Stories, Myths & Legends Articles

Saw Man

Saw Man By Tara Fox Hall “Where do we start first?” “Near the far edge,” I sighed. “We’ll work our way back.” As we trudged toward the edge of the forest, my thoughts lingered on how far I’d come in the months I’d had my new house. I’d cleaned up the broken glass, the rusty nails, and the garbage. The new roof was on, the small garage in its first stage of becoming. But there was still the edge of the woods to fix. The previous ...

Manners

Manners Eric glared back at his kid sister, scowling as she struggled along in her pink princess outfit. “I told you to go home, Tina.” “No,” she whined. “I want to trick or treat with you. Dad said I could.” “I said you can’t,” Eric said, exasperated. “You can’t keep up. Me, Billy and Jordan are going from Maple St. to West End.” “But I want to go with you,” Tina pleaded. “I can’t go with Dad, he’s—” “Tough luck,” Eric said, darting off. Tina let ...

Top 10 Ways to Repel and Kill Vampires

Top 10 Ways to Repel and Kill Vampires Hauntingly pale with long canines for biting into flesh, vampires are much feared creatures of the night who survive off the blood of the living. Strolling neighbourhoods after dark in search of their next innocent victim, vampires are horrifyingly resilient and show no mercy. They can't be starved of oxygen, they can survive under water and they don't die of lack of food, so how can these ghastly beings of the underworld ever be slain? Here are top ten ways to ...

Joe The Skinner! – A Spooky New Jersey Legend

Joe The Skinner! – A Spooky New Jersey Legend I remember years ago my grandfather telling me stories about a man who use to live off in the woods in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. His name was Joe, Joe the Skinner they use to call him because he did a lot of the taxidermy work for the hunters in the area. He also did some butchering. Gramps said he was a tall man well over 6 feet may be closer to 7. Gramps had and old ...

Eerie Tom’s Inn – A Colonial Tale of Ghosts & The Jersey Devil

Looking for the New Jersey Devil - Photo by Wireguy This is a story of fiction based on many local myths and legends in my area. The time frame, towns, roads, rivers and likewise the relationship to the names and actions of the old Bergen County names used in this story are purely factitious. I am, through my mother’s side of the family, related to most of the Colonial families of Bergen Count, so indeed do them no discredit. This is a story. - Bradley Shane Rain dripped from the front peak ...

4 Halloween Poems

4 Halloween Poems THE EXPERIENCE Walking down a dark street Lit with candle flames Knocking on a strange door Being asked your name Creatures roaming everywhere Giving you a fright Oh, it must be Halloween The very best’est night HALLOWEEN MEMORIES Memories of days gone by Jack o lanterns glowing Trick or treaters everywhere With pure excitement showing Friends and family gather ‘round Party times then abound These are things that we hold dear Building memories year by year SLEEPY DAYS The rustle of dry leaves under your feet The distant smell of fire Oh ...

Halloween Then and Now

Carved turnip picture from the University of British Columbia Everything Old is New Again Ever wonder the origins of our modern-day Halloween? Our holiday represents a merging of ancient Celtic culture and 8th Century Catholicism. Pope Boniface IV designated the day as All Saints' Day. The day was spent in honor of martyrs and saints of the Church. The festival, originally called "All Hallows’ Day" actually started the evening before, since back then "next day" began in the evening. Thus, October 31st was "All Hallow's Evening", shortened to ...

Butterfly Man

Butterfly Man Outside the Manitoba morning sky was an acrylic palette of blended hues; reds, oranges, yellows; all highlighted by golden light. The morning sun lit a world filled with buds and shoots hungering for the caress of the fiery orb rising higher. Steven sipped his coffee, his kitchen forgotten as he stared out of the picture window. It was best to start long days early, but to forget to stop and see the world was a sin he would no longer commit. ...

First Halloween Costume

First Halloween Costume © Copyright by David Lady "Aww, COOL!" exclaimed Jody as Susan turned the page. The eight-year-old smiled broadly at the picture of his Aunt Susan, taken when she was about his age, dressed in an implausibly bright and colorful witch costume for Hallowe'en. "That was the first Hallowe'en costume your great-grandma ever made me," smiled Susan, "and I drove my parents nuts with it! I wanted to wear it around even after Hallowe'en, I loved it so much." "Did Grandma and ...

One Halloween Night

One Halloween Night by Michael J. Smajda Never again on a Halloween night Will I ever go near a graveyard site. For when last I did, this is what I saw Zombie-like creatures, large and small, Ascending from their graves, one by one, Moaning and groaning in unison, Wandering about like flocks of blind sheep, Relieved to be awakened from years of dead sleep. Having never seen corpses upright before, Much less, decomposed, I viewed them in horror. And seeing skeletons still wearing their coffin best, Did very little to slow the heart in ...

Pumpkin Halloween

Pumpkin Halloween Author Unknown Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, "My it's getting late." The second one said, "There are witches in the air." The third one said, "But we don't care!" The fourth one said, "Lets run, lets run." The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun." Ooooooo went the wind, Out went the lights And five little pumpkins went Rolling out of sight. The End

Stop Trick or Treating

Stop Trick or Treating (To the tune of We Wish You A Merry Christmas) We wish you'd quit trick-or-treating, We wish you'd quit trick-or-treating, We wish you'd quit trick-or-treating And come back in here. You do this ev'ry October, You know trick-or-treat is over, The night's getting dark and colder, So please come inside. You run place to place, Still feeding your face, We wish you'd quick trick-or-treating Before you get sick. Halloween is fine and dandy, But you can't just pig out on candy, You embarrass your mom and daddy, So please come back home. We wish you'd quit ...

The Raven

The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-- While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-- Only this and nothing more." Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; --vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of ...

The Raven – An Analysis

The Raven – An Analysis An Analysis of Poe's Work "Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!" Quote from the Raven, "Nevermore." The above quote from "The Raven" may well been seen as prophetic. With the publishing of this poem in 1845, Poe's life would be forever connected to these dark, clever birds. He was quickly himself dubbed "the Raven" by his contemporaries, and there's some evidence suggesting he may have even reveled in his new nickname. Regardless of ...

Halloween

Halloween By Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson Baxter looked out his bedroom window at the street below. No kids in sight. Probably still eating supper, he thought. Turning to admire his costume, which was carefully laid out on the bed, he smoothed the red satin lining of the cape with his fingertips. He grinned from ear to ear thinking of the treats he was going to have later. He leaned over, picked up a set of plastic fangs from the bedside table and went ...

The Grinch Who Stole Halloween

The Grinch Who Stole Halloween Adapted by Steve Chavez a.k.a. Wraith Everyone in Boo-ville liked Halloween a lot... But the Grinch, who wrote for a newspaper, did NOT! The Grinch hated Halloween! The whole Halloween season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason. It could be his childhood just didn’t go right. It could be his neighbor’s candy generosity was too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all, May have been that his Halloween spirit was two sizes too small. But, whatever the reason, his spirit ...

Halloween Myths & Monsters

Halloween Myths & Monsters By Lesley Bannatyne excerpted from A Halloween How-To "I hate Halloween," exclaims an elderly caller on an AM radio talk show in Maryland. "They should get rid of it. Kids today are just destructive." "Halloween glorifies Satan," warns a preacher on national cable television. "Kids shouldn't dress up as devils, period." "I would never let my children go out trick or treating alone," confides a D.C.-area mom of her six year-old and ten-year old. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened." People hurl ...