A Magical Halloween Moon

 

Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

“There is magic in the night when pumpkins glow by moonlight.”

— Unknown

Have You Shared Your Darkest Dreams

 Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash

“I am all in a sea of wonders; I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.”

— Bram Stoker

“That’s why fiction is such fun!”

When the Winds Shout - Don't Answer

 

Photo by Emanuel Haas on Unsplash

“‘Tis the night—the night of the graves delight, and the warlocks are at their play; Ye think that without the wild winds shout, but no, it is they—it is they.”

— Arthur Cleveland Coxe

There's Always A Price When True Love is Involved

 

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“Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks on this earth is the one who finds…true love?” 

 — Dracula

“For him I might just accept the cost.

Yum, yum, yum.”

Dare to Venture into the Deep Dark Woods

 

Photo by Georgi Kalaydzhiev on Unsplash

“Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing/Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”

— Edgar Allen Poe

“I’m thinking those orange eyes are a clue.”

When The Moon Howls - Hide!

 

Photo by Vino Li on Unsplash

“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”

— George Carlin

The Headless Horseman vs The Headless Cat Woman

Photo by Alexander Jawfox on Unsplash

 

“That’s the problem. He was dead to begin with.”

— Ichabod Crane

“I’m not sure that’s her problem. Might be ours though.”

It's Halloween - Run, Definitely Run!

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“Am I walking toward something I should be running away from?”

— Shirley Jackson

It Wouldn't be Halloween Without Them!

Photo by Zooey Li on Unsplash

“When the witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers ’tis near Halloween.”

— Unknown

What Better Month to Shine

 

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“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

— L.M. Montgomery

Me Too!

Devil - Politician or Both

 Photo by Sky on Unsplash

“Hell is empty because all the devils are here.”

 — William Shakespeare

And they all reside in Washington, D.C. 

Some permanently, others only 

when the vote benefits them!

And some are literally 

the walking dead!

Smile - It's Halloween

 Photo by Łukasz Nieścioruk on Unsplash

“There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch.”

 

— Robert Braul

OCTOBER 2026 - THE MONTH OF HALLOWEEN!

 

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“October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup… O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!”

 – Rainbow Rowell

 

“October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book.”

 – John Sinor

 

“October is the opal month of the year. It is the month of glory, of ripeness.”

 – Henry Ward Beecher

 

October is my favorite month.

And my Halloween Celebration begins tomorrow.

SEPTEMBER 2026

 Photo by Max on Unsplash

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

– Albert Camus

NIGHTMARES DO COME TRUE!

This is a flash fiction story that I wrote back in 2020.

I've rewritten it to bring it up to date, 

but it's even more relevant now.

Sadly so!

Photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash

We Saw It Coming!

Exactly one year after the 2026 election, the knock at the door came at noon. We still weren’t ready, but the two men with AK-47s who came to escort us to the waiting bus didn’t care.

 “Weapons?” he asked.

 “No, sir, we don’t own any.” And we didn’t. In our younger years, we’d each owned guns. We even enjoyed shooting them, but when the babies arrived, we sold them to keep the house safe. We’d never bothered to replace them.

 The man grunted. “Figures. Stupid liberals,” he said, smiling. Nodding to his buddy, he shoved my husband forward. “Should’ve kept your Republican registration; you might have had a chance.” He let me pass with only a sneer, mumbling, “Independent, slut!”

 We were being moved to new quarters—a camp for the elderly, they said—a place where we’d be taken care of. Medicare and Social Security had been abolished, and those of us who relied on them had to sell off our assets and agree to move to the ‘camps’ for continued care. The bus was full of folks in the same position, and then I saw the young mother and her child sitting in the back seat. We took the seat in front of them.

 “What are you doing here, dear?”

 “I need care for my child,” she whispered. Without government assistance, I can’t meet her special needs. I was told I could go to the camp and work there to get the care we both need.”

 “I see.” I gazed at my husband. He shrugged, already resigned to what was to come.

 “I’m glad you’ll be with us. It'll be nice to have some young people running around," I said, trying to stay optimistic.

 “Thank you,” she said. “Anny’s already missing her granny.”

 “Did she go somewhere else?”

 “Oh no,” the young woman said. She was killed during the takeover. When the Patriots came to claim our city, she and Grandpa were on the front lines holding a protest sign. They were shot.

 “I’m so sorry,” I said.

 She gave a weak smile. “It’s all right. They knew what would happen. I think they welcomed death. Ever since the election, with all the changes brought by a corrupt administration, the unrest due to ICE, and the violence by the militia. Neither of them wanted to live to see their free America destroyed completely. I would have gone with them, but I couldn’t do that to my sweet Anny. She needs me.”

I nodded and turned in my seat. Tears filled my eyes. I had wanted to do the same thing, but my husband said it couldn’t get any worse and told me to be patient. He was wrong.

 We saw it coming. The madman in the White House calling all the shots. Illegal, outrageous, unconstitutional, yet everyone let him do his thing. Sure, they tried impeachment. Ha, what a joke. His own party excused every one of his moves. After all, they were in power, and power is everything when your only goal is to increase the bottom line. Screw the people!

 Most of my family voted him into office, then put him back in, no matter what laws he broke. Even those he wanted to destroy voted for him. It boggles the mind. It scars the soul. Now the old, the disabled, and anyone else who doesn’t bow and swear allegiance or doesn’t fit the mold are being forced to move into ‘camps’ for their own good.

 I can't help but wonder—do these camps have ovens or gas chambers, or are we to be poisoned at dinner?

 The End

592 Words

Yolanda Renee © 2020/2026

Please Vote!

The future of our Democracy 

depends on you!

Photo by visuals on Unsplash

The sad part is that even our 

voting rights are

 disappearing,

 and I fear even more than 

that will also

 disappear soon!

Photo by Rachael 🫧 on Unsplash

AUGUST 2026

 

Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash

"If you have a garden and a library, you have

 everything you need."

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

JULY 2026

 

Photo by Steven Wong on Unsplash

"To dream a garden and then to plant it is an act of independence and even defiance to the greater world." 

— Stanley Crawford 

JUNE 2026

 

Photo by Angelo Pantazis on Unsplash

“Smell the sea, and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.”

—Van Morrison

 

MAY 2026

 

Photo by MIO ITO on Unsplash

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of

 you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of

 you.” 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson.

APRIL 2026

Photo by TOMOKO UJI on Unsplash

 “She turned to the sunlight, And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbor: “Winter is dead.”

– A. A. Milne

MARCH 2026

 Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash

“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.”

–– Lilly Pulitzer 

FEBRUARY 2026

 

Photo by Andrii Smurygin on Unsplash

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.”

— Hal Borland

JANUARY 2026

 

Photo by Ainārs Cekuls on Unsplash

“Kindness is like snow—It beautifies everything it covers.”

— Kahlil Gibran