Six Sentence Story: Was It There?

He shut the attic door quietly behind him so as not to wake anyone else and shook his head as if to try to clear it, wondering if he had really seen that apparition that seemed to disappear into a puff of smoke or if it was just his imagination.

Heading for the kitchen to make some coffee, he thought again about how his grandparents had ended up with this house, the rumors that swirled around, the notion that there was something not quite right with them or their acquisition of the property.  Certainly they had always been very reticent to discuss any financial matters or talk about how they afforded things when they were living, especially the house cluttered to the brim with antiques and expensive art and knickknacks, and were said by the folks in their small town to have brought many secrets to their graves.

If he had actually seen a Djinn in the attic, if it hadn't been an early morning pre-coffee dream or hallucination, perhaps it could give him some answers.

While he debated whether or not to head back up to the attic with a cup of coffee and find out if he was sane, he heard the pitter patter of his younger child's feet coming down the stairs, the little voice calling, "Daddy, mommy not up yet and I's hungry!"

Going back to the attic to search for answers was just going to have to wait.

Linking up with Uncharted Blog and Six Sentence Stories, where the cue is puff.


Today is:

Annie Oakley Days Festival -- Greenville, OH, US (keeping alive the legacy of "Little Miss Sure Shot" with a shooting contest today as well as a pilgrimage to her grave, then tomorrow starts the Melodrama performances, ugly boot contest, Family Fun Games, and more; through Sunday)

Berne Swiss Days Festival -- Berne, IN, US (Swiss food, dancing, yodeling, a stein-toss, and lots more family fun; through Saturday)

Buffalo Soldiers Day -- US (as designated by Congress) 

Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval a/k/a Expulsion of the Acadians Day -- Canada

Dodge City Days -- Dodge City, KS, US (a celebration of Western heritage, this year's theme is "This Ain't Our First Rodeo"; through Aug. 7)

Emancipation Day -- Bermuda (first day of the Cup Match)
        
Festival of Hedjihotep -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of weaving; date approximate)

Great Texas Mosquito Festival -- Clute, Texas, US (Annual salute to the fact that if you can't beat 'em, and when it's mosquitoes, you can't, you might as well celebrate 'em.  There's something for all ages, including the Skeeter Beaters Baby Crawl, a Mosquito calling contest, and a Mr. & Mrs. Mosquito Legs Contest, plus games, rides, carnival food, and more; through Saturday)

Imp-Handling Conference -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Peru(1821)

International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo -- Grand Isle, LA, US (hurricanes have tried to derail this celebration, but they come back better than ever each time; through Saturday)

Liberation Day / Anniversary of the Fall of Fascism -- San Marino

Lollapalooza -- Grant Park, Chicago, IL, US (through Sunday)

Lumberjack World Championships -- Hayward, WI, US (the world's greatest lumberjacks face off in the "Olympics of the Forest"; through Saturday)

Nagasaki Peiron Senshuken -- Nagasaki, Japan (two day dragon boat racing festival begun in the 17th century)

National Chili Dog Day

National Milk Chocolate Day

Olavsokuaftan (Olavsoka Eve) and the Olai Festival -- Faroe Islands (St. Olav's Eve, the night before the opening of Parliament and the festival of St. Olav; through tomorrow)

Rockhound Gemboree -- Bancroft, ON, Canada (expeditions to prime mineral locations as well as dealers, demonstrations, swapping, and the chance for rockhounds to have a great time; through Sunday)

Soma-Nomaoi -- Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (three day wild horse chase which recreates a battle from over 1,000 years ago)

St. Arduinus of Trepino's Day (Patron of Trepino, Italy)

Terry Fox Day -- born in Winnipeg on this date in 1958, he raised $24 million for cancer research by running over 3,000 miles on an artificial leg before his death in 1981 at age 23

World Hepatitis Day -- International


Anniversaries Today

The first Singing Telegram is delivered, 1933
Henry VIII marries Catherine Howard, 1540


Birthdays Today

Lori Loughlin, 1964
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox, 1958
Hugo Chavez, 1954
Sally Struthers, 1948
Linda Kelsey, 1946
Jim Davis, 1945
Rick Wright, 1945
Bill Bradley, 1943
Phil Proctor, 1040
Darryl Hickman, 1931
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, 1929
Jacques Piccard, 1922
Earl Tupper, 1907
Rudy Vallee, 1901
Joe E. Brown, 1892
Beatrix Potter, 1866 
Thomas Heyward, Jr., 1746


Today in History

Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of treason, 1540
Bermuda is first settled by Europeans, survivors of the English ship Sea Venture en route to Virginia, 1609
Maximilien Robespierre is executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution, 1794
Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina, 1865
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing due process and establishing citizenship for African Americans is certified, 1868
First flight of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1935
The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad foils a bullion robbery in the "Battle of London Airport", 1948
The Tangshan earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 moment magnitude flattens Tangshan, the People's Republic of China, killing 242,769 and injuring 164,851, 1976
Andorra joins the United Nations, 1993
Australian Ian Thorpe becomes the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championships, 2001
The Provisional Irish Republican Army calls an end to its thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland, 2005
The U-550, a sunken German U-Boat, is discovered off the cost of Massachusetts, 2012