The garage door.
Like many of my stories, this started with a banal evening walk with the dogs.
At nine o’clock in the evening, it’s dark, the wind is blowing, the fog – and you can’t do anything.
We need a regime... otherwise they will break the house, we will go for a walk. Close to the 2nd quarter...
And then I hear the sound of the closing garage door, the neighbor returned home. The neighbor I knew a little, an elderly retired teacher well over 80 years old, lives alone, the daughter comes once a month and on holidays.
Only the door has fallen - it opens again, apparently, the grandmother will go out, we would have to wait with the dogs, not equal to an hour to get under the wheels.
Nobody is leaving.
Oh, hell, wait cold, let's go, but - I pass by the open garage, the car stands, there is no one...
Then the shut door closes again.
When it closed, it almost immediately opened up again.
I wondered: the fault of the door?
Unlikely to. A certain order was visible, the door closed and immediately opened.
Is anyone running on the control panel? No cat or dog in the house.
And why is her car in the garage and there is no light in the house?
I called, who is alive?
and silence.
The unforeseen is rarely good, the unexplained is dangerous, life and profession are taught. Need to do something? and what?
The foolish door shut down again, for a second, and opened again.
My hesitation is over, I call 911, connect to the sheriff station, which is two minutes away from us.
Assistant Sheriff: What is it?
I start from a distance, that, say, I apologize in advance, here is the nonsense of something, probably nothing terrible, the doors are enchanted, down and up drive...
It didn’t seem like nonsense – at all.
Give me the address.
I give.
Stay there, we are going.
I stand...
Who are we?
The puzzle did not wait - and five minutes did not pass, an assistant sheriff arrives, behind him - firefighters-paramedics.
The sheriff enters through the open garage door, enters the house, finds the housewife on the floor, conscious but weakened.
Go to my home hospital for inspection.
The sheriff closed the garage, took the opener with him and then went.
It turned out - he told me - many elderly people carry openers with them, sending SOS signals through the garage door. Who would know...
So he didn’t go to the woods with me, he took everything seriously.
He thanked me for my vigil and left.
The dogs walked, and I followed them.
With her nothing terrible, weakened, the head turned upside down, confused.
This happens to the elderly...
She fell softly, without fractures - but in such a narrow space that she couldn't get up, wasn't confused, she began to knock on the door at the opening.
Such a story.
And I remembered her, this is why - I go from work, she walks, with a whale and a dog, both happy with life, seemingly healthy...
I do not need more.