I call this digital piece "The Casket Pic".

It's based on an event that happened back in 2008. My wife got a phone call one evening and it was bad news. Her mom was diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the hospital. We quickly grabbed a couple of suitcases, threw in some things, and  drove straight to the hospital my mother in-law was in.

After driving 5 hours, I was dog tired. After staying a few minutes with mom, I decide to let my wife have some private mother and daughter time. The guest bed at mom's house was calling my name. I volunteer to drive there, unpack the car, and come back to the hospital in the morning.

The sad situation and fatigue was hitting me pretty hard on the way to mom's house. I needed a pick me up before I fall asleep at the wheel. An all night convenience store and one of those energy drinks get me back on the road.

No longer tired, I became edgy with a wicked case hypochondria. What if I have a condition that pops up while visiting the hospital tomorrow? What if I have some sort of episode alone at mom's house. I tried with all my might to shake the oncoming panic attack.

It was after midnight when I pulled up to the house. Mom must have not been feeling well for a while, for she let the place go a bit. Over grown grass and yard debris made the normally neat property look like a deserted alternate reality. As I fumbled with Mom's door keys, the wind was picking up with lightning and thunder in the distance. With the gloomy situation and weather, I decided to unpack in the morning. Focusing on sleep would be best. I make a beeline to the guest room after locking the front door behind me.

In the guest bedroom (or the tossing and turning room it should have been called) I couldn't sleep. My hypochondria already self diagnosed a few illness of my own and it decided to go full blown thunder storm outside. A good book may distract my mind and calm my nerves.

On my way to the den's bookcase, something catches my attention. A red hard back book is sitting on a coffee table. I pick it up and can't find a title. All it had was a golden sketch of a rooster on the cover. A streak of curiosity started to chase the worries away. I decide to read the book on a nearby couch and hopefully fall asleep there.

Meanwhile, the storm was getting brutal. The thunder was so loud it shook the house. I get to the couch and open the book.

"BOOOMM!", went the thunder.

And my eyes got a unexpected surprise with the shaking house. The first page I came across had a photo stuck to it. It was a well worn photo of an open coffin. A frail old woman was in it. The book falls out of my hands and closes neatly at my feet.

Suddenly, with horrid timing, the electricity goes out. I stand up and stare in the pitch black stormy darkness. A few minutes goes by as my mind tries to wrap itself around what just happened. Did I just hallucinate a projection of what could be mom's fate? Did I fall asleep in the bed and was having a nightmare?

The lightning flickered an eerie strobe light effect through the windows. My mind goes into horror movie mode and horrid thoughts slither in. What if I wasn't alone and the lightning highlighted another human figure in the room? And what if that figure suddenly lunged at me? The room seemed to squirm with every lightning flash. I feel my way back to the guest room and use the flimsy bedroom door lock.

The bedroom is pitch black. A lightning flash reveals a night stand by the bed. A very welcomed flashlight is found in it's drawer. I then pass the stormy night away with my new battery powered friend.

I awake to sunshine and birds chirping. Somehow I fell asleep and wonder what time it is. I suddenly realize where my cell phone is and make a beeline to my wet leaf covered car.

3pm, missed calls and texts greet me on my phone. I let my worried and annoyed wife know I'm on my way.

Later at the hospital I share my stormy night experience. Mom shares some info of her own. I wasn't hallucinating about the photo. The book I ran across was an old photo album that belonged to a Photoholic cousin. She took pictures of everything. Even of her grandmother's coffin at the funeral home.