Samhain

My thoughts were blinking in and out of mad planning then the dullness of nothing. In out in out in out. The echoes of moans and screams cascaded up from that cursed room, from those cursed people.
Halloween is not a playful holiday that is meant for silly costumes and jokes. In old Ireland it was called Samhain and it was believed to be the day that the veil between the spirit world and ours was the thinnest. in order to keep those big bad ghosts away the Celts would carve turnips to scare away spirits, and go house to house offering sweets for company and blessings. They lit bonfires and tried to help the spirits on to the other side.
Now this isn't a happy story of a friendly ghost some peaceful kids dragged up. These kids thought they were going to get Casper, but got the Raggedy Ann spirit.
Anticipation was in the air as I stepped into the basement of the old cathedral. Michi,Sarah, and Eliza were there, waiting and wondering what was to come. The fire was flickering and snapping at our feet, desperate to grow. Sarah's silly book of spells and rhymes, all disillusioned and diluted, settled on the stone. my heart beat out a rhythm, wrong wrong wrong. "On this night, when the spirit world is so close to..." Sarah's voice dragged out and i felt the need to muzzle her.
feed us, feed. feeeddd... my spine straightened and i twisted. the darkness in the corners stared back at me. i shook off the feeling of strain and turned back to Sarah's droning voice. "We ask of you, the dearly de...." i stopped listening. A cold hand of dread reached into my chest and took hold of my heart at that moment. i caught a glimpse of a fog across the dancing fire. Sarah was still warbling her praise on the other world, i wanted to catapult a burning log at her, anything to make her stop talking. another fog cloud circled us. i made out the faint shape of one faintly caress the back of Michi. that was the beginning of the end. Michi burst from the circle, and the fog clouds latched on to her. feed, feed us... i bolted to the door like a gazelle and shot out. the cathedral doors shook and slammed behind me.
the screams erupted, and i felt the hand around my heart tighten.
a soft hand touched my shoulder, i numbly looked up to the yellow man. another was trying to open the doors. the one with the hand attempted to get me up, but i sat and listened to the screams. my head burned with them, my heart was a captured bird in the cold hand of death.
"Sir? Do you believe in ghosts?"