“
I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.
”
”
Carolyn MacCullough (Once a Witch (Witch, #1))
“
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
”
”
William Shakespeare
“
Real life... Witches: Wiccan practitioners. Werewolves: rare strain of rabies. Zombies: Prions/Plague. Vampires: Hemophilia/Porphyria
”
”
Solange nicole
“
I feel the nights stretching away
thousands long behind the days
till they reach the darkness where
all of me is ancestor.
”
”
Annie Finch (Spells: New and Selected Poems (Wesleyan Poetry Series))
“
Haunt an old house.
Ask for a treat.
Laugh like a witch.
Lick something sweet.
Offer a trick.
Wander a maze.
Echo a boo.
Exclaim the phrase—
Normal's unnatural on Halloween!
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year)
“
...just because I don't have on a silly black costume and carry a silly broom and wear a silly black hat, doesn't mean that I'm not a witch. I'm a witch all the time and not just on Halloween.
”
”
E.L. Konigsburg (Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth)
“
Treats and tricks.
Witch broomsticks.
Jack-o-lanterns
Lick their lips.
Crows and cats.
Vampire bats.
Capes and fangs
And pointed hats.
Werewolves howl.
Phantoms prowl.
Halloween’s
Upon us now.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Slaying Dragons: Quotes, Poetry, & a Few Short Stories for Every Day of the Year)
“
Jagged needle, wicked lies
From under the skin, pluck evil eyes.
Destiny change from pain and cold
Now that you pay in blood and soul.
”
”
Lawren Leo (Love's Shadow: Nine Crooked Paths)
“
Halloween shadows played upon the walls of the houses. In the sky the Halloween moon raced in and out of the clouds. The Halloween wind was blowing, not a blasting of wind but a right-sized swelling, falling, and gushing of wind. It was a lovely and exciting night, exactly the kind of night Halloween should be.
”
”
Eleanor Estes (The Witch Family)
“
It is Halloween,” he explains coyly. “I wanted to come out as something beautiful. None of this witch stuff for me. My God, don’t we spend our whole life as witches?
”
”
Paul Russell (The Salt Point)
“
Most people live their lives laying prostrate before a false god, waiting for a cue to rise. There are no cues, only decisions. Shall I have dessert? Shall I have the best of the wine? Shall I love the person next to me? They can all be brought to your table. Rise, I say, rise and look within to the truth, to the light, and tell it your decision.
”
”
Lawren Leo (Love's Shadow: Nine Crooked Paths)
“
Mr. Crossley suddenly wondered why he was why he was worrying about the note. It was only a joke, after all. He cleared his throat. Everyone looked up hopefully. 'Somebody,' said Mr. Crossley, 'seems to have sent me a Halloween message.' And he read out the note: 'SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH.'
6B thought this was splendid news. Hands shot up all over the room like a bed of beansprouts.
'It's me, Mr. Crossley!'
'Mr. Crossley, I'm the witch!'
'Can I be the witch, Mr. Crossley?'
'Me, Mr. Crossley, me, me, me!
”
”
Diana Wynne Jones (Witch Week (Chrestomanci, #3))
“
Halloween colors, less or more,
are pumpkin, witch, and bloody gore.”
“You must mean orange, black, and red.”
“Indeed, that’s what I said.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
But, stop and think. What does the word ‘witch’ truly mean?” “Why—” said Tom, and was stymied. “Wits,” said Moundshroud. “Intelligence. That’s all it means. Knowledge. So any man, or woman, with half a brain and with inclinations toward learning had his wits about him, eh? And so, anyone too smart, who didn’t watch out, was called—” “A witch!” said everyone. “And some of the smart ones, the ones with wits, pretended at magic, or dreamed themselves with ghosts and dead shufflers and ambling mummies. And if enemies dropped dead by coincidence, they took credit for it. They liked to believe they had power, but they had none, boys, none, sad and sorry, ’tis true. But
”
”
Ray Bradbury (The Halloween Tree)
“
I think what you wear on Halloween is important. It says something about you--who you are and what you want to be. There's got to be a reason so many girls go around dressed as princesses and witches.
”
”
Jennifer L. Holm (The Fourteenth Goldfish)
“
Halloween is controllable horror.
”
”
Kealan Patrick Burke (Dead Leaves: 9 Tales from the Witching Season)
“
Keep calm and carry a wand.
”
”
A.W. Jantha (Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel)
“
Halloween season. The season of the witch, so many thought. And, in legend, the night when souls could return to earth...
And try to linger on.
But the dead weren't really returning, the living created evil.
”
”
Heather Graham (The Evil Inside (Krewe of Hunters, #4))
“
For a witch, you certainly don’t know much about how hauntings work.
”
”
Colleen Houck (The Lantern's Ember)
“
My stubborn little witch,” he said softly. “Don’t believe for a clockwork minute that you are unlovable. If I were a mortal, a man not doomed to walk the earth as a haunted specter, I would be the first suitor in line. Please believe that.”
She hiccupped. “You… you’d want to court me?”
Jack laughed. “Court you? I’d follow you around like Finney and stare at you all moony-eyed. I’d spend my days fending off your other would-be suitors, my evenings charming Flossie, and my nights stealing kisses at your window.
”
”
Colleen Houck (The Lantern's Ember)
“
But stop and think. What does the word with truly mean? Wits, intelligence. That’s all it means. Knowledge so any man or woman with half a brain and inclination toward learning had his wits about him, ey? And so anyone too smart who didn’t watch out, was called a witch.
”
”
Ray Bradbury (The Halloween Tree)
“
An apple or two should be left on the ground, under the apple tree, to feed any wandering spirits on Halloween night.
”
”
Liz Yetter (The Witch's Encyclopedia of Folk Superstitions and Divinations)
“
On Hallows Eve, we witches meet
to broil and bubble tasty treats
like goblin thumbs with venom dip,
crisp bat wings, and fried fingertips.
We bake the loudest cackle crunch,
and brew the thickest quagmire punch.
Delicious are the rotting flies
when sprinkled over spider pies.
And, my oh my, the ogre brains
all scrambled up with wolf remains!
But what I love the most, it’s true,
are festered boils mixed in a stew.
They cook up oh so tenderly.
It goes quite well with mugwort tea.
So don’t be shy; the cauldron’s hot.
Jump in! We witches eat a lot!
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
It's Halloween! It's Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
and we shall see that can't be seen
on any other night
skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
grinning goblins fighting duels,
werewolves rising from their tombs,
witches on their magic brooms.
In masks and gowns
we haunt the street
and knock on doors
for trick or treat.
tonight we are
the king and queen,
for oh tonight
it's Halloween!
”
”
Jack Prelutsky (It's Halloween)
“
It was a strange experience to be looking out the window of an eighteenth-century Chinese house at a seventeenth-century colonial graveyard full of people in twenty-first-century Halloween costumes. Salem, guys.
”
”
J.W. Ocker (A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts)
“
Witches cackle.
Goblins growl.
Spectres boo,
And werewolves howl.
Black cats hiss.
Bats flap their wings.
Mummies moan.
The cold wind sings.
Ogre’s roar.
And crows, they caw.
Vampires bahahahaha.
Warlocks swish their moonlit capes.
Loch Ness monsters churn the lake.
Skeletons, they rattle bones
While graveyards crack the old headstones.
All the while the ghouls, they cry
To trick-or-treaters passing by.
Oh, the noise on Halloween;
It makes me want to scream!
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Slaying Dragons: Quotes, Poetry, & a Few Short Stories for Every Day of the Year)
“
And yet there is something oddly attractive about the crowded shop window with its piles of boxes and tins, and its Hallowe'en witches in darkest chocolate and colored straw, and plump marzipan pumpkins and maple-candy skulls just glimpsed beneath the half-closed shutter.
There was a scent too- a smoky scent of apples and burnt sugar, vanilla and rum and cardamom and chocolate.
”
”
Joanne Harris (The Girl with No Shadow (Chocolat, #2))
“
Bwahahahahaha! Happy Halloweeeeen!”
I turn away from the closet—where I was just in the process of trying to find a Halloween-esque outfit that’s not a costume because I fucking hate dressing up—and gawk at the creature gracing my doorway. I can’t make heads or tails of what Allie is wearing. All I see is a skintight blue bodysuit, lots of feathers, and…are those cat ears?
I steal Allie’s trademark phrase by demanding, “What on God’s green planet are you supposed to be?”
“I’m a cat-bird.” Then she gives me a look that says, uh-doy.
“A cat bird? What is…okay…why?”
“Because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be a cat or a bird, so Sean was like, just be both, and I was like, you know what? Brilliant idea, boyfriend.” She grins at me. “I’m pretty sure he was being a smartass, but I decided to treat the suggestion as gospel.”
I have to laugh. “He’s going to wish he suggested something less ridiculous, like sexy nurse, or sexy witch, or—”
“Sexy ghost, sexy tree, sexy box of Kleenex.” Allie sighs. “Gee, let’s just throw the word sexy in front of any mundane noun and look! A costume! Because here’s the thing, if you want to dress like a ho-bag, why not just go as a ho-bag? You know what? I hate Halloween.
”
”
Elle Kennedy (The Deal (Off-Campus, #1))
“
The night air gusted against my face, smelling like an absolute of fall; woodsmoke and dying leaves and the faintest bracing hint of future snow. And right below that was the scent of Thistle Grove magic, which I’ve never come across anywhere else. Spicy and earthy, as if the lingering ghost of all the incense burned by three hundred years of witches had never quite blown away. A perpetual Halloween smell, the kind that gave you the good-creepy sort of tingles.
”
”
Lana Harper (Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove #1))
“
How can you make a witch itch? A: Take away her W!
”
”
Johnny B. Laughing (100+ Halloween Jokes for Kids: Funny Halloween Joke Book for Children (Funny Halloween Joke Book for Kids-Children))
“
Everything's dark, nothing is bright," the child sang, "No one can stop us on Halloween night." Evelyn smiled. "This is our night, this is our street, give us some money, or candy to eat." The
”
”
Kealan Patrick Burke (Dead Leaves: 9 Tales from the Witching Season)
“
No one religion is right for everyone, and no religion—whether it be Wicca, Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism—is more valid than any other. Religious diversity is something that needs not only to be tolerated, but also celebrated. The good that religion was designed to teach and maintain inevitably turns to harm when one religious group claims superiority over another or tries to deny others of their constitutional right to believe in and worship the god or goddess of their choice.
”
”
Gerina Dunwich (Witch's Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, and Lore)
“
Supernaturals is a broad term used to classify beings that include Elementals and numerous other creatures. Like what? The list is endless. Witches, Demons, Spirits, stuff like that. Wow, I commented dryly. It's like a giant Halloween party isn't it?
”
”
Alessia Dickson (The Crystal Chronicles)
“
...As a child he had gone out for Halloween as a mummy, a vampire, a blue-and-green-swolen drowned boy, all kinds of sufferings and mutilations and perversions represented by his costumes; and looking around him he saw witches and Frankenstein monsters and scarred warty masks of all the kids running around asking for candy in the dark; and he wondered: Why must we hurt ourselves and drive stakes through our hearts and drown ourselves in order to get candy? Why couldn't we just go out and ask for it?
”
”
William T. Vollmann (You Bright and Risen Angels (Contemporary American Fiction))
“
Halloween children bear the blessing and curse of seeing through the veil separating the visible and invisible worlds. We recall with vivid clarity the sweet embrace of that which made us. We carry it with us even when we are told by others to fear it.
”
”
Sasha Graham (The Magic of Tarot: Your Guide to Intuitive Readings, Rituals, and Spells)
“
permanently cobwebbed lamp posts, Nocturne Falls made no bones about what happened here. I was a little in love already. There were even old-school Halloween characters walking around taking pictures with people. I passed a witch before I’d been on the street for ten minutes.
”
”
Kristen Painter (Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case (Jayne Frost, #1))
“
Finney asked everyone to carve pumpkins and light them to mark the path from the crossroad to the town. The tradition caught on, and soon crossroads all over the world opened on that one night and the mortal realm was haunted by ghosts, goblins, witches, werewolves, and vampires.
”
”
Colleen Houck (The Lantern's Ember)
“
When what to their
curious eyes should loom,
but a wicked old witch
holding a broom.
Her cape—how it shimmered!
Her face—oh, how scary!
Her hat was so pointy,
it frightened the fairy!
The wicked witch said,
“Welcome. We have a surprise.”
And the children yelled,
“Run! It’s not a disguise!
”
”
Natasha Wing (The Night Before Halloween)
“
had to look the word up. The definition had delighted her, and she’d hoped the girl was correct. The four Padavano sisters dressed up as witches for Halloween that year, and Charlie gleefully quoted Macbeth at them. Julia, in the height of her girlhood, with a pointed black hat on her head, knew that they were a coven of witches,
”
”
Ann Napolitano (Hello Beautiful)
“
Halloween?” Sabrina Mason asked. She moved her fork around in the bright yellow macaroni on her lunch tray but didn’t take a bite. Carly Beth Caldwell sighed and shook her head. The overhead light on the lunchroom ceiling made her straight brown hair gleam. “I don’t know. A witch, maybe.” Sabrina’s mouth dropped open. “You? A witch?” “Well, why not?” Carly Beth demanded,
”
”
R.L. Stine (The Haunted Mask (Goosebumps, #11))
“
Look,” cried Buster. “Arthur just went into the witch’s house!”
“She’ll probably put Arthur and D.W. into her oven, just like Hansel and Gretel,” said Sue Ellen.
“Maybe she’s using them for weird scientific experiments,” said the Brain.
“I bet she locked them in the cellar to starve,” said Buster.
“Maybe we should follow him,” said Francine.
“Maybe we should call the police,” said Muffy.
Everyone was too scared to move.
”
”
Marc Brown (Arthur's Halloween)
“
In the history of terrible holidays, this ranks as the worst ever. Worse than the Fourth of July when Granddad showed up to see the fireworks in a kilt and insisted on singing "Flower of Scotland" instead of "America the Beautiful." Worse than the Halloween when Trudy Sherman and I both went to school dressed as Glinda the Good Witch,and she told everyone her costume was better than mine,because you could see my purple "Monday" panties through my dress AND YOU TOTALLY COULD.
I'm not talking to Bridgette.She calls every day,but I ignore her.It's over. The Christmas gift I bought her,a tiny package wrapped in red-and-white striped paper,has been shoved into the bottom of my suitcase.It's a model of Pont Neuf,the oldest bridge in Paris. It was part of a model train set,and because of my poor language skills, St. Clair spent fifteen minutes convincing the shopkeeper to sell the bridge to me seperately.
I hope I can return it.
I've only been to the Royal Midtown 14 once,and even though I saw Hercules, Toph was there,too.And he was like, "Hey, Anna.Why won't you talk to Bridge?" and I had to run into the restroom. One of the new girls followed me in and said she thinks Toph is an insensitive douchebag motherhumping assclown,and that I shouldn't let him get to me.Which was sweet,but didn't really help.
”
”
Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1))
“
He walked steadily, feeling them behind him. His stride did not falter; he pretended they weren’t there. He pretended that all was well—that those hideous things knew nothing about what he had done earlier in the night. But each pumpkin he passed nearly leapt off its porch or railing or wooden chair, expanded and morphed and throbbed as if in a funhouse mirror, and joined the procession behind him.
The wind picked up, suddenly and fiercely, and construction paper decorations adorning the houses that surrounded him flapped helplessly against their doors and windows. The man ducked against the cold wind, and from the pursuing army of the jack-o’-lanterns behind him. Cardboard skeletons with fastener joints and witches with shredded yarn hair and ghosts with cotton ball sheets and black crayon eyes escaped their thumbtacks and scotch tape and newspaper twine and they flashed and danced in his face. He brushed at them desperately with his hands, attempting to tear a hole through them and escape.
”
”
J. Tonzelli (The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween)
“
I've worn a mask most of my life. Most people do. As a little girl, I covered my face with my hands, figuring if I couldn't see my father, he couldn't see me. When this didn't work, I hid behind Halloween masks: clowns and witches and Ronald McDonald. Years later, when I went to Mexico, I understood just how far a mask can take you. In the dusty streets, villagers turned themselves into jaguars, hyenas, the devil himself. For year,s I thought wearing a mask was a way to start over, become someone new. Now I know better.
”
”
Lili Wright (Dancing with the Tiger)
“
Moundshroud led the Team down on their brooms over the farms where witches dropped frogs in cauldrons and stomped toads and snuffed mummy dust and cavorted in cackles.
"But, stop and think. What does the word 'witch' truly mean?"
"Why--" said Tom, and was stymied.
"Wits," said Moundshroud. "Intelligence. That's all it means. Knowledge. So any man, or woman, with half a brain and with inclinations toward learning had his wits about him, eh? And so, anyone too smart, who didn't watch out, was called--"
"A witch!" said everyone.
”
”
Ray Bradbury (The Halloween Tree)
“
[on Halloween]
Shaya could hear the clump-clump-clump of their mother's feet on the stairs. When she appeared in the living room doorway, neither Shaya nor Dev could speak.
"Oh, gosh," Shaya finally said.
"Well? What do you think?"
Shaya's lips moved, but she couldn't find the words.
Finally Dev uttered, "Mom, you're a… cow."
"Right! So that Shaya and I could do a theme." At their blank expressions, she said. "Get it? Cowgirl… cow."
Shaya finally found her voice. "Mom, you're… huge. You're huge and black and white and you have an udder.
”
”
Jody Kihara (White Witch Pond)
“
And so, with their first public action on Halloween of 1968, the feminist activist group called W.I.T.C.H. was born. Its members donned witch costumes, replete with brooms and pointy black hats, and did a public ritual performance of hexing the New York Stock Exchange. Did it work? Well, as Gloria Steinem wrote about the incident in New York magazine, “A coven of 13 members of W.I.T.C.H. demonstrates against that bastion of white supremacy: Wall Street. The next day, the market falls five points.” (The glue that the witches added to the locks of the NYSE doors also added a bit of whammy, no doubt.)
”
”
Pam Grossman (Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power (Witchcraft Bestseller))
“
When it came time to go trick-or-treating Buster knew which houses to skip.
“Don’t go there,” he said. “They only give apples.”
“Gross,” said Francine.
“And don’t go to the big house on the corner,” said Buster. “That’s the witch’s house.”
“My brother saw someone go in there last Halloween and he never came out.”
Arthur tried not to look afraid.
Arthur and his sister had trouble keeping up with the others.
First D.W. got her tail caught.
Then her bag broke.
“You’re such a pain in the neck,” said Arthur.
“D.W. must be short for Dim Wit.”
But D.W. didn’t answer.
Arthur turned around just in time to see her disappear into the witch’s house.
”
”
Marc Brown (Arthur's Halloween)
“
I thought of the words the old witch had used to summon the sword on previous occasions. While stepping backwards with the intent of putting the table between Thaddeus and myself, I voiced the spell aloud.
“Grim dettarias, ee Duvalla swen areir!”
My trusted weapon appeared from out of nowhere, the hilt grasped tight within my fingers. Without delay, I pointed the tip of the blade at my enemy.
“Move away from the door and let me leave this place.”
“Oh, Catherine…”
“Don’t breathe that wicked name again!” I angrily ordered. Thaddeus closed his mouth, and his eyes scrunched the slightest bit, never shifting from me.
“I’ll cut out your tongue if you mutter that awful name one more time,” I threatened. I interpreted his frown as a sign that he believed I would make every effort to carry out that threat.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (The Tarishe Curse)
“
Her new fever, her anxiety which changed itself to anger was even more of a toy to him. A part of his attention, secret until now, leaned forward to scan every pore of her Halloween face. Somehow, irresistibly, the prime thing was: nothing mattered. Life in the end seemed a prank of such size you could only stand off at this end of the corridor to note its meaningless length and its quite unnecessary height, a mountain built to such ridiculous immensities you were dwarfed in its shadow and mocking of its pomp. So with death this near he thought numbly but purely upon a billion vanities, arrivals, departures, idiot excursions of boy, boy-man, man and old-man goat. He had gathered and stacked all manner of foibles, devices, playthings of his egotism and now, between all the silly corridors of books, the toys of his life swayed. And none more grotesque than this thing named Witch Gypsy Reader-of-Dust, tickling, that’s what! just tickling the air! Fool! Didn’t she know what she was doing!
”
”
Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
“
Her new fever, her anxiety which changed itself to anger was even more of
a toy to him. A part of his attention, secret until now, leaned forward to scan
every pore of her Halloween face. Somehow, irresistibly, the prime thing was:
nothing mattered. Life in the end seemed a prank of such size you could only
stand off at this end of the corridor to note its meaningless length and its quite
unnecessary height, a mountain built to such ridiculous immensities you were
dwarfed in its shadow and mocking of its pomp. So with death this near he
thought numbly but purely upon a billion vanities, arrivals, departures, idiot
excursions of boy, boy-man, man and old-man goat. He had gathered and
stacked all manner of foibles, devices, playthings of his egotism and now,
between all the silly corridors of books, the toys of his life swayed. And none
more grotesque than this thing named Witch Gypsy Reader-of-Dust, tickling, that’s what! just tickling the air! Fool! Didn’t she know what she was doing!
”
”
Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
“
Witch Mildred was invited
to the wondrous Witches’ Wobble,
a Halloween festivity
where witches go to gobble.
Her snakeskin invitation read:
Feasting Starts at Eight!
A Grand Buffet (with Skunk Filet!)
Hopping on her broomstick,
She took off from a thicket.
She raced along the back roads
to dodge a speeding ticket.
A skeleton soon hailed her.
(His bones could use some meat!)
He pled, “Please! I’m so hungry,
I rattle head to feet.”
A jack-o’-lantern hollered,
“Please take me from this wall,
for some, I dread, might use my head
as a soccer ball.”
Soon the three encountered
a ghost who was in tears.
“Please take me from this graveyard.
It’s much too spooky here.”
A shaky, quaky mummy
called, “I’m ready to collapse.
Please find me a warm hearthside,
for I forgot my wraps!”
A bat swooped down upon them.
He squeaked, “Please wait for me!
I’ll go batty when the sexton bongs
the bells in my belfry.”
A black cat yowled,
“Please take me.
I need some company,
for when I cross their pathways,
people run from me!
”
”
Elizabeth Spurr (Halloween Sky Ride)
“
I’m sorry,” said the kitty.
“I’ve wrecked your broomstick ride.”
“No matter,” said Witch Mildred.
“We’re here. Let’s go inside!”
The clock atop the castle
read twenty after eight,
but the promised buffet table
held only emptied plates!
“No eye or newt? No sautéed slug?
No pickleworm pate?
No casserole of cockroach!
No spiderweb soufflé!
Those greedy gobbling goblins
left zilch for us to eat.”
Said the starving skeleton,
“Why don’t we trick-or-treat?”
They passed a lighted cottage,
from which rose song and laughter.
The mummy boldly rang the bell,
All others traipsing after.
The children squealed and giggled
as they greeted their new guests,
for of all the trick-or-treaters,
these costumes were the best!
The hostess asked the callers
to join them at their party.
“Check out this spread!” the mummy said.
The hostess said, “Eat hearty.”
“Taffy apples! Candy corn!
Purple punch, ice-cold!
My tongue’s not touched such tastiness
since I was six years old!”
In the corner of the kitchen
Witch Mildred found a mop.
“I think this will do nicely
while my broom is in the shop.”
“May I, please?” asked Mildred,
and seated her new friends.
With a loud “Thank you!” away they flew,
in loopy swoops and bends.
That night Witch Mildred dreamed
of cakes and lemonade,
but far more sweet than party treats were the friendships she had made!
”
”
Elizabeth Spurr (Halloween Sky Ride)
“
My team made a quick stop at a grocery store for steaks, and half an hour later we were crowded into Maven’s tricked-out Jeep, headed for Idaho Springs: one vampire, two witches, and three werewolves. It sounded like the beginning of a Halloween picture book.
”
”
Melissa F. Olson (Boundary Lines (Boundary Magic, #2))
“
Two figures joined the witch, a skull head and a pumpkin head.
”
”
John Passarella (Halloween: The Official Movie Novelization)
“
A grimy ghost hovered above a smiling scarecrow that looked puny next to an oversized bat being watched by a wicked witch who was entangled in the web of an even larger spider that was in danger of being eaten by a bug-eyed owl that peeped out of the faux foliage, much more nostalgic than scary.
”
”
Kevin Purdy
“
Nothing could be more agreeable than a juicy English apple- and yet here were apples mixed up with broom sticks, and witches, and old fashioned folklore and a murdered child.
”
”
Agatha Christie (Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot, #41))
“
I'll take you and BAKE you. A witch came sneaky~sneaky~sneaky. "I'll take you and bake you," she said. And she gave it a pat. The pumpkin tried to look very scary. But it just looked big and FAT. The witch reached for it. But--she hid instead. Girls and Boys--- searching, seeking, peeking.
”
”
Tony Johnston (Very Scary)
“
She was tucked up in her favorite chair in front of the fire, reading a new book and sipping a witch-made tea…and there is no better spell for comfort than that.
”
”
Juneau Black (Phantom Pond: A Shady Hollow Halloween Short Story)
“
Halloween provides us with the choice to be scared, or to scare others. It allows us to vicariously slip behind the mask and see the world through the eyes of things that evoke fear in others. It allows us to be scared out of our wits, safe in the knowledge that it isn't real.
”
”
Kealan Patrick Burke (Dead Leaves: 9 Tales from the Witching Season)
“
It was over. It was done. Now, all we had to do was wait for the spell to come to fruition. For the men—our men—to seek us out.
”
”
Amelia Shaw (Alpha Magic (Halloween Witches, #1))
“
Halloween is controllable horror. We allow the monsters their time in the moonlight until we send them away.
”
”
Kealan Patrick Burke (Dead Leaves: 9 Tales from the Witching Season)
“
For some of those vampires and witches you see today… This is the ONLY day of the year they don’t have to hide who they are.
”
”
Steve Maraboli
“
Pastels, because who said Halloween couldn’t be cute?
”
”
Jennifer Chipman (Wickedly Yours (Witches of Pleasant Grove, #2))
“
High above the earth Celandine soared filled with the peculiar joy that only Halloween could bring. It was the time of year that witches were at their most powerful; when
”
”
Hal L. O'ween (All Hallows' Eve)
“
It was a custom to bury an apple in the ground on Halloween to feed the dead.
”
”
Liz Yetter (The Witch's Encyclopedia of Folk Superstitions and Divinations)
“
Hey!” said Sister. “This is Crooked Lane!”
“That’s right,” said Too-Tall. “We’re gonna play a few tricks on old Witch McGrizz.”
“W-what sort of tricks?” asked Brother. Her gnarled, twisted old tree house loomed ahead.
“First,” whispered Too-Tall, taking a roll of toilet paper from his jacket, “we’ll decorate her house with a little of this. Then maybe we’ll tie a few knots in her clothesline. Then smear some honey on her broomstick so she’ll stick to it when she tries to fly.”
But before Too-Tall and his gang could start their mischief, the front door opened and a bright yellow light stabbed the darkness. And there in the doorway stood the frightening figure of old Miz McGrizz! “Aha!” she said in a gravelly voice. “I’m ready for you!”
She then led the terrified cubs into a cozy living room. To their great surprise, there was a big tray of beautiful candy apples all prepared for Halloween visitors.
“Mama was right,” whispered Sister to Brother. “Miz McGrizz really is a sweet, kind old person!
”
”
Stan Berenstain (The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat)
“
Finally, out of breath, they tried to slip behind some trash cans at the end of a narrow alley. But Floyd ducked a moment too late, and Alice’s rabbit ears gave them away.
Leona squealed with delight.
Yo Ho Ho!
I see something funny.
It’s Pirate Floyd
And his baby bunny!
The witches roared with laughter and slapped each other on the back.
Floyd winced, but as he drew his saber, his face lit up with a pirate’s grin. First, he kept the witches at bay so his friends could carry little Alice to safety. Then, growling like a movie pirate, he swung out of reach on an overhanging tree limb, turned a quick flip, and somersaulted backward over the fence.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Mona said.
Floyd looked surprised. “Neither did I.”
“Come on,” shouted Wendell. “They’re right behind us!”
They ran until they found themselves in an even stranger part of town.
“It’s pretty creepy around here,” muttered Floyd.
Wendell suggested they hide in the graveyard, but Mona scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“No, it’s perfect. They’ll never follow us into a place like this.”
Actually, the witches didn’t mind the graveyard at all.
“We see you, Wendell!” Leona crowed.
What’s wrong with Wendell?
Let me think.
He must be MAD
‘Cause he’s dressed in pink!
The witches shrieked and hooted, laughing so hard they nearly cried.
For a moment Wendell’s face turned as pink as his smock. But then an idea began to brew. He reached into his mad scientist’s kit and started mixing potions. “Drink this!” he told his friends. “It will make us invisible.”
At the word “invisible” the witches roared even louder. But their laughter turned to puzzled yelps when Wendell, Floyd, Mona, and Alice suddenly disappeared!
”
”
Mark Teague (One Halloween Night)
“
Before they could decide what to do, the witches were upon them. Leona cackled even louder.
Just look over there.
You’ll see something scary.
It’s Tinkerbell Mona
Dressed up like a fairy!
The witches squealed and guffawed. They snorted and wheezed and rolled on the ground.
Mona waited until the laughter died down. Then her eyes flashed, and suddenly so did her magic wand.
“Now I’ve got a poem for you,” she said, and pointed her wand straight at them.
Ibbity bibbity, bobbity boad.
Leona Fleebish, you’re a toad!
Instantly, a bolt of white light shot out from the wand,
Followed by a clap of thunder and a great puff of smoke!
The next thing they knew, Wendell, Floyd, Mona, and Alice landed right back on the corner where their evening had begun. There wasn’t a witch in sight, and their bags were filled with wonderful, ordinary candy.
Wendell stared at Mona’s wand. “How did you do that?”
She just shrugged. “You said anything can happen on Halloween.”
Later, they sat in Floyd’s living room, sorting their candy and sipping cocoa.
“You know, Floyd,” said Wendell. “You make a pretty good pirate.”
“Thanks. You’re a good mad scientist too, even if you are pink. But Mona was the best of all.”
She smiled. “I guess being a fairy princess was okay. Still, I’m sort of glad it’s over. Now we can all get back to normal.”
After a while, Leona Fleebish even stopped being a toad.
”
”
Mark Teague (One Halloween Night)
“
Hurry up!” said a ghoul
who started to yawn.
“There’s so much to do
before bedtime at dawn.”
So the witches brewed up
a magical potion,
which set every monster
and goblin in motion.
They blew up balloons,
and hung streamers and lights,
and decorated till
the wee hours of night.
”
”
Natasha Wing (The Night Before Halloween)
“
It would be hard to determine whether humans or non-humans have more fun at Halloween. For humans, they get the chance to dress up like vampires and werewolves, angels and devils, faeries and witches. For non-humans who are those things, they get to dress up however the hell they want.
”
”
Chessela Helm (Halloween for Nons (Runaround #1.5))
“
I think what you wear on Halloween is important. It says something about you--who you are and what you want to be. There's got to be a reason so many girls go around dressed as princesses and witches.
”
”
Jennifer Holm
“
In 2016. We have robots on Mars and supercomputers in our pockets, and people are still afraid of the hoodoo. Yet
”
”
J.W. Ocker (A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts)
“
The ingredient list for a spell is much less interesting than the effects of the spell itself.
”
”
J.W. Ocker (A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts)
“
They walked down each lane,
avenue, and street,
rang every doorbell
and said, “Trick or treat!”
But just when the children
thought they were done,
the princess said,
“We’ve forgotten just one.”
So they walked to the house
at the top of the hill,
which gave all the kids
a spine-tingling thrill.
They stood on the porch
and were ready to knock,
when they heard heavy footsteps,
and a turn of the lock.
When what to their
curious eyes should loom,
but a wicked old witch
holding a broom.
Her cape--how it shimmered!
Her face--oh, how scary!
Her hat was so pointy,
it frightened the fairy!
The wicked witch said,
“Welcome. We have a surprise.”
And the children yelled,
“Run! It’s not a disguise!
”
”
Natasha Wing (The Night Before Halloween)
“
They stood on the porch
and were ready to knock,
when they heard heavy footsteps,
and a turn of the lock.
When what to their
curious eyes should loom,
but a wicked old witch
holding a broom.
Her cape--how it shimmered!
Her face--oh, how scary!
Her hat was so pointy,
it frightened the fairy!
The wicked witch said,
“Welcome. We have a surprise.”
And the children yelled,
“Run! It’s not a disguise!”
The monsters were sad
when the kids ran away.
They wanted the children
to come in and play.
The wicked witch said,
“We can have our own fun!
Come on, little monsters,
the night’s just begun!”
The monsters all cheered
as they danced with delight,
“Happy Halloween to all--
and to all a fright night!
”
”
Natasha Wing (The Night Before Halloween)
“
Shattered Silence" (aka "When Michael Calls") for that early 1970s Halloween school carnival feel. It stars a young Michael Douglas and has decidedly autumnal feel. The nostalgic/vintage Halloween also includes the classic elements of the season from ghosts made of sheets and witches flying on broomsticks to pumpkin patches, corn mazes, apple cider, apple bobbing, fall leaves, Sleepy Hollow, and the like. You might start getting inspired with some candy of your childhood with candy crate collections – 1950s, 1960s
”
”
Sharon Day (Adult Halloween: Taking Back the Season!)
“
We’re witches,” he said. “Every day is Halloween for us.
”
”
D.N. Hoxa (Bone Coven (Winter Wayne #2))
“
Oh, come on,” Onyx protested. “Vampire hunter, mixologist, and a witch? Save some sex appeal for the rest of us, would you?
”
”
Kat Blackthorne (Dragon (The Halloween Boys, #2))
“
This is my friend, the vampire hunter and blood witch.” Elysium grinned. “Don’t forget bartender. That one’s my favorite.
”
”
Kat Blackthorne (Dragon (The Halloween Boys, #2))
“
And then I came here, and I met Ames and his friends: Yesenia, witches, vampires, pirates and crows, the skeleton man . . . Ghost. And I’d never felt more alive. I'd found my home amongst monsters. I was done running. I was a fox now.
”
”
Kat Blackthorne (Ghost (The Halloween Boys, #1))
“
I had graveyard sex with a demon last night. And then was chased by, like, a hundred of them. I saw a big wolf. Onyx has . . . fire. My bird friend is an actual bird sleeping on my window. And I was pretty sure the shop owner was a real-life witch. Yet the only thing I wanted to think about was how I lost my virginity. And wanted to do it again.
”
”
Kat Blackthorne (Ghost (The Halloween Boys, #1))
“
What makeup look goes best with being interrogated by witches before a date with an Archdemon?
”
”
Kat Blackthorne (Ghost (The Halloween Boys, #1))
“
I may not be a witch, but I looked the part. “Stevie Nicks would be proud,” I said to my feathered accessory.
”
”
Kat Blackthorne (Ghost (The Halloween Boys, #1))
“
Black hats, bats, brooms.” It was the unholy trinity of witchcraft lore, which burst into spectacular, ridiculous life every year on Halloween.
”
”
Deborah Harkness (A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1))
“
I groaned as the floorboards seemed to rise up to smack me in the face.
”
”
Amelia Shaw (Alpha Magic (Halloween Witches, #1))
“
On the night of All Hallow's Eve party, I sew my own black gown using the Witch Sisters' chiffon fabric, and a crown made of forged iron and dove feathers from Valentine's Town. I stand at the mirror, pressing down the silky fabric along my ribs, still feeling like myself--like a rag doll, who is also a queen. Instinctively, I tug at the thread on my wrist, but beneath the seam, I feel the softness of cotton, not the crunch of dead leaves.
When I was born, my insides were filled with air-puffed cotton--Dream Town cotton. But when Dr. Finkelstein kidnapped me, he replaced the cotton with dead leaves; he wanted no reminders of where I was really from. But now I have filled myself with both: cotton and dead leaves. Because although I am the queen of Halloween Town, I am also a daughter of Dream Town. Made of nightmares and dreams. A little of both.
”
”
Shea Ernshaw (Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas)
“
Eighth grade is a bubbling cauldron of rumors that spread fast in the dark. That’s why I’ve started avoiding any activities that take place during the nocturnal hours. School dances, movie nights, and sleepovers aren’t hard to avoid when you don’t have any friends. Not that it’s stopped the rumors.
”
”
Katie L. Carroll (Witch Test)
“
Then there was only the sound of the rain outside in the endless blackness of the long night and, presently, the rising tones of a pitiful wailing within and without, spreading across the station, the town, and the land without end.
”
”
Dennis Etchison (Halloween III: Season of the Witch)
“
It was a beautiful fall day at the soccer fields when I met Stacy for the first time. The game had just begun when she arrived carrying homemade pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting for everyone, photos of the jack-o’-lantern she had elaborately carved earlier that morning into the shape of a witch stirring a bubbling cauldron with the rising steam spelling out the word “Boo,” enough material and glue for each of the siblings not playing soccer to make adorable “easy no-sew” bat wings as a fun craft to fill their time, as well as little gift bags for every mother full of Halloween-themed wine charms and sleep masks that were embroidered with “Sleeping for a spell.” Besides her generous gifts, she also looked terrific. She was wearing the perfect fall outfit with just the right number of layers and textures and cool boots. Her hair was beautifully twisted into a loose braid casually thrown over one shoulder. While everyone sat in their lawn chair and screamed at their kid to “attack the ball,” Stacy ran up and down the sidelines taking (no doubt fabulous) photos of her son and overseeing the siblings’ craft bonanza. At this point I should also mention, in case you don’t feel bad enough about yourself, that Stacy has a full-time job outside the home. Like a really important one. I’m not sure what she does exactly, but from the thirty seconds that she slowed down long enough to talk to me, I learned that she works fifty hours a week or so and travels around the country every few days and then comes home and makes her kids pancakes in the shape of clovers for breakfast, because it’s International Clover Day or some shit like that.
”
”
Jen Mann (People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges)
“
McNaughtlebean. In truth, she only came to mind when riding our bikes past her house or at Halloween. Could I have been the first person to think of trick-or-treating at her house, dare or not?
”
”
Marie Shaw (The Witch's House: A Halloween Story for Kids Ages 7-9 Children)
“
Don't have a cup of coffee this Halloween.
Have a cauldron of coffee instead.
”
”
Anthony T. Hincks
“
The caterer would like to use your sideboard buffet for the skull platters, raven plates, and broomstick-style forks. The florist will provide a bouquet of black roses. The cauldron punch and batwing cups will go on the dining room table."
"Menu?" Amelia requested. "We'd discussed finger food last week. What did you finally decide?"
Grace ticked off the items. "All the food is easy to eat while standing," she assured Amelia. "Chicken-witch fingers, miniature goblin burgers, chocolate crescent witch hats, ghost sugar cookies, pumpkin Bundt cake, sliced caramel apples, small popcorn balls, and a big bowl of candy corn.
”
”
Kate Angell (The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine)
“
Proctor’s body was thrown in the crevice on Gallows Hill like the rest of the victims. Also, like the bodies of many of the victims, his was supposed to have been rescued under cover of night by family to be buried anonymously and respectfully on his own land. Which today is a median on an off-ramp.
”
”
J.W. Ocker (A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts)
“
Do you know what surprised me most when I came to this country? The way witches are glorified. People here dress up as us for Halloween. They fill their TV shows and social media profiles with our aesthetics. It's like they've forgotten that, for most of human history, witches were something to mutilate, not emulate. Women who were seen as outcasts—too queer, too brown, too unwell...Any one of us on the margins was a target. To me, a pointy hat and a broomstick are not a cute costume; they are a reminder that, for centuries, people were brutalized under the mere assumption they might be what we actually are.
”
”
Roseanne A. Brown (Serwa Boateng's Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem (Serwa Boateng #2))
“
Do you remember that I’m a rook?” “No, but that would mean you’re practically a vampire.” He nodded. “Correct. And as such, I am very old. Nearly four hundred years.” He continued. “My entire life, both as human and rook, has been spent in service. I was Hugh’s valet before he turned me.
”
”
Kristen Painter (The Witch's Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls, #4.5))
“
I don’t know what’s going to become of us after tonight, but if our time together ends this evening, I will still consider myself the luckiest man alive to have had you in my life for this long.
”
”
Kristen Painter (The Witch's Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls, #4.5))
“
You kissed me three times and after each time, I forgot what had happened?” “That’s exactly right.” She nodded. “I’ll tell you what happened. Love’s true kiss in its most powerful number: three.
”
”
Kristen Painter (The Witch's Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls, #4.5))
“
You are the best man I’ve ever known, Stanhill. It would be my great honor to marry you.
”
”
Kristen Painter (The Witch's Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls, #4.5))
“
Being a rook meant Stanhill had the immortality of a vampire with a half measure of a vampire’s strength and speed, but it also meant he couldn’t be
”
”
Kristen Painter (The Witch's Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls, #4.5))