Now comes ghost season, the hanging Halloween decorations and spider webs are everywhere, these days. Ghosts, witches, skeletons, monsters, and in the half-light of twilight, cats disappear in the shadows. A possum in the alley is mistaken for a rat. A plastic bag becomes a ghost.

It is easy to imagine the thinning of the veils between the worlds. The green leaves and flowers of summer are falling away, revealing the bones of things.

In Japan, ghost season is in the heat and humidity of summer, when a ghost story can give you chills. Think of all those scary drive-in movies of summers past.

I think all cultures have their ghost stories. And it may be that people need such stories to feel more brave. The real world has horrors enough.

Don’t we all have our ghosts and demons? And aren’t we living through some scary times? Halloween marks the halfway point between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. It’s dark so early now. And the waning three-quarter moon is like a ghost in the morning sky.

Yes, there are ghosts and monsters in this world. But sometimes, there is magic.

Here’s the ending to one of the best episodes of the X-Files ever. There’s even a writer in it. And the ghost of Elvis! Cher’s voice is so beautiful, it gives me chills. I hope you enjoy it, too—-