One of Science's Great Mysteries Manifests Itself in my Apartment

"A black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon. The term "Black Hole" comes from the fact that, at a certain point, even electromagnetic radiation (e.g. visible light) is unable to break away from the attraction of these massive objects. This renders the hole's interior invisible or, rather, black like the appearance of space itself." --Wikipedia

When I was a little girl, sometime around fifth grade, I remember hearing about black holes for the first time. Quite frankly, they terrified me. The world--evidently--was filled with invisible, mysterious "black" (how are they black and invisible at the same time, I wonder?) holes that were so strong nothing--not even light or sound--could escape their gravitational pull. Once one came across a black hole, one was, well, screwed.

So, I spent some time trying to avoid black holes at all costs. Then someone explained to me that these holes exist in space and that I would be safe from black holes until the entire earth was sucked into one, as it inevitable would be. That helped me sleep at night, but I never forgot that these holes exist.

Over the past few months, the existence of black holes has once again entered my mind. I am now positive that A) black holes do exit; B) their gravitational pull is extremely strong; and C) nothing--especially socks, remote controles, and the occasional squished bug--can escape them. This once again puts me at risk.

There is a black hole in my apartment.

I live by myself. I rarely have company. All things considered, there is usually just me in this apartment. Somehow, however, things I KNOW I possess and remember using in the not-so-distant past seem to disappear. When these things disappear, they also never re appear. Now, I am sure some of you are thinking that perhaps I have just misplaced these objects. If I were home in Michigan, I may agree with you. However, in this tiny, sparsely furnished apartment there is very little room for me to misplace things. And, I have searched all 4 places where I may have misplaced something.

Exhibit A: My radio remote control. I have had the rc for years. I used to use it every morning while I got showered and dressed for work. About five months ago, it disappeared. I used it at night to turn off the radio and in the morning it was gone. It was not under the bed, under the dresser, or on the floor. It is gone.

Exhibit B: My black sock. I used to have two black socks, as socks typically come in a pair. A few weeks ago, black sock number 2 mysteriously disappeared sometime between the hamper and the dryer. It has yet to reappear.

Exhibit C: 4 spoons. I used to have a set of spoons. Now, I have 2.

Exhibit D: One multicolored Charles and David high heeled shoe. Gone.

I could go on and on. You get the idea.

What make this so disturbing is that these black holes are powerful AND invisible! What will be next? My chair? The dishwashing soap? Possibly my hair dryer? ME?

*M*