Original Haunt

I was alone in the house with my younger brother. We were emptying our pillowcases of candy and doing the usual trade offs between Caramels and Tootsie Rolls hoping for a surprise Popeye Cigarettes’ box. An old woman in ragged clothes howling like Regan’s exorcism suddenly appeared at the window. I was utterly terrified. I threw my brother on the back of my bike and raced away like he was E.T.  Turns out, it was my cousin playing a prank. It was the kind of scare that stirred me and still does. An original. Unlike the latest and greatest inflatable. 

Inspired by the Spooky Season and Monday Bloody Monday. Image from from The Adventures of Philip on His Way Through the World by William Makepeace Thackeray.