Disclaimer: Some of the following content may be too frightening for some audiences, such as teddy bears and dogs.

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The “Nothing There” story is one of the most frightening and exhilarating genres. It was developed around the warm glow of a campfire as Doggy, the dog puppet belonging to my sister Natalie, told stories with gruesome details, horrific twists, and captivating villainy to my youngest sister Kayla (who was eight at the time).

Tales such as:

“I went to my dog bowl to eat dinner and… There was nothing there…” – followed by a shudder at the abject horror.

Since then, when the night is dark and the wind is beating on the windows, we will gather together and share these sordid tales of horror.

For today, as Halloween approaches, I have written the following “Nothing There” tale. Read on, if you dare.

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I turned on my computer. It hummed alive, everything turning on as usual. Then, I opened up the word document of my 300 page Work in Progress and… There was nothing there…

I was so upset that I went into the cupboard to the secret stash of cookies, but… There was nothing there…

I decided a walk would clear my head and I would figure out what to do. I went to my closet to get my jacket, but… There was nothing there…

Tired, hungry, and frustrated, I decided to just order pizza and call it a night. I opened my wallet, but… There was nothing there…

I ventured into my room, hoping to snuggle in a blanket and drown my sorrows in an episode of Doctor Who. I turned on the light and looked for my blanket, but… There was nothing there…

No novel, no cookies, no jacket, no money, and no fuzzy blanket.

So, instead, I decided to work on a blues song about my evening. I went to my drawer to pull out my harmonica, but…

There was an accordion instead. So, I spent the rest of the evening singing the blues to the grand sounds of an accordion.

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If you would like to read another frightening tale of similar fright and horror, here is my mom’s latest blog post: The Night The Pumpkins Rolled In (Or, Halloween Is A Time For Pumpkins).

For a glimpse of how serious Halloween is with my family, check out my post from last year (from my previous blog Good. Wholesome Fun.)

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And just for fun, here’s a couple of great silent films which started the Horror genre. I’m not much of a fan of blood and gore, but I am a fan of German Expressionist aesthetics and weirdly eyebrowed villains.

And, just because they are an amazing, a zombie-related video by the a capella group Pentatonix

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How are you celebrating Halloween, or are you foregoing as you dive into the epic twists and turns of NaNoWriMo? What is your favorite Halloween movie (I’m still partial to the Garfield Christmas special)? What candy will you be giving out this year? Do you know if you are a puppy or a teddy bear?