Scary mask-happy candy day? October 21st 2021

Its’ coming and now is. What you may ponder? If you’re able to and your mind doesn’t wander.

The 31st of tober is upon us. Kids are looking for those scary masks as if wearing a mask for the past couple of years wasn’t scary enough.

Time for those stories to appear on the boob tube and even them scarier houses on your block. All cultures have their stories and one was that scary masks frightened away the hobgoblins.

Really! Really! A mask is going to scare away a disembodied spirit?

Stories are always out there and every people group has them. This is one story I remember my Uncle Mack telling us. While we sat on the porch one night. With the smudge pot going to keep the skeeters away. This was in back in 1965 when there was mostly dirt roads and very little electricity in our neck of the woods.

He said “that the story was true.” I don’t know but here it is. 

“I was walking to my brothers’ house after visiting Uncle Snow. I had stayed too late and it was getting dark by the time I walked off Killer Mountain. I had about five miles to go and hurried as fast as I could trying not to break an ankle as I walked down the dirt road off the mountain. It twisted and turned, humped up and down as I made it to the bottom. So far and its’ all good. I turned right and headed toward Candy Mink Spring where Cherokee’s and white people get their water. Those that didn’t have wells or as the saying goes “running water.”

Good Indian named Running Water oh sorry got slide tracked. Anyway…

He had hoped to catch a ride from anyone who was getting water or just driving by. A mile or so would help a lot and sometimes people would give you a lift all the way home. though it might be a mile out of their way.

Tonight, though I couldn’t catch a break nor did I see even a glimmer of far-off headlights. Now as I turned left away from the road to Salem, the road closed in further. It was really dark now with the trees lining the road and their branches hanging over the road. I knew there was a creek running close by. All this made it even darker and a little spookier!

I hurried my pace a bit as I wanted to get through this stretch of road. I passed the turn off to the Goodrich’s and the livers’ and now came “the bridge.” Bridge you ask? Yes, this one had a story of precious ribbons or some such buried there and a booger that guarded it! So, I was in a hurry to get past it when I heard footsteps coming down the road towards me.

My head felt all tingly like bugs were crawling around on top. I kept my eyes focused up ahead and tried not to look to my right. I had fired up a self-rolled P.A. cigarette (Prince Albert tobacco) and was puffing on it hard.

As I came abreast of the other walker he stopped and asked me “if I could give him a light?” I said “sure” and walked over to him and fired up a match. As the match flared-up I moved it toward the cigarette and stopped breathing for a second. There was no mouth holding the cigarette and worse there was no head!

I think my eyes got wider and breathing got harder. There was a big lump in my throat!

I think I heard thank you. I believe or thought I nodded and turned back up the road. I walked very hurriedly trying not to run. I had been told to never run from boogers! It had something to do with not being able to stop and dropping dead from it.

So, I was told!

I never looked back and finally made it to my brother Dutch’s house. This was his story.

As I said before “I don’t know if this story is true.”  Over time I’ve come to wonder what Uncle Mack might have smoked. This was before wacky tobacky, and Psychedelic drugs but there was some mighty hard liquor around at the time. Maybe some of those mushrooms that some ate or smoked?

Years later came this Halloween Night complete with masks and candy.

I remember wearing a right scary one. It was a cheap plastic Yogi Bear mask. Real scary huh?

The only hair-raising moments that happened during this night was when some scary looking girl tried to kiss me!!  She had mighty big red rubbery looking lips or maybe it was just the mask?

I still like the candy to this day. I still can’t stand wearing a mask!

Why are we so afraid of dead things?

Jesus asked “why look for the living among the dead?”