Friday the 13th.
(Saturday, October 14, 2006)
Last night, I took a walk to the market on the corner for some odds and ends. It was Friday the 13th, and as I crossed the alley I saw a cat scamper across the street onto the other side. I delighted in this, and as I headed down the street, crisp leaves fluttering in whirlwinds upon the breeze, the evening hovering at that near-dark, not night, but not still dusk, I was exquisitely at peace. I ducked beneath the evergreen boughs that hang over the neighbor's fence, and my mind got to churning, thinking about myths and age-old stories.
I'm currently taking a class that examines the myths and history that grew into the tales of vampires, and eventually, into the novel of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Being so chin-deep in Gothic literature and tracing such an intriguing trend through different tales, novels, and movies, has been so enlightening. When one thinks vampire, one usually thinks... silly, rather than creepy. But we learn of the vampire so based on myth and history, that for the hour of class, we begin to believe that perhaps vampires really do exist... and it has made this Halloween season all the more enjoyable for me.
This time of year always makes me feel like a child. I enjoy so many things simplistic -- going to fall festivals and weaving my way through corn mazes, drinking hot cocoa, raking leaves, dressing up, and carving pumpkins. My favorite, though, is Halloween night, pulling the couch up to the TV and watching scary movies while waiting for the trick or treaters. What is your favorite time or memory from this season?
© Megan K. 2006-2007
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my fav memories have always been the bagful of chocos and different goodies i take home every holloween night. delicious !
My favorite memories of this time of year are: burning leaves (when that was still done), hayrides and bobbing for apples in a country schoolhouse (really). I sound like a "Little House On The Prairie" character, but growing up in a small town in Iowa will do that.
Apropos of the Gothic studies (done some myself), did you read "Three Gothic Tales?" I really like that book. I used to own it but it seems to have walked away. I don't recall who wrote it but I still graphically remember the stories.
okay, meg. come back now. :)
you okay?