Heebee Jeebees

It's a been a long while since I got the heebee jeebees. You know that panicky-get-off-of-me sort of feeling? Well, Friday I had a refresher course in what it feels like to be totally wigged out.

Joseph and I went to the old cemetery by the Hattiesburg Library. I don't really know anything about the cemetery, but I knew it has some really old grave markers in it and was anxious to get some pictures for my photo scavenger hunt.

I am neither sentimental or spooked about graves. Of course, I think they deserve care and respect, but I consider graves vacantly occupied. Nothing I am doing up here is going to bother anyone down there. As far as safe places on this earth, I think the cemetery ranks pretty high. After all, there all the bad guys are dead.

We went about the markers, snapping pictures. There were markers from the 1800's.

The cement slab over one grave was broken through. I walked over to look in. The grave was filled with water.

Joseph was behind me and said: "Is that a snake?" There was something inside the grave moving around very slowly. I took a step back. I squinted really hard.

Joseph: "That is a snake. Look!"

Me: "No. It's a glove. " I squinted harder...got closer...peered in.

Joseph: "That is no glove. It's moving."

Me: (Clarity) "It's a Blue Bell ice cream wrapper."

Joseph: "Moving?!"

Then he realized that there was water in the grave and the wrapper was floating. At first glance, it did look like a snake coiling around.

I decided to perch on the grave next door to get a picture of the hole into the grave. Maybe it would prove to be good fodder for a future story.

As I sat clicking away, Joseph said: "You know. The grave you are sitting on is the same age as the one that fell in. You might want to get off of there."

Joseph had struck a primal nerve. In a split second, I had imagined myself splashing down through shattered concrete into a water filled grave. I was up instantly....hopping and wriggling around. Whenever the heebee jeebees hit, they go straight into your spine. Nothing short of a few full-body convulsions will shake them out.

After this incident, Joseph and I both had our own regrets. Mine: I had not gotten more pictures of the hole in the grave. Joseph: He had not gotten any video of me hopping around the graveyard.