{"id":70,"date":"2014-11-04T14:11:52","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T21:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/?p=70"},"modified":"2014-11-12T10:29:23","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T17:29:23","slug":"a-quiet-house-on-miller-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/archives\/70","title":{"rendered":"A Quiet House on Miller Street"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/del>I was browsing on one of those online websites for realty properties when I saw the perfect home.\u00a0 You know the site I was on… they have the pictures of the houses with the smiling real estate agents in their carefully posed photographs, with either the straight tie or the gentle curve of pearls at their neck.\u00a0 And no matter the sex of the agent, you can’t forget the coiffed hair.\u00a0 Every single one of them has perfect hair. I am sure there are bald real estate agents, but if they are successful or not is probably another story.<\/p>\n

I am getting off-track.\u00a0 Kind of.\u00a0 I will come back to that.<\/p>\n

The website shows homes, and I knew immediately when I saw mine.\u00a0 It wasn’t anything fancy really. It was modest, only a hundred square feet larger than our current home, but the inside was beautiful.\u00a0 A great kitchen, spacious bedrooms, and the right layout for a multilevel home in the burbs.\u00a0 My wife and my kids were excited when I showed it to them.\u00a0 They ooh’d and aah’d at the right places, they asked when we could go look at it.\u00a0 So I looked up the number for the smiling agent on the site, and gave her a call.<\/p>\n

I did not notice in the picture that her eyes were almost violet.\u00a0 Perhaps I did.\u00a0 I probably waved it off to a clumsy photoshop effort or some silly lenses.\u00a0 I completely missed the ears.\u00a0 You really have to look hard at that picture to see them.\u00a0 I can’t explain it really… its like seeing a cloud behind another cloud.\u00a0 Indistinct in a way, but you know something is there.\u00a0 You can get the presence of it… the sense that depth exists beyond what you are seeing.\u00a0 Your mind fills in the gaps. It copes. It adjusts.<\/p>\n

We are nothing but animals really.\u00a0 Maybe that is why it happened.\u00a0 Maybe that is why I didn’t look closely at that coiffed hair.\u00a0 The pictures all blend together anyway.\u00a0 You aren’t looking for an agent, you are looking for house.\u00a0 More importantly, you are looking for something that can be a home.\u00a0 Not a place, but your place.\u00a0 A pivot point for your family’s life.<\/p>\n

It has to be special and I knew this one was it.\u00a0\u00a0 I just didn’t know why.\u00a0 On the surface it was very nice, as I already pointed out, but it had an intrinsic quality that I just loved.\u00a0 The way the walk went up through the front yard. Not straight, but meandering to the left and then back to the right, with small garden boxes on either side, and a tall tree standing guard at its starting point near the street.\u00a0 A great green guardian, standing proudly in front of the home it shaded from the afternoon sun.\u00a0 A good healthy tree, giving shade to the house, but light to the boxes.<\/p>\n

I could grow a garden, I thought. A place for tomatoes, cucumbers, perhaps even some salsa ingredients.\u00a0 A salsa garden!\u00a0 That is what I wanted. Jalapenos, onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro… I would have enough room with this place.\u00a0 Just had to call the agent.<\/p>\n

So I did.<\/p>\n

Her name was Aurora.\u00a0 Like the Northern Lights.\u00a0 She was available immediately and when could my family stop by, she asked.\u00a0 I told her Thursday, at 4 o’clock, and it was a date. And that was it.\u00a0 Nothing weird or out of place.\u00a0 I came back to the website every day, and looked at the photos like a regretful husband perusing a dating site, noting the shingles on the roof (looked new), the paint on the siding (looked fresh), the brick work (solid), and the lovely landscaping around the eaves and the window wells (b-e-a-uti-ful).\u00a0 I think I was ready to buy before I had even seen it.<\/p>\n

The day arrived.\u00a0 Like any other when you are counting the seconds tick by, so like molasses running uphill.\u00a0 I trudged my way through work, did my meetings, gave my bullshit project updates and referenced the current position of the clock every 12.5 seconds in eager anticipation.\u00a0 Four o’clock could not come any slower… time had been absorbed by my evil wall clock, so like any good employee, I said screw it and I headed out early.\u00a0 I drove home, picked up the wife and kids, and headed over to the house a full half hour early.<\/p>\n

We drove into a secluded cul-de-sac off a secondary road within a pleasant little neighborhood.\u00a0 The drive wasn’t far from the main roads in town, and the potential future neighbor’s houses looked well kept and tidy.\u00a0 Actually, it looked like an geriatric neighborhood, where lots of older folks might live.\u00a0 You know the sort of people, they care for their yard, and their trees, and look down their nose at anyone that wasn’t caring for their fair share.\u00a0 I told my wife that there was probably a typical blue haired old lady who comprised the entire neighborhood watch sitting in her cardigan with one of her 10 cats on her lap peeking nervously out of her curtains, just waiting for the opportunity to call 911.\u00a0 I circled the cul-de-sac slowly at least twice before parking.\u00a0 That way it looked we were casing the joint, I laughed. My wife was not amused.<\/p>\n

Which, honestly, is exactly what we were doing.\u00a0 Except it was legal.\u00a0 Its called “shopping around.”\u00a0\u00a0 So sue me. I let the kids out, and they took off like rockets in search of the oddities and new discoveries all around the front yard.\u00a0 I told them to stay out of the garden, but they didn’t listen to me of course. They zoomed through the boxes, weaving under the trees, screaming and laughing.\u00a0 The aforementioned make believe cat lady was probably having kittens seeing a family of six descend on her peaceful street. And I didn’t even bring the dogs.<\/p>\n

I walked up to the house, but the curtains were drawn. I tried to peek in around where I could, but I didn’t see anything that I had not already seen on the website.\u00a0 Still, it was lovely.\u00a0 I think I was smitten.\u00a0 My wife slapped my shoulder and told me to snap out of it. I pointed out all the things i loved, and she nodded and smiled at the right parts.\u00a0 She just told me to settle down, then yelled at the rugrats to keep it down.<\/p>\n

I heard the tinny mosquito buzz of a scooter far off, the undertones of an older Italian model, deeper and throaty as it came closer.\u00a0 Around the corner, the bright red scooter came into view and popped up onto the curb without any hesitation.\u00a0\u00a0 The driver popped her helmet off, and wouldn’t you know it, the coiffed hair didn’t even look out of place.\u00a0 I was surprised.<\/p>\n

“Ah, Mr. Davidson?” She took off her riding gloves and tossed them gently into her upturned helmet balancing precariously on the seat.<\/p>\n

“It is.\u00a0 This is my wife, Shelly, and my horrible children are running around.\u00a0 If you hadn’t noticed the moment you turned into the neighborhood.” I said.<\/p>\n

“No such thing as a horrible child,” she said with a small smile. “Just misplaced enthusiasm.\u00a0 Mrs. Davidson, nice to meet you.\u00a0 My name is Aurora.\u00a0 What do you think of the curb appeal?”<\/p>\n

My wife smiled. “I think it has great appeal.\u00a0 The garden is very nice and brings a lot of color to the yard.\u00a0 I am excited to see inside.”<\/p>\n

“What is important to you?” Aurora asked.<\/p>\n

“A good kitchen, with plenty of storage.\u00a0 We are always needing more storage.”\u00a0 She nodded at the kids, still running about.<\/p>\n

Aurora laughed.\u00a0 A bright tinkling laughter, full of silver coins bouncing down like gentle rain.\u00a0 My youngest daughter stopped midstride a few feet away and came over to the agent.\u00a0 She is a precocious four year old, with a bright smile and a silly nature.\u00a0 Kind of shy around strangers most of the time.\u00a0 But she ran up to the agent with awe in her eyes and hugged her leg.<\/p>\n

“You’re pretty!” She laughed.<\/p>\n

Aurora smiled.\u00a0 “So are you, little one.\u00a0 Do you and your siblings want to see the house?”<\/p>\n

She nodded her head vigorously. She turned her head and looked at her siblings, and then in an earth stopping breath, yelled. “GET OVA HERE!”<\/p>\n

All the other kids amazingly enough filed over and stood in a cluster around Aurora.\u00a0 They were little planets in orbit around the star of our real estate agent.<\/p>\n

“Now, children. Your sister wants to see the house, and I want to show to all of you.\u00a0 But I need you all to be good little children.\u00a0 That means no running, no screaming, and no touching anything or anyone you may see.\u00a0 Do you all understand?” She said.<\/p>\n

My wife and I smiled at each other as we saw awe-inspiring head nodding from my horde.\u00a0\u00a0 I don’t think we heard what she actually said.<\/p>\n

“Very good!”\u00a0 She turned on her heel and lead the way to the front door.\u00a0 I noticed there was not a key or lock involved, but a very fancy looking door handle in the middle of the door.\u00a0 It was the neatest looking door I had ever seen.\u00a0 She knocked three times, turned the handle and stepped into the cool dark of the empty house.\u00a0 We all filed in behind her.<\/p>\n

She looked around and smiled.\u00a0 “Welcome home.”<\/p>\n

I took it all in.\u00a0 The house wasn’t huge by any standard.\u00a0 This was not a micro mansion or even a large well appointed home.\u00a0 This was a home made for living, and enjoyment, and rest.\u00a0 It was a well designed home, making the most of the space it had.\u00a0 The rooms were spacious, and lit well from the shaded windows.\u00a0 Even in the filtered light, I could tell this was something special.\u00a0 The main room was huge… all hard wood floors and open right into the glamorous kitchen.\u00a0 My wife did not even take in the front area, she made a beeline for the kitchen and started to lovingly caress the counter-tops and cabinetry.<\/p>\n

“This house was built about twenty five years ago, and it was owned by only person in that time.\u00a0 The seller unfortunately passed on recently, and his family lives out in California.\u00a0 They decided to put it on the market without ever visiting it unfortunately.\u00a0 Their loss, really.\u00a0 This home is wonderful.\u00a0 I personally love it, and I don’t even live here.” Aurora said.<\/p>\n

“It is very nice.” I admitted.\u00a0 The floors were a glowing hard wood, reflecting the windows, and kitchen with a mulled sense of age and duty.\u00a0 The room smelled faintly of cinnamon and nutmeg, fall flavors permeating the wood.\u00a0 The walls were painted a gentle white-ish color, reminded me of autumn snow and brisk frosted mornings.<\/p>\n

“This is the main room, down those stairs is the family room and basement, and up those stairs are all the bedrooms.\u00a0 The original owner had no children of his own, but he was quite the hobbyist.\u00a0 He used the master as his own, and the other three bedrooms for an office, workspace, and storage room respectively.”<\/p>\n

“I thought it had five bedrooms?”\u00a0 My wife said, still admiring the cabinets in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

“It does.\u00a0 The last one is in the basement, a very neat bedroom indeed.\u00a0 Let’s save that for last.\u00a0 Should we head upstairs?”<\/p>\n

We toured the house, and every room was reminiscent of the main great room, but in a different way.\u00a0 The master bedroom was beautiful, with curled driftwood used as a railing on the short elevated on-suite bathroom, hardwood floors and amazing tile work in the bathroom.\u00a0 The closet was spacious, with clever cabinets and storage units that folded into the walls. My wife’s eyes went wide.<\/p>\n

“This may be the bedroom of my dreams.\u00a0 I thought the kitchen was nice… but this bedroom.\u00a0 My god.”\u00a0 My wife said.<\/p>\n

“The house seems like a perfect fit, doesn’t it?\u00a0 That would probably be your bedroom little one.”\u00a0 Aurora said to my youngest, pointing at the next door down.<\/p>\n

She ran off and I heard a squeal of delight from the next room.\u00a0 I quickly headed her way, and found the perfect little girl’s room.\u00a0 The walls were a soft muted pink, with a special closet that had a small door that lead to another tiny little room.<\/p>\n

“A crawlspace above the garage.” Aurora commented with a wink. “But the perfect hideaway for a little girl and her secret dreams.”<\/p>\n

The next bedroom was a perfect fit for my son, the ceiling was lifted to follow the line of the roof, and a small loft had been added. Again, Aurora winked at my wife and I. “Every boy needs a fort of his own.”<\/p>\n

I will let you guess what happened with the next bedroom and the next child.\u00a0 A perfect fit.\u00a0 I was sensing a theme.\u00a0 Like this house was made for us.\u00a0 Isn’t that bizarre?\u00a0 But it was.\u00a0 Wasn’t it?\u00a0 We were meant to be here, looking at it.\u00a0 I could feel the sense of need from the house.\u00a0 It was not meant to be empty, any more than we were meant not to live in it.\u00a0 A strange yearning from the walls, and the floors, and the edges of everything.\u00a0 I could almost taste it.<\/p>\n

The basement though. It blew the rest away.\u00a0 First, it contained the perfect teenager girl’s room.\u00a0 It had a built in vanity and furniture around the walls.\u00a0 Each area of the room was designed to be the perfect storage for clothes, shoes, and jewelry.\u00a0 The office, or should I say, the man cave, made me drool.\u00a0 Power… water… bar… built in mini-fridge with custom cabinets and a keg fridge hidden away beside the sink.\u00a0 This house was only 2000 square feet, but it felt double.\u00a0 I could fit a mind-blowingly awesome movie, game, and computer room down here.\u00a0 Just give it to me.<\/p>\n

“I shall name it… Tardis.”\u00a0 I breathed. “Its bigger on the inside.”<\/p>\n

“I am so very glad you like it. The garage and the back yard is all that is left.\u00a0 Shall we?”\u00a0 Aurora smiled.<\/p>\n

The garage was a garage, again, plenty of storage. The floor was sealed concrete, everything was finished.\u00a0 It was like a race car garage, with lots of lights and plastic lined walls.\u00a0 Very nice.\u00a0 I could use this easily I thought.\u00a0 We headed back into the house, through a well designed mud room and into the backyard.<\/p>\n

The backyard made the front look quaint.<\/p>\n

It had a hedge against the rear of the yard, backing up to a number of large trees in the open space behind.<\/p>\n

Wait a minute.<\/p>\n

“Aurora?\u00a0 Is there a park behind the house?\u00a0 I thought the street went behind the cul-de-sac?” I asked.<\/p>\n

“No park… just a small empty space between the houses.\u00a0 A very small place that a couple trees call their home.\u00a0 Probably a few rabbits and field mice are back there too.\u00a0 Definitely some robins.\u00a0 I saw some nests on my last visit.\u00a0 There is a gap in the hedges over in the corner, if you want to take a look.”<\/p>\n

“Oh no need.\u00a0 Just curious.\u00a0 The landscaping is amazing.”<\/p>\n

“It is lovely isn’t it?\u00a0 The shed is over to the right behind the garage… it is empty right now of course, but plenty of room for garden tools and the like.”<\/p>\n

My wife grabbed my hand and without looking at me and said, “We’ll take it.”<\/p>\n

That is how we ended up in our house (under our budget too)… after Aurora gave us the keys, we were in bliss.\u00a0 We moved in a week after closing, and we made it our own.\u00a0 It was summer, so the kids hadn’t started school yet, so we set to making the house ours.\u00a0 My youngest told me about the fairies that very week.<\/p>\n

“Daddy, I saw a bug.”\u00a0 She said.<\/p>\n

“Oh yeah?” I replied absent-mindedly. I was putting together a spice rack, and she was a yapper.\u00a0 I only have half-paid attention to our conversations as they happened.\u00a0 In all fairness, I did that with all my kids.<\/p>\n

“Yeah, it had two legs, and big wings, and it smiled and waved at me.” She said exaggeratedly. Her hands were her punctuation, waving up and down with her statement.<\/p>\n

I stopped screwing the spice rack together and looked at her carefully.\u00a0 She was calm, and it appeared she had not hit her head, so I played along. “Oh yeah?\u00a0 Was the bug pretty?”<\/p>\n

“Yes, Daddy. Very pretty.\u00a0 She is the prettiest bug I ever saw.\u00a0 She has purple eyes.”<\/p>\n

“Purple eyes, huh? That sounds…” I thought about it. Purple eyes.\u00a0 Where did I see purple eyes? “… that sounds neat. It doesn’t sound like a bug though.\u00a0 It sounds like fairy.”<\/p>\n

“Yes, Daddy, yes.\u00a0 She is a fairy.\u00a0 Like Tinkerbell, but way prettier.”\u00a0 She said very seriously.<\/p>\n

“And only you can see her?” I asked.<\/p>\n

“No, Daddy. Everyone can see her. You are silly, Daddy.” She admonished.<\/p>\n

“I am, aren’t I.\u00a0 Go play.”\u00a0 I smiled.<\/p>\n

Then my son pointed out something about the backyard at dinner that night… but I still didn’t think much of it.\u00a0 In retrospect, the signs were all there.\u00a0 Adults just don’t see it easy.<\/p>\n

“The space behind our yard is huge.” He said.<\/p>\n

“Oh yeah?\u00a0 How huge?”\u00a0 I replied.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know, but I walked and walked and walked.\u00a0 I never found the street.”<\/p>\n

“That’s weird.” I said, heaving a mouthful of green beans in.<\/p>\n

“I found a cool tree though.\u00a0 It was covered in moss, and had those hanging branches.\u00a0 What are those called again?”<\/p>\n

“A willow?”<\/p>\n

“Yeah, a willow.\u00a0 I found this huge willow, and it had these huge leaves.\u00a0 But the little beavers I saw where the coolest.”<\/p>\n

“Little beavers?” I said around my bite, chewing slowly.<\/p>\n

“They were small, like cats, but had wide tails.\u00a0 I thought they were beavers.\u00a0 They must be someone’s pets though.”<\/p>\n

“Why is that?”<\/p>\n

“They had little vests on.\u00a0 They looked like vests.\u00a0 Why would a beaver be wearing a vest?”<\/p>\n

“No idea, buddy.\u00a0 That sounds pretty weird.”<\/p>\n

“They loved those leaves from the willow though.\u00a0 They kept picking the fallen ones up and carrying them off somewhere.\u00a0 Must taste good?”<\/p>\n

“Maybe… that is something. You kids have some good imaginations.” I said. Then the conversation moved on to some other trivial thing…<\/p>\n

Then I met my first brownie. Not the edible kind.\u00a0 I met that edible kind when I was kid and have loved every one since.\u00a0\u00a0 No such thing as a brownie I didn’t like.\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 This brownie is named Vert. Like Bert with a V.\u00a0 He is roughly 23 years old, likes beer, and can curse lividly in about 14 languages.\u00a0\u00a0 He has a foul mouth, but a heart of gold.<\/p>\n

Literally.\u00a0 He showed me.\u00a0 It was gold.<\/p>\n

It was a week later, and I was doing some work on my new inherited garden in the backyard.\u00a0 The boxes were sizable, each about the size of a twin bed, and each had overrun a little with weeds in the absence of a owner that was, you know, alive.\u00a0 I was pulling weeds, and mixing in compost, when I a little thing caught my eye near the shed.\u00a0 I thought it was stick bug sitting on the ledge of the little shed window near the door, resting calmly in the shade, but when I looked closer, I saw a little arm lift a little mug in my direction.<\/p>\n

At first, I thought I had passed out in the heat and was delirious.\u00a0 So I put down my rake and pinched my arm.\u00a0 It still hurt.\u00a0 So I took off my gloves and rubbed my eyes carefully with the clean bit of my shirt. It didn’t help.\u00a0 In fact, the little guy just sat there staring at me incredulously.<\/p>\n

“Oi.\u00a0 Alright?”\u00a0 It squeaked at me.<\/p>\n

“I am seeing things.” I replied.<\/p>\n

“Yeah, that is what you are supposed to use your eyes for.\u00a0 What else would do with eyeballs?\u00a0 Juggle them?”<\/p>\n

“You sound British.”<\/p>\n

“And you sound like an imbecile.”<\/p>\n

“Hey, no need for calling names.” I protested.<\/p>\n

“You started it.” It laughed back. “I am about as British as you are.”<\/p>\n

“And you are?”<\/p>\n

“I am.”<\/p>\n

“You are a what?” I asked. I walked over very cautiously, squinting in the sun, trying to figure it out.\u00a0 It had to be a trick of some sort.<\/p>\n

“I am a Vert.” It said without hesitation.<\/p>\n

“A Vert? What is a vert?”<\/p>\n

“I am.\u00a0 My goodness you *are* an imbecile. I thought brains were supposed to be bigger in the large folk.”<\/p>\n

“So lots of Verts running around my garden?” I asked.<\/p>\n

“Just the one today.\u00a0 I am not a vert, I am Vert.\u00a0 That is my name.\u00a0 I am a brownie.\u00a0 A gnome.\u00a0 Whatever fits your fancy.”<\/p>\n

“And why are you sitting on my shed?”<\/p>\n

“Oh, this and that.\u00a0 Watching you struggle with the brutish tools you have is actually quite entertaining.\u00a0 Its like watching a troll trying to have sex with a tree.\u00a0 Seriously.\u00a0 You need a mirror.\u00a0 And I need more beer.”<\/p>\n

“That does sound good…” I admitted.<\/p>\n

“Well off you go then.\u00a0 Bring me some.”\u00a0 He waved his hand at me while he drained his little thimble of a mug.<\/p>\n

I walked back inside puzzled at the interaction, trying to rationalize it through.<\/p>\n

“Done already? I am impressed.” My wife called from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

“No, just getting a drink.”<\/p>\n

“Don’t dilly dally, dinner will be ready at six.”<\/p>\n

I grumbled some sort of response and reached the beer fridge.\u00a0 What does a gnome drink?\u00a0 Lager? Ale? Stout?\u00a0 I grabbed a lager (its what I wanted, screw the gnome), and headed back outside, waiting to crack it once the door was shut.\u00a0 I had kind of hoped that the gnome would be gone, and a stick would be leaning on the windowsill, my imagination just running on overdrive, rampant assailing my common sense.<\/p>\n

No such luck.<\/p>\n

The little guy was still leaning against the window, smiling at me with a crooked grin.\u00a0 I walked over with beer and poured it slowly into his tiny mug.<\/p>\n

“Alright, alright, alright.”\u00a0 He said.<\/p>\n

“I hope you are ok with lager.”\u00a0 I said.<\/p>\n

“In my opinion my friend, no such thing as a bad beer.\u00a0 Everything is drinkable in fitting proportions.”<\/p>\n

“And that is?”<\/p>\n

“Doesn’t matter how bad it is, if there is enough of it, it is worth drinking!”\u00a0 His laughter was pealing lilt, which he quickly drenched with a swallow from his mug.\u00a0\u00a0 I took a swallow too.<\/p>\n

“My name is John.”\u00a0 I said as I leaned against the shed.<\/p>\n

“Nice to meet you, John.”<\/p>\n

“Nice to meet you, Vert.” I replied.<\/p>\n

“Now that we are on a first name basis, I hope to drink more of your beer.” He admitted.<\/p>\n

“Now that we are on a first name basis, I hope to share more of my beer.” I laughed.<\/p>\n

We drank in silence for a few minutes.\u00a0 I had a million questions, but had no idea what kind of protocol existed for questioning a gnome about what the… hell… is… going… on.<\/p>\n

“Oh come on, mate.\u00a0 I know you are dying to ask me something.” He teased.<\/p>\n

“So… been a gnome long?”\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n

“All of the questions in existence and that is what you come up with?\u00a0 Been a gnome long?\u00a0 Well, nope, about two minutes ago I was a dog.\u00a0 Of *course* I have been a gnome long.\u00a0 All my life. Born and raised on the other side of that wall.”<\/p>\n

“In the space between the houses?”\u00a0 I looked over at the small empty area, my hedge pushed right up against it.<\/p>\n

“Not so much a space between, but a space convergent really.\u00a0 Its a bit of land where things cross over you see.\u00a0 There used to be millions of such places in the world, but times have changed, the fae has waned, and there are only a hundred or so left.\u00a0 You happen to be living on one.”<\/p>\n

“Oh, well, that… is good.”\u00a0 I stammered.<\/p>\n

“Truth is, I am a bit of a welcoming committee myself.\u00a0 Just letting you know that things will be coming and going time to time.\u00a0 Nothing harmful mind you, we keep those sorts of things away from the spaces, but a bit of traffic, if you please.”<\/p>\n

“Um. Ok?”<\/p>\n

“Great!\u00a0 I will be back in a day or two, just to check in on you.\u00a0 Let me know if you have any questions, eh?\u00a0 Of course if you have any questions, just ask the house, she will let you know too.”<\/p>\n

“The house?”<\/p>\n

“Yeah the house!\u00a0 Goodness me.\u00a0 You sure have your moments.\u00a0 Oh, one last thing… if a jibber shows up at your door, don’t let him in.\u00a0 He owes me money still.\u00a0 Oh, and don’t talk to the Grevious, he is downright evil.”<\/p>\n

“What’s a jibber?”\u00a0 My confusion was running all over the place, a dog chasing a squirrel in circles.<\/p>\n

“Eh, shortish balding guy, likes card games.\u00a0 Notoriously hard to get rid of.\u00a0 Welcome to the neighborhood!”\u00a0 He spun in place, and the sill was empty.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the neighborhood?\u00a0 Then it hit me.\u00a0 Violet eyes.\u00a0 Aurora the realty agent.\u00a0 Heh, more like a reality agent I think.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the Fae neighborhood, I guess. At least the house was awesome.\u00a0 I could deal with a little strangeness time to time.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

Wait a second…\u00a0 The Grevious?\u00a0 What the hell was that about?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was browsing on one of those online websites for realty properties when I saw the perfect home.\u00a0 You know the site I was on… they have the pictures of the houses with the smiling …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"webmentions_disabled_pings":false,"webmentions_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-short-story","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74,"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions\/74"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discardme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}