Many years ago, I was gifted a book, Harvest Tales & Midnight Revels: Stories for the Waning of the Year. The tales contained inside are from different individuals attending a night of Halloween story-telling, collected over the years and printed in this wonderful addition to any library. The stories range from tales of ghostly trick-or-treating, to a lustful vampire, and even a moldy refrigerator abomination gone rampant. Each story has its own flavor, the personality and style of the author. Each story also personifies the different experiences one can have on October 31st. All Hallows’ Eve is the night when the veil between the living and dead is thinnest, so it’s fitting that so many different stories can all relate to the same thing: Halloween.
In the introduction, editor Michael Mayhew explains his experiences of growing up and getting less and less enjoyment out of Halloween — “Something was missing.” As the years progressed, the thrills of late-night candy hauls, dressing up, and playing tricks on others had fallen to the wayside, not just for him, but for the neighborhood. There seemed to be no formal way to celebrate Halloween for adults. After years of activities trying to spark that jack o’lantern alight again, Mayhew and his group of creative friends gathered together for a night of storytelling. This night fanned the flames — echoing the centuries-old traditions of feasts and frights that would take place this time of year — and solidified what Halloween can be for everyone.
I’ll be the first to agree with that sentiment: scary stories do help form some sort of tethering bond to the Halloween spirit we lost as kids. Even when that feeling hadn’t left yet, I remember having sleepovers with my friends where we’d set up a tent in my backyard and tell scary (yet childish) stories to each other. That has continued today, albeit in a slightly different manner; now it’s friends and family coming to me to ask about movies they should watch, or a creepypasta they heard about.
And this isn’t just during Halloween either. Sure, things do ramp up during spooky season, but somehow it persists through the warmer and colder months as well — something I take pure, utter delight in.
Google “scary campfire stories” and see the multitudes of entries and links about top stories to tell or how to make your stories scarier. Though it isn’t brought up often, reciting these tales is a human pastime. Everyone can relate, whether they’ve actually done it or not. Sharing these stories with each other is not only a form of bonding, but a time to learn, love, and empathize. When reading through Harvest Tales & Midnight Revels, I could feel each person’s style shine through my own mind’s voice. I could picture myself sitting around a campfire, or sitting in a darkened living room surrounded by my closest friends (much like the get-together in the “Grim Grinning Ghost” segment of Tales of Halloween).
If you’re an adult looking for the missing haunted spark from your childhood, first, get yourself a copy of Harvest Tales & Midnight Revels: Stories for the Waning of the Year. Then, start a group of storytelling yourself! Though it’s best to do around Halloween, bring a little October into the rest of the year as well. The point is exactly as the title suggests: tell tales of the harvest, revel in the midnight darkness.
How do you tell stories of Halloween? Let us know in the comments!
Harvest Tales & Midnight Revels is available on Amazon.
