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07/11/2002 entry: "Spooky things on Archer"

So I had a little driving experience today. Driving experience for me, involves driving on roads I haven't driven on before, lots of worrying if I passed the place up, PASSING the place up at least once, lots of turning around, and some scary.

I drove out to Willowbrook or Willow Springs or somewhere with a lot of trees.

DROVE BY the Willowbrook Ballroom. Drove by a cemetery, but I don't think it was THE cemetery. By THE cemetery, I mean the cemetery you would know I was talking about if you knew the stories.

Okay, here's a shortened version. There's this Polish girl, Mary, who got killed by a hit and run driver on Archer a long time ago trying to get home from a dance at the Willowbrook Ballroom after a fight with her boyfriend. The story goes, that if you're driving on Archer (or anywhere in the area actually,) late at night, you might see a girl standing there in a white dress trying to hitch a ride. If you pick her up, she'll do one of a few different things. All of them involve her disappearing. She'll either make you stop at the cemetery, direct you somewhere else on Archer, and then either jump out of the car and disappear before she gets in or disappears IN the car.

I'm very into ghosts, so I've heard stories about her a million times. They're all a little different, but there's a basic theme to them. And seeing Willowbrook Ballroom for myself was quite unnerving. Like I said I did pass a cemetery, and I think that was enough to get my mind going. But it was neat to see that place for myself, after learning about Archer and Willowbrook in ghost stories for so long.

But the deer just plain scared the shit out of me. I've lived in a fairly unwooded suburb all my life. I've NEVER had any animal bigger than a possum (okay, an opossum so I don't sound like a hick,) cross the road in front of me. Not even a raccoon actually. So when TWO, yes TWO deer ran across Archer tonight, I screamed. I would have hit the first one if it wasn't quicker and if I hadn't slammed on the brakes. The second one thank god paused long enough for me to fly by. Fucking deer!

But, I made it there and home.

OH and I don't know if you've ever been at 95th and Archer if you live where I live, but FUCK is that scary. At night at least. I had to TURN AROUND there. See, for those who don't know, 95th street is a pretty main street everywhere else. Especially by my house. It ends at Archer Road, which is where I was driving tonight. Well, before it ends, it goes through Forest Preserves and goes by lakes and shit. 1 lane each way, dark as fuck, trees all around, twisting winding roads... I made the fastest three point turn I have ever made in my life after turning on 95th. Scary shit.

Otherwise, it was all misunderstandings and misdirection and my own lack of knowing which way I should be going. My dad likes to ask me when he's driving with me which way I'm going. My answer? Straight. I get turned around so easily. I can do basic ones, like North and South if I'm on a major road I know goes straight N and S. But after that, things get fuzzy.

So anyhow. I'm tired of typing, and I need to get some sleep tonight. White Stripes show tomorrow, damn right.

Melisa, if you by chance read this, are you going to be there tomorrow night? Email me back or else call my cell phone (708-212-8734). We gotta hang out a little bit, I haven't heard from you in a while.

Later.