Be careful when you act all brave and make fun of others for being scared of something because there could come a day of humility. My day came many moons ago on Halloween night, courtesy of my friends who were tired of me telling them there was no such things as ghosts.

I was summoned that evening to a friend’s home to hang out with them and other friends since their parents were gone. The hosts that evening had long claimed eerie things had gone on in their historic plantation-style home, going to the length of saying it was haunted.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” I scoffed as we all convened around a table in the large upstairs living room to do a séance. Word of warning kids, I was young and dumb. Don’t meddle with the occult.

“If there’s anyone here, make yourself known,” I laughed as we sat around the flickering candle, the unbeliever in the group.

Feeling silly, I looked at my friends, all of whom were sitting nervously around the table, their eyes darting around the darkened room.

I shook my head. “This is just …” I began, my words drowned out by the loud static of a big screen television that came on by itself, making everyone, including myself, jump out of their seats.

“Unplug it!” I directed, clearing my throat after my voice went up an octave.

One of the guys did as I directed and cautiously pulled the plug and returned to the table. It was at that instant I began feeling a trembling in the table where we were sitting. It was a buzzing under our fingers. I was about to check the table when we were plunged into complete darkness. A sudden rush of wind extinguished the candle in the middle of the table. I stumbled from the table, hitting my knees against furniture as I ran over and slapped on the lights.
“Who did that?” I accused as walked across the room, instinctively reaching out to open the curtains to see if anyone was outside.

I caught my breath. The curtains opened by themselves! I jumped as I saw my reflection in the glass just for an instant as the lights again went out. Then, even as I heard the yells of my friends, the television that had just been unplugged, came on again.

“That’s it,” I yelled as I ran for the door. “I’m out of here.”

I burst through the door, my friends rushing out behind me. As I ran down the circular staircase of the old mansion, I heard a shrill scream, almost like a woman’s or child’s scream. As I made it to the landing at the bottom of the stairs, I realized what I was hearing. It was my own screams.

I bent over to catch my breath once I got a good distance from the house. The guys ran up beside me. However, instead of terror in their voices, I heard only laughter. I looked up to see their smiles.

“Happy Halloween, tough guy,” they laughed.

I’d been played in one of the most elaborate Halloween hoaxes ever.

Contact Duane Sherrill at           

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