the perils of the parking lot: 1729

in case you didn't know, i have the most interesting parking lot in my back yard. it's a simple gravel lot--taken over what was once the back yard for this house when it was a single-family dwelling place. there are a couple of sheds back there. some random things are lying around. it seems normal enough. oh but if you only knew.

well i'm going to tell you, so now you'll know.

first, let's establish the setting a little better. most the cars park along the east side of the lot, while there are two spots in the southwest corner. i large red truck used to occupy one of these spots constantly--it has since disappeared and hasn't been seen for many months. in this corner there are also various assortments of stacked cinder block and bricks, a few orange road cones of different style, and an old cast-iron tub tipped over. i have no idea why any of those things are there.

we've done our part to add to the unique aura. there are bikes and bike parts scattered all over the side yard. the one working bike is chained to a bike rack, that is itself chained to a tree. there are tires and frames and other various parts in the yard and on our deck, which is up the stairs on the outside. on this deck is a box full of various clothing and who knows what else--it has been there since we moved in and i don't think any of us has ever really touched it. there is also a rolled up carpet hanging over the railing, sticking out just enough to extend out from under the covering. it's been rained/snowed on many times by now. these things have been our doing, but it only adds to the legend of all that encompasses this mysterious tract of land.

i've lived here nearly two years now, and during the vast majority of that time there has for whatever reason been a white car of some sort that has sat in the lot completely unused and unmoved. two or three of them. completely dead cars. in our lot. why? i don't know either. one day one of the cars was suddenly gone, only to show back up a week later with the side smashed in and the windows broken. it sat there until it vanished over this last summer. there have been a couple of other white cars as well. we have previously planned on setting on of them on fire and rolling it down into aggieville to start a riot. but that plan will have to wait until the next mysterious inoperable white car appears.

our parking lot has also been home to several bunnies. they would always await us as we pulled into the driveway, especially at night. they would watch us as we walked to and from our cars. cute little friends. one night as i was driving in my headlights even revealed little baby bunnies. cute little friends. haven't seen them in awhile though....


now if you've read this far and still aren't impressed, then you've just waited for the best of all. well, besides the time when there was a random pair of pink panties in our lot. it was out there, just on the ground. who knows why? i don't really want to. it got dirty--probably run over a few times. then it was gone. no but the really interesting story is this:

one day i was leaving my apartment. as i headed down the stairs i noticed that one of the guys from the basement was also walking out of the house. now, we don't really know the people in the basement too well. a couple of them are european. one blasts loud thumping base at random hours of the day and night. they keep kind of to themselves, and so do we. i wish it wasn't the case, but it is what it is. i mean, one of them doesn't speak much english. so anyway, i'm walking out and he is a little in front of me. i say hey and he gives me a nod. he is walking over to the southwest corner, where at the moment only my car was parked. i'm walking that way as well, wondering where he is going. he walks past my car and stands there, looking at the ground, kicking a few leaves away. i get in my car and eye contact is made for a brief moment. my eyes said nothing, but inside i was thinking "what the heck are you doing?" as i started my car and prepared to drive off, he walked to the back (south) end of the lot and looked at the ground there as well. hm. and that was that.

well a few days later i parked my car in the same spot, and i noticed something strange on the ground where this guy was looking. there were several sticks in the ground sticking straight up, as if they were marking something. i found it remarkably curious. and i wanted to go out there late one night and dig to see what was buried there, but before i had a chance it was gone and there was just a pile of leaves there.

what was buried there? are my downstairs neighbors secret drug-dealers? that would explain the sudden appearance of the mercedes, the boxes for flat-screen tvs and speakers that were piled up by the trash awhile back. but then, supposedly there is a new roommate and it was just that guys stuff, and his car. uh-huh. sure. or maybe something worse was buried there. maybe something still is! dead cat? something worse? i don't know. it will ever remain in the mystery that is the 1729 parking lot. behold it in all its glory: