Domestic Violence And Violence Against Family Members And...

According to the Bureau of Justice, nearly 3.5 million cases in the United States each year involves acts of violence against family members and intimate partners (2015).Data from the 1985 National Family Violence Survey affirmed that one of eight husbands committed at least one violent act towards his wife, and 1.8 million wives were beaten during the year course of the study (Holtzworth-Munroe Stuart, 1994). The Bureau of Justice (2015) defines domestic violence as â€Å"violence between married spouses, but can include cohabitants, unmarried intimate partners and family members†. Domestic violence is estimated to occur annually in one out of every six households (Lee, Uken, Sebold, 2007). Between 1998 and 2002, 1% of those cases the victims died as a result of their injuries; children encompassed 23% of the murder victims and females 58% (Bureau of Justice, 2002). Seventy-three percent of the domestic violence victims were female and 84% were committed against a boyfri end or girlfriend. The victims were usually White (74%) and between the ages of 25 and 54 (65.7%). (Bureau of Justice, 2005) The violence is usually committed by using a weapon or a body part as a weapon, whereas firearms are the most lethal. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported 80% of all referrals for firearm-related domestic violence were male (96%), under the age of 40 (67%), and White (72%) or non-Hispanic (95%) (Bureau of Justice, 2005). The use of firearms increasesShow MoreRelatedIntroduction. Domestic Violence Is A Serious Issue Affecting1386 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Domestic Violence is a serious issue affecting women all over the world today. Domestic Violence transpires when a current intimate partner decides to exercise dominance in a relationship through means of psychological, physical and sexual abuse towards the victim. This type of abuse often leads to emotional and or physical trauma. Domestic Violence is not only physical or sexual other forms of domestic violence exist such as stalking and dating violence. It is a problem without limitsRead MoreDomestic Violence And Sexual Abuse Essay731 Words   |  3 Pages Domestic violence has had a traumatic affect on the lives of millions of people in the United States alone (Carretta, 2010, p. 28). Bryant Furlow (2010) states that domestic violence is any physical, psychological or sexual abuse endured by a current/former spouse, intimate partner or simply anyone who is abusing another family member. According to Furlow (2010) domestic violence incorporates elder abuse, child abuse and intimat e partner violence. Although domestic violence can affect all membersRead MoreThe Effects Of Domestic Violence On Children1127 Words   |  5 PagesDomestic Violence Violence and domestic violence are very popular issues of social concern of our times. Experts define a few types of domestic abuse, namely psychological, physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and others, and they all are considered very harmful to families, especially to the youngest members. Abusers who commit domestic violence do so to control their victim, and maintain that control by threatening the victim’s safety and/or that of people they love. To protect themselves fromRead MoreDomestic Violence And Its Effects On Society1431 Words   |  6 PagesDomestic violence is that dark little secret kept by your neighbor, your friend, your family member, or even yourself. It touches the lives of men, women, and children in every ethnic and economic group on the face of the earth. In order to stem the tide of this egregious and infectious behavior we cannot consider it solely a women’s issue. It is as much a men’s issue as it is a women’s issue, maybe more so, and can only be effectively addressed if we enlist and encourage the help of familyRead MoreDomestic Violence : A Common Form Of Family Violence1076 Words   |  5 PagesDomestic Violence Domestic violence (D V) occurs in almost every society and culture of the world. It can be physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influences another person. It is behaviors that intimidates, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, stalk, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, and wound someone. It affects mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers of nearly every person in our community either directly or indirectly. What is DomesticRead MoreDomestic Abuse And Domestic Violence1381 Words   |  6 Pagesthe National Collision Against Domestic Violence, a woman in the United States is fatally shot by a spouse, ex-spouse, or other romantic partner on average every 14 hours. Despite these statistics, there are still many misconceptions about domestic violence both in California and across the United States. Domestic Violence is Always Physical While physical abuse is one part of domestic violence, physical abuse is only a portion of the problem. The National Domestic Violence s website looks at aRead MoreDomestic Violence Against Women Act1639 Words   |  7 Pagesfederal government to take part in the battle against domestic violence. This new law, named the VAWA, acknowledged that violence against women is a crime with far-reaching, harmful consequences for families, children and society (Domestic and Sexual Violence Data Collection, A Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act, 1 [NIJ Research Report 1996]). To fight this violent crime problem, VAWA made federal domestic violence crimes to be act against by the Department of Justice. Reliable withRead MoreThe Effects Of Domestic Violence On Children780 Words   |  4 PagesDefinition/History/Statistics Historically, domestic violence has been a devastating social problem affecting individuals from every segment of the American society irrespective of race, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality and economic status. Although, men to a smaller extent experience domestic violence, it is usually understood as a women s issue; which inadvertently affects children. Approximately, 85 to 95% of victims are females (Laney, 2010). Every 9 seconds in the UnitedRead MoreViolence is the Physical Force Prohibited by Law799 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Violence†¦the unlawful exercise of physical force† (The Concise Oxford English Dictionary). How Well Does This Statement Define Interpersonal Violence? One of the most common ways of defining violence is to only consider forms of criminal violence and to argue that violence is the use of force that has been prohibited by law (Riedel Welsh, 2002, p.3). The Oxford dictionary when taking a legal dimension, defines violence as â€Å"the unlawful exercise of physical force†. This definition suggestsRead MoreDomestic Violence During The United States830 Words   |  4 Pages Before reading the first two parts of Til Death Do Us Part I knew that domestic violence was a growing issue in the United states, but it was a surprise to find out that the state that we live in for more than fifteen has been place in the top ten nationally in the rate of women murder by men (Pardue, Smith, Hawes, Hauff, 2014). The first part gave the statics on how many victims were turned away in 2012-2013 from shelters around South Carolina which was a total of 380. The reason why this

Vampires Are They Real And If So - 958 Words

Vampires: Are they real And If So, Are They a Threat to Society? There has been stories in the magazine, in the newspapers and on televisions about people who claim to be vampire and are practicing the Vampire culture. So the question here is, are these people who claim to be vampires really vampires and if they are, are they a treat to the society. The purpose of this essay is to investigate and find out more about vampire, their origin, the different types, their beliefs and practices, and if they are really a treat to the society. There are a lot of movies, books and stories about the existence of vampires, but many people still think it is a myth and vampires never existed. To start, where do Vampires come from? People have been educated through the media and books that, vampires are creatures that are created when a human being is bitten by another vampire and afterward feeds on blood. The movies specify that one will not fully turn into a vampire unless he or she drinks blood. Most movies even show them as bad for the society. Movies such as blade, Dracula and vampire diary all show how human beings turn into vampires. According to Browning, â€Å"Vampires self-described nature begins to manifest around or after puberty† (4). A person who is a vampire does not discover it until he or she reaches adolescence age. Vampires has been known throughout existence and people actually believe that they really do exist. â€Å"The term vampire was not popularized until the early 18thShow MoreRelatedVampires Are Becoming An Important Figure Of Modern Culture Essay1747 Words   |  7 PagesVampires are becoming an important figure in modern culture through the showing of television shows, movies, and novels. Most people think vampires are immortal creatures that suck blood from people and rise from the dead. Many people are not aware of the people in the world that consider themselves vampires. They are real, and they have formed communities. A real vampire i s someone who identifies themselves as a vampire. These are not the vampires from the myths and folklore. There really is noRead MoreVampire House And Resource1728 Words   |  7 Pages The word vampire is a term which hardly hold realistic connotations. It s a word associated primarily with two things, fear and romance. The idea of a real life equivalent to a vampire is a somewhat crazy notion to persons outside the pagan, occult, and otherwise magickal* subculture. In this subculture, however, vampirism is a real thing to be embraced or defended against. Individuals who absorb energy either through psychic means or even through the consumption of small amounts of blood generallyRead MoreThe Folklore of the Undead Essay1296 Words   |  6 Pagesgood reason. Some people who claim to be Vampires or Vampire hunters are in fact only doing it to get attention, such as the Dogs Of War â€Å"vampire hunting group† who later admitted to being frauds.(www.choronzon.com) There are a lso many conflicting ideas of what a vampire is, or on definitions of vampires. Vourdalak vampires, for instance, are always female, whereas, while females are more commonly vampires, it is by no means a rule in other folklore. (Vampire Grimoire) The Zmeu, on the other hand,Read MoreAn Argument: Do Vampires Exist?1024 Words   |  5 PagesDo Vampires Exist: Or Bite Me! Since the beginning or recorded history, there have been stories told about vampires. Bram Stoker’s renowned novel Dracula was published in 1897, and since then the myth about vampires has evolved and changed. We now have Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga and HBO’s True Blood examining whether vampires exist in the known world. Whatever you think, you should be aware that vampires are creations of fiction writers based on old folk tales. On the other hand there areRead MoreVampires : The Mystery Of Vampires970 Words   |  4 PagesVampires There have been stories in the magazines, newspapers and on television about people who claim to be vampires and are practicing the vampire culture. So the question here is, are these people who claim to be vampires truly vampires; and if so, are they a threat to the society? The purpose of this essay is to investigate and find out more about vampires, their origin, the different types, their beliefs and practices, and if they pose a safety threat. There are abundance of movies, books andRead MoreEssay791 Words   |  4 Pageswhen I come out of my house,† said James. 10/19 Halloween is getting closer and I have decided I am going to dress as a vampire this year! I told James what I was going to be and he seemed very weird about it. He said â€Å"Well I do not like how you think it’s a joke to act like a vampire. You know nothing about them, Brenden.† I was astonished and was not sure what to say, so I just got on the bus and came home. 10/24 It is now Friday, one week from Halloween and at school I am going to ask JamesRead MoreJean Jacques Rousseau s Influence On Western Europe1720 Words   |  7 Pagesincrease in nationalism. This increase on the emphasis of individual and that individual’s relation to the state led many to begin traveling widely across Europe and record their travels. Though stories of vampires began trickling from Eastern Europe to Western Europe as early as the 1690s, vampires did not gain true traction in Western Europe until the 1700s (Nelson). For less philosophical reasons, this was also the time that parts of Serbia and Walachia fell under Austrian control under the PeaceRead MoreVampire Existence1641 Words   |  7 PagesVampire existence Almost each nation has legends about vampires that rummage people at night and drink their blood. In these legends, vampires are brutal, heartless, half-decayed creatures. For example, Slavic mythology has a belief that a vampire won’t get out of grave if you throw some corn inside. The vampire will count corns all night long. But the image of a vampire has changed. Today it is an mysterious sexy superstar that kept its peculiar traits: love of blood, hate for garlic, and fearRead MoreQueen Of The Damned By Anne Rice1504 Words   |  7 PagesQueen of the Damned What was once a terrifying creature has now been turned into something that sparkles and seduces seventeen year old girls. Vampire movies have really changed over the years, each having their own way of displaying vampires to their audiences. Anne Rice, the author of the book Queen of the Damned, shows vampires in a way that most wouldn’t consider normal. Bringing the immortal into the music culture allows Rice’s main character Lestat to feel on top of the world again. With aRead MoreThe History of Vampires1397 Words   |  6 Pagesseems obsessed with vampires. From gothic vampire novels, to endless movies, television and art, the vampire archetype continues to grow in popularity and sophistication. What is behind this seeming obsession with vampires, in our western culture? Why does this archeype endure? What does the vampire have, or do, that makes him/her so attractive and compelling? When did the transformation occur, from foul miscreant to suave tragic hero? Who is the vampire - really? Vampire culture seems in stark

Succubus Shadows Chapter 5 Free Essays

string(158) " was probably the logical place to start, though most succubi – even a bland one like her – wouldn’t spend a lot of time hanging out there\." I stared at him, and the world stood still for a moment. â€Å"Wait†¦Seth was meeting Simone there?† Roman shook his head. â€Å"I wouldn’t say that exactly. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Shadows Chapter 5 or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was more like she sought him out. He looked like he’d been working there for a while when she showed up.† â€Å"And then?† My voice was very small. â€Å"Then, she walked over to him and shyly introduced herself as a fan, saying she recognized him from his website. Picture perfect demure coquette.† â€Å"And then?† â€Å"She said she wished she had a book with her to sign and asked if he’d sign a piece of paper instead. He said he would, and then she sat down, all apologetic for bothering him. She said she had a couple questions and hoped he wouldn’t mind if she stayed for a few moments.† I noticed then that I was clenching my fists. With a deep breath, I released them. â€Å"Seth wouldn’t strike up a conversation with a stranger like that. Not without being horribly uncomfortable.† â€Å"Yeah,† Roman agreed. â€Å"He definitely had some of that social awkwardness.† There was a wry note in Roman’s voice that I didn’t like. The two men had once been rivals for my affection, and apparently, Roman was still holding on to some bitterness – and a feeling of superiority. Roman could be quite charismatic when he wanted. â€Å"But she did a pretty good job at playing just as shy and nervous. I think it made him feel better.† â€Å"So she did sit down?† â€Å"Yup†¦and stayed for about a half-hour.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. My volume made Godiva jerk her head up from a nap. â€Å"Did she try to seduce him?† Roman’s expression turned considering. â€Å"Not in the usual way. I mean, she wasn’t as boring as usual. But she put him at ease enough that he relaxed and seemed to like talking to her. She wasn’t overtly sexual, and he didn’t look like he wanted to jump her. It was just†¦I don’t know. A nice conversation. Although, it had a few of those annoying facts she likes to drop.† He paused. â€Å"Oh, and she went brunette.† That bothered me more than it probably should have. â€Å"But he sent her away, right?† â€Å"No, Maddie showed up, and he left with her – after telling Simone it was nice to meet her.† Oh, irony. Never, never would I have imagined I’d be so relieved to have Maddie show up and take Seth home. I also never thought I’d be glad his devotion to her would keep him from falling prey to another woman’s charms. I took a step toward Roman, my fists clenching again. I didn’t blame him as messenger; I was simply driven by my own fury. â€Å"What the hell?† I demanded. â€Å"What fucking game is she playing?† He sighed. â€Å"I don’t know. Maybe no game at all. She likes coffee. I’ve certainly seen her buy it before. She could have ended up there by coincidence and thought he looked like a good catch. God only knows why.† I ignored the barb. â€Å"Oh, come on, Roman. You’re not that stupid. Do you honestly think that in a city like Seattle, out of all the men here, it’s a coincidence that she shows up and starts hitting on my ex? You know as well as I do that there aren’t many coincidences in our world.† â€Å"True,† he admitted, setting the remnants of his dinner on the coffee table. The cats went for it. â€Å"Will you stop doing that?† I demanded. â€Å"They’re not supposed to be eating that kind of stuff.† â€Å"Don’t take your bitchy attitude out on me.† But he stood up and took the plate to the kitchen. When he returned, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of me. â€Å"Look, you’re right to a certain extent about coincidences. It is weird that she would hit on Seth. But think about this too: don’t you think there are a few things around here a little more important than your ex-boyfriend? Jerome’s theory makes the most sense, you know. Hell let him keep his job, but that doesn’t mean they’re letting the whole incident go. They’re the ultimate grudge-holders. They’d want to assess the situation. That’s why she’s here.† â€Å"Except that she’s not assessing anything! Unless you consider my friends’ Pictionary skills.† â€Å"You should have seen them play Jenga.† â€Å"This isn’t a joke. I need to figure out what her game is. You have to take me with you when you spy on her again.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"I think that’s a terrible idea.† â€Å"I can go invisible.† â€Å"She’ll still sense you.† â€Å"You can hide my signature. You told me before that you could. Was that a lie?† Roman grimaced. Just before things had literally blown up between us, he’d asked me to run away with him, promising he could conceal me from the greater immortals. â€Å"I can,† he admitted. â€Å"But I just think you’re asking for trouble.† â€Å"What am I risking?† â€Å"A lot. Whether it’s Seth or Jerome, there’s obviously something going on. Get tangled up in that, and you could be risking your life. I won’t let that happen to you.† â€Å"Since when do you care what happens to me?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Since you became my ticket to rent-free living.† And with that, he turned invisible, hiding his signature as well. â€Å"Coward!† I cried. My only answer was the front door opening and then shutting. He was lost to me, and I realized I’d again missed my chance to bring up my weird encounters from these last couple days. I tossed and turned again that night, but it had nothing to do with my fear of walking off the balcony or into Puget Sound. I was filled with rage, both at Simone for making the moves on Seth and at Roman for abandoning me. When I woke up in the morning, I took comfort in knowing I didn’t need Roman to confront Simone. I could do that on my own. Of course, there were a few complications there, the first being I didn’t know where Simone was. Her hotel was probably the logical place to start, though most succubi – even a bland one like her – wouldn’t spend a lot of time hanging out there. You read "Succubus Shadows Chapter 5" in category "Essay examples" Well, unless she had company – and I didn’t really want to walk into anything like that. And anyway, I had one tiny commitment to attend to before I could go bitch-hunting. Maddie. I’d regretted my decision to go shopping with her the moment the words had left my mouth. Yet, somehow, I’d totally blocked out those feelings yesterday when I’d been sitting with Seth. A brief thought about the wedding had flitted through my mind†¦and then it had been gone. I’d spent the rest of the time laughing and talking with him as though there was no Maddie in the world. But as I headed over to the bookstore, where she and I had agreed to meet, I had to accept reality once more. Seth was no longer mine. He also wasn’t Simone’s. But I’d deal with that later. Maddie was waiting for me downstairs, but I used the excuse of needing coffee before we left, in order to dash up to the caf? ¦. I wanted to see if Simone was lurking. No matter her shape, I’d know if she was there. Yet, as I casually waited in line for my white chocolate mocha, I sensed nothing immortal. Seth was there, engrossed in his work, and never even saw me. Apparently, his muse was still going strong. I let him be and joined Maddie downstairs again. She had a list of eight store names and addresses. Most were dress shops, and I was skeptical that we could make them all before we were due into work. She was more optimistic, but then, that was typical of her. â€Å"No point in worrying right now,† she said. â€Å"We’ll just do them one at a time and see where that gets us. Besides, the last few are bakeries, and we wouldn’t want to eat a bunch of cake before trying on dresses.† â€Å"Speak for yourself,† I said, sliding into her passenger seat. â€Å"I’m not trying anything on.† She gave me a wry smile. â€Å"Aren’t you? You’re my bridesmaid, remember? We talked about it at the party.† â€Å"No,† I said swiftly. â€Å"I said and did all sorts of crazy stuff that night, but I never agreed to it. That I do remember.† Maddie’s expression was still light, but I thought I heard a little hurt in her voice when she spoke next. â€Å"What’s the big deal? Why don’t you want to be one? You know I’d never dress you in anything horrible.† Why? I pondered the answer as she pulled into traffic. Because I’m in love with your future husband. I could hardly tell her that, of course. As it was, I could see my continuing silence was making her feel worse. She was reading it as a slight to our friendship. â€Å"I just†¦I just don’t like all the, uh, fanfare that goes with weddings. There’s so much planning and stressing about little details. I’d rather just sit back in the audience and watch you go down the aisle.† Well, actually, that was one of the last things I wanted to do. â€Å"Really?† Maddie frowned, but thankfully, it was more out of surprise than disappointment. â€Å"You’re always so good at planning and little details. I thought you were into that.† That was a fair point. It was why I made such a good manager. â€Å"Yeah, kind of†¦but I mean, at the receptions, drunk guys always hit on the bridesmaids, you know? They think we’re desperate because we’re the ones not getting married.† Also not entirely far from the truth in my case. Maddie’s smile returned. â€Å"Those are some pretty lame excuses.† They were indeed, but she said nothing more as we drove. After Maddie’s initial failure with picking flattering wedding dresses, she now threw her faith completely into me to lead her to fashion success. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and I found myself slipping into style-advisor role pretty easily. In fact, if I was able to preoccupy myself with the objective parts of this process – flattering fit, color, etc. – it was easy to block out the big picture of her and Seth. The saleswomen working at the stores soon learned who was in charge here and backed off with their recommendations, simply fetching the dresses I indictated. I studied each one Maddie tried on, keeping my standards high. With so many stores to choose from, we could afford to be picky. â€Å"That one’s good,† I said at our third store. It was corseted, narrowing her waist, and had a skirt that didn’t flare. Those puffy ones always made the hips look bigger, though no one ever seemed to realize that. You had to be tall and thin to get away with that, not short and buxom like Maddie. She admired herself in the mirror, a look of pleasant surprise on her face. She was still drawn to ones that I didn’t think were good choices, and this was the first of my picks that she really liked. The eager saleswoman jotted down the style number, and then Maddie started to turn around and try on the rest waiting in her dressing room. As she did, a dress on a mannequin caught her eye. â€Å"Oh, Georgina, I know what you said, but you have to try that on,† Maddie begged. I followed her gaze. The dress was slinky and sexy, floor-length violet charmeuse with straps that tied around the neck. You were wearing that color the first time we met. I averted my eyes. â€Å"Not ugly enough to be a bridesmaid dress.† â€Å"It’d look great on you. Everything looks great on you,† she added with a shake of her head. â€Å"Besides, you could wear that to other things. Parties and stuff.† It was true. It didn’t scream bridesmaid. Not taffeta or bright orange. Before I could protest further, the saleswoman had already fetched one from the rack, guessing my size with that uncanny ability her kind had. So, reluctantly, I tried the dress on while Maddie went to her next option. The size wasn’t perfect, but a little shape-shifting neatened it up where it needed to be. Maddie was right. It did look good on me, and when I stepped out, she took it as a done deal that I’d buy it – no, she offered to buy it – and would be in her wedding. The saleswoman, seeing an opportunity, and possibly getting back at me for my tyrannical attitude, had â€Å"helpfully† fetched two more dresses for me to try while I waited for Maddie. Maddie claimed she couldn’t stand the thought of me waiting around with nothing to do, so I reluctantly took them into the dressing room. They too looked good, but not as good as the violet. I was returning them to the saleswoman when my eye caught something. It was a bridal dress. It was made of ivory duchess satin, the fabric wrapping around the waist and halter top. The skirt was draped, pulled into little tiers. I stared. It would have been a disaster on Maddie, but on me†¦ â€Å"Want to try it?† asked the saleswoman slyly. Something told me that bridesmaids covertly trying on brides’ dresses wasn’t a rare phenomenon around here. The desperate and mournful not-getting-married attitude in action. Before I knew it, I was back in the dressing room, wearing the ivory dress. You were wearing that color the first time we met. Seth had been wrong about that and corrected himself, but for some reason, the words came to me yet again. And the dress looked great. Really great. I wasn’t overly tall but was slim enough that it didn’t matter – and I filled out the top beautifully. I stared at myself in a way I hadn’t with the other dresses, trying to imagine myself as a bride. There was something about brides and weddings that instinctively spoke to so many women, and I shared the impulse as well, jaded succubus or no. The grim statistics didn’t matter: the divorce rates, the infidelity I’d witnessed so often†¦ Yes, there was something magical about brides, an image fixed into the collective subconscious. I could see myself with flowers in my hands and a veil on my head. There’d be well-wishers and joy, the giddy faith and hope of a beautiful life together. I’d been a bride once, so long ago. I’d had those dreams, and they’d blown away. I sighed and took the dress off, afraid I might start crying. There would be no wedding for me. No bridal hopes. Not with Seth, not with anyone. Those things were lost to me forever. There was only an eternity alone, no lifelong lovers, only those I shared a night with†¦. Unsurprisingly, I was kind of depressed for the rest of the day. Maddie bought the violet dress for me, and I was too glum to protest – which she read as acceptance of my bridesmaid fate. We made it through the rest of our dress stops but didn’t get to the bakeries. By the end of it all, we had four candidates for her dress, which I regarded as good progress. My mood didn’t abate at work. I holed up in my office as much as I could, seeking solitude and my own dark thoughts. When I finally made it home after that eternity-long day, I found the condo empty and was astonished at how much that hurt me. I wished with all my heart that Roman was around, and it wasn’t even to talk about Simone or other immortal mysteries. I just wanted his company. I just wanted to talk to him and not be alone. He was an infuriating part of my life, but he was also turning into a fixed infuriating part of my life. With a gloomy eternity ahead, that meant something. I knew better than to wait up for him†¦but found myself doing it anyway. I lounged on the couch with Grey Goose and the cats, taking some small sweetness from those warm, furry creatures that loved me. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was on, which didn’t cheer me up any. Like the masochist I was, I watched it anyway. At least, I thought I was. Because suddenly, the loud shriek of a car horn blasted into my ears. I blinked and jerked my head around. I wasn’t on the couch. There were no cats, no vodka. I sat on the railing of my balcony, precariously positioned. The horn had come from below, on the street. One car had nearly swiped another, and the near-victim had honked in his outrage. I didn’t exactly remember the trip out here. I did, however, remember the force that had drawn me – largely because it was still there. The light and the music – that feeling of comfort and rightness that was so hard to articulate hovered before me, off in the air. It was like a tunnel. No, it was like an embrace, arms waiting to welcome me home. Come here, come here. Everything will be all right. You are safe. You are loved. In spite of myself, one of my legs shifted on the railing. How easy would it be to step over, to walk into that sweet comfort? Would I fall? Would I simply hit the hard sidewalk below? It wouldn’t kill me if I did. But maybe I wouldn’t fall. Maybe I’d step into that light, into the bliss that could block out the pain that always seemed to surround me lately†¦. â€Å"Are you out of your fucking mind?† The driver that had nearly been hit had gotten out of his car and was yelling at the other. That driver got out and returned the insults, and a loud tirade began. One of my neighbors on the floor below opened his patio and shouted for them all to shut up. The argument, that jarring noise, brought me back to myself. Once more, the siren song faded away, and for the first time, I almost felt†¦regret. Carefully, I climbed off the rail and back to the solidity of the balcony. A fall might not kill me, but good God, it would hurt. I walked back into the condo, finding everything exactly as I’d left it. Even the cats hadn’t moved, though they looked up at my arrival. I sat between them, absentmindedly petting Aubrey. I was scared again, scared and eerily attracted to what had just happened – and that scared me more. Despite the vodka tonight, my last encounter had proven alcohol wasn’t to blame. No connection. Yet†¦it occurred to me there had been a common link all three times. My mood. Each time, I’d been down†¦sad about my lot in life, seeking reassurance that wasn’t to be found. And that’s when this phenomenon would happen, offering a solution and the comfort I thought was beyond me. That was bad news for me. Because if this thing was drawn to woe and unhappiness, I had plenty of it to go around. How to cite Succubus Shadows Chapter 5, Essay examples