Leftovers


It’s over.

For another year.

Time to take down all of the fake cobwebs, fancy lanterns, candles and other decorations, and box them away.

Time to put the witch back in her cage and the bat back in its cave. No, that’s not right. The witch in the cave and the bat, the cage.

No, that’s not right either.

Where did they come from? I didn’t have them last year.

They’re very real looking.

Come to think of it, those who came with the ‘trick or treat’ group left them, with a note:

‘Take care of these. We’ll be back.’ 

Yesterday, Nancy mentioned a challenge on a children’s author’s blog for a one hundred word story featuring the words witch, bat, and trick or treat. I thought I would have a go at writing such a tale, but not for submission, just for the pleasure of writing. I thought I’d write something that my Inner Child would like, and instead ended up with the hundred words above. A bit sinister for a children’s story, I feel, but an ideal way to mark the end of Halloween for another year.

Yes, I know it’s only one day in reality, but here on my blog it has been a month-long event, which I have really enjoyed writing for.

I’ve created some new characters, who may pop up again, as Lady Emeralda Smart has done a couple of times over the last year. I quite like Ghastlia, so may bring her back in a tale or two. Dawn the vampire may also appear again… I’d like to see a meeting of her and Reg. And the Mystic Isle folk are bound to crop up once more… I introduced their ‘descendants’ (shall we say) in April in my tale Mystic Springs, which I had (and still do) intended to write other short stories for… Lady Emeralda also appeared in that story.

It’s fun when everything starts to link together.

It’s like fitting extra pieces into a completed jigsaw puzzle, which neither make the picture look wrong nor the pieces look out of place.

Halloween may be over, but things still go on.

Time certainly does. It’s now November. I know…

White Rabbits and all that jazz!

18 responses to “Leftovers”

  1. prenin avatar

    Bonfire night is on its way and fireworks are already being used to disturb the night – let’s hope nobody gets hurt this year! 🙂

    God Bless my friend and hope you had a great Halloween!!! 🙂

    Prenin.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      That’s true, Prenin… I can hear the ‘bangers’ going off incessantly now.
      Yes, I had a great Halloween, thanks!
      Have a good Thursday, Prenin!

      Like

  2. nrhatch avatar

    Terrific “day after halloween” tale, Tom. Thanks for playing along. I hope that some of your creatures, oops, characters, do return for a visit.

    This line jumped out at me ~ “It’s like fitting extra pieces into a completed jigsaw puzzle, which neither make the picture look wrong nor the pieces look out of place.”

    Rather how I view life. We’re finding new pieces of the puzzle all the time. Sometimes, we have to remove a piece that “used to fit” to replace it with one that’s a better fit.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Thanks, Nancy… it was fun!
      Yes, we always have to make way for something new, and as you say, sometimes as an addition, other times as a replacement, but everything fits in someway or another!

      Like

  3. Visionkeeper avatar

    Time is passing quickly these days. With Thanksgiving due to dash upon the scene soon followed by Christmas, one has to wonder where these puzzle pieces will fit in in the new world that is unfolding. Interesting T that you should write this as tomorrows post of mine speaks to all of this….What shall come next do you suppose? VK

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      VK, I have no idea. I’m hoping it is going to be good though, whatever it is.
      I know the Universe is listening!
      With regards to the time, yes, I really agree. By my reckoning, it should be February 2012 now. It’s almost February 2013!

      Like

  4. kateshrewsday avatar

    Love the response to the challenge, Tom, perfectly paced. It’s funny, Felix and I were just saying how it must take ages to take some of those Hallowe’en decorations down!

    Happy November, friend.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      That’s the thing with decorations, isn’t it Kate? We spend a while putting them up and getting them right… and then we spend another while taking them down and keeping them straight! Still, they make the place look different and the task passes the time nicely!
      Happy November to you too, Kate!

      Like

  5. Diane Henders avatar

    ‘Take care of these. We’ll be back.’ – Love it! 🙂

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      They do leave some odd notes, don’t they Diane?

      Like

  6. Deb avatar

    Tom, you can post Halloween stuff all year and it would be fine with me.

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      That’s good to know, Deb.
      I’m not saying I will, but never say never! 😉

      Like

  7. Let's CUT the Crap! avatar

    You never know when the old decorations will be needed more than the future new ones. Yeah, that’s my response. You’ve had great month-long Hallowe’en posts. I wonder what next year might bring…

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Thanks, Tess.
      As for next year, I have no idea yet… maybe I’ll go for two months! (Only kidding!)

      Like

  8. shreejacob avatar

    I enjoy the way your inner child thinks 😉 quite mischievous! hehe

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      My Inner Child knows mayhem, Shree.

      Like

  9. Androgoth avatar
    Androgoth

    Another great posting Tom, now all you have
    to do is find a place for that Witch and Bat 🙂 🙂

    Stories for children are harder to write as one has
    to visualise the script from a child’s perspective and
    that is not always so easy, especially for an adult 😦

    Have a wicked Monday Tom 🙂

    Androgoth

    Like

    1. Tom (Aquatom1968) avatar

      Yes, the witch and the bat are now safely tucked away.. I hope!
      I don’t think I could write a children’s story, being honest, Andro… I’d get the target age all wrong and it would appear either too young or too old. I’m hoping that the tales I do write appeal to all ages, having said that, well, my inner child likes them anyway! 😉

      Hope you had a good Monday today!

      Like

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