Diary Entry…The Greenwood Mansion..

As I roll into Napa, I’m haunted by the conversation I had with Theresa (AKA-Coach T) on the way here. We last spoke at graduation a couple months ago. The conversation we had wasn’t quite as lighthearted as the one following graduation. She encountered the Nur.

I haven’t met too many people who have ‘the buzz’. Coach T is one of them. Maybe that’s why we’ve always been close. Independent of Mom, she’s the only person I know who has the gift.

Theresa was out logging some miles on the trails at Mt. Diablo a few days ago. It was near dusk. She rounded a corner and she saw this ‘thing’. It was wearing an old shirt that said ‘Nur’ on the front.

As soon as it saw her, its eyes lit up. The thing gazed at her hungrily and began running towards her. Coach T’s buzz kicked in with a vengeance and she took off.

She did her best to hold the Nur off. But, it just wouldn’t relent. It didn’t look like it was capable of running, let alone catching her. But, that’s exactly what it did. It closed the gap until it was right on her heels.

Theresa heard the Nur make a sound as if it was inhaling deeply. A dark cloud of dust enveloped her. That’s when Coach T lost it. Her turnover slowed. She stumbled, fell, and passed out.

When she woke up, the Nur was gone. Also gone was her ability to run. She walked (slowly) for miles to get back to her car. She was completely exhausted.

Coach T called to warn me. She was stunned when I told her I knew about the Nur. Coach T’s story perhaps sheds some light on how this ‘thing’ operates.

I was able to put some distance between myself and the Nur back on Hicks Road. Maybe it hadn’t fed for awhile? It must have been weak when I encountered it.

Coach T is a stronger, faster runner than me and she couldn’t hold off the Nur despite her best efforts. The Nur must be getting stronger. Who knows how many people it has fed on these past few miles.

If it continues to feed, it’s safe to assume it will keep closing the gap on me. There are countless people between Mt. Diablo and here. While it ‘appears’ the Nur favors runners, it also ‘appears’ anyone who laces up and goes outside is at risk.