Decades ago when reading one of John D. MacDonald's books I ran across this line, and for some reason it stuck with me. "She had all the organizational skills of a kitten with dysentery."

During Co Vid lockdown... 9 pm ...doorbell rings. I'm not expecting anyone ... I approach the front door and ...I turn on the outside light and look through the spy hole in the door ... nothing in view. I put the chain on the door and slowly open the door. There is a paper bag on the ground and no one in sight. I grabbed the bag and scurried back inside. Two burgers and two bags of fries in bag.
I'm Vegan.

I grew up overseas in Turkey and Japan. In Turkey, we lived in a small fishing village called Sinop. It was on a harbor of the Black Sea. This takes place on New Years Eve 1991. We were expecting a blizzard to come in on New Years Day. Therefore, the ships had come in and anchored to ride out the storm the day/night before.

My parents had gone up to the base (Army/Navy base) to celebrate the new year coming in. I was only 15, so I stayed home with the dog and cats. Keep in mind, the storm hadn't started yet.

I was sitting in the living room that faced the harbor, waiting to ring in the new year with my cat. I was watching a movie and eating my snacks as the time ticked down. All was quiet, except for the occasional snow flurries that were drifting.

A few minutes before midnight, the animals started acting weird. The dog just kept barking at this one corner and the cats were all stalking around with poof tails. I didn't see anything to freak them out, so I just ignored them.

Until midnight hit.

As soon as it ticked 12:00AM, all the ships in the harbor started blowing their horns to ring in the new year. As soon as that started, the horrendous wind came out of NOWHERE! It actually blew all the windows and balcony door open! Swept through the entire! The cats freaked, the dog lost its s**t and I was officially freaked out!

Soon as it turned 12:01, it stopped. Everything just went completely quiet. Not a sound and the animals just went on about their business.

Needless to say, I immediately called my parents and made them come home!

When I was in my early teens I was left home alone for the first time. I had a big family and had literally never been alone. I had always shared a bedroom with at least one sibling and usually two or more. My entire family had gone across country for a week and I was left behind because I had summer school due to missing half the school year. I think it was on the first night that while checking that all doors and windows were locked and lights out that I head an unfamiliar voice say my name from a room that I had already checked. I was so scared that I slept in the family room with the lights on and the biggest knife I could find under my pillow. I still don't know if I actually heard it or if it was my paranoid imagination.

My brother's first grand-mal seizure. I was up all the previous night, because sleep has issues with me, and I was dealing with a cold-caller, when my brother gave out a loud, half-strangled moan, (known as a tonic moan or ictal cry). He then started seizing and fell off the couch and smashed his head on the floor. I was so confused as he had exhibited no signs of epilepsy before, although I admit that I was ignorant of such signs at the time. I didn't know what to do, so I called my mum (she worked as a receptionist at a medical practice) so she recognised a seizure was occuring and knew what to do, but it was clear that she was freaked out, too.
She called for an amulance and he was taken to hospital. I visited him there and he did have another seizure. It was so scary, I didn't know what the hell was going on or what to expect. Couldn't sleep for two nights straight. Took him a while to be diagnosed with tonic-chronic epilepsy. He is doing well and managing his meds well enough, though he will always have the occasional seizure. Another scary part is his post-ictal psychosis, but I'm getting used to it. The first time was scary enough though. Never heard him scream like that. Could have been surrounded by all the demons of Hell, the way he was screaming and thrashing.