Enough time and emotional healing has happened that I feel I can talk about this now...
....but some years ago I visited a Toy and Collectibles store in Massapequa, NY called The Land Of Oos and Oz... a wonderful place to discover - filled with rows and rows of old vintage toys and memories! I was looking around, heading towards the back of the store, when I noticed an area that was roped off with Police tape and a sign which warned "Enter At Your Own Risk" and I let out an audible chuckle.
The owners must have a Halloween section, I assumed (although it was in the middle of the Summer) and this must be a whimsical, playful warning - so I didn't give it much thought and stepped around the bend - which led to an aisle mostly filled with vintage old dolls and puppets. I noticed there was no way to simply walk through this aisle as it led to a back wall - so if you wanted to leave you'd have to double back and exit out where you came in.
The rest of the store was well-lit and bright - but this section was fairly dim and had an overhead fluorescent light which flickered and sputtered. I began to feel somewhat at unease without knowing exactly why. Then I thought I heard the sound of crinkling cellophane - my eyes darted to the right and the sound stopped - and then I focused in on THIS....
Three puppets from the old Mr Roger's Neighborhood children's show - I didn't even know these existed. I found myself whispering to myself "Oh... King Friday... The Owl... and Lady Elaine Fffff..." I couldn't even say the whole name and I suddenly got a rush of adrenaline. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. The fluorescent light flickered. Every bone in my body instinctively told me to run - but I couldn't...
...I just stared...
...and then it MOVED!!...
...and then it MOVED AGAIN!!
SHE WAS TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE BOX!!!!!!
Shifting left and right - that was the crinkling sound I heard!! Good Lord - - am I hallucinating??? Everything after that was a blur... all I know is that somehow, by the grace of God - I got out of there in one piece. When I got home there was a piece of Police tape in my teeth.
I never spoke of this again.... until now.
Figment of my imagination? A trick of the light? Maybe an earthquake? I'll never know... somethings are better left unanswered...
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