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STORYTIME TAPESTRY

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

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Halloween Contest

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Nov 1, 2005

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Today??™s Announcements.

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The Halloween stories will continue until the queue is empty.?  It looks like there are still 3 days worth maybe two.?  I hope you enjoy the contest submissions and I will be sending details on how to vote shortly.

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The membership will vote according to their favourite writer.?  Each day the entries of what has been published to date will be posted at the beginning of the newsletter and the list will grow daily as the submissions increase.?  Voting will be held after the contest ends.?  The contest ends when there are no more submissions.? 

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All members can access the archives of Storytime Tapestry

http://archives.zinester.com/98907

to reread an entry before voting if need be.?  If you have any problems please contact me at: winterose@videotron.ca

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Contest winner will get a copy of my new book, Angels Watching Over Me upon release.

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Now on to the good stuff..........

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Submissions for the contest to date: If you do not see your name here, it means you piece has not been published yet. Each day new names are adding as the pieces are published.

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Name? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Title? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  ? ?  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Date

Sharon Bryant? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Halloween Cupcakes? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  ? ? ? ? ?  ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 25

Sharon Bryant? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Pay Attention To Your Dreams? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 25

Sharon Bryant? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Coke Glass?  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 25

Sharon Bryant? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Fire Wall? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 25

Sharif Khan? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Witch Doctor? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 26

Barbara Deming? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  A Stranger At the Foot of My Bed ?  Oct 27

Barbara Deming? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Houses Of The Living Dead ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 27

Barbara Deming? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Cemetery March ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 27

Debra Shiveley? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Haunted House? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 27

Pam Patterson? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Trapped? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 28

Mary-Ellen Grisham? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Heavenly side of Ghost-ly? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 28

Lynne Stevenson? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Aurora Borealis ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 28

Lynne Stevenson? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Halloween In Gastonia? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 28

Surinder Jandu? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Journey of Soul? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 29

Surinder Jandu? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Power of Prayer? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 29

Martha Jette? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Michele Grew Up With Spirit ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 29

Martha Jette? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Haunted Pub? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 29

Norma Liles? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Who Celebrates Halloween? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 29

Barbara Weymouth? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Lost Horizons on

Fred Skill? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  My Best Halloween Costume? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 30

Richard Sims? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Real Story Of Halloween? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 30

Dianna Doles Petry? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  It??™s Halloween? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 30

Norma Liles? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Who is the Hoot? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 30

Norma Liles? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Haunting? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 30

Kathy Baker? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Halloween Havoc? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 31

B.J. Cassady? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  What Lurks Below? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 31

Debra Shiveley? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Cigar Box? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 31

Richard Sims? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  A Super Scary Halloween Story? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 31

Jennifer Ragan? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  The Bewitching Mist? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Oct 31

Dianna Doles Petry? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Halloween? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Nov 1

Kathe Campbell? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  An All Hallow??™s Eve Saga? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Nov 1

Vance Agee? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  My Ghost Friends? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Nov 1

Sharon Bryant? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  You??™ve Got A Package? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Nov 1

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Halloween Contest Submissions

Halloween

Dianna Doles Petry

Little ghosts and goblins? are on? display in my front yard along with a Freddy Krueger scarecrow. Make believe tombstones cut from plyboard and painted a drab gray color are easily seen through the chain link fence. My son lights three Jack-O-Lanterns each evening just as dusk approaches and as I look out at the Halloween fright scene he has created I am? carried back to my childhood.

We never had fancy store bought Halloween costumes when I was growing up. There would always be a lot of ghosts that were fabricated from bed sheets and hobos that were created out of old suits that fathers out grew or had worn out from use. Our faces were decorated with mother??™s make up and we were really lucky if there was an old wig to be found! Witches were popular too; all black dresses or skirts did the job with hats made from cardboard and aluminum foil. Carrying our mother??™s old broom got tiring once the bag started to fill with candy but it completed the costume so we carried it along as we went door to door feeling as though no one could possibly know who we really were. I don't think it ever crossed our minds that the elderly people who seemed to be totally at a loss for our identity could see our mothers standing there on the street waiting for us as we collected our goodies.

We never worried about needles or drugs in our candy? in those days.? Our biggest concern was getting a bellyache from overeating the? candied apples, cupcakes, popcorn balls and candy? as we collected it. There would always be at least one person in the neighborhood that would bake homemade cupcakes for the children or? have popcorn balls to give out. Those weren??™t things you could just dump into a bag so it was either eat it then or politely dispose of it once you were out of that person's sight.

One year an elderly lady made cupcakes and they were as hard as stones. The morning after Halloween there was a huge pile of the cupcakes on the corner of her street! Every child had taken a nibble and as soon as they were out of her sight, dumped the cupcake! We didn??™t think about hurting anyone with eggs or stones but we did pull some practical jokes!

I will never forget the priest at the local church. Every year he would sit a huge empty bowl outside on his porch. Beside? of the bowl? was a handwritten note that read, "Please take only one piece."

This was his way of getting out of buying any candy and laying a guilt trip on all of us at the same time. The first couple of Halloween's that we all found an empty bowl, we assumed that someone had simply emptied the bowl into their bag. As a few of the boys got older, they decided to watch from the bushes across from the parsonage and see who was? so brave that they would brazenly walk onto the priest's porch and take? all of the candy. They discovered that the bowl was never filled with candy. The priest placed the bowl there empty to begin with. Revenge was planned to make up for all the times they felt we had been ripped off!

The evening went along as usual until it was time for the little ghosts and goblins to leave the streets.The priest drove a lime green Volkswagen, the old kind that we called beetle bugs. It was always parked outside; the garage was far to crowded to allow for the car, so it became the target of the boys??™ revenge.

I had imagined that they were going to soap up all the windows, the typical punishment for people that didn??™t have candy to pass out, but I was wrong. We stealthily walked up the driveway, two of us being lookouts, while the boys prepared the deed. To my surprise, they formed a line on one side of the car and stooped down beside of it.? The next thing I knew the car was on its side and they took off running! One of them grabbed my hand as he whisked by me and my friend, Cheryl, stood there until someone pushed her along. It all happened really fast and I could see the lights coming on inside as I looked back while we ran! I knew that if my father found out that I had been there my hinny would never be the same again!

There was also the time that we rolled a house in toilet paper. A grouchy old woman lived there and she was always calling parents to say that someone threw a rock, or someone stole some of her apples off the ground, or someone looked at her funny! It was her belief that children made it rain, that we created the plague, and that we should all be placed on an island somewhere in the Pacific away from adults!

About two weeks before Halloween that year, she had called the school and complained that children were walking through her yard on the way home for lunch. That meant, of course, that our privilege of going home for lunch was stopped.? The school? became a closed campus. There were eight of us that night and each of us had taken two rolls of tissue each from our homes. We waited until not a light was on in the whole community and we took spots around the little old house? as we? started to toss the tissue to each other letting it fall just where ever it wanted to fall.

Before long, the trees, the porch and all the plants were covered in paper! The next morning she called every parent? in the community? to make the kids clean up the mess. Surprisingly, the parents stuck together this time and to hear them tell it, we were all home and sleeping soundly when the trick or treating ended. We got scolded behind closed doors, but she never knew!

I will once again turn our front porch into a? miniature haunted house complete? with bats hanging from the awning, ghosts flying in the breeze and carved Jack-O-Lanterns strategically placed for effect. We already have the scarecrow in the yard so? a Frankenstein on the hill beside the house might just add the perfect touch.

I will buy candy corn and lots of lollipops and candy bars to bestow on the local children. My son and my nephew? have put together? realistic costumes that I could never throw together at the last minute. Little children will cry at the scary faces they see for the first time while? the older ones will find something mischievous to do. The rest of the children will be content just to collect candy that will fill their sweet tooth for weeks to come. As for me, I will allow myself to get lost in times long gone and hope that I have created some memories for my own family that they will laugh at years from now when something triggers the thought of Halloweens past.

Now where did I put that darn stuffed turkey and cornucopia? I have an idea??¦maybe the black cat could jump out of the horn and the turkey could appear to be stuck in the pumpkin!

Dianna Doles Petry

Dianna59@charter.net

7/20/2005

Proud founder of:
Women With A Unique Soul
www.womenwithauniquesoul.com
Webmaster of Short Stories
http://diannapetry.tripod.com
Webmaster of Poetry From Life
http://www.geocities.com/diannawv/
Poems By Dianna
http://members.tripod.com/~poemsbydianna/PoetryofLife.html

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~**~**~

AN ALL HALLOWS'?  EVE SAGA

by Kathe Campbell

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"What can I do for you kids?"? queried Mr.? Diller,? a local? undertaker.

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"Well, Uncle Dave, we were wondering if you might have a spare casket or coffin on hand."? ? 

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"Is this for some Halloween party - what's the deal?"? ? Danny's uncle? suspiciously inquired.

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"Well, yes,"? chimed in? Sue.? ? "We are from the Coed Explorers sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church.?  Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are our leaders, and? they're going to love our idea. They're having the party at their home."

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"Yes, yes, I know Ken Campbell well, we belong to Kiwanis together," mentioned Mr. Diller offhandedly as he? rocked back and forth on? noisy patent leathers.?  With hands folded behind his? dreary black suit, a slight grin emerged in place of his? usual? bleak moniker.? ? It? seemed so? hard to imagine? this man? as one of the boys out on the golf course in shorts and golf shoes.?  ? ? ? 

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"And just what did you intend to do with an old wooden coffin?"? 

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"Rusty and Joan are real good artists.?  They? want to paint the coffin black and then design the? lid with a fancy cross,"? cried out an excited Dawn.? ? "And? my mother offered some black silky material for the lining - it'll be so cool!"? 

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"Now just assuming, mind you, that you'll? be placing a? deceased replica inside the coffin, I don't see why not," offered? the undertaker? beneath yet another? half grin.? ? ? 

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"Well . . . yeah . . . ," countered Tim, "That is unless you have? the real thing? we? might use for the evening!"

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Trying to contain? gales of muffled snickers, the little senior class entourage followed? along into the very bowels of the old? mortuary? stealing? quick peeks into? rooms? evoking future? nightmares.?  Was old Diller going to really furnish a real corpse?? 

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"OK kids,? follow me.? ?  We keep plain wooden coffins here for the indigent, those who have no families, you understand, I'm sure,"? explained Digger Diller, as he is known affectionately around town.? 

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Shivers and icy fingers? clutched at one another as the girls crept? warily down the old wooden staircase into the cold? and musty? tomb-like cellar.?  A faint? whiff of formaldehyde was in the air as Diller snapped on a single hanging bulb and pointed out a? pile of? European style coffins.? ? Suddenly,? spine-chilling thoughts, conjured up in jest, had turned into? almost more than they? were ready to deal with.? ? ? 

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The black silky lining was cut and hemmed in the Campbell family room while others scouted out old pillows.?  It seemed the least they could do? to? comfort the? departed on his? formidable tour of? the city. ? Against a black background, thin streams of? glossy red paint? slid slowly off the ornate gilded cross, coagulating in small droplets atop the lid.?  Pure exhilaration filled the? little makeshift? mortuary? as? the area above the cross was engraved with elegant gothic script,? R. I. P.? ? ? At the expense of? one father's black suit and another's workbench, six large fancy? brass handles were screwed into? the? foreboding treasure,? and? it was done.? 

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Halloween landed on a Saturday night,? ideal for what our? ghoulish? pranksters had in mind.? ? After the boys dressed the? body,? the? girls? applied ghostly greenish-white makeup over the face, ears, and hands.? ? While the? black hair was sprayed and flattened against the skull, makeup? artists? applied grisly? images upon the hideous face and claw-like fingernails.? ? 

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Traveling into uptown Butte was at hand.?  The gang of macabre? hooligans decided on? the long block of taverns and bars on? 

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As the? big double doors were opened, the little funeral procession? entered to the laughter and drone of voices . . .? and then abrupt silence.? ? Suddenly the? place came alive with hoots and hollers as patrons tried their best to? unnerve the? group? as they? moved towards the bandstand.? ? As predicted,? an old fellow teetering on his bar stool, asked what was in the coffin.?  Just as? a small dance band? struck up? a version of Hitchcock's theme, the coffin was set on the? stage apron and gently opened.? 

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Out flew 6'3"Jack? Lawson in all his theatrical glory, his black cape fluttering and swishing about as he bounded clumsily? through the rooms of? guzzlers and card players.?  The lady patrons shrieked, while the men could barely contain their? hilarity.?  The? cadaver's gruesome deep? howls and hysterical? wails? exposed? bloody jagged teeth just as the pallbearers subdued their monster.? ? 

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All Hallows' Eve? had gone off without a hitch at five more bars? hosting? bloodcurdling screams and shocking good fun.?  Well, maybe just one little hitch.?  At closer glance,? the corpse? was? found performing in? his basketball sneakers.?  The newspaper and TV stations arrived for the story of a bunch of 18 year olds (Mt. legal age then)? enjoying a fright night like? Butte had? rarely seen.?  Our costume party for teens and families was a howling success? while Jack took kudos? for? his starring role.? 

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Danny Diller has taken up where? Uncle Dave? left off, running the funeral parlor in customary Diller antiquated fashion.?  And when old? Digger Diller? ambles along in front of the courthouse, now and then he stops to shake hands with Jack.?  Yes, District Court Judge Jack Lawson, and actor extraordinaire.? 

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?© - 2005

bigskyadj@in-tch.com

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Kathe? lives on a 7000 foot? western Montana mountain? where? she? and her husband have? raised national champion spotted asses.?  Three grown children, 11 grandchildren, and two greats round out the herd.?  Kathe has contributed to? newspapers and national magazines on Alzheimer's disease, and her? stories are found on many e-zines.?  She is currently featured in Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul,?  Chicken Soup? to Inspire? the Body and Soul, People Who? Make a Difference, various anthologies, magazines and medical journals.

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~**~**~

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My Ghost Friends? 
A Hallowe??™en Story? ? ? ? ? 

Most ???Hallowe??™en??? (the correct spelling) stories are supposed to be?  ???scary???.?  Since I believe in God and go no place without my Guardian Angel, there are many things which I respect, but few of which I am?  afraid, since I know from experience an angel??™s immense protective?  power.? ? ?  Still, being scared can, for some unknown reason to me, be fun for most of us, as long as it is not from some serious danger.?  Thus, I submit my little story for anyone who would like to be scared!?  It is a true story.?  By the way, next to Christmas, Hallowe??™en has always been my favorite special day.? ? ? 

About 1998-99, I was President of my local Rotary Club.?  Each week, as ???evening??? clubs do, we met for dinner and business, generally with invited guests and a good program.?  After a change of restaurants, we found a great one in historic Lewiston, NY. I??™d rather not give out the name, since it has changed ownership, but for many?  years it was known as the ???Bloody Bucket???, first built around 1850. This place had seen decades of Niagara Frontier violence; hence, that?  name!? ? ? 

The waitresses told us right away that the restaurant was ???haunted????  by five ghosts, all of whom they had actually seen at some time and with whom they even talked!?  One was in the kitchen area, where an old wall was actually about five walls built over one another.?  One roamed the beautiful balcony outside.?  Another was a young lady or girl, who just sat on the staircase, located directly across from the entrance, and?  waited for her fiance?¬ to arrive.?  But he never would arrive, since he?  had been killed on his way to her.?  I did not get all the stories, but the staff had, I believe, an old painting of one ghost.

One night, as we who go everywhere early arrived, the staff?  explained that one ghost was in a ???bad mood???. OK. All of us early arrivers were well inside and far from the veranda or the door or the front hallway. There was no one on the balcony, no one just then parking, and not one person not inside near the rest of us.?  Well, no one except ......

? Suddenly we were jolted by a loud crash!?  An old, huge wooden?  china cupboard had ???fallen??? over flat onto the floor in the entrance?  way, along with the newer coat rack!?  We hurried to investigate.?  No?  living human was anywhere inside or outside near the scene!?  It took?  two of us men to place the cupboard back upright.?  Since it had fallen?  flat onto carpet, few, if any, china pieces had been damaged.? ? 

However, at that moment I became angry with the ghosts.?  ???If you do?  anything like this again, I will bring in an exorcist to send you on your?  way to a place from which you will never return??? was my threat.?  I actually spoke this, but when the other men were out of sight.?  Later, I discovered that an old lamp had been pushed over in my cellar at home.?  Although the globe had been broken, I had another to replace it; there was not real loss.?  Our dog at the time was a small breed and could never have pushed or pulled that lamp over.?  This was?  a sign, and I thought about it.?  I knew what I had done wrong.? ? ? 

Please just imagine with me what it could be like, if ghosts are not?  ???evil spirits??? (or other phenomena) but the souls of dead humans who?  have not let go of this world and are trapped in a dark land between two ???worlds???!?  I thought and could not fathom the feelings that such lost and trapped souls might have!?  Now I felt guilty about my threat.? ?  It is written in Scripture that Jesus Christ, after His crucifixion, went down to free those trapped in Sheol, in the darkness below.?  For us who choose Him now, there need be no fear; upon leaving this life, we?  will join Him, just as the thief on the cross next to Him. Although I could give other explanations of the phenomenon of the fallen cabinet and our apparent ghosts, I chose then to accept that they were lost and trapped humans, trapped by some desire or force beyond their own powers.?  That girl would continue to wait for her fiance?¬e for all time.? ? ? 

On the next meeting evening, I went even earlier.?  I stood alone at the foot of the staircase, looked up, and said: ???Guys, I am sorry for what I said.?  I love you guys!????  Love.? ? ?  At that instant there was not the expected cold feeling, about which I have read.?  Instead a feeling of warmth spread over me!?  As long as we ate there, I always greeted whomever was in the front entrance way. (When no one else was around!)? ? ?  During the years, I prayed for ???my ghosts???, but I have never taken a real man of God back with me to free them.?  May God have mercy? on them and free them from their bondage!? ?  That is my ???ghost story???.

By Vance Agee
Written about 2000, long before TV shows began to portray trapped souls.

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Vance G. Agee

vgagee @adelphia.net
About Me:

I was born in Buffalo, New York, a few decades ago. I was a lonely only child.
However, my mom read to me: the KJV Bible cover to cover, Pilgrim's Progress, and
numerous books. Between four and eight years old, I lived at

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~**~**~

YOU'VE GOT A PACKAGE

? Sharon Bryant

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Harold was what you would call a "trouble boy" when young.?  His parents constantly had someone knocking on their door telling them that Harold had stepped all over their petunias, Harold had thrown rocks at their dogs, Harold had broken a window in their house.

Harold spent many days in his room for punishment for the bad things he had done.

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Harold didn't have many friends as he was growing up.?  Other parents didn't want their children hanging around with a kid who acted as? he did.

The no friends, followed Harold into high school.?  Not a bad looking boy with his blond hair and blue eyes, tall build, but he still had a mean streak in him.

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Harold did get good grades.?  That surprised a lot of kids who taunted him for his behavior in classes and how he always seemed to be a loner.?  He never dated while in high school, yet graduated with honors.

He took a civil service exam just days after graduation and passed and got a job in his local post office as a substitute.

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Living in the small town that Harold did, you become to know many of the residents who came to buy money orders, send off packages, buy stamps, etc.?  Some of the people Harold liked, some he didn't.?  One woman in particular, Mrs. Snodgrass,? always got on his nerves.?  She was always in a bad mood, always in a hurry and she always snapped at Harold when he went to wait on her.

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Halloween was approaching and Harold thought if he could scare someone, who would it be, and how??  Bingo!?  He knew.?  Mrs. Snodgrass.?  He wanted to get even with her for all the days she came into the post office and gave him a hard time.?  He lay in bed that night thinking of how he could get her and get her good.

An idea came to him.?  He was sure he could pull it off.?  Harold left his house that night and returned an hour later with a box in his hands, which he taped shut.

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Harold arrived early at the post office.?  He had a good hour and a half to get all the mail in the mailbox slots before the public came in to check their boxes.?  Mrs. Snodgrass had mail that day.?  Quite a bit.

As Harold was putting the mail into the Snodgrass box, he carefully opened the box he had brought to work with him.

He eased the contents into the mail slot and taped the back open side facing the inner post office area.?  He didn't want what was in the box to get out of the mail slot.?  He only wanted Mrs. Snodgrass to see it.?  He KNEW it was going to scare her half to death.

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Right after noon, Mrs. Snodgrass walked into the post office.?  She went inside the lobby area to find two people standing in front of her.?  The first one was getting money orders, and the second woman had a package to mail off.?  As always, Mrs. Snodgrass became impatient.?  "Can't you move any faster Harold, I'm in a hurry," she said.?  Harold looked at her and smiled.?  Soon the first lady was finished with her money orders and the lady in from of Mrs. Snodgrass stepped up to get her package weighed.?  "Harold, step on it, I don't have all day," said Mrs. Snodgrass.?  The lady getting waited on turned to look at the complainer, then turned back to Harold and rolled her eyes.

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Then it was Mrs. Snodgrass's turn to get waited on.?  "I need three money orders and you better snap to it, Harold."?  Harold just smiled at her as she blurted out the three figures she needed the money orders for.

"I hope you put something better than bills in my box today, Harold," she said.?  Harold smiled and said, "I think there's a small package for you today."?  "For me??  Who sent me a package?" she asked.

"I don't recall the name or where it came from," said Harold, "but it's in your mailbox."

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He watched as Mrs. Snodgrass passed through the glass door into the area where the post office boxes were.

Harold began postmarking mail that customers had given him at the counter.

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He heard the key turn in Mrs. Snodgrass's mailbox.?  He waited.?  He heard her as she began pulling out magazines.?  "Hey Harold, yelled, Mrs. Snodgrass, "I don't see any package in here." she stated.

"It's in there," yelled Harold.

At that moment she screamed.?  A blood curdling scream.

The snake struck again.?  It struck Mrs. Snodgrass in her hand, her wrist, and her arm.?  She fell back, eyes bulging out of her head, screaming at the top of her lungs, "SNAKE!?  SNAKE!"

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She fell to the tile floor writhing in pain.?  Instantly, her arm and hand began to turn blue and swell. ?  Harold peeked through the back side of the still open mailbox and he could see Mrs. Snodgrass writhing on the floor.?  "Good for her, the old bat.?  She deserves it," said Harold to himself.

Another customer entered the post office, saw Mrs. Snodgrass lying still on the floor, and ran into the lobby to tell Harold that someone was on the floor.?  Harold knew he had to get the snake out of the box before someone else saw it.?  He grabbed the box he had brought the snake to the post office in, and with a yardstick got it back into the box, snapped the lid on it, taped it and hid it in the back room among the mailing boxes.?  He would get rid of it when he got off work.

Harold then picked up the phone and dialed 911 telling the person on the other end of the phone that someone had passed out inside the post office.

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Mrs. Snodgrass died that day from the rattlesnake bites.?  No one ever figured out how or when or where Mrs. Snodgrass was bit.

But now, daily, when I open my mailbox door, I always look before I reach my hand inside the box.?  You never know when you may find someone like Harold standing behind the counter? as Halloween nears.

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Sharon Bryant

1946@bellsouth.net

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Writers Feedback

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Thank you so much, Carol.... you have opened up a way for many, many
people to "find themselves".? ?  I'm sure it is a part of your psychology
training that makes your message so easy to understand and apply but few
people would be willing to open up like that.?  I always look forward to
the days when the subject says "Special Treat - From Me!"?  Thanks and
blessings to you, Joanne in FL

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Carol,

? ? ?  This was a glorious story.?  I am so happy to see that your heart is singing now and that you are sharing your love, joy, and wisdom with so many.?  Wishing you every joy, Joe

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My Hearts Song - Beautiful Carol.

Sharon

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Carol, "The Fire in My Belly" aptly describes all a writer has to give.?  An inspiring piece and I like the last line?  "the end result is perfect bliss."?  I had a piece published in a magazine this month.?  I went to my letterbox and found a letter from a Priest who had read it.?  He thanked me for writing it and described the memories it had evoked and how he had been so deeply touched.?  I felt tears in my eyes, that was my bliss.?  Thanks Carol,? blessings? Gabrielle.?