now? Well, he was confused, furious, maybe betrayed, probably a little brokenhearted? I can’t blame him. He tramped upstairs to his room to await the return of his mother, who was certain to give a sympathetic ear. I can’t imagine how upset he’ll be if he checks the garage tomorrow and finds I’ve removed his tires, just in case.
I wish I could explain it to him. I don’t even know how.
Where should I even begin? The town?
When I was about my son’s age I had just seen that movie, The Goonies. It had just come out in theaters. I really liked that movie, felt a strong connection. A lot of people do, can’t blame them, sort of a timeless classic. Except I wasn’t really into pirate’s treasure or the Fratellis, what really made me connect was a simple single shot, still in the first act. It’s right after they cross the threshold, and leave the house on their adventure. It was a shot of the boys, from above, maybe a crane shot or a helicopter shot, as they’re riding their bikes down a narrow forested lane, great big evergreen trees densely growing on the side of the road, they’re all wearing raincoats and the road is still wet from recent rain.
That was my childhood. I’ve spent my whole life in the Pacific Northwest. People talk to outsiders about the rain, and they might picture a lot of rainfall, but it’s not the volume, it’s the duration. We don’t get so much rain, it just drizzles slowly, on and on, for maybe eight or nine months out of the year. It doesn’t matter where I am, inside a house, traveling far abroad, anywhere I am I can close my eyes and still smell the air on a chilly afternoon, playing outdoors with my friends.
It’s not petrichor, that sudden intense smell you get when it first starts to rain after a long dry spell. No, this was almost the opposite, a clean smell, almost the opposite of a scent, since the rain seemed to scrub the air clean. The strongest scent and I mean that in the loosest sense possible, must have been the evergreen needles. Not pine needles, those were too strong, and there weren’t that many pines anyway. Douglas fir and red cedar predominated, again the root ‘domination’ seems hyperbole. Yet those scents were there, ephemeral as it is. Also, there was a sort of pleasant dirtiness to the smell, at least when you rode bikes. It wasn’t dirt, or mud, or dust. Dust couldn’t have existed except perhaps for a few fleeting weeks in August. I think, looking back, it was the mud puddles. All the potholes in all the asphalt suburban roads would fill up after rain with water the color of chocolate milk. We’d swerve our BMX bikes, or the knock-off brands, all the way across the street just to splash through those puddles and test our “suspensions.,” meaning our ankles and knees. The smell was always stronger after that. It had an earthiness to it. Perhaps it was petrichor’s lesser-known watery cousin.
There were other sensations too, permanently seared into my brain like grill marks. A constant chilliness that was easy to ignore, until you started working up a good heart rate on your bike, then you noticed your lungs were so cold it felt like burning. The sound of your tires on the wet pavement, particularly when careening downhill at high speed. For some reason, people in the mid-80s used to like to decorate their front porches with cheap, polyester windsocks. They were often vividly colored, usually rainbow, like prototype pride flags. When an occasional wind stirred up enough to gust, the windsocks would flap, and owning to the water-soaked polyester, make a wet slapping sound. It was loud, it was distinct, but you learned to ignore it as part of the background, along with the cawing of crows and distant passing cars.
That was my perception of Farmingham as a kid. The town itself? Just a typical Pacific Northwest town. That might not mean much for younger people or modern visitors, but there was a time when such towns were all the same. They were logging towns. It was the greatest resource of the area from the late 19th century, right up until about the 80s, when the whole thing collapsed. Portland, Seattle, they had a few things going on beyond just the timber industry, but all the hundreds of little towns and small cities revolved around logging, and my town was no exception.
I remember going to the museum. It had free admission, and it was a popular field trip destination for the local school system. It used to be the City Hall, a weird Queen Anne-style construction. Imagine a big Victorian house, but blown up to absurd proportions, and with all sorts of superfluous decorations. Made out of local timber, of course. They had a hall for art, I can’t even remember why, now. Maybe they were local artists. I only remember paintings of sailboats and topless women, which was a rare sight for a kid at the time. There was a hall filled with 19th-century household artifacts. Chamber pots and weird children's toys.
Then there was the logging section, which was the bulk of the museum. It’s strange how different things seemed to be in the early days of the logging industry, despite being only about a hundred years old, from my perspective in the 1980s. If you look back a hundred years from today, in the 1920s, you had automobiles, airplanes, electrical appliances, jazz music, radio programs, flappers, it doesn’t feel that far removed, does it? No TV, no internet, but it wouldn’t be that strange. 1880s? Different world.
Imagine red cedars, so big you could have a full logging crew, arms stretched out, just barely manage to encircle one for a photographer. Felling a single tree was the work of days. Men could rest and eat their lunches in the shelter of a cut made into a trunk, and not worry for safety or room. They had to cut their own little platforms into the trees many feet off the ground, just so the trunk was a little bit thinner, and thus hours of labor saved. They used those long, flexible two-man saws. And double-bit axes. They worked in the gloom of the shade with old gas lanterns. Once cut down from massive logs thirty feet in diameter, they’d float the logs downhill in sluices, like primitive wooden make-shift water slides. Or they’d haul them down to the nearest river, the logs pulled by donkeys on corduroy roads. They’d lay large amounts of grease on the roads, so the logs would slide easily. You could still smell the grease on the old tools on display in the museum. The bigger towns had streets where the loggers would slide the logs down greased skids all the way down to the sea, where they’d float in big logjams until the mills were ready for processing. They’d call such roads “skid-rows.” Because of all the activity, they’d end up being the worst parts of town. Local citizens wouldn’t want to live there, due to all the stink and noise. They’d be on the other side of the brothels and the opium dens. It would be the sort of place where the destitute and the insane would find themselves when they’d finally lost anything. To this day, “skidrow” remains a euphemism for the part of a city where the homeless encamp.
That was the lore I’d learned as a child. That was my “ancestry” I was supposed to respect and admire, which I did, wholeheartedly. There were things they left out, though. Things that you might have suspected, from a naive perspective, would be perfect for kids, all the folklore that came with the logging industry. The ghost stories, and the tall tales. I would have eaten that up. They do talk about that kind of thing in places far removed from the Pacific Northwest. But I had never heard about any of it. Things like the Hidebehind. No, that I’d have to discover for myself.
There were four of us on those bike adventures. Myself. Ralph, my best friend. A tough guy, the bad boy, the most worldly of us, which is a strange thing to say about an eight-year-old kid. India, an archetypal ‘80s tomboy. She was the coolest person I knew at the time. Looking back, I wonder what her home life was like. I think I remember problematic warning signs that I couldn’t have recognized when I was so young, but now raise flags. Then there was Ben. A goofy kid, a wild mop of hair, coke bottle glasses, type 1 diabetic which seemed to make him both a bit pampered by his mother, who was in charge of all his insulin, diet, and schedule, and conversely a real risk taker when she wasn’t around.
When we first saw it…
No, wait. This was the problem with starting the story. Where does it all begin? I’ll need to talk about my Grandfather as well. I’ve had two different perspectives on my Grandfather, on the man that he was. The first was the healthy able-bodied grandparent I’d known as a young child. Then there was the man, as I learned about him after he had passed.
There was a middle period, from when I was 6 to when I was 16, when I hardly understood him at all, as he was hit with a double whammy of both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. His decline into an invalid was both steep and long drawn out. That part didn’t reflect who he was as a person.
What did I know of him when I was little? Well I knew he and my grandmother had a nice big house and some farmland, out in the broad flat valley north of Farmingham. Dairy country. It had been settled by Dutch immigrants back in the homesteading days. His family had been among the first pioneers in the county too. It didn’t register to me then that his surname was Norwegian, not Dutch. I knew he had served in the Navy in World War II, which I was immensely proud of for reasons I didn’t know why. I knew he had a job as a butcher in a nearby rural supermarket. He was a bit of a farmer too, more as a hobby and a side gig. He had a few cattle, but mostly grew and harvested hay to sell to the local dairies. I knew he had turned his garage into a machine shop, and could fix damn near anything. From the flat tires on my bicycle to the old flat-bed truck he’d haul hay with, to an old 1950s riding lawnmower he somehow managed to keep in working order. I knew he could draw a really cool cartoon cowboy, I knew he loved to watch football, and I knew the whiskers on his chin were very pokey, and they’d tickle you when he kissed you on the cheek, and that when you tried to rub the sensation away he’d laugh and laugh and laugh.
Then there were the parts of his life that I’d learn much later. Mostly from odd passing comments from relatives, or things I’d find in the public records. Like how he’d been a better grandfather than a father. Or how his life as I knew it had been a second, better life. He’d been born among the Norwegian settler community, way up in the deep, dark, forest-shrouded hills that rimmed the valley. He’d been a logger in his youth. Technologically he was only a generation or two from the ones I’d learned about in the museum. They’d replaced donkeys with diesel engines and corduroy roads with narrow gauge rail. It was still the same job, though. Dirty, dangerous, dark. Way back into those woods, living in little logging camps, civilization was always a several-day hike out. It became a vulgar sort of profession, filled with violent men, reprobates, and thieves. When my grandfather’s father was murdered on his front porch by a lunatic claiming he’d been wronged somehow, my grandfather hiked out of there, got into town, and joined the Navy. He vowed never to go back. The things he’d seen out in those woods were no good. He’d kept that existence away from me. Anyways…
Tommy Barker was the first of us to go missing. I say ‘us’ as if I knew him personally. I didn’t. He went to Farmingham Middle School, other side of town, and several grades above us. From our perspective, he may as well have been an adult living overseas.
Yet it felt like we got to know him. His face was everywhere, on TV, all over telephone poles. Everybody was talking about him. After he didn’t return from a friend’s house, everybody just sort of assumed, or maybe hoped, that he’d just gotten lost, or was trapped somewhere. They searched all the parks. Backyards, junkyards, refrigerators, trunks. Old-fashioned refrigerators, back before suction seals, had a simple handle with a latch that opened when you pulled on it. It wasn’t a problem when the fridges were in use and filled with food. But by the 80s old broke-down refrigerators started filling up backyards and junkyards, and they became deathtraps for kids playing hide-and-seek. The only opened from the outside. I remember thinking Tommy Barker was a little old to have likely been playing hide-and-seek, but people checked everywhere anyway. They never found him.
That was about the first time we saw the Hidebehind. Ben said he thought he saw somebody following us, looked like, maybe, a kid. We’d just slowly huffed our way up a moderately steep hill, Farmingham is full of them, and when we paused for a breather at the top, Ben said he saw it down the hill, closer to the base. Yet when we turned to look there was nothing there. Ben said he’d just seen it duck behind a car. That wasn’t the sort of behavior of a random kid minding his own business. Yet the slope afforded us a view under the car’s carriage, and except for the four tires, there were no signs of any feet hiding behind the body. At first, we thought he was pulling our leg. When he insisted he wasn’t, we started to tease him a little. He must have been seeing things, on account of his poor vision and thick glasses. The fact that those glasses afforded him vision as good as or better than any of us wasn’t something we considered.
The next person to disappear was Amy Brooks. Fifth-grader. Next elementary school over. I remember it feeling like when you’re traveling down the freeway, and there’s a big thunderstorm way down the road, but it keeps getting closer, and closer. I don’t remember what she looked like. Her face wasn’t plastered everywhere like Tommy’s had been. She was mentioned on the regional news, out of Seattle, her and Tommy together. Two missing kids from the same town in a short amount of time. The implication was as obvious as it was depraved. They didn’t think the kids were getting lost anymore. They didn’t do very much searching of backyards. The narratives changed too. Teachers started talking a lot about stranger danger. Local TV channels started recycling old After School Specials and public service announcements about the subject.
I’m not sure who saw it next. I think it was Ben again. We took him seriously this time though. I think. The one I’m sure I remember was soon after, and that time it was India who first saw it. It’s still crystal clear in my memory, almost forty years later, because that was the time I first saw it too. We were riding through a four-way stop, an Idaho Stop before they called it that, when India slammed to a stop, locking up her coaster brakes and leaving a long black streak of rubber on a dry patch of pavement. We stopped quickly after and asked what the problem was. We could tell by her face she’d seen it. She was still looking at it.
“I see it,” she whispered, unnecessarily. We all followed her gaze. We were looking, I don’t know, ten seconds? Twenty? We believed everything she said, we just couldn’t see it.
“Where?” Ralph asked.
“Four blocks down,” she whispered. “On the left. See the red car? Kinda rusty?” There was indeed a big old Lincoln Continental, looking pretty ratty and worn. I focused on that, still seeing nothing. “Past that, just to its right. See the street light pole? It’s just behind that.”
We also saw the pole she was talking about. Metal. Aluminum, I’d have guessed. It had different color patches, like metallic flakeboard. Like it’d had been melted together out of scrap.
I could see that clearly even from that distance. I saw nothing behind it. I could see plenty of other things in the background, cars, houses, bushes, front lawns, beauty bark landscape.. There was no indication of anything behind that pole.
And then it moved. It had been right there where she said it had been, yet it had somehow perfectly blended into the landscape, a trick of perspective. We didn’t see it at all until it moved, and almost as fast it had disappeared behind that light pole. We only got a hint. Brown in color, about our height in size.
We screamed. Short little startled screams, the involuntary sort that just burst out of you. Then we turned and started to pedal like mad, thoroughly spooked. We made it to the intersection of the next block when it was Ralph who screeched to a halt and shouted, “Wait!”
We slowed down and stopped, perhaps not as eagerly as we’d done when India yelled. Ralph was looking back over his shoulder, looking at that metal pole. “Did anybody see it move again?’ he asked. We all shook our heads in the negative. Ralph didn’t notice, but of course, he didn’t really need an answer, of course we hadn’t been watching.
“If it didn’t move, then it’s still there!” Ralph explained the obvious. It took a second to sink in, despite the obvious. “C’mon!” he shouted, and to our surprise, before we could react, he turned and took off, straight down the road, straight to where that thing had been lurking.
We were incredulous, but something about his order made us all follow hot on his heels. He was a sort of natural leader. I thought it was total foolishness, but I wasn’t going to let him go alone. I think I got out, “Are you crazy?!”
The wind was blowing hard past our faces as we raced as fast as we could, it made it hard to hear. Ralph shouted his response. “If it’s hiding that means its afraid!” That seemed reasonable, if not totally accurate. Lions hide from their prey before they attack. Then again, they don’t wait around when the whole herd charges. Really, the pole was coming up so fast there wasn’t a whole lot of time to argue. “Just blast past and look!” Ralph added. “We’re too fast! It won’t catch us.”
Sure, I thought to myself. Except maybe Ben, who always lagged behind the rest of us in a race. The lion would get Ben if any of us.
We rushed past that pole and all turned our heads to look. “See!” Ralph shouted in triumph. There was simply nothing there. A metal streetlight pole and nothing more. We stopped pedaling yet still sped on. “Hang on,” Ralph said, and at the next intersection he took a fast looping curve that threatened to crash us all, but we managed and curved behind him. We all came to the pole again where we stopped to see up close that there was nothing there, despite what we had seen moments before.
“Maybe it bilocated,” Ben offered. We groaned. We were all thinking it, but I think we were dismissive because it wasn’t as cool a word as ‘teleport.”
“Maybe it just moved when we weren’t looking,” I offered. That hadn’t been long, but that didn’t mean anything if it moved fast. The four of us slowly looked up from the base of the pole to our immediate surroundings. There were bushes. A car in a carport covered by a tarpaulin. The carport itself. Garbage cans. Stumps. Of course the ever-present trees. Whatever it was it could have been hiding behind anything. Maybe it was. We looked. Maybe it would make itself seen. None of us wanted that. “OK, let’s get going,” Ralph said, and we did so.
I got home feeling pretty shaken that afternoon. I felt safe at home. Except for the front room, which had a big bay window looking out onto the street, and the people who lived across it. There were plenty of garbage cans and telephone poles and stumps that a small, fast thing might hide behind. No, I felt more comfortable in my bedroom. There was a window, but a great thick conical cypress tree grew right in front of it, reaching way up over the roof of the house. If anything, it offered ME a place to hide, and peer out onto the street to either side of the tree. It was protective, as good as any heavy blanket.
submitted by Guilty_Chemistry9337 to Odd_directions [link] [comments]
There are instincts that you develop when you’re a parent. If you don’t have any children it might be a little hard to understand. If you have a toddler, for example, and they’re in the other room and silent for more than a few seconds, there’s a good chance they’re up to no good. I take that back, most of the time they’re doing nothing, but you still have to check. You feel a compulsion to check. I don’t think it’s a learned skill, I think it’s an actual instinct.
Paleolithic parents who didn’t check on their toddlers every few minutes, just to double check that they weren’t being stalked by smilodons were unlikely to have grandchildren and pass on their genes. You just feel you need to check, like getting goosebumps, a compulsion. I suppose it’s the same reason little kids are always demanding you look at them and what they’re doing.
I think that instinct starts to atrophy as your kids grow. They start learning to do things for themselves, and before you know it, they’re after their own privacy, not your attention. I don’t think it ever goes away though. I expect, decades from now, my own grown kids will visit and bring my grandkids with them. And the second I hear a baby crying in the earliest morning hours, I’ll be alert and ready for anything, sure as any old soldier who hears his name whispered in the dark of night.
I felt that alarm just the other day. First time in years. My boy came home from riding bikes with a couple of his friends. I’m pretty sure they worked out a scam where they asked each of their parents for a different new console for Christmas, and now they spend their weekends traveling between the three houses so they can play on all of them.
We all live in a nice neighborhood. A newer development than the one I grew up in, same town though. It’s the kind of place where kids are always playing in the streets, and the cars all routinely do under 20. My wife and I make sure the kids have helmets and pads, and we’re fine with the boy going out biking with his friends, as long as they stay in the neighborhood.
You know, a lot of people in my generation take some weird sort of pride in how irresponsible we used to be when we were young. I never wore a helmet. Rode to places, without telling any adults, that we never should have ridden to. Me and my friends would make impromptu jumps off of makeshift ramps and try to do stupid tricks, based loosely on stunts we’d seen on TV. Other people my age seem to wax nostalgic for that stuff and pretend it makes them somehow better people. I don’t get it. Sometimes I look back and shudder. We were lucky we escaped with only occasional bruises and road burns. It could have gone so much worse.
My son and his buddies came bustling in the front door at about 2 PM on a Saturday. They did the usual thing of raiding the kitchen for juice and his mother’s brownies, and I took that as my cue to abandon the television in the living room for my office. I was hardly noticing the chaos, by this point, it was becoming a regular weekend occurrence. But as I was just leaving, I caught something in the chatter. My boy said something about, “... that guy who was following us.”
He hadn’t said it any louder or more clearly than anything else they’d been talking about, all that stuff I’d been filtering out. Yet some deeper core process in my brain stem heard it, interpreted it, then hit the red alert button. My blood ran cold and every hair on my skin stood at attention.
I turned around and asked “Somebody followed you? What are you talking about?” I wasn’t consciously aware of how strict and stern my voice came out, yet when the jovial smiles dropped off of their faces it was apparent that it had been so.
“Huh?” my son said, his voice high-pitched and talking fast, like when he thinks he’s in trouble and needs to explain. “We thought we saw somebody following us. There wasn’t though. We didn’t really see anybody and we’d just spooked ourselves.”
“What did he look like?” I asked.
“Nothing? We really didn’t see anybody! Honest! I just saw something out of the corner of my eye! But there wasn’t really nobody there!”
“Yeah!,” said one of his buds. “Peripheral! Peripheral vision! I thought maybe I saw something too, but when I looked I didn’t see anything. I don’t have my glasses with me, but when I really looked I got a good look and there was nothing.”
The three boys had that semi-smiling but still concerned look that this was only a bizarre misunderstanding, but they were still being very sincere. “Were they in a car?”
“No, Dad, you don’t get it,” my boy continued, “They were small. We thought it was a kid.”
“Yeah,” said the third boy. “We thought maybe it was Tony Taylor’s stupid kid sister shadowing us. Getting close to throwing water balloons. Just cause she did that before.”
“If you didn’t get a good look how did you know it was a kid?”
“Because it was small!” my kid explained, though that wasn’t helping much. “What I mean is, at first I thought it was behind a little bush. It was way too small a bush to hide a grown-up. That’s why we thought it was probably Tony’s sister.”
“But you didn’t actually see Tony’s sister?” I asked.
“Nah,” said one of his buds. “And now that I think about it, that bush was probably too small for his sister too. It would have been silly. Like when a cartoon character hides behind a tiny object.”
“That’s why we think it was just in our heads,” explained the other boy, “That and the pole.”
“Yeah,” my son said. “The park on 14th and Taylor?” That was just a little community park, a single city block. Had a playground, lawn, a few trees, and some benches. “Anyway, we were riding past that, took a right on Taylor. And we were talking about how weird it would be if somebody really were following us. That’s when Brian thought he saw something. Behind a telephone pole.”
“I didn’t get a good look at it either,” the friend, Brian, “explained. Just thought I did. Know how you get up late at night to use the bathroom or whatever and you look down the hallway and you see a jacket or an office chair or something and because your eyes haven’t adjusted you think you see a ghost or burglar or something? Anyway, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned there wasn’t anything there.”
“Yeah, it was just like sometimes that happens, except this time it happened twice on the same bike ride, is all,” the other friend explained.
“And you’re sure there was nothing there?”
“Sure we’re sure,” my boy said. “We know because that time we checked. We each rode our bikes around the pole and there was nothing. Honest!”
“Hmmm,” I said. The whole thing seemed reasonable and nothing to be concerned about, you’d think.. The boys seemed to relax at my supposed acceptance. “Alright, sounds good. Hey, just let me know before you leave the house again, alright?” They all rushed to seem agreeable as I left the room, then quickly resumed their snacking and preceded to play their games.
I kept my ear out, just in case. My boy, at least this time, dutifully told me his friends were about to leave. He wasn’t very happy with me when I said they wouldn’t be riding home on their bikes, I was going to drive them home. The other boys didn’t complain, but I suppose it wasn’t their place, so my boy did the advocating for them, which I promptly ignored. I hate doing that, ignoring my kid’s talkback. My dad was the same way. It didn’t help that I struggled to get both of their bikes in the trunk, and it was a pain to get them back out again. My boy sulked in the front seat on the short ride back home. Arms folded on chest, eyes staring straight ahead, that lip thing they do. He seemed embarrassed for having what he thought was an over-protective parent. I suppose he was angry at me as well for acting, as far as he knew, irrationally. Maybe he thought he was being punished for some infraction he didn’t understand.
Well, it only got worse when we got home. I told him he wasn’t allowed to go out alone on his bike anymore. I’d only had to do that once before, when he was grounded, and back then he’d known exactly what he’d done wrong and he had it coming. Now? Well, he was confused, furious, maybe betrayed, probably a little brokenhearted? I can’t blame him. He tramped upstairs to his room to await the return of his mother, who was certain to give a sympathetic ear. I can’t imagine how upset he’ll be if he checks the garage tomorrow and finds I’ve removed his tires, just in case.
I wish I could explain it to him. I don’t even know how.
Where should I even begin? The town?
When I was about my son’s age I had just seen that movie, The Goonies. It had just come out in theaters. I really liked that movie, felt a strong connection. A lot of people do, can’t blame them, sort of a timeless classic. Except I wasn’t really into pirate’s treasure or the Fratellis, what really made me connect was a simple single shot, still in the first act. It’s right after they cross the threshold, and leave the house on their adventure. It was a shot of the boys, from above, maybe a crane shot or a helicopter shot, as they’re riding their bikes down a narrow forested lane, great big evergreen trees densely growing on the side of the road, they’re all wearing raincoats and the road is still wet from recent rain.
That was my childhood. I’ve spent my whole life in the Pacific Northwest. People talk to outsiders about the rain, and they might picture a lot of rainfall, but it’s not the volume, it’s the duration. We don’t get so much rain, it just drizzles slowly, on and on, for maybe eight or nine months out of the year. It doesn’t matter where I am, inside a house, traveling far abroad, anywhere I am I can close my eyes and still smell the air on a chilly afternoon, playing outdoors with my friends.
It’s not petrichor, that sudden intense smell you get when it first starts to rain after a long dry spell. No, this was almost the opposite, a clean smell, almost the opposite of a scent, since the rain seemed to scrub the air clean. The strongest scent and I mean that in the loosest sense possible, must have been the evergreen needles. Not pine needles, those were too strong, and there weren’t that many pines anyway. Douglas fir and red cedar predominated, again the root ‘domination’ seems hyperbole. Yet those scents were there, ephemeral as it is. Also, there was a sort of pleasant dirtiness to the smell, at least when you rode bikes. It wasn’t dirt, or mud, or dust. Dust couldn’t have existed except perhaps for a few fleeting weeks in August. I think, looking back, it was the mud puddles. All the potholes in all the asphalt suburban roads would fill up after rain with water the color of chocolate milk. We’d swerve our BMX bikes, or the knock-off brands, all the way across the street just to splash through those puddles and test our “suspensions.,” meaning our ankles and knees. The smell was always stronger after that. It had an earthiness to it. Perhaps it was petrichor’s lesser-known watery cousin.
There were other sensations too, permanently seared into my brain like grill marks. A constant chilliness that was easy to ignore, until you started working up a good heart rate on your bike, then you noticed your lungs were so cold it felt like burning. The sound of your tires on the wet pavement, particularly when careening downhill at high speed. For some reason, people in the mid-80s used to like to decorate their front porches with cheap, polyester windsocks. They were often vividly colored, usually rainbow, like prototype pride flags. When an occasional wind stirred up enough to gust, the windsocks would flap, and owning to the water-soaked polyester, make a wet slapping sound. It was loud, it was distinct, but you learned to ignore it as part of the background, along with the cawing of crows and distant passing cars.
That was my perception of Farmingham as a kid. The town itself? Just a typical Pacific Northwest town. That might not mean much for younger people or modern visitors, but there was a time when such towns were all the same. They were logging towns. It was the greatest resource of the area from the late 19th century, right up until about the 80s, when the whole thing collapsed. Portland, Seattle, they had a few things going on beyond just the timber industry, but all the hundreds of little towns and small cities revolved around logging, and my town was no exception.
I remember going to the museum. It had free admission, and it was a popular field trip destination for the local school system. It used to be the City Hall, a weird Queen Anne-style construction. Imagine a big Victorian house, but blown up to absurd proportions, and with all sorts of superfluous decorations. Made out of local timber, of course. They had a hall for art, I can’t even remember why, now. Maybe they were local artists. I only remember paintings of sailboats and topless women, which was a rare sight for a kid at the time. There was a hall filled with 19th-century household artifacts. Chamber pots and weird children's toys.
Then there was the logging section, which was the bulk of the museum. It’s strange how different things seemed to be in the early days of the logging industry, despite being only about a hundred years old, from my perspective in the 1980s. If you look back a hundred years from today, in the 1920s, you had automobiles, airplanes, electrical appliances, jazz music, radio programs, flappers, it doesn’t feel that far removed, does it? No TV, no internet, but it wouldn’t be that strange. 1880s? Different world.
Imagine red cedars, so big you could have a full logging crew, arms stretched out, just barely manage to encircle one for a photographer. Felling a single tree was the work of days. Men could rest and eat their lunches in the shelter of a cut made into a trunk, and not worry for safety or room. They had to cut their own little platforms into the trees many feet off the ground, just so the trunk was a little bit thinner, and thus hours of labor saved. They used those long, flexible two-man saws. And double-bit axes. They worked in the gloom of the shade with old gas lanterns. Once cut down from massive logs thirty feet in diameter, they’d float the logs downhill in sluices, like primitive wooden make-shift water slides. Or they’d haul them down to the nearest river, the logs pulled by donkeys on corduroy roads. They’d lay large amounts of grease on the roads, so the logs would slide easily. You could still smell the grease on the old tools on display in the museum. The bigger towns had streets where the loggers would slide the logs down greased skids all the way down to the sea, where they’d float in big logjams until the mills were ready for processing. They’d call such roads “skid-rows.” Because of all the activity, they’d end up being the worst parts of town. Local citizens wouldn’t want to live there, due to all the stink and noise. They’d be on the other side of the brothels and the opium dens. It would be the sort of place where the destitute and the insane would find themselves when they’d finally lost anything. To this day, “skidrow” remains a euphemism for the part of a city where the homeless encamp.
That was the lore I’d learned as a child. That was my “ancestry” I was supposed to respect and admire, which I did, wholeheartedly. There were things they left out, though. Things that you might have suspected, from a naive perspective, would be perfect for kids, all the folklore that came with the logging industry. The ghost stories, and the tall tales. I would have eaten that up. They do talk about that kind of thing in places far removed from the Pacific Northwest. But I had never heard about any of it. Things like the Hidebehind. No, that I’d have to discover for myself.
There were four of us on those bike adventures. Myself. Ralph, my best friend. A tough guy, the bad boy, the most worldly of us, which is a strange thing to say about an eight-year-old kid. India, an archetypal ‘80s tomboy. She was the coolest person I knew at the time. Looking back, I wonder what her home life was like. I think I remember problematic warning signs that I couldn’t have recognized when I was so young, but now raise flags. Then there was Ben. A goofy kid, a wild mop of hair, coke bottle glasses, type 1 diabetic which seemed to make him both a bit pampered by his mother, who was in charge of all his insulin, diet, and schedule, and conversely a real risk taker when she wasn’t around.
When we first saw it…
No, wait. This was the problem with starting the story. Where does it all begin? I’ll need to talk about my Grandfather as well. I’ve had two different perspectives on my Grandfather, on the man that he was. The first was the healthy able-bodied grandparent I’d known as a young child. Then there was the man, as I learned about him after he had passed.
There was a middle period, from when I was 6 to when I was 16, when I hardly understood him at all, as he was hit with a double whammy of both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. His decline into an invalid was both steep and long drawn out. That part didn’t reflect who he was as a person.
What did I know of him when I was little? Well I knew he and my grandmother had a nice big house and some farmland, out in the broad flat valley north of Farmingham. Dairy country. It had been settled by Dutch immigrants back in the homesteading days. His family had been among the first pioneers in the county too. It didn’t register to me then that his surname was Norwegian, not Dutch. I knew he had served in the Navy in World War II, which I was immensely proud of for reasons I didn’t know why. I knew he had a job as a butcher in a nearby rural supermarket. He was a bit of a farmer too, more as a hobby and a side gig. He had a few cattle, but mostly grew and harvested hay to sell to the local dairies. I knew he had turned his garage into a machine shop, and could fix damn near anything. From the flat tires on my bicycle to the old flat-bed truck he’d haul hay with, to an old 1950s riding lawnmower he somehow managed to keep in working order. I knew he could draw a really cool cartoon cowboy, I knew he loved to watch football, and I knew the whiskers on his chin were very pokey, and they’d tickle you when he kissed you on the cheek, and that when you tried to rub the sensation away he’d laugh and laugh and laugh.
Then there were the parts of his life that I’d learn much later. Mostly from odd passing comments from relatives, or things I’d find in the public records. Like how he’d been a better grandfather than a father. Or how his life as I knew it had been a second, better life. He’d been born among the Norwegian settler community, way up in the deep, dark, forest-shrouded hills that rimmed the valley. He’d been a logger in his youth. Technologically he was only a generation or two from the ones I’d learned about in the museum. They’d replaced donkeys with diesel engines and corduroy roads with narrow gauge rail. It was still the same job, though. Dirty, dangerous, dark. Way back into those woods, living in little logging camps, civilization was always a several-day hike out. It became a vulgar sort of profession, filled with violent men, reprobates, and thieves. When my grandfather’s father was murdered on his front porch by a lunatic claiming he’d been wronged somehow, my grandfather hiked out of there, got into town, and joined the Navy. He vowed never to go back. The things he’d seen out in those woods were no good. He’d kept that existence away from me. Anyways…
Tommy Barker was the first of us to go missing. I say ‘us’ as if I knew him personally. I didn’t. He went to Farmingham Middle School, other side of town, and several grades above us. From our perspective, he may as well have been an adult living overseas.
Yet it felt like we got to know him. His face was everywhere, on TV, all over telephone poles. Everybody was talking about him. After he didn’t return from a friend’s house, everybody just sort of assumed, or maybe hoped, that he’d just gotten lost, or was trapped somewhere. They searched all the parks. Backyards, junkyards, refrigerators, trunks. Old-fashioned refrigerators, back before suction seals, had a simple handle with a latch that opened when you pulled on it. It wasn’t a problem when the fridges were in use and filled with food. But by the 80s old broke-down refrigerators started filling up backyards and junkyards, and they became deathtraps for kids playing hide-and-seek. The only opened from the outside. I remember thinking Tommy Barker was a little old to have likely been playing hide-and-seek, but people checked everywhere anyway. They never found him.
That was about the first time we saw the Hidebehind. Ben said he thought he saw somebody following us, looked like, maybe, a kid. We’d just slowly huffed our way up a moderately steep hill, Farmingham is full of them, and when we paused for a breather at the top, Ben said he saw it down the hill, closer to the base. Yet when we turned to look there was nothing there. Ben said he’d just seen it duck behind a car. That wasn’t the sort of behavior of a random kid minding his own business. Yet the slope afforded us a view under the car’s carriage, and except for the four tires, there were no signs of any feet hiding behind the body. At first, we thought he was pulling our leg. When he insisted he wasn’t, we started to tease him a little. He must have been seeing things, on account of his poor vision and thick glasses. The fact that those glasses afforded him vision as good as or better than any of us wasn’t something we considered.
The next person to disappear was Amy Brooks. Fifth-grader. Next elementary school over. I remember it feeling like when you’re traveling down the freeway, and there’s a big thunderstorm way down the road, but it keeps getting closer, and closer. I don’t remember what she looked like. Her face wasn’t plastered everywhere like Tommy’s had been. She was mentioned on the regional news, out of Seattle, her and Tommy together. Two missing kids from the same town in a short amount of time. The implication was as obvious as it was depraved. They didn’t think the kids were getting lost anymore. They didn’t do very much searching of backyards. The narratives changed too. Teachers started talking a lot about stranger danger. Local TV channels started recycling old After School Specials and public service announcements about the subject.
I’m not sure who saw it next. I think it was Ben again. We took him seriously this time though. I think. The one I’m sure I remember was soon after, and that time it was India who first saw it. It’s still crystal clear in my memory, almost forty years later, because that was the time I first saw it too. We were riding through a four-way stop, an Idaho Stop before they called it that, when India slammed to a stop, locking up her coaster brakes and leaving a long black streak of rubber on a dry patch of pavement. We stopped quickly after and asked what the problem was. We could tell by her face she’d seen it. She was still looking at it.
“I see it,” she whispered, unnecessarily. We all followed her gaze. We were looking, I don’t know, ten seconds? Twenty? We believed everything she said, we just couldn’t see it.
“Where?” Ralph asked.
“Four blocks down,” she whispered. “On the left. See the red car? Kinda rusty?” There was indeed a big old Lincoln Continental, looking pretty ratty and worn. I focused on that, still seeing nothing. “Past that, just to its right. See the street light pole? It’s just behind that.”
We also saw the pole she was talking about. Metal. Aluminum, I’d have guessed. It had different color patches, like metallic flakeboard. Like it’d had been melted together out of scrap.
I could see that clearly even from that distance. I saw nothing behind it. I could see plenty of other things in the background, cars, houses, bushes, front lawns, beauty bark landscape.. There was no indication of anything behind that pole.
And then it moved. It had been right there where she said it had been, yet it had somehow perfectly blended into the landscape, a trick of perspective. We didn’t see it at all until it moved, and almost as fast it had disappeared behind that light pole. We only got a hint. Brown in color, about our height in size.
We screamed. Short little startled screams, the involuntary sort that just burst out of you. Then we turned and started to pedal like mad, thoroughly spooked. We made it to the intersection of the next block when it was Ralph who screeched to a halt and shouted, “Wait!”
We slowed down and stopped, perhaps not as eagerly as we’d done when India yelled. Ralph was looking back over his shoulder, looking at that metal pole. “Did anybody see it move again?’ he asked. We all shook our heads in the negative. Ralph didn’t notice, but of course, he didn’t really need an answer, of course we hadn’t been watching.
“If it didn’t move, then it’s still there!” Ralph explained the obvious. It took a second to sink in, despite the obvious. “C’mon!” he shouted, and to our surprise, before we could react, he turned and took off, straight down the road, straight to where that thing had been lurking.
We were incredulous, but something about his order made us all follow hot on his heels. He was a sort of natural leader. I thought it was total foolishness, but I wasn’t going to let him go alone. I think I got out, “Are you crazy?!”
The wind was blowing hard past our faces as we raced as fast as we could, it made it hard to hear. Ralph shouted his response. “If it’s hiding that means its afraid!” That seemed reasonable, if not totally accurate. Lions hide from their prey before they attack. Then again, they don’t wait around when the whole herd charges. Really, the pole was coming up so fast there wasn’t a whole lot of time to argue. “Just blast past and look!” Ralph added. “We’re too fast! It won’t catch us.”
Sure, I thought to myself. Except maybe Ben, who always lagged behind the rest of us in a race. The lion would get Ben if any of us.
We rushed past that pole and all turned our heads to look. “See!” Ralph shouted in triumph. There was simply nothing there. A metal streetlight pole and nothing more. We stopped pedaling yet still sped on. “Hang on,” Ralph said, and at the next intersection he took a fast looping curve that threatened to crash us all, but we managed and curved behind him. We all came to the pole again where we stopped to see up close that there was nothing there, despite what we had seen moments before.
“Maybe it bilocated,” Ben offered. We groaned. We were all thinking it, but I think we were dismissive because it wasn’t as cool a word as ‘teleport.”
“Maybe it just moved when we weren’t looking,” I offered. That hadn’t been long, but that didn’t mean anything if it moved fast. The four of us slowly looked up from the base of the pole to our immediate surroundings. There were bushes. A car in a carport covered by a tarpaulin. The carport itself. Garbage cans. Stumps. Of course the ever-present trees. Whatever it was it could have been hiding behind anything. Maybe it was. We looked. Maybe it would make itself seen. None of us wanted that. “OK, let’s get going,” Ralph said, and we did so.
I got home feeling pretty shaken that afternoon. I felt safe at home. Except for the front room, which had a big bay window looking out onto the street, and the people who lived across it. There were plenty of garbage cans and telephone poles and stumps that a small, fast thing might hide behind. No, I felt more comfortable in my bedroom. There was a window, but a great thick conical cypress tree grew right in front of it, reaching way up over the roof of the house. If anything, it offered ME a place to hide, and peer out onto the street to either side of the tree. It was protective, as good as any heavy blanket.