Monday, February 13, 2012

Origins Blogfest: Where it all began!

Welcome to the Origins Blogfest!  The Origins Blogfest is the killer idea of DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude, and is co-sponsored by Alex J. Cavanaugh , Katie Mills aka Creepy Query Girl and Matthew MacNish at The QQQE.  Thanks for creating such a cool blogfest, guys!
Like most writers, I have a wicked imagination which began as a child and blossomed as the years passed.  Here’s my Origins post of for me…where it all began.

When I was four, I lived in an old house filled with antiques.  I was the youngest of five and luckily had my own room.  I still remember that room to this day.  Aside from it's old furnishings, it had roses on the vine wallpaper and a gray Oriental rug clad with mystical etchings and a green border.  As the odd kid out, I spent much of my time trying to play with my older siblings, which sadly wanted nothing to do with me.  That left me with significant time on my own.  

With my turn of the century home constantly creaking with strange noises and the period furniture having a presence rivaling the house, it didn't take long for my imagination to fester.   When I wasn't outside, I spent countless hours in my room, staring at that damn rug, especially at night.  When I think about my origins, I'd have to say it started with that thing.  There was nothing too exceptional about this piece, except for one thing.  In one of the four corners, near the border was a monster-like figure.  It was a cross between a stick-like dragon and a gangly beast.  At night, I used to think the creature would come alive and terrorize me.  It’s completely ridiculous, I know, but back then, good lord, I was petrified of it.  Unfortunately, for me that rug followed me around for years in my room (*shivers*) until one day my Mother gave it a new home.  Thank god!  Years later, I had to write a short story for school.  The first thought that came to mind was that monster in the rug.  I wrote about it, of course, using the monster as my muse.  

Maybe one of these days I'll find that story and post it.  What about you?  Did you have any spooky beginnings as a kid?

Want to read the origins of others?  Check out these list of participants!


Mina B.


18 comments:

MISH said...

Very unusual story.
... "The Rug"... has quite a distinctive ring, doesn't it?

S. L. Hennessy said...

That's an awesome origin story! I love creaky old houses.

Matthew MacNish said...

What a fascinating story! It must be cool to be able to trace it all back to one thing.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That would've freaked me out as a kid!
Thanks for participating in the blogfest.

Heather Day Gilbert said...

Unique origin story! Funny, the things that inspire stories within us. Nice to meet you.

DL Hammons said...

I believe that a lot of stories written in childhood are ways for us to expunge troubling thoughts. Such a true ORIGIN!

Thank you for sharing it today! :)

Scarlett said...

Ok, so you sufficiently creeped me out with the origins of your childhood nightmares, The Monster in the Rug.

It is stories, such as yours, that prove a child's imagination is a wonderful thing!

More! More!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Mina,

I distinctly remember the wall paper in my room when I was a very small child -- blooming, loose-petaled roses that took on the images of mouths and monstrous faces in the dark, while I lay in my crib.

Many years later, I complained about this wall paper to my mother, and she was astonished I remembered it. I had been only two years old when my family moved out of the apartment that had wall paper.

Four decades later, I can still summon the images of those horrible roses.

Creepy Query Girl said...

That's great! Sometimes I think a writer's imagination is at once a gift and a curse. I still can't watch scary movies without imagining someone popping up in front of my windshield while driving or staring at me from behind the shower curtain. Over active imagination...:) Thanks for sharing your origins!

D.G. Hudson said...

Yes, I lived in an older home and thought all the closets were haunted. We had creaky stairs and closed off rooms too.

I had a vivid imagination, which occasionally kept me awake at night til I pulled the covers over my head.

Liked your story. Now following.

nutschell said...

Great to meet you on this blogfest.I love how you got started because of your rug monster muse.

your newest follower,
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Tonja said...

I was like that too. Shadows came to life in the dark. Yikes. Maybe that means my little one will be a writer too. :)

Claire Hennessy said...

Oooh scary monster rug! That's different. Isn't amazing how the most seemingly innocent objects can inspire us! Thanks for sharing :)

Melissa Sugar said...

That is a really cool origin story. I am a new follower from the blogfest.

mshatch said...

I admit, when I was a kid I used to make a run for my bed and leap into it - in case there was something underneath waiting to pull me down into...?

And yes, old houses do make noises, especially if there are rats int he walls! Okay. maybe they were mice. But they sounded like rats!

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Amazing (or alarming) how something as simple as a rug ca influence our lives.

I really enjoyed this piece.

Misha Gerrick said...

Hehehe that sounds like one scary carpet. My beginnings were much more run of the mill. ;-)

Jeremy Bates said...

Cool! i like scary house!thanks you for sharing your story.