Ahhh Saturday night at The Darkside Tavern, the new dinning room is bustling with activity only moments ago as waiters and waitresses hurried in and out of the newly renovated kitchen to feed the hungry patrons of the recently added Steakhouse and the crowd seems to be satisfied with not only the menu but the food as well. But it is Saturday night, a night above all others to be held in the highest esteem here at The Darkside. The guests are arriving for the Round Table, and as I look around I see some familiar faces, and some not so.. There are the usual suspects Sherry, Miss Moon, Whispered Promise, and a host of others, all waiting as the black limousine slowly rolls to a stop and when our guest of honor enters the Tavern, she makes her presence felt, almost the second that she walks through the door.

Coloconnect.



Through The Open Window



This is a true story. I'm still not sure how real it is. It was 1973, the summer before my senior year when the story started. Needless to say, I was a mess. Whether it is relevant or not I was a heavy drinker and hit the weed pretty hard back then. My parents bought a house. We were only the second owners. No one had ever died in the house, but the realtor did mention to my parents that the previous owners had lost their oldest daughter the year before. It was several months before my parents mentioned this to my brother or me. I started to see her the first weekend we moved in. I was alone and I glanced up to see someone walking down the hall (away from me). Assuming it was my older sister home from college, I called her and saw her turn the corner. There was no one there. The first time she appeared, I figured I was just imagining things. I didn't know about the history of the previous owners. The person I saw was not transparent and did not seem like a ghost. At first I was not scared at all. In my high school journalism class a girl I barely knew walked up to me and introduced herself. "Hi I'm Kim," she said, "You bought my old house. It's haunted." She laughed and walked away. She was a lot scarier than the girl in the hall. I swear to God I never saw Kim again, but I'll never forget that "deer in the headlights" look in her eyes. I told my parents about Kim. After that we always referred to her as "Poor Kim". My parents through mutual friends had heard that Kim had been in Timberlawn for extended stays ever since her big sister had died. Apparently, the oldest daughter had sneaked out of her bedroom window one night and gone joy riding with her friends. A tragic car accident with a semi had killed the 4 teenagers. They were decapitated. When the police came to the house her Mom thought she was still in bed. None of them were ever the same especially not Kim. I never told my parents about the girl in the hall. I saw her at least 4 or 5 more times. I even caught glimpses of her face and once it seemed like she was trying to get my attention. By now I was beginning to suspect that this was some sort of ghost. Back then my typical reaction to any problem was flight. I was scared with no place to run. Fast forward to 1983. My parents had sold the house and moved out of town. Then they bought the house back. I had gotten sober in 1978.

I went to San Francisco on vacation and was moving into a new apartment when I returned. My parents were scheduled to move back to the house in a week. They offered me the keys to the house while my utilities were being turned on. My bedroll was in front of the fireplace in the den. I was getting ready to tuck it in for the night. The ghost returned. This girl looked real to me. I couldn't see through her. She wasn't really walking, though. She was almost gliding. I wasn't scared anymore. I tried to talk to her and ask her what she wanted. She either couldn't or wouldn't talk. She wanted me to follow her. She headed for the living room. She stopped in front of the large window that faced the alley on the side of the house. Somehow, I knew that she wanted. The pieces started to fly together in my mind. This girl had not sneaked out of her bedroom she went out the alley front room window. She wanted out the window now. This window had been not been opened in a long time. I struggled to open it. Finally it moved . In my haste I knocked out the screen when I raised the window. I tried to say something to her to explain that she could leave. I wanted to let her know that she was dead. I talked to her nervously, but she didn't acknowledge anything I said. She was close enough to touch. Close up she did seem to have less substance. She leaped out the window and disappeared right in front of me. I wasn't scared anymore. I felt peaceful. I have not seen her since that night. In 2001, at my Mom's house (Dad passed on in 1992)I ran into a new mailman. He was a cousin of the family that lost their daughter. He said that Kim had been certain for several years that her sister was trying to reach her, and would not believe she was gone. Finally after being in and out of institutions she made a dramatic recovery in the early 80's and lives in Oklahoma with her family. In 2002, I moved in with my Mom to help care for her and to cut expenses. Note: As I was writing this my Mom asked me to shut the window in the front room. I am sure that my daughter opened it while she was cooking. As I closed the window, I noticed that there is no screen.



There is a place that none can see, where people wander the earth, where some tirelessly search for lost loves, while others simply wander there, wanting nothing more than peace, peace of mind for the living, peace of the soul, for those who have been taken from us, but cannot pass over. Our dear friend Coloconnect has graced us with her presence here and the honor was shared by all, and we soon part company, Colo and I sit alone waiting for the arrival of her limo, we sit beneath the faint hum of the Neon signs and stare out at the full moon in silence. Each contemplating matters of life and death and all of the mysteries that fall in between, here at the Darkside.

Thursday night on Crows Crossing Road.. The Darkside is bustling with activity tonight there are a few of us in here that are in good spirits.. The pun was intentional.. Lined up at the bar are a few rough looking but respectable gentlemen who don’t mind lending a hand here to keep the peace once in awhile when its necessary.. Tonight its not necessary as with most nights here I sit in my private booth surrounded by the usual suspects.. Our friend Sherry has once again graced us with her presence, as she sits and sips on her drink quietly listening to the room tell its tales.. Over to my left the alluring Miss Moon is doing the scan routine with those big beautiful eyes.. Look over there.. See them? that’s my longtime bud Prank, and that sexy lady sitting next to him is called “Six.” see the deal with those two.. Its simple really they are a handful all by themselves, but together? Well.. as you can see that they light up a room. What a couple they make.. They fit.. Oh that guy over there next to that other pretty lady?? that’s another one of my buds.. He’s got a few blogs on the Stream under the name Zappa Fan.. I just call him Zap.. That beautiful woman with him is his Wife.. See on his blog “The Real Zappa Fan” today he did something really cool with that Evoca voice recording thingy, he recorded his son Zakk singing the Winnie the Pooh song and he posted it.. very cool stuff.




My friends Colo and Daisy came by earlier to reserve their seats at the Round table Saturday Night if we can get another storyteller to submit something and I’m confident that we will.. I’m looking around at so many familiar faces that I can’t seem to put names to them all.. Puppy is here nursing on a Corona with Ice.. Nursey and Hook got a cozy little table over in the corner off by themselves.. Over to my right next to the juke box Lucy, Peachy and Schree and Baby seem to be really enjoying themselves.. Over at the far table that’s my good friend PolarB and her beautiful wife Lovey, they just had dinner in the dinning room in the back and have come out to start to mingle. The Darkside is jumping tonight, teeming with an energy that is hard to ignore.. So many names so little time.. My new Manager Boom Boom is drifting through the crowd making sure everyone has what they need.. Its thirsty Thursday here at the Darkside Tavern, c’mon in and have a drink on us and tell us YOUR story.. Just like life.. We never close here at The Darkside.

Hope everyone stayed safe this week and with the weekend upon us Stop by the Bar and Grilll and have a Cold Drink on us! We'll leave the light on for ya! hope to see you at the Round Table..





And Remember..

Boom Boom brought in the snack trays of mini Pizza’s and Took everyone’s drink order’s and the Guests at the round all gathered and mingled awaiting for our guest of honor to appear. I look around and it is a who’s who of blogger’s and writers of the Stream, Prank and sweet S ix, PolarB my bestus buddy in the world and a host of others, but the platform is not ours, this night we bring into the fold a new tale teller. Yeah we all take our seats as she enters the room and takes her place across from me at the other side of the table.. The room draws a breath and holds it.. Time for the Round to come to life with spirits of the dark..

Whispered Promise.



The Road.



We traveled often to New Jersey, where my mom’s family was located. Mom liked to be able to see her parents about once a month and my dad, who had taken her to Pennsylvania, shortly after they married to live, kept that promise for mom. We left late Friday night and drove home late Sunday night. My brother and I would doze in the backseat, the old Chrysler droned us to sleep. It was late Sunday night and as always dad struggled to get mom to leave and head back on the road, back home to the comfort of our bed. The Pocono Mountains always pulled heavily on the car. The car gave a jerk and I woke to hear the tire on the passenger side, in the back making a thumping noise. Dad stopped and got out, it was raining, a light mist on the windshield and the night was as dark as it gets. My dad got out and fished around in the trunk, the passing cars glared on our windshield and their red tail lights left streaks in the drizzling rain. Dad walked up to mom’s window, he stuck his head in, “Stay here, I am going to have to get this spare fixed.” Despite mom’s protests of finding help on a Sunday night, dad headed out. My brother woke and looked surprised to find us alone with the dark silhouette of dad walking up the side of the road lugging a tire with him. We sat quietly, the trucks passing rocked the car slightly and made the lights blur even more.

A car pulled up from behind us, it’s lights invaded the dark back seat, it caused us to turn and look. A man got out from the driver’s seat, he walked up the passenger side of our car, his head lowered and his jacket hiked up to keep the rain from his head. Mom clicked the locks, her face pinched, strained. He stopped outside her window and said, “Is your husband getting help?” mom nodded, no one questioned how he posed his first sentence. He then said, “I am going to wait in my car til he returns so I know you are alright. Is that okay?” Mom again nodded and he left, walking back to his car, the lights still illuminating our car enough that I could pull out my book and my brother played with a matchbox car. We waited a long while and finally we seen dad walking us, his body outlined by the car behind us. Then, as if on cue, once dad came to the front of our car, the car from behind us pulled out. Dad walked up to mom’s window. Mom waved as the gentleman left and told dad he wished he could have thanked the man. Dad asked her what man. She explained and dad looked at us puzzled. Dad was a sensible man, never one to make up things. He found a truck stop that helped him out, and walked back here. Dad then said that he didn’t see any lights or car when he was coming up the road. He shook his head as mom explained again. He claimed he never saw a car behind us. He said it was pitch black as he walked toward us, he never saw the man, the car nor even the lights that had lit dad up in the night and illuminated him to us. I pressed my face on the cool glass and wished I had looked closer, I knew we had met an angel.



What is it about the dark that brings out the ghosts of the world? Ghost or angel? Real or imagined? Everyone has a theory of course. And thoughts that they will keep for another time, and yet another tale. We all rise from the Round as another night draws to a close.. Inside one night has ended while outside yet another is just beginning.. I see our guests to the door and thank my friend Whispered Promise for sharing her tale, and I stand and watch from the parking lot as the last car pulls away. I look just across the street from the Tavern and there is a grove of trees that seems to stretch out for mile’s to where there is no light, on some nights if you close your eyes you can almost hear the faint whispers that carry on the wind, as the night speaks of the secrets of its ghosts and Angels living in the Darkside.



Scratch...© 2006.

As many of you may have already heard.. the Darkside tavern has lost one of its own to early retirement.. (HA! early..) that is Our former manager of the Tavern has left us to pursue other interest such as openning his very own bed and breakfast.. Good luck Flea.. so there I was, left with a managerial problem.. not really a tough choice in the way of finding a suitable replacement for ol Flea, but seeing as how none of our current employee's wanted the job, I was left with little choice but to resort to drastic measure's. so I called up an old friend and Voila!! she agreed to take the job! so before tonights round table I wanted to introduce everybody to our new Hostess/Manager here at the Darkside Tavern. and here she is folks!! may I present MS. Boom Boom "Sweet Pea" Johnson!!



Awwwww..... Isn't She cute?? and they said I couldn't spot real talent! see you tonight. and remember..