The bewitching season is coming to an end. I wish I’d done more to celebrate, but this second job gobbles up great chunks of time and energy.
Tonight, I’ll hangout with a neighbor at the end of her driveway. We’ll give candy out to kids who walk by. Several families moved onto our street this year, so we’re hoping we’ll have more trick-or-treaters than we usually do (which is less than ten). And being outside will let us be safe and avoid the hassle of the dogs. When you have four dogs, opening the door again and again to trick-or-treaters is a challenge.
Tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo, and yes, I’m jumping in again! Join me if you wish, please.
As a kid, because I lived out in the boondocks with my dad, and my mom usually lived in apartments, I didn’t have a consistent Halloween tradition. I often invited myself to a friend’s house, a friend who lived in a good trick-or-treat area. I have a vague memory of trick-or-treating in my grandmother’s neighborhood by myself. I went only to the houses within view of my grandmother’s house, ended up feeling weird on my own and giving up.
There was the Halloween I stole my own belongings and the Halloween a classmate was found murdered. (Both of which I’ve written about here before).
I loved taking my son trick-or-treating, but he grew out of it quickly. He was 8 the last time he went, and even then he went reluctantly.
In my October newsletters, I wrote about good books for the haunted season, and today I just got a book about the history of the holiday. I heard about the book on NPR’s Throughline: The Dance of the Dead.
Honestly, the only way I’m going to celebrate October the way I want next year is to start preparing now. It is my season! You’ve been warned.
The wind sometimes whispers
The wind sometimes screams
Monsters loom at my window
Monsters lurk in my dreams
The spirits may be curious
The spirits may be mean
What, dear reader, is it?
It’s our dear Halloween!
As ever, you can support my work, make more art possible, and receive treats in the mail by joining my storyland on Patreon.
And finally, for art and handmade books, shop Etsy and Redbubble.
Haunt well. Scream loudly!
Happy Hallowe’en!
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 