Merry Christmas!!


 * Of all the days to show up to work on time! The boss wasn’t even
 * there all morning! When he finally came in, I really wished I hadn’t
 * come in at all. He said he was taking five of us to another work site,
 * and then he pulled out a scrap of paper and read off their names. I
 * don’t know if this was random or someone specifically chose them,
 * but what I do know is that a couple of my drinking buddies were
 * among them. Wonderful. Now who do I go drinking with after work?
 * The new work site is about a half a day’s drive from here, so who
 * knows when or if I’ll ever see them again. They were good guys. It’s
 * not going to be easy to drown my sorrows by myself. I’ll do a shot for
 * you guys!


 * Man, today was probably the best day of my life! I went to one of my
 * favorite watering holes after work, but my heart wasn’t into it at first
 * since a couple of my buddies had been transferred out of the mine. I
 * did a few shots in honor of the good times we had together.


 * I would have sat there all alone for the rest of the night if SHE hadn’t
 * walked in. Yes, it was the mysterious blonde I’ve been writing about
 * in my posts! Since I had a few drinks in me, I decided to let the
 * alcohol do the talking (love that liquid courage!) and asked her if she
 * would join me for a drink. Naturally, she agreed.


 * She was quiet at first, and I wasn’t really sure what I should say to
 * her, but after she ordered a whiskey and water (my type of woman!),
 * she turned chatty and I knew things were going my way. She started
 * telling me all about her life in Kijuju. She’s seen some strange things
 * lately, like animals that have been eviscerated or carcasses that look
 * like they had been dragged around by something. She says she’s only
 * been in Kijuju for several weeks, but since the beginning of this
 * month it’s started to feel like a different place from when she first
 * arrived. She can’t explain it, but she said she feels scared at times for
 * no reason at all. If I’m reading her right, I think she was indirectly
 * letting me know she wants to spend more time with me.


 * I didn’t want to look desperate by asking questions, so I just agreed
 * with everything she said. I tried to add to her conversation by
 * describing my experience with the dog the other day, not to mention
 * the butcher who had been acting strangely. I also told her how I’ve
 * seen trails of blood without any bodies. There’s also been an increase
 * of areas with graffiti, as well as strange posters thrown up around the
 * town. (I didn’t focus too much on that graffiti part since some of it
 * might have been done by me on one of my wilder nights out.) The
 * place has definitely taken on a different air since I came here all those
 * months ago. It’s like the town is changing right under my nose but no
 * one is bothering to let me know it’s changing.


 * I told her not to worry, and most of the things that have happened
 * could be attributed to a wild tiger or something. She seemed to find
 * comfort in my words, so I moved my stool a little closer to hers.
 * That’s when she really opened up to me. I don’t know if it was
 * because of the alcohol or because she felt comfortable with me, but
 * she started complaining about her boyfriend. (It’s always a good sign
 * when a girl complains to you about her boyfriend.) Apparently, he
 * went off to work one day and he hasn’t come back since. Everyone
 * keeps telling her he’s busy. I don’t think work could ever keep me so
 * busy that I’d neglect such an attractive woman as this.


 * I told her if she needed anything, she could always count on me. She
 * thanked me and smiled before getting up and walking out. I probably
 * should have followed her, but I think I need to play a little hard to get
 * in order to keep her interested.


 * Like I said, best day of my life!


 * And the best Christmas gift I’ve ever had!!


 * Remember, comments are always appreciated!


 * P.S. I completely forgot to ask her what her name is! I’m just going to
 * have to wait until next time.