Dome to the Dome!

Do you believe in Ghosts? Spirits? Things that go ‘bump’ in the night? I do. Always have. Maybe it comes from many movies I have watched in my lifetime. I mean, my first theatre experience was watching Ghostbusters with my dad. I wanted to see it so bad and he took me to the movies to see it. One of my absolute favorites to this day! Maybe it comes from the fact that I have experienced one (story for another time). Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because I seriously thought my house had one. And not just a ghost, a practical joker of one who just wanted a good laugh and then went on his/her merry way.

When I was in 5th grade, my Pops, who was working in road construction at the time, was called to work in Charlotte, NC. This was about 4 hours away from where we stay, so Pops chose to stay in Charlotte for the weeks, and come home every weekend. Being young at the time, I hated Pops being away. I’m sure mom did too, especially with a young sister around, but mom made it work and we continued business as usual.

With Pops being gone, and me with my wild imagination (and weekly episodes of Unsolved Mysteries)…let me pause here for a minute. Why did I watch that show??? I was 11! They would show you some God-awful crime and say, “The fugitive is still at large” and then ask for help finding them! Or they would show a ghost story and ask what you thought. What did I think? I think I’ll stay my fat 10 year old self on the couch in the comforts of my own home! Messed me up! Robert Stack made me laugh so hard with “Airplane,” but scared the bejesus out of me with “Unsolved Mysteries!” To this day however, I still love this show. Thank you Amazon Prime!

Ok, so back to the story. I know it was a weeknight, because Pops wasn’t home. My sister and I were watching Full House (I was 11!). My sister can verify everything that was to come, as it freaked both of us out, as well as my mom! During this very special episode of Full House, Uncle Joey was telling one of the girls a story of some kind (I’m sure it was an important life lesson that can be solved in a matter of 30 minutes, as is every episode). While telling this story, he makes reference to an episode of Looney Tunes. He starts talking about Wile E. Coyote and the sound he makes when falling off a cliff. He begins to do the slow whistle of Wile E. falling, followed by the boom at the end where the coyote hits the ground. At the same time Uncle Joey says “Boom”, the deer head that has hung on the wall for years, falls off right in front of us! We both jump! Mom runs in asking who knocked it off (Come on mom, you know we can’t reach that!). How does that happen? Gravity? Time? Well it hung for years without falling, and when mom hung it back up, it hasn’t moved since. Coincidence that it falls at the same time Coyote hits the ground…maybe…but strange things are afoot here at Casa de Powell!

My sister and I laughed about this all night, because it was funny this happened during the sound effects of the Coyote. We were a little scared, but the rest of the night was fine and we went to bed. After the next night though, I lived in fear.

The next night, same routine, watch some TV, eat dinner, play some video games, no deer head falls off the wall, you know, normal night. Well, as one must do during the course of an evening, I had to use the bathroom. I grab my latest issue of Nintendo Power and proceed to go handle my business…

I will spare you the details of my bathroom visit fellow reader. You know what goes on in there. However, while you are in the bathroom, have you ever been knocked out?

While catching up on the latest happenings in the world of video games, I heard a jingling sound. I looked up and it sounded like it was coming from the light fixture. Ever heard a bulb about to blow? That’s the noise I am writing about. Being 10, I thought to myself, “Self, if this light goes out and you are still sitting here, how will you finish your paperwork?” For an 11 year old, that’s a rational thought. I heard the jingling noise again, but this time I didn’t look up. Thank God I didn’t…

I remember mom at the door hitting it, seeing if I was okay. I remember I was crying. I remember I was off the toilet (last I had checked, I was on it). My Nintendo Power was in the tub beside the toilet. On the floor, in front of me, was a thick, glass dome that covers the light bulb in the bathroom.

This was old school, fellow readers. About 1/2 inch thick glass dome, held on by 3 screws over a fixture. Only taken off when changing a light bulb. Bulb hadn’t been changed in at least a year. No reason that dome should’ve been loose, especially loose enough to fall. My head was a perfect target. Apparently, the Dome shot loose and made a direct hit to my skull as I sat there doing my business. It hit me hard enough to knock me off the toilet and have me throw my book into the tub. This thick piece of glass didn’t break either. It sat there in front of me and my tears, waiting to be put back up to claim its next victim. My mom kept wanting to come in, and through tears, I kept saying NO! I felt my head and there was no blood, but a nice little knot! I cleaned myself, the bathroom, and my tears. I walked out giving my mom the dome. She couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. But I know it happened! All I could imagine is the same ghost from the night before wanted to go out with a bang…or a knockout! (You honestly have no idea the angles I would position myself into from that day onward when I sat on that toilet in order for that dome to never hit me in the head again!)

Once I was knocked senseless, things returned to normal. Nothing else happened that I deemed to be supernatural. Just a ghost, getting his kicks through gravity. I’d like to think that I gave the spirits something to laugh about that night, as they gave me something to cry over.

My advice to you, fellow reader, is that if you take anything from today’s blog, make sure your decorations for your home are secured tightly, and that your domes are screwed in tightly…because if not, it could just knock the ‘poop’ out of you!

Tune in next Monday for another wonderful adventure…same Bat Time, same Bat Channel!