My First Halloween as a Ghost

My First Halloween as a Ghost

Everyone seems to be in a hurry today. I haven't been a ghost very long and am still learning how to keep my sheet clean. For some reason I thought that kind of chore would be taken care of by someone other than me. Wrong. There's one ghost in my community that is fairly new, I think, but he seems to have it all together. Maybe he can explain the increase in activity to me.

Can you believe it? I forgot Halloween. Me, the world's greatest prankster and costume creator in all of Washington State. I forgot Halloween. The other new guy, call me Hal he said, explained that Halloween is taken very seriously by our particular ghostly community. I should hie down to the central bulletin board and see if I have been assigned yet. If not, go to the main office and ask for an assignment.

Assignment? You mean I have to go some where in particular? I can't chose who or where to haunt? Hal laughed at me. “Oh, little buddy, you must have missed orientation. Haunting is a serious business and must be evenly distributed to be effective. You want to go and spook the guys you let you die, don't you?”

Well, that sounds a bit harsh. But, in a way, Hal was right. I had seriously thought of returning to my old neighborhood and scaring the bejebbers out of a couple guys. In fact, I think that before I died I had even threatened them with that. Now I have to be assigned? What if I'm assigned to strangers?

Hal says he believes that the powers that bespook think you are more effective if you don't know the people you're haunting. Well, I begged to differ with him. If you're haunting someone you know, you know how they'll react, or not, to haunting. What kind of haunting would get to them, etc., etc., etc..

Hal laughed and floated off. I could hear his laugh a block away.

After sulking for half an hour, I found my way to the assignment bulletin board. Not having fingers to run down the list makes for confusion – for me. But finally, third from the bottom I found my name. Hal was mistaken. The area I was assigned was my old neighborhood. Next to the assigned area was assigned times. You have to be kidding. The guys I want to spook aren't even out and about that early. Then I read the fine print. I was assigned to float and swoop over trick or treaters only.

They have to be kidding. Little kids? I'm supposed to scare little kids?

I kind of drifted back to my room. What a bummer. Scare little kids. The list even included specific sounds that can be used. Moaning was okay. Boo was preferred. If the child is older, got cha was permitted.

Later I ran into Hal and told him I had been assigned. He asked if I had gotten any luminous spray for my sheet; he finds that to be quite effective. He used it his first Halloween, which was last year, and found that the hauntees saw him easier. Hal thinks that is very important. He said to get the spray and he'd explain how it works.

And so, that is what I did. Hal was assigned elsewhere but said he'd meet me back at our quarters around eleven. He also is assigned to trick or treaters. Hal explained to me that was really the best way to start as the children are young and more impressible. You can try a variety of tricks, swoops, and fly bys and get a feeling which works best. Children are more reactive.

So there I was – sort of folded into a large tree in a quiet residential neighborhood. It's a small area so I am the lone ghost. Three costumed children and an adult exited a house across the street from where I was waiting. I gave them a long ten count as they accessed the sidewalk. The adult was behind them and I thought I'd have a little fun with her first.

Silently I glided from the tree and swooped right over the top of her. I believe I even ruffled her hair a bit. I am sure I did as she reached up to smooth it. I circled around and swooped over her again; this time lighting my luminous spray a bit as I dove down and straight up. Yep! She saw me. She stopped walking. The kids were getting ahead of her now. I silently glided past her toward the kids, turned up my luminous stuff, and circled them twice. They gaped and one stumbled but they continued on. I glided over them again and moaned a bit. When they looked up at me, I sort of waved, turned down my luminous spray and flew away.

“Mom, Mom, we saw a ghost.” She had caught up to them. Breathlessly, she said, “So did I.”

By this time there were several more little groups of children on the three blocks assigned to me and I had a great deal of fun, swooping and moaning. There was a group with no adult – kids probably what my age would have been if, well –. I fluttered around them and whispered, “Got cha.” a few times. The girls shrieked and the boys were a bit overwhelmed. At least, I think they were.

I found I was enjoying myself. I didn't think I would. In fact, I even mentioned to Hal this would be a pretty dull Halloween. He just smiled and said, “We'll see.”

My haunting time was almost over. As I floated back to the collection point, I saw a couple walking hand-in-hand. I turned up my light and swooped around them two or three times. The woman stopped walking. “George, I believe I just saw a ghost.” He laughed at her. I slowly came around them and hovered in front of them. “Got cha, George.” And I flew off. He was impressed.

It was not until we were on our way back to our quarters that I learned I shouldn't have said his name. Got cha was all right but shouldn't be so personalized.

Oh, well, now I know. But the look on his face, and hers, was well worth it. Hal says the guy is probably trying to figure out which of his friends did it.

And that was my first Halloween as a ghost. Nothing spooktacular but a lot of fun – sort of. Next year is sure to be better.