Jeepers Creepers in the Redland

Last night, the Redland was the perfect place to host a Halloween party! Except it wasn't Halloween.

Still, the full moon and wispy fog that spread all over the place would have made any red-blooded teenager eager to start pulling pranks on their unsuspecting younger siblings.

The last property showing I had was in South Miami-Dade. As I finished my kid called and asked me to stop by Corrina's to pick up some pizza. The sun had set and it was dark already. I was in the safety of my vehicle so cutting across desolate roads to avoid having to drive over to the main streets made sense.

As soon as the street lights disappeared I started to second-guess myself. I also started to glance over at the door locks just to make sure I really had looked them. Why is it that logic is the first thing to bail when we find ourselves in a heightened state of anything? I had locked the doors and checking that fact repeatedly wasn't making sense, but I found myself doing it anyway.

I guess the colder-than-usual weather Miami's been experiencing, plus the agricultural area that gets watered frequently were contributing to the fog. I won't take credit for knowing how the fog actually happened. But I will take credit for knowing how it was making me feel. It was scaring the bejeebers out of me.

I drove through residential areas in a zig zag turning here and there and realizing this street didn't cut all the way over to Krome Avenue. I built stair steps with all the turns I made. My stairs finally led me to Krome Avenue, but not before having to traverse through a non-inhabited area of tomato and bean fields. Boy, was I happy to finally see the lights over on Krome beckoning me to their safety.

I picked up the pizza and headed over to Redland Road for the final stretch home. I don't usually take Redland Road because of the stop signs and prefer to battle the traffic lights on Krome. This time I headed a mile west to Redland Road and started the 4 plus miles left of my journey.

I had to drive slower than usual because of the fog. It was very heavy at places. I swear I expected David Naughton to start sprouting hair and jump in front of my car as he howled at the full moon. I glanced nervously all around but no werewolves. Just the occasional light from inside a warm house and fields of growing things. Lots and lots of fields.

I made the final turn onto the dirt road that leads me home. The lights were on, welcoming me back. The kid opened the door and met me at the car in anticipation of her pizza. I mentioned to her and her visiting friend how scary the Redland had appeared on the drive home. She laughed and reminded me of the day a month ago when her "city slicker" friends had come over to visit. They chose to sit on the porch that night. One of them noted that she lived in an awesome place. "It's the perfect place to film a horror movie."

Not exactly the reason I love living in the Redland, but I'll take the dubious distinction. LOL