The Halloween Project - First Ceremony 2017

October 15, 2017

Let me begin with just one word.

Halloween.

For many of us it conjures up images of our youth, flung far to the past. October nights of candy and mayhem, friends and neighbors, costumes and even more candy.

But for me, it lives on. Halloween is not a vestige of the past like first Holy Communion, prom dates, Boy Scouts and other horrific experiences that I was inclined to endure. Halloween is a living entity that I carry with me into middle, and now sorry to say, old age.

So, in an effort to keep my excitement and energy alive, I am about to challenge myself with a task that may not seem monumental to any “normal” citizen, but to anyone with a writerly bent will know that this is an interesting challenge.

Tonight is October 15, 2017. For the next 15 days, up until October 30, I will be writing a new, unique, never before thrust-upon- the-world horror story that will be written on that exact day.

These stories may be intriguing, boring, disturbing, ugly, shocking or ridiculous. The empowering motive here is that I am in control and these are my rules. If you are not a fan of horror, do not watch horror films and find them to be sick and evil, please do not read them. This may include many of the people who are on my Friends list on Facebook. I am not apologizing, but I hope that we can still be friends.

Please understand that I have been a dedicated fan of horror literature since…well since I can remember. Somewhere early on I grew to love Edgar Allan Poe which leapfrogged 130 years later to true affection for Stephen King. But I have gone much deeper and found many hours of intrigue in the stories of Ambrose Bierce and Algernon Blackwood, then later Shirley Jackson and especially, Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman. Forgive me.

If you are so inclined, follow my dance with the devil over the next 15 days. I honestly have no idea what is coming. Be forewarned…I adhere to the Stephen King philosophy: to paraphrase liberally, I will first try to horrify you, if that doesn’t work, I’ll aim for terror, next will be shock and then finally I may simply gross you out. If this is not your cup of…whatever you drink, please don’t bother.

So, the first piece that was written, truly, within the last three hours is dedicated to my cousin, Bill Pfleging, one of the best guitarists that I have ever known or seen in my lifetime. (I also know that he will not be disturbed personally by this story so it gives me a good starting point.)

Enjoy, or skip (retaining your positive thoughts of me). And see what tomorrow brings.

Carl Bosch