Places Where I've Lived: Robson Street 5

In October 1986 began my Thirteen Year Nightmare, or the worst years of my life.  It began while I was kneeling at the altar rail at St. James (or, Snooty Church) at the high altar waiting to receive communion.  I had a vision of a crown of thorns dripping with blood hovering over me and distinctly heard (in my mind) the words, "Are you prepared to suffer as I have suffered?"  I, perhaps foolishly, replied, yes Lord. 

The following day at work I was informed that one of my clients was accusing me, falsely, of sexually molesting him.  I was of course exonerated but it was nonetheless traumatic and ugly and after that I always felt under suspicion at work.  Then Ed and Louise moved in upstairs (their real names, or, SO SUE ME, ASSHOLES!)  They were the worst neighbours I have ever had or hopefully ever will have.  They were noisy, foot stomping, stereo blasting, yelling friends and visitors noisy and not even our horrible Hong Kong Chinese landlords willing to do anything about it.  After a whole series of accidents and health concerns it also occurred to me that they were Satanists and had put a curse on me.  My body broke into rather odd blisters, one under my lower lip, one on my tail bone and one on the back of my foot, all oozing a kind of yellow pus that I never saw on my body before or since.

I foolishly allowed a young fellow to stay with me for a few weeks, on his request.  It turned out he was a friend of Ed and Louise.  He also got very pissy when I turned down his sexual advances and threatened to get ugly about it (his words: "Remember when you told me 'the cuter they think they are, the nastier they get when you turn them down?"  Well I'm going to make sure that you never forget that you said that."  He began to hang out with Ed and Louise and later admitted to me that they were Satanists.  I will not go into detail with the telltale evidences or "calling cards" they were leaving me, but that was when I gave my month's notice to move and began seeking another apartment.  In mid-January 1987 I moved to a roomy bachelor apartment on Burnaby Street in Vancouver's West End.  To my pleasure I never saw any of those people again.