Stray Dogs Establishment is a business organization providing creative support and consultation from a collective of creative individuals, fringe in nature, on the outside, who wander from the norm..
"Here's to the Stray Dogs!" I have been working for some time now to develop a consulting brand of creative people to help others who might need a small push or some inspiration. From that work has came the Stray Dogs Establishment, a labor of love, an exciting new opportunity, and a brand worth trying...here is the logo, be looking for more in the future!
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The Laundry Room
By W.C. Wolfe All great people get up and go to work. It is our responsibility…or is it the work gene inherited by modern humans? Khi laid in bed, watching his chest rise and fall, random thoughts and memories running through his head. With a violent exhale of air, he shifted his weight and let his feet fall to the floor. Walking through his new apartment, his eyes wondered around. He fell in love with the place as soon as he took the first tour. The size, the number of rooms, the layout, it was all so modern, so sleek. The price he took it at, well he felt that someone, somewhere, was more than cheated out of a couple hundred per month. Descending the stairs to the main floor, Khi proceeded to the laundry room. He committed to the same actions five days out of seven every week. Every week was the same since moving into his new place on Beverly Drive. Daily he walked to his laundry room, put on his work clothes, which he had laid out the night before, grabbed his thermos of coffee and headed off to his social work job. It was a good job, but boring, sitting in a cubical for eight hours typing report after report daily. Khi stepped into the laundry room and his foot immediately jerked back. The floor was cold, much colder than it had ever been before. Must be something with the heat pump, Khi thought as he looked at his phone and texted his concern to the landlord. Turning, he stood in front of his dryer and started to get ready for the day. He slid his shirt over his head and scanned the room to make sure he did not forget anything. All his clothing was on, the top of the washing machine and dryer was clear. Nothing on the floor and the closet in the laundry room was closed as it always had been. He exited the room, grabbed his thermos of coffee, and headed out the door. Closing the door behind him, the muscles in his face tensed up, he could feel the smile growing as he turned and walked towards his car to start his day. *** Rolling over and letting his feet hit the floor, Khi stretched his hands towards the ceiling, almost overextending and seeing stars in his eye. His fingers moved swiftly over the keypad on his cell phone, making a note to set up a doctor’s appointment, maybe blood pressure could contribute to his light headedness. Descending the stairs once again, Khi came to expect a smile on his face as he walked through the apartment he loved. Eye’s full of joy, in his own little world, Khi entered his laundry room. His foot jerked back again as the cold bit into his flesh. Jumping back and rubbing both feet on the carpet in the adjacent room, Khi thought the floor was even more cold today than the day before. His Adam’s apple shifted as he prepared to brave the day and enter the laundry room. After a few seconds everything normalized and Khi could again revert to routine. Putting on his clothes, he loved the smell of his laundry. Sliding his shirt over his head, a murmur filled the room, out of reflex Khi jerked the shirt down immediately and his eyes darted around the room. Was someone there? Turning to better scan the room Khi heard the murmur again, sounding more like a voice this time. Turning back around, Khi’s eyes immediately focused on the closet. His eyes fixated on the door handle for what seemed like an eternity, the entire laundry room filled with silence and the heaving of Khi’s breath. His feet felt like death as he slowly crossed the frozen tundra that was the laundry room floor, each tile colder than the last. His hand ached as he gripped the closet door handle and turned. Slinging the door open, all he saw was an empty closet. Nothing unusual, no one there, no voices. Standing in silence for several more moments with the door open, his eyes filled with relief when his ears heard nothing. Glancing around the room to make sure he had collected everything he needed, Khi shut the closet door, grabbed his thermos, and headed out to work. *** Khi woke to the sound of his alarm echoing from his phone. His arms felt heavy as he reached for his eyes, rubbing the rough sleep from the night before from his face. Swinging his feet to the floor, like he did every morning, his heart skipped a beat. An unusual air of anxiety set about Khi as he wondered why, for the first time since moving into his new apartment, he was actually woke by his alarm. Every other morning, he was up before the aggravating ring could torment his soul. Did he do something exhausting the night before? Thinking back, he remembered staying up late and watching the new horror film that dropped on his streaming account. Most likely, this was the culprit. Khi descended the stairs, again admiring the beauty of his new love. The wood finishes always seemed to take his breath. Stepping on the laundry room floor, Khi did not jerk his foot back from the cold, instead cold pain shot up his foot and he slipped. Grabbing his back, his body was in shock from hitting the extremely cold tile. Reaching out he rubbed the floor, bringing back frost on his hand. How the hell did frost end up on the laundry room floor? Careful to stand, Khi glanced at his phone and saw he was late for work. He quickly sent another text to his landlord. Khi extended his arm to steady himself on the washing machine and put his phone down. He put on his clothes and slid his shirt on. Again, as the shirt was going over his head, he heard a sound, this time less like a murmur and more like a voice. What was that? Khi was startled by the voice, however, he could not make out what it said. Jerking around to see if anyone had entered his apartment, he moved a little to quickly and slipped again, falling to the floor. Eyes on the ceiling and pain in his back he heard a voice. It was like a small child crying, the voice murmured “help”. Khi jumped back to his feet, eyes again searching the room. Not waiting for another voice, he immediately jerked open the closet door. It was slick like the floor and covered in frost. Inside he saw nothing, listening for a minute he heard nothing. Khi finished checking the room and shut the closet door leaving the laundry room. “Help” he heard again. Looking over his shoulder he saw nothing. He grabbed his thermos and headed for the door, almost running with anxiety. *** Khi’s eyes were fixed on his bedroom ceiling. Nothing weird happened in his house last night. When he arrived home from work his landlord was present and the laundry room was normal. No frost, no voices, not that he shared with the landlord his ghost story. The floor was not even cold to the touch. Needless to say, sleeping wasn’t on the agenda for Khi. The entire night he might have gotten a couple hours of sleep. Realizing his alarm was close to going off, he reached for his cell and entered the unlock code. Still twenty minutes before he had to be out of bed for work, Khi knew he was not going back to sleep, so he rolled and let his feet hit the floor. After the first part of his morning routine, Khi once again descended the stairs into his apartment. This was the first morning he did not care about his surroundings and he was not smiling ear to ear as he walked towards the laundry room. Was it his mind playing tricks in the laundry room or something else? Either way it had totally ruined the vibe he had towards his new place. The saying held true after all, the new does wear off. Khi stepped into the laundry room, this time the floor felt warm to the touch. A pleasant change from the past several mornings. Khi started to get dressed and this time he learned his lesson. He chose a button up shirt, so no covering his face. He gripped the washing machine with his hand as he bent over to tie his shoe, and he heard the murmur again. This time coming directly from the closet. Looking up he could see the closet door was open, just a small bit, no more than a crack. Rushing towards the closet, the floor became hotter with each step, so hot Khi could feel the heat through his shoes. The handle was hot to the touch, the door was sweating. Khi ripped the door open again and this time like all the times before, nothing was in the closet. Khi turned and his eyes scanned the room. Nothing. “Help” Khi heard a child’s voice again. Turning back to the closet Khi could not believe his eyes. He saw before him an empty closet, like all the times before. He knew he heard the voice of a child. Khi slammed the door shut and ran for the door. For the first time in months he left his coffee at home. This was going to be a long day. *** Khi woke to the sound of his alarm once again. Two times in one week is unusual he thought. This was the second night in a row where Khi could not find decent sleep. He was confused, worried, and maybe even terrified over the laundry room situation. Yesterday’s interaction had to be the strangest by far. When Khi got to work he had texted his landlord, who again came to the house, and just like the day before, he found nothing wrong or out of the ordinary with the room. As he said, “no cause for alarm,” Khi could not come to terms with the statement in his mind. Khi unlocked his phone and silenced his alarm. He let out a great sign, as his feet hit the floor. He did not want to go downstairs. He was kicking himself for not bringing his clothes upstairs, part of the reason why he did not was because he was determined not to be dominated by his fear. Especially a fear he could not share with others, because they would think he is out of his mind. Descending the stairs, Khi was not looking forward to entering his laundry room. As he stepped into the room his foot jerked back. The floor was so hot he could barely step on it. He jumped the distance from the door to the washing machine and grabbed his clothes. As soon as he turned, he heard the voice. Again, a small child saying “help.” The voice was barely audible. Khi glared at the closet, sweat started to bead up on his forehead, the entire laundry room felt like a sauna. “Help”, Khi heard the voice again, this time a little louder. “Help” this time the voice was clear and loud, much louder than ever before. Khi could only stare at the closet, frozen in place, standing only in the gym shorts he slept in the night before. Khi took one step towards the closet and heard the voice again, louder. He took another step with another call for help, even louder. One more step, this time the voice almost yelled. The difference, it went from the sound of a child to the sound of a man. As Khi approached the closet, each stepped the room got hotter. By the time he reached the door the room was hotter than a literal hell, and the voice was no longer a voice, but more like a growl. Standing in front of the door Khi was faced with the choice to run out of the apartment and never come back or open the door and try to end the madness. Curiosity always kills the cat. Khi reached for the door, it burned his hand, searing it as he gripped and turned. Pulling the door open Khi had to rip his hand from the handle, his flesh burned to the metal. As the skin from his hand ripped apart, his blood splattered against the wall. Before him, inside the closet, stood an old man, naked, frail, straggly grey hair hanging round his face. His eyes who white and full of cataracts. Khi’s face filled with fear. The man raised his hand, reaching for Khi. Khi’s nostrils flared and he coughed in disgust with the smell. “I called for your help” the man said in a weak voice. “I called and you did not come” the man said, almost in a whisper. In the moment after the old man lunged at Khi, grabbing him by both shoulders and pulling him in the closet. As the door shut behind Khi, the old man’s voice trailed off “now you will stay with me forever.” -END- Here in my first post I thought it only appropriate to share with you the title of my upcoming novel and a glimpse of the first chapter. I hope you enjoy. In later post I will share some short stories and other writings. Again, enjoy and comment if you like what you read! |
W.C. WolfeYou will find some previews for my books, stories, and other ramblings here...check it out from time to time! ArchivesCategories |