The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

SPOOKY NIGHTS: ARE BOO-TIFUL

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher

25 October 2000

I was not very old when I realized you didn't have to wait until Halloween to feel scared. Spooky nights were spooky because it was dark, and partly because of the lack of a parent being around, or because of the company I was keeping.

I don't know why, but people seem to get a kick out of frightening others.... especially older kids with younger kids.

I can remember sharing a room with my brother and him telling me stories. Then he would say he thought someone was in the closet. As I looked at the door, which was ajar, I could see it slightly moving:back and forth. I would hop out of bed and get in with him with the covers over my head. Mother finally came in to settle us down and to check out the closet. He would just laugh.

You are so gullible when you are young. My brother's friends told me there was a haunted house in town and of course they encouraged me to talk to the woman who lived there. They said she was a little known witch who kept hearts in a bucket in her kitchen.

The house was near the nursing home and I never knew the lady's name but her home was surrounded by weeds and trees. Even back then, I liked to check out rumors to see if they were true. I did go to her door (in the daytime) when the "brave" boys stood back and watched, and I asked her if she was a witch and if I could see her hearts in a bucket. She just looked at me oddly and said, "No" and said she didn't have hearts in a bucket. She was such a frail nice older lady and didn't seem offended by my question.

I never went further because the boys warned me there was an open well in her yard somewhere that you could fall into. Some kids never returned, they said. I didn't believe them, but I was happy to get out of there.

We always liked to play kick-the-can at dark in the Stronghurst park when we were young, but that never seemed scary since I could see my parents' well-lit house from the park. It was more the tales that my brothers and his friends told that made the night seem frightening.

I do, however, remember becoming afraid at night even when my brother was fast asleep in bed. I would imagine that a big bad man might come down the hallway walk right past my brother's bed and grab me while he stayed asleep. Once, I even got up and walked outside in the moonlight and crawled in my parents Buick to sleep where it was safer.

In about a half an hour, I woke up and ran back into the house even more scared. My three big brothers were babysitting but were much too sound of sleepers for me to feel safe.

Of course, I can remember once, as a child, when I hid in the coat closet and jumped out and yelled "boo" at my father when he came home. It wasn't a popular thing to do as I really scared him.

Of course, Halloween night never seemed as spooky but was more boo-tiful. That is because there were so many children outside laughing, talking, and collecting candy. We always went with friends.

I did soap our own window one night because I was told that was the thing to do on Halloween and I didn't want to miss the fun. It wasn't too bad washing it the next day either.

I enjoyed having slumber parties when I was older and all sleeping in the front living room and telling ghost stories.

My grandma told me that she would get more afraid out on the farm where sometimes hoboes would come to the house. It was pretty quiet along her road and at night the shadow of the trees and the wind could make things pretty eerie.

I was listening to a tape where Bill Crosby told of a time he scared "Fat Albert." He had set up a scary prop at the top of several flights of stairs in an apartment building where one of their classmates was living. Then Crosby asked Fat Albert if he wanted to go see their friend getting "a beatin' by his dad.

The stairway was dark and Fat Albert ran all the way up the stairs with Crosby behind him to see the action but was scared to death when he got to the top and saw this monster Crosby had rigged.

I don't remember if Crosby laughed all the way home or if they had to take him to the hospital after Fat Albert fell back and smashed him.

Most of the time it doesn't pay to scare someone else, even with a simple "boo" if they aren't expecting it. If they are carrying a hot drink that could mean trouble for you and them. If they are driving a car, it could mean a dangerous wreck.

But, if they are prepared to watch a scary show or hear a scary story, they are more in the mood and ready for the "boo-tiful night" that you are about to give them. That's why Halloween is so much fun, you are ready for the little tricks and treaters.

Have your light on with some candy, and join in the spooky boo-tiful night of Halloween.