October is the best month of the entire year. Yeah, I am saying that October is better than March (my birth month), December, and July combined, and we all know how much I love those other months. But, if you know me at all, you might be conscious of the small fact that I am a bit strange. I'll be the first to admit it, I have a fascination with things that most consider ridiculous and even slightly unorthodox.
I love ghost stories, and I proudly admit that. I don't just mean I love to hear them and enjoy the feeling of being scared; I adore stories, TV shows, and movies about ghosts. Ghost stories enchant me. I can watch those ghost hunting shows for hours without ever growing bored; I watch the same haunted history shows over and over again. My family thinks that I am crazy, and quite often when I am home I get the, "Oh, you're watching that ghost crap again?" I don't even care that it is probably the dumbest thing in the world to believe. Sure, I think the shows are hilarious at times. I squint at the TV for signs of a ghost and yell that I can't hear the "disembodied voices" they claim to capture with their fancy technology. But, I still find myself browsing the channels for anything that hints at a good ghost hunt.
Everyone likes a good story, and I think this is why I am fascinated by ghost stories. The stories that send chills down your spin and keep you up at night hoping you don't hear anything unexplainable in your bedroom. But when you really break it down, a ghost story is just an image of humanity's past. There is always a basis of truth in ghost stories, whether it is the location or the people involved in the story. For some reason, I have always loved history, and I think it is important that we hear these stories and remember them because some day there will be stories about us. The added bonus of a ghost story is the mystery of it all. The main fear that human beings face around the world is that we are afraid of the unknown.
Ghosts entrance us because we don't know if they are real or not. You can sit there and say, "I don't believe in ghosts," but really, how do you know? The answer is that we can't know if they exist or not, and that is the beauty of it all. I want to believe in ghosts, but I do not want to have an experience that makes me believe in ghosts. Because it is that slight edge of mystery that keeps us going and wanting more, and I don't want to lose that.
So why do I love October? Isn't it obvious? Halloween, of course. Halloween is the one time of year when people let go of their skepticism and believe in the unknown. They relish in the fear and embrace the ridiculousness that follows ghost stories. I love every minute of it, and I find myself giddy at the beginning of the month and so sad when it is over. Lucky for me, the shows are played throughout the year, so I don't miss it long. But, in October, there is a literal smorgasbord of ghostly encounters. Everyone falls victim to the allure that Halloween creates, and I can't help but fall into that category more as each year passes.
I know it is weird, but I also don't really care. I can think of several other things that are weirder than believing in ghosts. I have accepted this, and I am not ashamed to admit it at all. I turn on every light when I am walking around my house alone, I won't look out the window in the middle of the night, and I still find myself pulling the covers over my head before I go to sleep. Because even though I know my house isn't haunted...
I'm not taking any chances.
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