From the first moment we breathe our first breath, we fear…

When we learn to face our fears, we begin to live…

In the dead silence of the night a sound is heard. Is it a knock? Is it a creak? The mind plays tricks on the soul as it tries to identify the noise.  What could it be?  The body stiffens as the mind cannot establish what the sound is.

A grip of fear so terrifying, it feels like the talons of an ancient creature has grasped your very soul.  You cannot move for fear of movement will give notice to what ever lurks about that you know.  You know they are near…

Regardless of how one studies the origins of Halloween, the core of the holiday is fear. 

We celebrate the holiday by dressing up to hide ourselves from others – fear.

We give out candy to lessen the tricks – fear.

We honor our ancestors so they will not haunt us – fear.

We celebrate the harvest in hope we have enough to live through the winter – fear.

We retreat into our homes to hide from the long nights filled with a haunting darkness – fear.

No longer do we need to fear our fears.  For Halloween is about embracing one’s fear, owning it, and letting it go.

On a cold rainy night a visitor arrived at Spooky Hollow.  When asked his name, he stated “I do not have a name for I am within all humans.”  The artisans gave the visitor the name “Stretch.”  Yet, a better name would have been “Scare” or “Shadow” or perhaps even “Fear.”

Stretch came to Spooky Hollow to remind visitors of the true essence of modern day Halloween.  The spirit of the holiday is to face your fears.  If you do not know how to face your fears, how are you going to learn to deal with them?

How will you live?

Stretch appears at Spooky Hollow Experience...