One surreal afternoon at a rental property on Spring Street.

There was a weird occurrence about a week ago. At 3:00 a.m., an ambulance and three fire trucks loudly converged on the rental property directly across the street. I was awakened, expecting the meth lab to blow at any minute. Why else would there be three trucks? But I went back to sleep, and forgot about it.

Yesterday, an ambulance, single fire truck and police car arrived there around 2:00 p.m. Eventually they left, with the policeman staying longer than the other two. An hour and a half later, I looked outside and saw a van-like vehicle out in the middle of the street, angling to back in toward the house. In due time, two men who could have been Jehovah's Witnesses or undertakers unloaded a gurney, then a body bag.

Into the rental property they went, and then out they came again, with the body bag now filled. It was heaved onto the gurney, strapped down, and loaded back into the van. They drove off.

It was surreal, especially since I was preparing to walk down the street and preside over an important meeting at Bank Street Brewhouse.