Thursday, October 21, 2010

The haunted garden - Halloween Party

Mystery surely flutters around delicious October! October is a bird carrying on its mellow wings secrecy and all sorts of mysteries, it sings and breaths little things in my ear as he rustles through the grass... Ah yes, October is the most mysterious of month ever! And I can attest to that because I was born in October! But of course, silly me, that’s not exactly the type of mystery I’m referring to! It’s the garden... some people think it’s haunted!
It was especially creepy this evening during my daily walk at dusk.
There was something lurking in the underbrush I’m sure, and dangling from the branches of the crabapple tree I saw the most disturbing of things ever... a hanged man! Of course, it was just a Halloween dummy made of old clothes stuffed with straw that perhaps some weird kid from the neighborhood had left there the day before, but either way you can imagine how startled I was by it! More disturbing things kept happening that evening. The strangest of mist started to creep in, and an unsettling flutter of wings was heard in the otherwise quieted garden. When I turned around I thought I saw the creepiest of image across the water in the birdbath.
A face... I’m sure it was a face!—a mystifying face like those faces you see in ghost stories and books and movies of the sort! Oh the eeriness! Oh the creepiness of the moment and disturbing atmosphere! As you can imagine, I quickly collected my skirts and run back home as fast as I could... Running... running.... tumbling over the flowers, down the empty ivy path I went... through the bushes, through the maple trees, through the gates... Until I was finally safe in the comfort of my home. As you would expect, sleep would not come to me easily that night. The moon shone in my window and slanted across my bed, and a night breeze brought the smell of roses and honeysuckle into the room. Outside, leaves rustled, but I didn’t hear anything else. No goblins’ voices, no ghostly sobbing, no strange cat meowing... just the sound of the night breezes in the garden.
Slowly I finally drifted off to sleep, but much later I woke up again. The house was silent, and my cat Morning was crouched on the windowsill at the foot of his bed. His body was tense, his ears cocked forward, and his tail lashed back and forth furiously. As I sat up, I heard him growl softly, not at me but at something outside.
Cautiously, I peeked out the window. At first I saw nothing but the moonlight whitening the grass and blackening the shadows...
Then something moved near the garden, and Morning growled again... It was a white cat! He was creeping along the edge of a shadow, but while I watched, he paused and looked up at my window. The moonlight reflected in his eyes, making them two silver disks. When he meowed softly, Morning lunged against the screen, tearing at the wire with his claws and growling.
Grabbing my cat, I pulled him away from the window, but he writhed free and disappeared under the bed, still growling... as Morning vanished, I looked fearfully outside. The white cat was gone, but the scraggly bushes moved with the breeze and the shadows they cast swayed on the grass... the sweet smell of roses filled my room, and I shivered as a gust of wind blew over me. Then, as if it wasn’t creepy enough, things got even creepier! I heard something in the darkness outside. It wasn’t the breeze in the leaves or a cat meowing or a night bird calling; it was unmistakably the sound of a child crying... Truly afraid, I fought against a strong urge to scream, or run away. As if he sensed my feelings, Morning came out from his hiding place. Purring in my ear, he curled up on my pillow until finally the two of us fell asleep together... The whole thing was creepy, so very creepy, indeed! But that was last night! Now the warmest of sun has return to the land vanishing all shadows of fear! Bathed in wonderful morning sunlight, the garden has lost its sinister quality, and I find myself delighting again in the shady center of my little hide out.
I wouldn’t be scared away by a white cat anyway… would you? Of course not! Especially on a day like today, when I’m having the most delightful time celebrating the enchantment of October with tea and friends and visitors from all over the world.

If you haven't heard of it yet, there is a party soon to start at Frosted Petunias. Oh, it promises to be pure magic underneath the full Halloween moon! And I surely would not want to miss it! So with that said, I am going to change into my little witchy self and head over there right now! You're welcome to fly with me in my broom if you like, but don’t delay, dark is almost upon us, the night garden boast a magic all of its own, a magic that must be shared only at our party, so hurry!

"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

25 comments:

  1. Very mysterious! Very fun and your garden is very pretty so is your tea.
    Sherry

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  2. YOU make everything so dreamy. You must have a beautiful home and gardens.

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  3. Your posts are always amazing :) Best wishes, Jenny

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  4. Your photography with the night moon slanting across the bed, the moon in the sky with the tiny flecks of sparkle trickling down the screen and your cat photos are all very mysterious and amazing.

    If I weren't in the mood for an October Halloween night soon, I certainly would be after reading your creative story and seeing this very special blog posting.

    Thanks so much. You have started my morning off in a complete way.

    Best,
    Cheryl, Healing Woman

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  5. Oh this was ever so chillingly delightful! I was enchanted by every word. The white cat gave me goosebumps...although I imagine my Luna wouldn't mind meeting him under the moonlight! Thank you for coming for tea and sharing your encahnted tale.

    ♥Anna

    Oh don't forget to add your link to the party post tomorrow so everyone can fly by :)

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  6. Hello:)
    Thanks for stopping by:)very nice... can se that you are fond of roses ..like I am:)
    So whos blog have I to sign in on Mondays???
    It so nice that the world is getting so small..that we can talk to eachother across the world:)
    have a nice day/evening
    eddaHugs

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  7. What a wonderful story and beautiful pictures to go with it. Thank you so much.

    Willow

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  8. Oh my goodness, that story was thrilling! The pictures you posted were fantastic, they are so beautiful on their own, and coupled with your little eerie tale just made it come to life.

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  9. So very enchanting... a magical experience indeed. xx

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  10. What a spooky garden tale with such beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Beautiful photos, lovely tale -- simply magical! :)

    -- Birgit

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  12. Thank you so much for inviting me to tea! I had so much fun! Happy Halloween!

    ~Celina
    forevervampress@aol.com
    http://scrapvamp.blogspot.com

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  13. I love love love your posts! Everyone I have seen so far is just magical! Thank you so much!

    please join me for a spot of tea

    Blessed Be
    Kelli

    http://cajunstampingqueen.blogspot.com/2010/10/day-23-welcome-to-my-tea-party.html

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  14. You have the talent for grabbing our attention from the start and drawing us deeper into your stories. I am always satisfied to visit here.

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  15. I had the most purrrrfect time here walking with you through all that enchantment. I have two female cats who would love Morning so please stop by and have some tea (catnip for the felines) with us. And thank you for the beauty of it all!

    http://www.yearcats.com/2010/10/22/drinking-tea-with-the-ancestors/

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  16. That was one scary tea party!! (or a bad trip, LOL--j/k)
    Nicely done!!

    Thank you :)

    Peace,
    Susan

    come visit:
    http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/

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  17. Cielo,
    Once again. Hauntingly Enchanting. Your tales are beautifully told and such a delight to read. I love the photos. The garden is absolutely a place of dreams.
    Please stop by for some tea and Wonderland magic

    http://candydelane.typepad.com/curiosities

    Spells and Wishes,
    Wendy from Wonderland

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  18. Wonderful post and photos, you have put so much work in to your tea party.

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  19. what a wonderful tale...and pictures to go with it..your garden looks incredible.

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  20. Thanks for the stroll through your lovely garden.
    Your photographs are fantastic.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Michele

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  21. I always love a visit, especially in your gardens. There's always something new, something beautiful and charming to enjoy.

    rachel

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  22. Oh Cielo ~ You never fail to enchant me. Blessings to you and Morning.

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  23. Thank you for a delightful Party!

    And your gown is simply breathtaking. -happy sigh-

    Gentle hugs...

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  24. Finally catching up on all the Enchanting Full Moon Tea Parties. Love your beautiful blog, mysterious tale & all your PICs. October 23 was my third Blogoversary, so October is a spooktacular Celebration month.

    Please fly by for my giveaways too...
    Hauntingly Yours, Lyndy

    My Haunted Halloween Party Link:
    http://bit.ly/dho880
    TODAYSGOLD
    http://todaysgold.blogspot.com/

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