Bring out your dead, clang. Bring out your dead, clang. Every time I hear this phrase I hear a bell being rung and I see a filthy man pulling a cart pilled with dead bodies. It sounds scary but it’s actually comedy, thanks Monty Python. Forgetting that it’s comedy, it is the perfect intro for an oh so special day, Los Dias de Muertos-the Day of the Dead, or Halloween for the uninitiated. Ah, what a day, it is almost a dream come true for many; they get to be someone or something else and it doesn’t matter if it’s a super hero or an undead monster.
I was prepared; my jack-o-lantern is complete and placed on the front porch. The first piece of protection is in place, no evil spirits for me thank you; I just like writing about them. Close encounters are not on the want list for that evening; better safe than sorry. I had candy at the ready, an offering to any who come expecting a treat. A few other things I planned to have available: a four leaf clover, garlic, wolfsbane, holy water, salt, iron, brick dust, and a crucifix; just to be safe.
The evening wasn’t so busy with little demons at my door, so I used the night’s mystique to channel a little writing that is more mood appropriate. I hope I will make some early progress on one of my next projects, my book from hell; that is not a working title, just what I refer to it as in case you were wondering. The title will be far more scary and mysterious. I always have a lit candle, useful for scrying the darker regions we seldom go to willingly. That is definitely an interesting aspect to writing horror; it’s not natural to imagine some of the things necessary to actually write it. Our minds don’t want to go there, we instinctively pull back, the flight of our fight or flight nature kicks in; also there is the pressure from society that says you need to be good and the mere action of thinking this way is bad. But that is part of the allure for many; it is their brief moment when they can live on the edge at least vicariously. I will endeavor to make the journey…terrifying.
If you had no plans for Halloween…if you have no costume…if you have none of the traditional wards in place…be warned, you may miss out on life…you may miss out on fun…and you may not be safe as you imagined. I write this now so that next year, and just so you know you have three hundred and sixty-three days left, you will be prepared for the night when the spirits walk freely among the living. Maybe you will just have to worry about a last minute costume or the messy task of carving a simple but absolutely wonderful jack-o-lantern. Whatever type of Halloween you plan to have just remember, there are so many ways to enjoy it, if you understand it. And if you hear the clank of a bell and the classic refrain, Bring out your dead, remember it may be more literal than you thought.
I was prepared; my jack-o-lantern is complete and placed on the front porch. The first piece of protection is in place, no evil spirits for me thank you; I just like writing about them. Close encounters are not on the want list for that evening; better safe than sorry. I had candy at the ready, an offering to any who come expecting a treat. A few other things I planned to have available: a four leaf clover, garlic, wolfsbane, holy water, salt, iron, brick dust, and a crucifix; just to be safe.
The evening wasn’t so busy with little demons at my door, so I used the night’s mystique to channel a little writing that is more mood appropriate. I hope I will make some early progress on one of my next projects, my book from hell; that is not a working title, just what I refer to it as in case you were wondering. The title will be far more scary and mysterious. I always have a lit candle, useful for scrying the darker regions we seldom go to willingly. That is definitely an interesting aspect to writing horror; it’s not natural to imagine some of the things necessary to actually write it. Our minds don’t want to go there, we instinctively pull back, the flight of our fight or flight nature kicks in; also there is the pressure from society that says you need to be good and the mere action of thinking this way is bad. But that is part of the allure for many; it is their brief moment when they can live on the edge at least vicariously. I will endeavor to make the journey…terrifying.
If you had no plans for Halloween…if you have no costume…if you have none of the traditional wards in place…be warned, you may miss out on life…you may miss out on fun…and you may not be safe as you imagined. I write this now so that next year, and just so you know you have three hundred and sixty-three days left, you will be prepared for the night when the spirits walk freely among the living. Maybe you will just have to worry about a last minute costume or the messy task of carving a simple but absolutely wonderful jack-o-lantern. Whatever type of Halloween you plan to have just remember, there are so many ways to enjoy it, if you understand it. And if you hear the clank of a bell and the classic refrain, Bring out your dead, remember it may be more literal than you thought.
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