Unnerved

I've always had a fascination for the supernatural. I like reading "ghost stories" and about strange phenomena.

Admittedly, this morbid fascination of mine has augmented since coming to Taiwan. They believe in spirits and rituals and sorcery, yin and yang.... They even have tv shows dedicated to exploring haunted sites around Taiwan.

But today was probably the first time I was actually scared.

After a frustrating day at work (not uncommon nowadays), I had to detour to my brother's place to pick up stuff to bring home to Vancouver.

The quickest route between my place and my brother's is a shortcut... that passes by some burials. (I'm not sure there's an actual cemetery there, but there are several tombs.) It was just after midnight. Normally after dark I would take the longer better-lit route (the major road) to my brother's, but today I was tired and irritated and really just cared to get there and back quickly.

I turned left into the shortcut, and flipped on my high-beam as I approached the darkness.

Precisely at that instant, a car alarm sounded, startling me.

I slowed slightly... and noticed that the car on the side of the road with its alarm blaring... had no one in it.

I'm not sure why that would unnerve me so much - the car was parked, it was after midnight, why would someone be sitting in the car?

It just didn't feel right.

It was enough to make me turn my scooter around back to the intersection to take the longer main road.

And precisely when I straightened out after my U-turn... the car alarm fell silent.

I don't know what this incident means, if anything at all. Was it a warning, or a coincidence? All I know is that that feeling was not a welcome one!