A Memorable Halloween

October, the month of change when the season has turned from hot to warm, and nights become significantly cooler. It's the month of color when the mountains are covered in colorful quilted blankets and the valleys begin their transformation. School is in session and the activities are in full swing. Even the performers are in full swing rehearsing for the upcoming Christmas performances. Among these also appears almost overnight are the decorations of spider webs, spooks, graveyards, and carved pumpkins. People, adults and children alike, dress up as their favorite characters or monsters and wander around without having to worry about "that look" from others (unless they get too risque, that is). But among those annual traditional activities, non of them stick in my memory as well as one Halloween evening several years ago in the small neighborhood where I grew up.

My neighbors were all friendly, particularly the ones next to us and the ones across the street from us. On this particular Halloween, the two of them came up with the most clever idea that we enjoyed watching throughout the month. A wire was strung up between the two of them. The house across the street was higher, so the wire was set on a downward incline into the other neighbor's backyard. They made a ghost out of  a white sheet and stuffing material--I'm not sure what it was since I never saw it up close--large enough to be easily seen from above. At times throughout the month, we were amused by watching the white ghost fly above our street between the houses. I think the wire got loose at one point so it didn't work for a while, but they had it up and going for Halloween night.

We had a large cardboard box that we got probably from some appliance or furniture delivery. It was so large that my brother took it and made a hut out of it in our front yard with a working door and window. The idea was for the children to come to it for candy instead of going to the front door. I went in there a few times, because I thought it was a fun idea, and the novelty of this new idea made it magical. My sister liked it too, and she sat out there for hours having a lot of fun hiding and cackling.

It's a fun memory to recall. I can imagine to this day standing out there in the cool dark night watching a ghost fly over the street and hearing my sister's cackle ringing through the air. I'm not sure she remembers doing the cackle, but the flying ghost was exceedingly unforgettable.

Turning leaves.