Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The DB

Cimg0084_2For the past two years we have gone camping with our good friends, the Byrne's, over Memorial Day weekend. We go to Stone Mountain in Georgia and have three days of fishing, talking, drinking and having a laid back, fantastic time. We always book the same campsite: a little slice of heaven on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water. The site boasts the perfect spot for our tent as well as

a landing for the Byrne's and their, we're-too-good-for-a-tent-travel-trailer (just kidding Jacquelyn and Michael). It is a perfect campsite and we rebook it each May a full year in advance.



As some of you may remember, there was some rain on our Memorial Day parade last year in the form of a dead body we found floating in the waters of our campsite on the last day. In order to protect our children from what happened, we lovingly dubbed her, "The DB." Suffice it to say, the DB cast a black shadow over what was otherwise a great vacation. It took me a month or so but I was finally able to face what happened with some semblance of humor and not have "I see dead people" visions of that woman anytime I found myself in the dark. I was worried I would never be the same again but, alas, I am.



I'm the same chic with the same campsite booked for the same weekend this year and I desperately want to go. We have had lengthy discussions with the Byrnes about the possibility of returning to the site this year. Should we do it? Can we handle it? Will we freak out? Will I see her face as I walk the 100 feet to the bathhouse in the dark? Will I have panic attacks every time I walk out of my tent? Will we sit around the fire at night discussing every detail of the DB incident, obsessing about it? And, my personal favorite, will we find another DB floating in the banks of our campsite on Monday morning and find ourselves trapped in a LOST-like slice of the space/time continuum?



Will the DB cast a dark shadow on our return trip to Stone Mountain?



The site is booked and we want to go. What would you do?



12 comments:

  1. Many many moons ago when your #1 squeeze was a certified B.S.A. privative camper, one of his favorite past-times was scaring the bee-geebers out of the youngest of the new campers with some near-believable ghost stories, it appears D.B. may have given him some long needed new material. Thought # 2, if another floater should pop up, be sure to check the pockets, there's no reason in the world for the meat wagon driver to get to keep all the bounty. (Dark enough for ya?)

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  2. Grandma and Pop PopMarch 19, 2008 at 2:03 PM

    If it were me, I would definitely plan to continue the tradition of the Memorial weekend Stone Mtn camping trip in that same wonderful campsite. That one awful experience was just a terrible fluke and won't happen again. I think that forging ahead and putting all of those bad thoughts from last year's experience out of your mind is a very healthy thing and will help bring you closure to the whole experience.

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  3. I vote we go! If we can get through one creepy night, we'll be fine. I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen? Her ghost could climb into your tent during the night, and although that would truly suck, I think the likelihood is pretty low. We'll just have to brush up on our ghostbusting skills.
    I can just see us now though...sitting by the campfire at 1:00 am..."Did you see that?"..."Did you hear something?"..."What's that rustling sound?".
    A final thought...our kids don't have a clue about what happened...we need to keep this tradition going for them. Also, if we don't camp there, someone else will just be basking in the glory of our awesome campsite. Not to mention that 363 nights will have past with folks camping there and I've heard no reports of DB's or hauntings to date.

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  4. I would go but also be sure to bring along some Ativan. Just in case.

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  5. I have to wonder if you're really the same person as you were before the DB. I'd probably have the same questions as you about returning. You know the possibilities are so minute that the same thing will happen. However, the possibility is high that you will remember it more vividly once you're there. Did you ever find out what happened there?

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  6. I would not go down to the Looking Glass Station with Desmond. (said Charlie)
    Oh wait . . that doesn't help you much though, does it? I think I am going to go watch the LOST episode I DVRd tonight....

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  7. I would not go down to the Looking Glass Station with Desmond. (said Charlie)
    Oh wait . . that doesn't help you much though, does it? I think I am going to go watch the LOST episode I DVRd tonight....

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  8. STONE MOUNTAIN, GA: A DB found on the shores of a campsite in 2007 has returned this year to speak with author Julianne Hale. Camping in Hale's traditional spot was a bunch of baby boomers who decided to book the location for the next 30 years, if they live that long. The boomers said they did not see DB, since she showed up to speak with Hale only. Hale could not be reached for comment.

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  9. Hey J- what did they ever do about that? Did they find out what happened? I wouldn't let any DB keep me from having fun. Plus, it might be a way to let her go too- do a little "letting go" ceremony. Just a thought.
    Have fun!!

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  10. Hey, Katb gave me a great idea!! I'll bring my Ouija board and we can try to summon her!! Doesn't that sound like fun?

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  11. Please no Jacquelyn.
    The ouija board is NOT my friend, never has been.

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