Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: On a dark autumn evening, the ghost waited in silence. It was white in color, not quite transparent, with a crisp bluish light glowing around its shape. Around the glow the air was cold, and the frigid touch of the ghost made the leaves on the bush turn brittle. The ghost stood in silence, listening for voices, and waiting for someone to scare. The ghost was in a forest, and the forest was known to be haunted. In the daytime, the villagers would rush along the pathway between villages. In the nighttime, the villagers would only go as far as the edge of the forest, anxiously listening for strange noises. Since they were listening, they usually heard them. The creaks and crackles of the forest sounded demonic and frightening, and the stories began. In the village, the festival of Halloween was being celebrated. It was a special night when the boundaries between the living and the dead were faded. Ghosts would come back to the world of the living, seeking unfortunate souls to scare and possess. Tonight, more than any night, the ghosts would be active. It was a time to be afraid, and a time not to be alone. To celebrate Halloween, the villagers dressed in bright costumes to ward off evil. They danced and sang throughout the evening, reviving the tradition that joyous noise keeps away the dark power of death. In the village, grouped together in celebration, the villagers felt safe. But none would dare to venture outside the border of the village. At nighttime, the forest belonged to the ghosts. As the villagers played music and danced, a young couple stood slightly apart from the others. Cale was a leather-worker, tall and strong. Kayla was an herbalist, knowledgeable of the forest and the healing powers of plants. They were in their early twenties and in love. They had heard ghost stories since they were children, and knew better than to go into the forest at night, especially at Halloween. But they were eager, and they wanted to be alone. So as the music played and the fires burned, Cale and Kayla slipped into the forest, away from the rest of the villagers. Of course, the ghosts in the forest were always waiting for an opportunity to scare someone, because that is what they did. Not all ghosts are scary, but the forest ghosts like to play. They don’t really mean any harm, but it can be really funny when you scare someone. People get the silliest looks on their faces, and sometimes they scream really loud. Sometimes they even run away. It really is quite funny, and if you were a ghost, you might just feel the same way. On this particular evening, Cale and Kayla came into the forest so quietly that the ghosts didn’t get there right away. They walked for some distance, under the partial light of the moon, and they were soon deep into the woods. They had time to find a cozy spot with a view, and to hold each other close as they gazed at the stars. They talked about love and passion and silly little things, and every few moments they would kiss. So when the ghosts arrived, they saw two people bonded as one, without fear or concern. The first ghost tried a full frontal attack, and leaped in front of the couple, screaming a ghostly scream. He howled loud and long, but Cale and Kayla didn’t react. They were looking into each other’s eyes, and didn’t see the ghost. A second ghost joined in, and began a piercing shriek, so intense that pine needles began to fall from the trees. But Cale and Kayla were so immersed in each other that they didn’t hear the ghosts at all. The ghosts became frustrated and didn’t know what to do. They made all kinds of noises. They flew around in circles, they sparkled lights, and one of them even managed to explode with a brilliant flash. But whatever they did, they could not get the couple’s attention. Because ghosts are not physical entities, they cannot affect physical reality. They have to depend on getting your attention, and they could not distract Cale and Kayla from their connection of love. Suddenly, the ghosts began to feel afraid. What if everyone learned how to ignore us? What if everyone had the same power as this young couple, and could bond with each other? The only creatures that aren’t afraid of ghosts are witches, so this young couple must be witches. They no longer fear ghosts and are now beings of great power. They must be witches. The ghosts quickly faded into the forest, anxious for their own safety. They discovered that when the power of fear was taken away, everything else became scary. Ghosts tend to overcome their own fears by awakening fears in others. What they didn’t realize was that the young couple weren’t witches, and they weren’t even really special. They had just discovered love. As the creaks and crackles of the forest continued in the darkness, Cale and Kayla rose to walk back to the village. They remained unaware of their test, and that the power of fear had been overcome by the magic of love. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2005 First Published October 30, 2005

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A Ghost Story

 

The ghost was in a forest, and the forest was known to be haunted.