I was watching the Netflix movie “Shadow in the Cloud” late one night, all alone. It was a World War 2 one, where a female Captain joined the all-male crew in a flying mission with a B-17 bomber.
Lurking in the shadows in the wing of the plane were some evil creatures with a sinister appearance; they looked feral, had hairy bodies, large pointy ears, glowing red eyes, horns, grey skins, somewhat reptilian in appearance, and had big mouths with sharp teeth. I was not anticipating this. It changed the movie from an action film to a horror one. I should have turned it off.
That night I had a terrifying dream that this scary creature was stalking me and did at every move until I woke up in a sweat. I checked with Gord Reeves in Beachburg to see it he knew anything. He said, “It was a Gremlin, a creature that created mechanical problems with planes in the War”.
Looking into it further, a Gremlin is a mythological creature which had their origins during the World Wars, in which they were said to cause havoc on aircraft – a trait which they have continually done since their creation. Gremlins were also thought at one point to have enemy sympathies, but investigations revealed that enemy aircraft had similar and equally inexplicable mechanical problems.
Through time, their destructive nature has come to include almost any type of technology.
It is said that Gremlins showed humanity how to create machinery, a forerunner of the industrial revolution. Because humans showed these little creatures no recognition, they thought it was rude. Gremlins from that point on would sometimes sabotage man-made machines, leading to breakdowns and accidents, sometimes with fatal results.
Their acts of sabotage included engine failures, electrical malfunctions, communications shutdowns, bad landings, freak accidents, etc. pretty much anything else that could possibly ever go wrong with an aircraft.
The origin of the modern term ‘gremlin’ is disputed but is often said to derive from the Old English word greme, which means to vex or annoy. Gremlins probably have roots in the old folklore of goblins and fairies.
In the day after the dream and the days up to the present I have had the dropsies more than ever before. I’m no juggler but it looked like it when the pie-plate wobbled and the last piece of key lime pie for Sheila flipped off landing on the floor crust up.
She was disappointed and told me that outright more than once. The next morning my glass of orange juice slid off the countertop to the floor. Sheila said, “If you are having the shakes, stay out of my kitchen.”
Then the day I went grocery shopping I forgot Sheila’s list at home. I tried to remember the best I could but more than half the essential items were left in the store. Apparently, I didn’t forget the foodstuffs I like – thank goodness.
I guess the worst blunder was the night I got up to the bathroom. I must have been disoriented because I crawled back into bed on the wrong side. Sheila woke, screamed blue murder believing it was a prowler that got in the house. She should have recognized me after all these years. There was no sleep for either of us after that outburst.
I began to think that a phantom gremlin was interfering in my life. I kept glancing around at random but never even seen a shadow. There was a famous Phantom of the Opera so why couldn’t I have my own phantom gremlin?
From research, I found out that in his human form, the Gremlin can run and leap across great distances. He can also hide his presence from anyone who can detect Phantoms. In Phantom form, the Gremlin is armed with two giant scissor-like reverse blades for combating enemies.
This gave me some insight to continue my search. I started calling politicians, authors and psychics. None were helpful and most thought I was a nutcase.
I guess Sheila did too as she insisted on me getting some professional help.
