It is said that every year on All Hallows Eve, strange things happen in
Ferret Hollow.  Myself just never believed it, but took a dare this
Halloween to go there and watch for what the old timers called the ghost
dance.  Silly I know, but it was a double fuzzy dare.  I thought why not
go and prove that these stories of wraith like beings, that appear out of
nowhere, were just myths.  Twelve o'clock Halloween night found me sitting
in a tree, in the middle of Ferret Hollow.  Hey, why take chances?  I must
admit that I was nervous, but then chuckled at myself for being silly.
 
Soon enough I started to feel something strange in the air, almost
mystical.  I caught a glimpse of something, perhaps a fleeting shadow, out
of the corner of my eye.  I giggled a bit,passing it off as nerves.  Then
I could have sworn that I saw the shadows begin to waver and sway in the
bright silver moonlight.  Must be my imagination getting the better of me.
As I continued to stare, unbelieving, I became more and more convinced
that I was seeing something moving down there.  It looked like many long
slinky shapes dancing and undulating in the flickering shadows and moaning
wind.  Now when did that happen?  The wind hadn't been blowing a minute
ago.
 
Things began to coalesce, and I could see clearly what everyone had been
talking about for so long.  I just couldn't believe my eyes.  There was
nothing to be afraid of, these were old friends celebrating as only they
could.  There was Jasmine over there twisting as she jumped, and Tasha
just to the right ducking under Little.  Then Valentine and Pee Dee came
into view, doing a good impression of a pinball game.  They were followed
by Jubilee, Poto and Taz.  In a shaft of pale moonlight, I could swear I
saw Chelsea and Potatoe dancing together very ladylike, and they were
interrupted by a wildly bouncing Harley and Sadee.  Along came a line of
then moving in time to an unheard rhythm.  There was Frodo, Snugs,
=A0Buster, Spike, and wasn't that Popcorn over there.Bubba came to join
them and crashed through the line.  Well, that just started even more
crazy antics.  There were so many, I just watched in amazement as they
dooked and twirled, never colliding, unless there was a special gleam in
the eye of one.  It was a wondrous sight.
 
All to soon, I noticed there were fewer of them.  They were leaving the
hollow by ones and twos.  As much as I willed them to stay, they must have
needed to go.  They all looked happy, although some seemed like they were
missing something or someone, and they peered around expectantly, and
shrugging left too.  Only one was left in the swirling mists of near dawn,
and I could swear she looked up at me and smiled.  As the first rays of
morning sun reached Ferret Hollow, she too seemed to evaporate.
 
Sandy and the Dook City Gang
[Posted in FML issue 3587]