Where the Weird Things Are

I’m not going to lie—a lot of weird stuff has happened at Hugo House. We’ve had ghost hunters, priests, shamans, rabbis and psychics all confirm that something is here, but what that something is we do not know.

The last batch of ghost hunters said an old man was continuously traipsing through our staff kitchen and Sue’s office. Paranormal activity has been detected in the Cabaret, ZAPP and, of course, the basement, home of our infamous baby coffin, a remnant from Hugo House’s old days as Manning and Sons funeral home. And then, there were the contractors driven off before Hugo House even opened by what they claimed was the ghost of a blonde girl, a story passed on to me by Frances McCue, our founding director.

I do not believe in ghosts, although I will admit to being a little uneasy when I’ve been in the House alone past midnight. So, rather than focus on the intangible weirdness that freaks out several of my coworkers (Waverly, for example, won’t learn how to set the alarm because she refuses to be left alone in the House.), I’d like to highlight the multitude of weird things that give Hugo House its charm and allure, beginning with:

The Ninja Turtle Cinderblock

I’ve had my eye on this cinderblock since I began working at Hugo House in 2005. I’m not sure which facilities manager of the past painted it (Jeb, maybe?), but the cinderblock is practically a collector’s item, a cement replica of Raphael, the smart alecky, rebellious, sai-wielding mutant turtle from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It once lived among the weeds in front of the House, but after board member John Burgess and his gang of PEMCO volunteers cleaned up the front last year, Raphael was moved to the back lot, and, most recently, has taken up residence on the loading dock, though I’m not sure if Raphael scissor kicked his way onto the dock, or was simply placed there.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see the smokes snuffed out in the holes that make up Raphael’s eyeballs. Whoever did that, please don’t do it again—even cinderblock mutant turtles deserve a sense of sight.

Where the Weird Things Are is an irregular series of short photo blogs about the weird things found in and around Richard Hugo House.

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