HALLOWEEN TALES IN THE DARK

Any strangers entering the Circle meeting on November 1^st could have been excused for thinking they had stumbled across a witch’s coven. The room was in darkness except for a few lighted candles; just enough to show a number of figures seated around a cauldron in the centre of the room and at the far end a melon lantern and broomstick. There was no cause for alarm however, as it was the Circle’s annual competition of short stories for Halloween. There were entries of not more than a 1000 words from 14 members, which were read out with the aid of a torch to maintain the atmosphere.

When the lights went up, members then voted for their favourites. They placed in third spot, Christine Mundy who, in Lucky Black Cat was haunted by the spirit of a cat which had been bricked up by tradition in the wall of the house. Runner-up was Les Cooper with Forget-me-not, his haunting tale of poor Emily whose husband went off to be killed in the war as soon as they were married. As winner they chose Guest Speaker by Neil Somerville, the story of a mystery speaker who turns up at a writers’ circle and gives some good advice to the members, imploring them to create magic with their words. It is only after he has gone they enquire about him to discover he has been dead for six years.