On one of our late night sessions, they usually ended about 2 or 3 in the morning...I offered to drive Dan Banic home to the Bronx.

It really wasn't too far from where Don and I lived in College Point, Queens. Dan was always sleeping over my house and this is where we would create songs, film little super 8 epics...or along with my dad Sonny watch the skies for strangeness. One time Dan and I were talking on my porch when a flaming meteor streaked right over our heads!! Another night we were scanning the night sky with a pair of high powered binoculars and we saw a "face" staring right back at us...Dan called it the face of the devil!!! My dad and I saw it too and it WAS a face!!! One other hot summer's night, we were out and Dan and I looked up to see "a grid" in the night sky as big as a battleship floating on it's merry way across Brooklyn. My mom would say.."that"s nice, now get ready for dinner.

Anyway, back to me driving Dan home...it's about 2am when we get there and Dan decides this is a great time to do a batch of laundry.

Well, alright..I stayed for a while to help him out {HEY, THE GUY IS A FRIEND OF MINE} The laundry room was like something out of a witches dungeon... dark... wet... smelly... like the ocean. Dan started the wash cycle, he dropped his Bob's T Shirt in for a nice tumble and we were on our way!!

We weren't alone...

In the corner watching us was a huge thing I can only describe as a Shirmp the size of a man... a Shrimpman. It was standing in a hollowed out section of the wall of the laundry room. It had long antennae and big black/purple eyes on stalks... revolving somewhat. It was the creepiest feeling I've ever had. It looked rather like a giant cockroach hiding from us, hoping we didn't notice him. The whole room suddenly took on a saltwater smell... Dan and I ran out the back way, never looking to see if this "thing" moved or what. I don't think Dan ever went back for his laundry {don't worry, he's got a bunch of those Bob's Shirts.} We later found out that the Bronx River once ran through that underground section of Dan's Apartment...WE WERE SHOCKED!!! Could this have been some unknown creature that had been hiding in some deep crevice under the Apartment? Dan drove back home with me that night... too scared to sleep in his own bed.

I don't blame him. I wonder if Shrimpman would remember us? I wonder if he was as scared of us as we were of him {her?}. Dan and I sometimes talk about it... we don't eat sushi to this day.

Whatever it was we saw that eerie night, I'll never forget the awe and mystery of Bronx Shrimpman.