The Good Deed (a Halloween story)
The Halloween Tree (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Halloween night I would advise you to be wary of strangers. In the movies a stranger always turns out to be crazy. But what about your best friend? Can you trust him?
The Good Deed
The branches of the trees reach out like long grasping fingers trying to pluck out my heart. The trees play games on Halloween but I ignore their sick antics. I love lying here under the trees, planning good deeds, and watching rescue teams try desperately to save someone.
There is more than tree branches to fear. There’s the river. Its cold dark waters keep calling me and inviting me to swim. But I suppose the river lures many people down its banks to take a quick dip. I’m too smart to fall for the river’s tricks. The current could drag someone down very quickly while he was struggling and gasping for breath. I can imagine it so clearly.
My friend always walks along here at night….about this time, too! How can he stand it? It’s so quiet. It’s even spookier when the clouds hide the moon’s face.
He always said that he wanted to die while he was happy. He wanted to go quickly, too, not a slow agonizing death. He told me today (when he said he was going to get married) that he was happier now than he’s ever been before. That’s why I picked tonight.
He did me a favor once. He shoved me out of the way of a speeding car. I never saw it coming, but he did! I was so proud he was my friend. Not many people would risk their lives for someone else. He was in the hospital for eight months. That’s the reason I’m doing him this favor.
I can hear his voice and he’s not alone. He’s with his fiancé and they’re talking about how they want to be together for the rest of their lives. She said it would be romantic if they died together.
I guess I can do that. I’ll change my plans to include her. They’re lost in love. They don’t even see me.
I’ll have the element of surprise. One quick shove and they’ll be in.
Now!
She went under fast. O, there she is again. He’s trying to save her. He’s calling for help. I can’t let him ruin things. I’ll help him go under. He’s a real friend. It’s worth it. The water’s cold!
He fought harder than I thought he would. I almost drowned. Next year my good deed will have to be better planned. I don’t want something to go wrong.
Related articles
- No ‘fake’ good deed goes unpunished – Paul Ryan’s charity begins at photo ops (irishcentral.com)
- Welcome to The Good Deed Bank! (gooddeedbank.wordpress.com)
- One Good Deed a Day…. (sacredpearls.wordpress.com)
- A Million Good Deeds And We’d Still Be In The Hole! (keltonburgpreacher.wordpress.com)
Your Pets Know
English: There Cap’n Goldsack goes, creeping, creeping, creeping, Looking for his reasure down below!: illustration of a pirate ghost. This was originally published in Sharp, William (July 1902). “Cap’n Goldsack”. Harper’s Magazine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Your Pets Know
When you’re alone or scared at night and feeling very tense,
Who knows what dogs hear, and who knows what they sense,
A dog might snarl and show her teeth while staring at a wall,
Someone might have entered the room, yet you see nothing at all,
When the silence gets too loud, during the time that you fear most,
You’ll wish you had a dog around, to warn you of the ghosts,
A faint smell of decaying flesh or a chill running up your spine,
Is enough to put your teeth on edge, but when the dog starts to whine,
A powerful force is in the room, sharing your time and space,
Your dog will remain beside you, as the ghost meets you face to face.
A cat, on the other hand, might hiss and arch his back,
A cat knows whether friend or foe, and if the ghost will attack,
Should the cat stretch and purr, as if stroked by a ghostly hand,
There’s a gentle soul in the room, who hopes you understand,
If either the dog or the cat runs, terror evident in their eyes,
Then it might not be a simple ghost, but the devil in disguise,
Pull the covers over your head, should you be scared at night,
And if you want a chance to flee, keep your pets in sight.
Related articles
- Casper & Ghost Treats (adashofcinema.com)
- Ghosting (mousebert.wordpress.com)
- Dave the Ghost (wellheregoes.wordpress.com)
- Ghost hunting in Oxford (verado.wordpress.com)
- Ghost Pen (education.com)
Jack of the Lanterns
Image via Wikipedia
Jack of the Lanterns
It was a day like the others,
But the sea was at rest,
The crew was getting restless,
Including Lady Pen in the nest,
It seemed days since we had rum,
“Captain Jack,” said I so bold,
“I can almost hear a distant drum,
Someplace where there’s lots of gold,”
“Aye,” he muttered, “we need to find,
Something to do to distract their minds,”
“Captain, if I may humbly suggest,
Bring Lady Pen down from the nest,
I heard her talking to one of the crew,
She had some ideas on what to do,”
Now Jack don’t take to ideas quick,
But he knew Pen’s ideas would be slick,
He grabbed one of the men by the arm,
“Tell Pen to see me, but no need for alarm,”
She looked a bit worried, timid she be,
As she climbed down she glared at me,
“Did this tar say something, he’s worthless you see,”
She smiled provocatively at Jack, and batted her eyes,
“I’m ready for duty, you can count on me,”
“Lady Pen, I need some ideas to stir up this crew,
I need them fast, I feel trouble starting to brew,”
“Captain,” she said with a twinkle in her eye,
“I’ve been thinking while up in the sky,
If our flag was different than any other ship,
You’d become famous, Edward Teach would flip,”
And I have ideas about decorating and such,
The world would love us and it wouldn’t cost much,”
“Ah, Lady Pen,” said Jack with a twinkle in his eye,
“You’ve turned out to be a special kind of guy,”
With scissors and thread she started the flag,
With bits of clothing, curtains, and rags,
She’d requested some gourds when we found land,
Gave no explanation that the Captain could understand,
She toiled without stopping until she was done,
“Captain,” she said, “Now, let’s have some fun,”
The Jolly Roger came down, a pumpkin flag was raised,
The crew was perplexed and partially dazed,
The gourds were carved with precision and care,
All had smiles, but an evil stare,
“These gourds will be lanterns to guide us at night,
And the evil faces will give others a fright,”
Candles were lit and placed in each gourd,
“I’ll reward you handsomely,” said Jack, “you have my word,”
The ships demeanor changed, it was eerily strange,
Ships surrendered before we got into range,
As we boarded ships that we found,
Jack would call out, “Put your arms down,”
“Give us your gold and something to eat,
And no tricks we’ll play as we take our treats,”
It wasn’t long before the word spread,
That a great pirate ship was one to dread,
It was filled with spirits with evil grins,
It never loses and always wins,
Captain Kidd, Teach, and others heard of its fame,
And Pen was selected to give it a permanent name,
“Jack’s lanterns, to her just made sense,
And jack o’lanterns have been called that hence,
Even now should you on the open sea be cast,
And a pumpkin flag is flying near the mast,
Look closely at the Lady dressed prim and neat,
Her eyes will be glowing as you close in to greet,
And beside her will be a captain, Jack be his name,
Take them seriously when they say, “Trick or Treat!”
Many a ship has been plundered out at sea,
I wouldn’t want that to happen to you or me,
When jack o’lanterns be smiling with an evil grin,
Be aware of the danger you could be in,
Should you be courteous especially to Pen,
Their hospitality is fabulous for all their friends.
A Spooky Spectacle
Image via Wikipedia
A haunted house
was advertised in the paper,
Teenagers
playing a misguided prank,
The ad was
pulled too late, the damage done,
The list of
the curious never shrank,
The
dilapidated two story worn out manse,
Proudly
stood in spite of the local shame,
Its history
linked with the rich and famous,
The mansion
had only them to blame,
Years had
left it collapsing in the middle,
A perfect
haunt made for the night,
Stairs creaked, screams trapped in the walls,
All the
windows and doors sealed tight,
Reminiscent
of popular ballroom affairs,
People were lined
up and waiting their turn,
Anxious to
see the scariest house around,
One that frightened
and made stomachs churn,
Cars filled
a field and lined the road,
Halloween
evening and monsters weren’t out,
Little
ghouls, big ghosts, gracious hosts,
Hidden with sounds to make, shrieks or shouts,
Blood thirsty
tales of murder would draw visitors in,
Those who
wanted to be scared came to this place,
Stories were
told about a missing man,
Who roamed
the halls without a face,
Fear that
was expected didn’t last,
Messages everywhere,
claims of death scrawls,
Evidences of
rudeness from the past,
Urine and
blood had been splashed on the walls,
A cemetery lay
stationed off to one side,
Rectangular plots
still open and ready to fill,
It was eerie
since a shed with its door open,
Stood
waiting just a few steps up the hill,
The manse was
a spectacle that I knew quite well,
I lived a
few houses down on the same street,
And I
believed the mansion sat at the edge of hell,
This was not
a place to go Trick or Treat,
There were
no tour guides, the routes were crude,
Invisible
witches with their friends the bats,
Swooped low
to scare the intruders,
Who were
avoiding the black cats,
Chaos and
confusion reigned through the night,
As uninvited
guests tromped into each room,
Often visitors
were disappointed by unbidden sight,
Not
realizing this house was a house of doom,
The druggie
in the corner, the starving child,
The wolfman
on meth who menacing and wild,
The monster
with chainsaw who chased at will,
Too old to
catch anyone, too old to kill,
Yet even
with evil residing in the house,
No one was
injured, not even a mouse,
Gargoyles
sat at the corners of the yard,
Protecting
children and staying on guard,
Other forces
stood ready to do their part,
To keep all
folks safe, especially the heart,
Though it
might be weird to keep folks from harm,
To the unprotected
the forces would swarm,
For
Halloween is more than tricks or fear,
It’s more about
fun, the message is clear,
Should you
have scary neighbors next door,
Be wary of
where and how you explore,
It’s just
one night, with a year between,
Stay safe
and have fun, this Halloween!
Related articles
- Boo! America’s Spookiest Haunted Houses On Facebook (allfacebook.com)
- A haunted Halloween MMO tour (massively.joystiq.com)
- Halloween! (kelliespeichinger.wordpress.com)
- Its Family Halloween Fun With Disney’s Spooky Buddies! (kymx.radio.com)
- Spooky fun: iOS apps for Halloween (tuaw.com)
Halloween Treats
Image via Wikipedia
Here’s to excited
children searching for sweets,
On Halloween night there are good things to eat,
Lurking in
the dark strange creatures are stirring,
Lethargy
gone, their minds are whirring,
Only the
pranksters will venture the streets,
While the
rest will be home counting their treats,
Every parent
will know if their children are safe,
Each ghoul
and goblin are counted even the waifs,
No monsters
are allowed in their dreams tonight,
The little ones
might want to leave on the light,
Reading
stories after they’ve been tucked in bed,
Each thought
of candy gone from their head,
All parents
will know how they’ve been blessed,
To see eyes
all closed and the children at rest,
Stretching in
their sleep and smiles on each face,
Sweets for
the sweet, at the right time and place.
Related articles
- Halloween Fun! (criadodeverdade.wordpress.com)
- Healthy Halloween Advice for Children with Diabetes (nlm.nih.gov)
- Fresh 5: Halloween Treats (averagebetty.com)
- Dentist plans Halloween candy buyback (upi.com)
- Gross Halloween Candy (thedailymeal.com)
Only a Witch
Image via Wikipedia
She sat
primly on a bar stool,
Alone and waiting
for someone,
That was my
best guess,
Because she
ignored everyone,
Occasionally
she would sigh,
And someone
would buy her a drink,
She would offer
an angelic smile,
Giving the donor a reason to think,
One by one
she rebuffed their efforts,
As each man offered her his best pitch,
Mentally she
was called some names,
But none had
nerve to call her “b—-”,
The men
became bolder as they drank,
While I sat silently
sipping a cold brew,
Comments
flew at her, coarse and rank,
While the
night grew darker and a cold wind blew,
As a rule
when the drinks flow free,
Most women
get prettier as the night wears down,
But when she
was accosted by two on a spree,
Her face
wrinkled up into a giant frown,
Sparks flew
from her once beautiful eyes,
And the
roundness that filled her coal black dress,
Was
forgotten for she was no longer a prize,
Their
apologies they quickly tried to express,
She glared
at them as time stood still,
Then picked
up her hat and wished them well,
Her voice
changed and became high and shrill,
While all
stood frozen and under her spell,
Out the door
she walked and onto the street,
She didn’t call
a taxi, on a broom she flew,
Her voice
was raspy and definitely not discreet,
“When Halloween
is over, I’m coming back for you,”
I’m not sure
if that was clearly meant for me,
But when night
gets darker and a cold wind blows,
The men from
that tavern wait eagerly,
And I sit
patiently dreaming, for who knows?
Her words might
be for me and they might be true,
She was
beautiful so I’ve been practicing my pitch,
Yet I’m
careful to stay sober as I sip just one cold brew,
Because I’m
hoping she turns out to be only a witch.
Related articles
- Spellbinding Halloween Manicures – The Witch Nails Tutorial is Enchantingly Edgy (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
- The Witch from Greyhawk Grognard (greyhawkgrognard.blogspot.com)
- Of witches and scritch owls (beyondthestarsastrology.wordpress.com)
- Witchy Makeup Ideas: The Chronicles of Narnia’s White Witch (bellasugar.com)
- Witchy Makeup Ideas: Teen Witch (bellasugar.com)
Hockey and Halloween
Image by PKMousie via Flickr
Mayhem
(a Halloween tale)
One
Halloween night all creatures were astir,
Ready for
anything gross that might occur,
Blood
curdling screams and fights were about,
In the midst
of the mayhem a hockey game broke out,
From out of
the sky Count Dracula swooped down,
His voice
boomed out and was heard all around,
“I’ll issue
a challenge to any blood thirsty team,
You’re clumsy,
ugly and only good in your dreams,”
The ghouls,
zombies, and the walking dead,
Laced up
their blades and warmed up with Fred,
The Count
secretly had made a great plan,
He’d
gathered the quickest in all the land,
Wolves were
howling to get into the game,
Vampires and
goblins wanted the same,
The Count handpicked his team with cunning and care,
Freddie was
more casual but he continued to stare,
“Count, I
think you’ve got tricks up your sleeve,
Yet we’ll
give you a battle, I do believe,”
“Ah, Mr.
Krueger, there’s more than you think,
Pumpkinhead
will be the referee on this rink,”
With evil
grin the referee took his place,
“Are you
ready now to go face to face?
No sticking,
no slashing, the rules are clear,
If you don’t
play by the rules, you’re outta here!”
Jason, the
goalie, said, “Count, your entrance was slick,
Are you good
enough on ice to pull a hat trick?”
Fights were
frequent and often quite gory,
But there’s
much more to this bedtime story,
Hockey fans
gathered from all over the land,
Until there
was no place to sit or stand,
Blood
curdling screams continued to abound,
For hockey
fans are the most rabid around,
“Tear off
his head,” “The referee stinks,”
“Have any of
you ever been on a rink?”
The penalty
boxes were filled with players galore,
But the fans
kept shouting, “Blood! I want more!”
The game
continues from one year to the next,
If you see a
game starting, send me a text,
For I’ve
heard many screams and seen fights all about,
And I’m
willing to miss mayhem if a hockey game breaks out.
Let the Feasts and Parties Begin!
Image via Wikipedia
Hundreds of
tarantulas had escaped,
Before the
scientist had ventured along,
Was it
possible to recapture them,
Return them to
where they belonged,
The
scientist was engrossed in checking,
The entry on
the daily journal’s last page,
Unaware of bird-eating
tarantulas,
That had
slipped from their cage,
They watched
anxiously with interest,
As they
prepared to fight or flee,
All they
needed was a quiet signal,
From a
leader such as me,
Slowly and
deliberately they circled him,
Preparing to
make their charge,
The
scientist would be a challenge,
Because he
was obese and large,
Their attack
would be swift and deadly,
Venom
injected from their fangs,
Paralyzing
the victim completely,
Leaving webs
for him to hang,
Warned not
to experiment,
Scientists
went ahead just the same,
Radioactive Spiders
on Growth Hormones,
Became the
secret project’s name,
These
scientists were determined,
I warned
them, yes, I did indeed,
But the
project was richly funded,
And my
warnings they would not heed,
Now the
tarantulas have been set free,
I guess I‘m
the one to blame,
I had been
injected with the formula,
One of the
spiders I partly became,
They expect
me to be their leader,
Because both
worlds I know,
I blend well
with human beings,
But the
world of spiders I also know,
Tarantula
eggs will be underground,
Guarded for
eight or nine weeks,
From each
nest a thousand tarantulas will hatch,
Hungry, and
wanting victims to seek,
Eight legs
will be faster than two,
Especially with
hundreds or more,
Digestive enzymes
to liquefy a body,
Then sucked
up until there’s nothing but gore,
Beware the
tarantulas in deep of night,
Those
nocturnal predators on the prowl,
Even the
monsters will be tense that night,
And wolves
will forget to howl,
One isolated
adult or lost child,
Will be
reason for a little snack,
Little kids will be the perfect miniature
size,
While adults
will feed an entire pack,
Stock up on
candies and sweet things,
Eat well and
prepare for that night,
We’ll be
there, scurrying everywhere,
Waiting just
outside the light,
I’ll spin a web
to draw you in,
The
radioactive formula worked on me,
And for one
night you’ll be my queen,
Before I set
you free,
“Trick or
treat!” I’ll shout,
As you stare
at a hideous grin,
You’ll be the
first as I slack my thirst,
“Let the
parties and feasts begin!”
Related articles
- All About Tarantulas (brighthub.com)
- The Tarantulas: Builders from the great Northwest… (motopreserve.wordpress.com)
- That’s not a garden spider it’s a bloody tarantula! (kymlucas.wordpress.com)
- My tarantula jump out of my hand and land on the floor will he die (wiki.answers.com)
- Types Of Spiders (mademan.com)
