Jack o'lanterns are beautiful things, rich in the enigma of spirits and their human supplicants. S carved the big one puking the small one. I carved the rest. When I parked the truck and stealthily placed the lanterns in public places and lit them, I felt a tiny bit of that primeval flirtation with the spirit world of ages past. I felt it as I put on my makeup for the Grim Reaper costume, and then when I climbed the low rock wall next to the cemetary. Creeping near the fence, beyond which ran Route One, I knelt and lit the candle, placed the lantern, and stole away. I glanced briefly up at the moon in the cloudy, windy sky. I could imagine the excitement of the spirit festival of centuries past, when people dressed the part of the demons they feared, partaking illicitly of their power by imitating. Except that here I was a solitary figure, not part of a festive, mischief-making, lascivious mass.
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Jack liked the one on the upper left of the bottom photo. I liked them all! Wallsburg is rebelling. Most people didn't go to the trunk or treat at the church parking lot. The town is divided between the traditional trick-or-treaters and the safety-conscious ones. The traditionalists are winning out. We had one group of boys come down our long driveway and that was so fun. But I learned that most just go to homes they know. And since I'm new in town.... Well, at least they're going to the homes. I loved that as a kid, being able to go to a neighbor's home, even the ones we didn't know, and be welcome. That's one aspect of community I miss.
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