Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Inspiration

 


The inspiration for "The Objects of My Desire" is a now-closed department store I once worked at in one of many small, crumbling industrial cities you can find scattered throughout New England.  The original store was built and opened in the 1880s, and did, in fact once house a hotel on the upper floors.  My mundane job had me rolling my janitor's cart throughout each floor, cleaning, polishing, vacuuming and removing trash as needed, and I hadn't been at it long before I got severely bored and dared to explore the upper, long-disused floors.  The eeriness of these darkened corridors as I tip-toed through massive cobwebs was chilling, and the brass numbers were indeed still attached above most of the doors.  If ever there was a Twilight Zone moment in my life, this job- and this store- would have to be my #1 choice.  I wasn't there long, and was only part-time, but the store that time forgot was like something right out of the fifties.  The room where I found the mannequins piled atop one another- some fully intact, others missing parts and pieces- was real, but rest assured I did not have my way with them. 

15 comments:

  1. Hi, b.a.f.!

    Thanks for revealing that your story was, to a great extent, based on actual personal experiences working in a spooky old department store. I'd be spooked if I pulled the night shift on those forgotten upper floors. Ever notice how a mannequin's eyes follow you everywhere? :) It is indeed the type of scenario that was often explored on The Twilight Zone.

    Enjoy the rest of your week and holiday weekend, my friend!

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    1. Thanks, Shady. Yeah, the place was a relic. Enjoy your weekend, too.

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  2. Definitely sounds like something from The Twilight Zone. Or a Stephen King short story/novella. :)

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  3. Truth always has a way of inspiring the best fiction. But, come on, are you sure you didn't have intimate relations with the mannequins? :-)

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  4. You painted a great picture of the place.

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  5. LOL I didn't think you did but it's funny that you had to say that you didn't. This place does indeed sound like something out of a horror movie. But isn't it kinda thrilling to find a room that no one has been in for a long time? I love that.

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    1. I agree with Mary 100%. :) Now it's time to read the story. How have I missed so many posts? I've fallen behind on every one of my favorite blogs. ~shakes head~ Be well, and thank you for sharing this experience.

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    2. Well, you know how people can be nowadays. With my luck someone would take it seriously and I'd end up whisked away to jail or an asylum. There were so many rooms- most pitch dark- I could've spent hours exploring had I stayed on that job. Definitely one of the creepiest buildings I've ever had the thrill of wandering.

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  6. I am pretty sure I wouldn't last long at that job. I would get freaked out and my imagination would run wild. But I am glad it was a source of inspiration for you and your readers have benefitted from it.

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  7. Thanks, Mr. Shife. I often daydreamed about being locked in that building overnight, but then the thought of the mannequins ganging up on me and pushing me down the elevator shaft shook me out of it.

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  8. The Haunted Store/Hotel Job would be a good backdrop for a Horror Movie. I Love places like that and don't get as Creeped Out as most people would, since my Love of Old Buildings, Haunted or not, makes me want to Rescue and Save them all from ever being Lost.

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    1. I hear you. I took a road trip recently and came upon a boarded up former children's "asylum". I used to live near one as well, and always wish I had the guts to sneak inside.

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