Wonky Pumpkin

It’s easy to see why Halloween happens at the end of October. It would never fly in January or July. This time of year is just creepier. The leaves have all become crispy, so that any breath of wind makes them rattle. An eerie mist hovers over the pond and ragged wisps seep up from the storm drains. In the predawn dark, your mind plays tricks on you at this time of year. I was delivering newspapers in October years ago when a neighbor’s wet suit hanging out to dry scared the beejeebers out of me. Just last week I was walking the dogs about an hour before sunrise. As I passed by my neighbors EMPTY pickup truck, it suddenly beeped, flipped on its headlights and revved its engine. Of course it was just my neighbor warming up his cold truck by remote. But if I’d been carrying a rifle, I’d have given it both barrels.