Memories Of Halloweens Past

The next entry in the Memories of Halloweens Past blog series is a neat one:  a ghost story of sorts.  It comes from Stefanie Renee, and it affected her so much that she wrote a song about the experience.

She writes, "For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this Halloween vision (memory?) and I don’t know if it actually happened or not. I honestly don’t know if it is a memory or if it’s just a dream I had at some point in my life.

I was a little girl… maybe seven… and it was Halloween night (this would have been the late seventies). I had already gone trick-or-treating, and was home alone. Mom & Dad had walked over to a neighbor’s house to visit for just a few minutes (perhaps to deliver a pumpkin pie), and older brother was at a school party or with a friend or somesuch.

It was later in the evening, definitely dark outside. I grew up on a dead end street, and at this late hour it was even quieter than usual… a real spooky kind of quiet.

I glanced out the kitchen window… or was it the living room? Both rooms were side by side, each with large windows looking out to the street. Suddenly, I spied a dark, tall, shadowy figure striding across the street. Dressed all in black with a tall top hat, it looked like a character I’d never seen before. My little heart jumped in my chest, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up with a chill only such a night could bring about. This other-worldly spirit was walking toward the dead end of the street. (No one ever did that unless they lived there… it was a pretty sleepy area) Most of our neighbors are/were elderly, and unlikely to have dressed in costume or gone out at all.

In my terror, the moment turned to slow motion. There was a moment when I believed with all my heart that this being would turn and start walking toward my house. Part of me kinda wanted it to. In the words of Willy Wonka, “The suspense is terrible… I hope it will last…”

Alas, the figure kept walking. And that was that.

I recounted this memory to my mother at one point, and she wasn’t convinced it really happened, telling me, “Oh, honey- we wouldn’t have left you alone when you were that young…” But it was only for a moment, so it was definitely possible. And since no one else was there with me, I will never know if it really happened. And honestly... I like it that way. That mystery, to me, perfectly embodies the spirit of Halloween."

Stefanie's Ethereal Darkwave band is called Accolade, and you can listen to their beautiful song by clicking HERE.  

For anyone interested in submitting, you can email me at pumpkinrot @ gmail . com (remove the spaces, of course!)

And click here to see past entries!