original stories
original storiesThe Third Light on the Porch
Original Halloween Short Story | Legend: on Halloween night, only two lights are lit on the porch, the third light is the uninvited light, and that night the third light really came on
Why we tell ghost stories on Halloween: this tradition is older than the jack-o'-lantern
Why we tell ghost stories on Halloween | It all starts with Samhain (the Celtic New Year, November 1), the night the veil grows thin (the dead return to visit their families), bonfires and lanterns (to guide the dead home or drive them away), from the belief in the returning dead to telling ghost stories, and why we still love it today (a liminal night; telling stories together feels warmer than watching alone)
The Uninvited Jack-o'-Lantern: The Jack Who Forever Carries His Lantern and Can Never Go Home
The Uninvited Jack-o'-Lantern | The Uninvited Legend (Stingy Jack), Jack Tricks the Devil Twice (Trapping the Devil with a Silver Cross, Forcing a Promise from the Apple Tree), After Death (Heaven Refuses Him, Hell Rejects Him), The Lantern (Hellfire in a Turnip), The Irish Carve Turnips to Drive Away Wandering Spirits (Scary Faces at the Door), Arriving in America (Turnips Replaced with Pumpkins, Becoming a Halloween Icon)