Halloween Haunts: My Troubled Halloween Adventures by Charles Day

As a child, I’ve always loved Halloween, including the night before. The cool crisp autumn winds howling outside. The brisk air through my open windows. The colors of the changing leaves, a golden brown or bright red and orange, these reminders always seem to get me in that halloweenish mood. But above all, it’s the costumes, the candy, and the scary movies played over and over on the TV right around Halloween. These are the kinds of things that send chills up my spine, goose bumps all over my flesh, and make me love this holiday every times it comes around again.

When I was young, Halloween was the night when all my friends and I would dress up and head out to cause terror and mayhem in our town. We would gather our eggs and pick a few of the neighbors we despised all year long, and we’d send our eggs flying toward their windows, their doors, hell, whatever we could hit on their property was fair game for us.

Yes, we were twisted kids. We were out to cause trouble, but not only to our neighbors in town. There were the older kids, the seniors in our high school. Some of them were jocks, linebackers on the football team or wrestlers who would easily twist us like a pretzel if they got a hold of us. Of course, after a few Halloweens of tossing eggs at them, or using shaving cream to cover their bikes or cars, they caught onto us and found away to exact their revenge.

I can still remember that one Halloween night years ago, like it was just yesterday. You see, after finally catching on to our antics, they set a trap for us and unfortunately, we fell for it. Almost had my thirteen-year-old ass kicked by some really big boys that Halloween night. I’ll never forget. True fear of unknown proportions visited me in the dark woods that late evening.

They were successful in their trap because they armed themselves with walkie-talkies (hope I’m not showing my age here,) as part of their devilish idea. Dressed in their Halloween costumes and safely hidden behind masks, they strategically placed each other in different areas. Two were at one end of our block, an additional two at the other. Another was waiting on the opposite block for us. This was because many times we would jump over a neighbor’s fence, cross through the woods and come out on the next street over. Well, they knew all our secret paths by now. We were dead before we knew what was coming.

So, early this Halloween night we all left my parents house and headed on out to do some damage again in out neighborhood we always terrorized. We had our own costumes and our usual ammunition of eggs, shaving cream, and socks filled with baby powder. We were ready.

When we found a few of these high school seniors congregated at the local country store, we were already hidden in a section of the woods just a ways back. We came closer to them, still safe mind you behind large oaks and maple trees, and we tossed our eggs as far as our young arms could throw them before we ran through the woods to the other street, scared, excited, full of adrenaline. Yes the high from this chemical racing through our blood was addictive. And then the screams were heard. “We’re going to get you little punks this year. You’re ass is ours!”

I’ll never forget the fear that Halloween night when we saw them coming from everywhere. We backtracked to get to our street, but they were already in front of my house, and two others were walking down the block toward my friend’s house. We were blocked in. Trapped!

They caught a few of us that night and soaked the shit out of us in a mix of vinegar, oil, and I hate to say it, piss. Yep. They must have pissed in the large spray bottles and fire extinguishers they carried before waiting for us to arrive, because we smelled like piss and vinegar for the rest of the night. Now that I look back, I’m just glad they didn’t kick the living snot out of our scrawny bodies. I’m guessing now that they felt we were too young, and the concoction they made up would have a lasting effect. Well, It sure did.

Halloween’s after that experience were still fun mind you, still filled with candy, parties, getting drunk and scaring each other, but we did our best to hide whenever we saw the seniors roaming the neighborhood. I miss those days though. But now I get to relive these in my new YA horror novel, THE LEGEND OF THE PUMPKIN THIEF. The characters of my youth—both good and bad— are back to share their story again. But this time…I get to play God. And so I’ve added a new character, a supernatural, evil, Pumpkin Thief, who decides to rein terror on this small neighborhood and especially those seniors who once messed with me. Now I call the shots. Hehehe!

THE LEGEND OF PUMPKIN THIEF has to do with my troubled Halloween adventures when young. I just changed the names to protect the innocent, and to take care of the bullies. No piss and vinegar in my fictitious world. hehehehe!

Halloween is still fun for me today, although much safer in the confines of my own home. Well unless you consider some nights when I’ve heard strange noises from the basement or my attic. I guess that’s for next year’s Halloween blog.

Anyway, I still go out and trick-r-treat with my daughter, who this year will no doubt enjoy it more, being she’s four now. Last year she was amazed at all the different kids that came to the door in their masks and costumes.

Okay, I’m rambling on here with my blog post. I wish everyone a terrifying and fun Halloween. Boo!

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: Charles Day is offering one copy each of The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief and Tales of Terror and Mayhem from Deep within the Box. To enter post a comment in the section below or e-mail memoutreach@horror.org and put HH CONTEST ENTRY in the header. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by e-mail.

The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief

As the townsfolk sleep, something creeps into the neighborhood. Hidden in shadows, its presence is as old as time itself, its intent not born of goodness.

Nick, a teenager who fancies himself a detective, wakes to find his carved masterpiece missing. Now a mystery is afoot, and Nick has his first assignment, to find out who or what is snatching up the town’s pumpkins and why.

Unfortunately, as with all great detectives, obstacles stand in Nick’s way—the neighborhood bully and his cronies, and the strange old lady and her dog who share the run-down house at the end of Nick’s block. As Nick investigates, an urban legend unravels . . . .

…the Legend of the Pumpkin Thief.

Nick fears the legend as he embarks on the most dangerous adventure of his young life. Collecting clues, getting ever closer to the true nature of evil, he learns that curiosity comes with a high price.

If you have not had the chance to read this book, besides it being a great month to read an action-packed story all about Halloween.

Available in paperback and ebook at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-Pumpkin-Thief-Charles/dp/1605923990/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1345422569&sr=1-4

And to celebrate my favorite holiday, for everyone and anyone who purchases a copy this month on Amazon, click the Facebook “I purchased this book,” and send it to my Facebook page, and you’ll have your choice of any e-book title from Evil Jester Press. Just let me know. Talking about Evil Jester Press, I have something else to share.

TALES OF TERROR AND MAYHEM FROM DEEP WITHIN THE BOX is A collection of terrifying stories from the rising stars of horror, including Jon Michael Kelley, Jeremy C. Shipp, Rebecca Besser, David C. Hayes, Bruce Turnbull, Chris Samson, Aaron J. French, Eric Dimbleby, Frank Endert, Mark Taylor, Suzanne Robb, Matt Kurtz, Charles Day, Gerry Huntman, D.G. Sutter, Scott H. Urban, Doug Rinaldi, Tara Sayers, Scott Taylor, Craig Saunders, Steven Gepp, Hollie Snider, and Gregory L. Norris.

“Here’s the difference between The Evil Jester and a regular jester: When a regular jester pops open his box, out come ribbons and hours of fun. When The Evil Jester’s box pops open, the ribbons will choke you and the hours will quickly reach dusk. A startling collection of smiling-nightmare mayhem.” -Eric Shapiro, author of The Devoted and director of Rule of Three

“With Tales of Terror and Mayhem from Deep within the Box, editors Day and Weiss have given us a diverse and entertaining bunch of stories by a selection of talented authors. The tales all involve those relics of childhood (dolls, balloons, clowns, the oh-so-sinister jack-in-the-box), but they are all wonderfully original and unpredictable.” -Mark Allan Gunnells, author of The Quarry

***Includes the premier never-before-told story of just how the evil little guy became so damn evil in the short story THE GIFT, written by the evil little Jester & Charles Day***

Click here for ebook or print book: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Terror-Mayhem-Deep-within/dp/0615686524/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347040290&sr=1-1&keywords=tales+of+terror+and+mayhem

October/Halloween special: grab a copy of this new terrifying collection from Evil Jester Press this month and you’ll automatically be entered into a drawing for a hot new copy of EVIL JESTER PRESENTS, ISSUE#1 a six-part series that will premier with stories from Jack Ketchum, Jeremy Shipp, Jeff Strand, Gregory L. Norris, David C Hayes, James Chambers, and many more authors you know and love.

And of course, post your purchase on my facebook page, and you can choose any Evil Jester Press ebook title of your choosing!!

And a very, scary and blood-tingling Happy Halloween to each and everyone who’s passing on through.

Charles Day & Evil Little Jester

charlesdayauthor@gmail.com

charlesdayfictionwriter.blogspot.com

eviljesterpress.com