It’s the time of year to pull those pumpkin vines, bundle the corn stalks and put away the outdoor furniture. Fall is for coming to the hearth with a good book and a hot cup of cocoa-a time to look inward and reminisce about spring and summer days that warmed the garden and brought forth the crops for harvest.
The sudden shift of light, the clouds with hints of a storm bundled inside, the night that comes more quickly . . . all of these are October, and there’s a slight charge in the air as the old myths stir within our memory.
Persephone once again returns to Hades as she was bound to do. Demeter bemoans the loss of her daughter and the earth goes silent and infertile for the months they are separated.
Now is the time for ghosts to walk among us, while our minds grow quiet in the long chilled nights.
I haven’t written a ghost story in a few years, but I had a couple published a while ago in Crow Toes Quarterly, so I thought to celebrate the season, I’d share this one. It’s written for middle grade readers, so I hope you’ll print it and read it or give it to a young reader who would like to be a tad scared by the THE GHOSTLY DOUBLE.
photo by sgrunt |
Julie Musil says
What a wonderful story! I've heard of Crows but I had never read anything on their site. That's awesome.
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Paul Greci says
Great description of fall, Lee. I used to read my students The tell-tale heart every halloween and then watch a short video of it. It was always a great day in the classroom.
Ruth Donnelly says
Great story, Lee, and I enjoyed your evocative Halloween blog post!
Angela Ackerman says
I too love fall and Halloween. I swear, the deep dark ideas just ooze out of me around this time. I guess we all have a bit of a love affair with the darker side of things…
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
nanmarino says
Love this post, Lee, and love your wonderful description of Fall.
salarsenッ says
Wow! C.Lee, I love it. So funny you mentioned Persephone and Demeter. They are both in #4 YA novel that I started a while back but have put away for a bit. Know any good tidbits about them??
Great post!
Susan says
Lovely post! "a slight charge in the air" — beautiful way to put it!
C. Lee McKenzie says
Thanks all. This is a deeply important time of year for me.Even though summer warms my soul, this crisp season sends me inside myself to do some serious exploration.
Darby Karchut says
Going to go pick up your story right now! Perfect timing, Lee! (Hope revisions are going okay for you)
Shannon O'Donnell says
I loved th is post. Fall and Halloween time is my favorite of the year. The temps are just right, the trees are gorgeous…I love it! 🙂
DazyDayWriter says
Adam sighed. “My luck. I get a twin and
he’s a ghost.” … great last line to your story, Lee … and I loved how you described the advance of winter … easing its way into our minds via shorter days, colder temps, memories …
It is a contemplative time … I notice it more with age, I think, but nonetheless, it seems the close of autumn is telling us something profound. Another Halloween mystery to ponder, I guess. I hope you are visited by friendly ghosts, only, this weekend! Best, Daisy