Grumblegrumblegrumble

I miss my dashboard...and I hate Google...why isn't this fixed yet?

For anybody that I haven't talked to in weeks, it's probably because I've been checking blogs based on memory and I honestly cannot recall everything I'm following. I'm really sorry, but every time I try to go to my dashboard it looks like this.

And I can't really ask for help, because you know...Google's proven SO effective at fixing these things for other people. I'm going to try anyways. What else can I do...

Stormecho and Joce. And Elizabeth. You popped back into my memory and I'm going to be catching up on you today. I've been following Beast and trying to understand the poetry...

Who else am I missing...I don't know...help me out here.

And of course I'd have an encounter today just a couple hours after Aiden says Its been stalking around more.

Dad trimmed some tree branches today and had me pick them up, put them in a wheelbarrow and dump them in the woods. In. The woods.

I have never been so close to It. And I never want to be ever again.

I threw some branches into the part we made a compost pile and suddenly It was in front of me. Three feet away from me. It wasn't even that close at The Initiation. I let go of the wheel barrow and heard it topple behind me. I took a step back. It wrapped a tentacle around my wrist and suddenly any defiance I had felt moments before was replaced with sheer terror.

...M was right when he said it burns. Or maybe it's just because I think it's supposed to burn. It hurt.

A shrill voice echoed through my head screaming something largely incoherent to me about Alexander. It sounded like It was angry about losing Its toy. I needed something to help me put on a brave face, so I took that and ran with it.

"Are you pissed about losing your toy?" I said in the most taunting voice I could muster, which sounded ineffective being half mingled with fear. My shaky voice was apparently enough to offend It though. Because It did more of the shrill, incoherent yelling. And that sound...is so piercing...

And then it did something that surprised me. It let me go. And then It held up a mask.

Not a Fox mask. Or Crow mask.

A Rat mask. Torn and covered in blood. I was going to assume that Rat...or...Jared...was just injured. But I saw hair glued to the mask with blood. And some pieces of white and...it's like his head just exploded. I actually felt slightly angry for him. Rat was a bastard, but he didn't deserve his skull getting blown to pieces.

Meanwhile, Ace was running up to the woods from the front yard and stood defensively by my side, growling. It made a move towards him, but Ace snapped his jaws and I flicked at Its torso with a branch that fell out of the wheelbarrow.

And then It was gone. Ace got a huge hug, I threw the rest of the branches on the pile, and we went back inside so I could have a mini panic attack and process what just happened.

In something mildly related to that, I've been talking to Alex since he's been at Aiden's and I've resolved to get him horribly addicted to some of the stuff I listen to too. He mentioned that Todd still sings Panic! songs. A lot. So I've been sending Alex to Lapfox. And now they're annoying each other with their songs. Teehee.

He's also having a hard time understand all of what Todd does, but I think he's been filled in thus far and now he's just trying to practice. I'm not sure how that's working out for him, other than he said he wanted to punt a baby squirrel yesterday.

Seth, Sammi, and Skyler are gathering supplies. Casey and I holding the fort with It around.

Zeke is with Celeste, Vi, Ava, and Wren. It almost sounds like a sitcom to me. I shouldn't laugh, but the combination of people is hilarious. And Zeke had a good moment. Good for him. He deserves it.

I guess M's still dealing with that kid? I don't know?

Where is Ygg?

And Malkin is with Aiden.

And now to see what the rest of you guys have been up to...I hope you're all okay...