Happy
Halloween month! Part of the reason I love October so much is because
of the lead-up to the end. There are jack-o-lanterns up and down my
street, the scariest haunted house in the country
across the city, and Halloween costume ideas everywhere. I have more
of an excuse than usual to buy my favorite candy* and I get to go to
parties while wearing wings and/or bizarre hats. It's great!
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*My roommate Anita on fun-size candy: "...but they're not fun because they're smaller than regular candy!" |
October
is also ghost story season. When I was in fourth grade, I got really
into ghosts. I read almost all of the books in the school library about
haunted houses, superstitions, and supposed ghost sightings. In each
book, I stared at the blurry photos that were supposed to be of ghosts.
I wondered about how real it all was, and whether or not my house could
be haunted. It was old and creaky - perfect for a haunting. A friend
and I tried using my sister's Ouija board once, but I'm 99% sure she cheated and moved the planchette to freak me out.
I also started to read Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and other spooky fiction. I loved hearing scary stories, though I was up all night at one sleepover when a friend's mom told us a story about a doll that came
alive and decided to kill its owner. I was much nicer to my American
Girl Doll after that. As I've gotten older, I still love hearing ghost
stories. At any event involving a camp fire, I always hope that someone
decides to share one I haven't heard before. Ghost stories, like scary
movies and haunted houses, are thrills that let you suspend disbelief
for a little while. Sure, the rational part of your brain might know
that most things can be explained by science or coincidence, but you
still get the chance to wonder, "what if?"
In
honor of Halloween, here is one of my favorite short, creepy stories
that I heard during a band trip in high school. If you have a favorite,
please let me know! I promise not to call you at 3 AM if I'm still up
and scared.
The Ghost in the Chemistry Building
There
is a college somewhere in Indiana that has lots of old, ivy-covered
brick buildings around the campus. Like almost every college, it has
its superstitions and campus legends. However, the most famous of these
legends is that the old chemistry building is haunted by a mysterious
woman, possibly the first dean's daughter. Upperclassmen pass the
stories down to new freshmen, but most "ghost sightings" can be
explained away by lack of sleep or shadows on the wall.
One
night a couple years ago, a chemistry student stayed late in the lab
working on a project. When he finally finished around one in the
morning, most of the building was empty. He packed up his equipment and
turned toward the door just as a white figure in a flowing dress walked
by.
"Who
would be here at this hour dressed like that?" he wondered, and stepped
out into the hallway to see. The woman continued down to the end of
the hall and turned down a corridor on the left. The young man followed
her, and just as he turned the corner he saw her disappear down another
hallway. He sped up, nearly running to catch up with her, and turned
the corner to find that it just led to a storage closet. He tried the
door, but it was locked. Curious, he bent down to look through the
keyhole, but all he could see was the color red. He tried the door
again, but it wouldn't budge. After a minute, he went back to the lab,
packed up his things and left, shivering.
The
next morning, he mentioned the story to a friend over breakfast. After
he explained what happened, his friend nodded and asked, "Did you get a
look at her face? They say she has the brightest red eyes."
The End
What are your favorite ghost stories?
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