The Kings Of Halloween |
The Halloweens of our childhood, bright with the colors of fall, dark with the coming of an early night, cold with winters grip in the air, Warm with anticipation of witches and monsters stirring with nocturnal life, Hazy cool day's laden with the scent of burning leaves, burning fields and the knowledge that there was also something else in the air, something tangible but not quite there, something like Halloween. School days passing by a little quicker, talk of ghosts and what kind of costume you were going to wear and that scary house down the street. And then there were the plans for the School carnival, a spook alley? maybe, a fortune teller? maybe. Day's getting shorter, night falling faster, and the evening programs have that Halloween feel, celebrating the night of the dead and undead, the magical, the frightening, the night of all night's the night of fright's. The day is finally here and we are up early putting on our costumes for school, and as the hours pass quickly and fade into night and our excitement only grows as we children plan our excursion into darkness. And it is time, the sun has gone under the horizon . Red, pink, gold and various
shades of blue streak the sky at sunset and we are ready. we will walk into the
twilight one of thousands of children, looking for candy, dressed as our favorite
creatures, scurrying through the night hearts beating faster. Taking the long walk up to the door of that dark foreboding place and running past the dark shadows between homes looking over your shoulder, hearing the footsteps of the unseen, the smell of burning wax and pumpkins, leaves crunching beneath your feet. Looking to scare and be scared. Passing by others just like you.The magical night is here. We are grown up now, but the magic of Halloween remains. The smells, sights and sounds they are all here. We watch our children perform the same rituals we used to and we remember. We remember the delicious feel and taste of fright as we waited for the sun to set. But, for the Kings of Halloween, the magic continues and with their magic we are
once again taken to the place where dreams, imagination, fear and wonder take flight.
Once again I am a child going out into the night looking for the ghosts
that have always been and always will be, waiting....in the darkness....for me. The spook alley is now grown up too and a wonderful old building is transformed into
a dark eerie place where the monsters of my childhood live. And as night falls,
howling and screaming they are ready for us, waiting in the shadows to scare us. Heart's quickens as we walk into the world The Kings of Halloween have made. Erie music and sounds reach my ears as I join others who like me are not ready to leave our childhood behind. The panicked screams of those who entered before me reach my ears and my imagination. What waits for us within those walls, what monsters walk the hallways looking for
the living. What will they do when they see me and what will I do when I see them?
We are about to enter into the world of our childhood dreams and walk among
the specters of the night the specters of Halloween. And I am ready. A ghoul greets us at the top of the stairs and as I look into the face of this hideous monster, this wonderfully made up incredible creature of the night I realize what awaits me in the corridors and rooms. My vision of Halloween has just been given life. As We leave the parking lot I am happy and my adrenaline is still pumping. I owe a debt of thanks to these Kings of Halloween, these saviors of the night. Many childhood memories are too quickly lost, but not this one, it has been restored and taken to new heights and I will always be able to have my night of night's... my night of frights... My Halloween |
by Merry J. Barrentine copyright 2003 MJB |