CSI: Crime Scene Imagination

So tonight I went out for my nightly walk of the dog. I left just after watching about 20 minutes of Larry King Live—interspersed with parts of an episode of CSI: NY. (I was watching the CSI during the commercials for Larry King… going back and forth between the two channels.) In this particular CSI episode, Stella and Mack were trying to solve an abduction case in which a baby had disappeared, presumably at a murder scene. Yes, I know—I should probably not be watching that. But it seems like it’s always on, and I am too easily sucked in to the stories. I like the forensics and all the “science” woven into the stories—even if it is very fake. But tonight, I did manage to realize that it was a waste of my time, so I turned it off and went out to walk the dog a little before my usual time.

“While I’m at it, I may as well take out the garbage”, I decided. So I approach the dumpster first thing, nonchalantly listening to music as I go, pulling a stubborn sniffing Daisy along beside me, preparing to hike my garbage bag onto the top of our already teeming metal dumpster. As I come close enough to throw the bag in, my eye catches what I know to be a little doll hand- sticking up straight, at the top of the pile. But then I see a second hand, belonging to another “doll” – attached to a little arm- and this time I see the whole doll- and it is SO lifelike- my throat goes down into my stomach for a moment. Instantly, I am in CSI mode in my mind. I’m not kidding. My brain enters into a high-alert state and I begin to imagine “the worst”. I feel a little shaky as I get close enough to really inspect both dolls, to make SURE they are really dolls. Of course, they were.

The one doll had dark hair, it was a little mannequin doll--life-size with VERY realistic features. It reminded me of the kid mannequins in the Old Navy store. It was folded in half with its legs flopped near its head. The other doll was lying down flat, also extremely lifelike, with its little arm up as if reaching out to say, “Help me.” IT FREAKED ME OUT! After ascertaining that INDEED these were NOT human children, I was thinking, “Who would throw dolls like this away, especially right on top like this, where anyone could mistake them for little kids? Especially in the dark like this? Couldn’t they have used a box or SOMEthing to cover them up a little bit?” I gathered my composure enough to say, “Oh, well” –but I still felt uneasy about the whole scare.

This is not the first time my being a CSI crime-solver-wannabe (with an overly vivid imagination) has gotten me into trouble. I’m thinking I had better lay off the CSI watching for awhile. Especially at night just before taking trips out to the dumpster.