Horror Month: The Halloween Party’s Over

As they say on It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, “Well, another Halloween has come and gone,” and Horror Month here on Dark Bits comes to an end. And while I don’t sit freezing my ass off for nothing in a sincere pumpkin patch all night like poor Linus, I always feel a bit melancholic the morning after Halloween. And suffering from Peanut Butter Cup hangover and a raw tongue from too many salted roasted pumpkin seeds.

Last night the weather here in southern Maine was perfect, warmer than normal with a blustery breeze that kicked up swirling masses of fallen leaves as I took my niece (who was dressed as Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie) trick or treating through the neighborhood. The moon was nearly full, and wispy claw clouds occasionally scratched across its face. The scent of the leaves filled the air and a couple folks in the neighbor hood went all out with the spooky lights and displays. Fewer people were out, despite it being Saturday, but there were a ton at the firehouse up the street, where we went after trick or treating. Each year the firehouse puts on a party for the kids with free pizza, chips, drinks and entertainment such as magic shows, bounce house and a tent filled with glowing pumpkins where an old witch tells ghost stories.

Like Christmas, it’s a great build up but over with far too quickly. November here always seems kind of gloomy in the wake of those bright October days. I know how Charlie Brown and Linus feel at the end of the show when they sit there at the wall, mulling over the previous night. It’s bitter-sweet.

But like Linus, we should look at Halloween through the eyes of a child, with expectation of the next, with the promise that the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch again and fill our lives with magic and mystery. And with fond memories of those Halloweens past, when for at least a few hours we can be a kid again and embrace the shivers that run down our spines and the spooky fun that leaves a golden glow in our hearts.

The Chloe Files: Kicking Evil’s ass one demon at a time…
In paperback.