Scary Halloween Stories

 

By now your Jack O' Lanterns have all been carved, or painted, and set on the front steps. Depending upon whether your town trick or treats on Beggar's Night or Halloween night, your kiddies are in their costumes and all ready to go trick or treating. Or if the kids are grown and gone, you're waiting to hand out treats.

At least the weather is cooperating this year and it looks like both nights are going to be pleasant for the little ones and adults alike. 

I've shared my Halloween memories in serveral blog posts over the years, but I haven't written about my memory of hearing my first Halloween story. I had to have been in third grade or beyond because Mrs. Kimball was my teacher. She had a practice of reading aloud to her students each Friday afternoon and once in awhile on other special occasions - like a holiday.

Was I aware of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow before she read it to us? Possibly, but with her ability to read a story that pulled you right into it, I never forgot the story after hearing her read it to us.

I don't remember what book she read from, but she always read the title and the name of the author.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Ichabod Crane was the lanky, superstitious school teacher who had his heart set on winning the hand of Katrina Van Tassel. But she was also being wooed by the local town troublemaker Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt. 

To me the scariest part of the story was when Ichabod started crossing the bridge and realized the Headless Horseman was behind him. Legend was that if he made it to the end of the bridge before the Headless Horseman caught him, he would be safe. 

I don't remember that hearing the story caused me any worries or nightmares, though I might have paused before crossing the bridge on the way home from school. I understood that it was a legendary tale written by one of our country's best known essayists and short story writers. 

It was a classic gothic story perfect for Halloween.