Special Halloween Short

October 31, 2009

nce upon a time……

It was a gloomy night, cold and wet as aconstant drizzle fell on the worn woolen coatsof the grave robbers. Clouds covered the fullmoon now and then. Light so they could findtheir way, dark so they could do their deed.

At times, in the dark, the two scoundrels, withtheir heavy clanking shovels, bumped andstumbled on the muddy path. Draggingbehind them, a subject they were planning tobury deep into an already occupied grave,something they normally dig up to rob. Thistime, it was to place something into a grave ofold.

Sneaking like ghosts, they approach thedarkest part of the cemetery. Suddenly asharp bolt of lightning flashes a blinding whitelight, stopping them in their path! They bothdive low to the muddy ground to escapeelectrocution. Sweat joins the raindrops ontheir faces, fear sweats inside their heavy, rain-soaked clothing, making every step a burden.Dragging their "subject", grasping the slipperyhandles of the shovels, they come upon a gravemarked with a wooden "X". The exact spotthey are to perform their "dirty" deed.

Once again they are compelled tolook up at the angry sky,

An owl screeches, flying low by their heads, another bad omen of the darknight. Digging deeper suddenly reveals the skulls of the long departed,shining in the moonlight, "skeleton" white! A sharp contrast to themuddy earth turned over by the cold, rain-soaked grave robbers...

Forgive me for the Halloween drama as I wax nostalgic.

The skulls are the remnants of my children's childhood, a hamster, agerbil, some of the critters they enjoyed as a child. My children solemnlyburried those departed pets with full funeral honors, including popsicle-stick crosses emblazoned with the pet's name in tiny script. The "X"marking the grave for the grave robbers.

The cemetery was under the shade of a magnificent old Lilac tree at theback of our yard. In springtime, it filled the neighborhood with thatpowerful, floral fragrance that signaled that winter has surrendered to thebirth of spring.

The "subject" the grave robbers were to plant is a healthy young Lilac treegiven by my daughter Christina. It was a replacement for the "old" Lilactree that was destroyed by a late winter snowstorm in 2005.

That event was only a few months before our family lost Barbara. Barbarawas my wife, mother of our children, Christina, Laura, and Michael.Barbara loved the holidays, and always made them special for us. Youwould only have to turn a few pages of the family photo album to see howshe radiated her loving charm on us during the holidays.

My daughter Laura and I were the make-believe "grave robbers", I hopeyou enjoyed the "Halloween" twist on our family's holiday remembrance.

The Lilac grows to greet you whenever you visit our home. Be sure tocome in the springtime!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Story by Michael A. Slivers

Photos ©2009 by Kevin Kolenc

(Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland OH)

waterwings magazine

Editor-in-Chief/Art Director:Christina M. Slivers-Schall

waterwingsmagazine@earthlink.net

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