Please Don't Light It
Story 3 for Spooky Season
“Well, the legend goes that if you light a Jack O’ Lantern, then Jack the headless biker will find you, kill you, and steal your head,” Norm said while he put another log on the campfire.
“That’s not real though, right?” Melissa asked.
“He said it was a legend didn’t he,” John barked at her.
“Well, some legends have some true facts about them, right Norm?” Melissa looked at him.
“Yes, that’s true, and one true fact about this story is that the people who really believe it won’t light their Jack O’ Lanterns. Some won’t even have Jack O’ Lantern’s for Halloween.”
As the rest of the kids glanced around the dark woods behind them, Liam another camp counselor walked towards them with a large pumpkin.
“Look what I got. I thought that we could make a Jack O’ Lantern out of it,” Liam said.
Some of the kids started to laugh while Melissa just wasn’t sure about the whole thing.
The next day Melissa looked up legends on one of the camp computers. She found out that many legends are about kings and hero’s. So she looked up Jack the biker and only found someone who did good things for his community. She then, typed in headless biker and read that it was a tragic accident that happened back in the 1980’s.
Melissa rushed into her cabin, “Josie, guess what I read about headless Jack?”
“What is it, is he real?”
“Well, the story is based on a young guy who had a tragic prank played on him. It said that he would do donuts with his motorcycle in a farmers field until the farmer got fed up with it. It said that the farmer strung up a wire between two of his trees and hoped that if the guy was knocked off his bike by the wire, that he would stop it wrecking his field.”
“Oh no, what happened?” Josie asked.
“Well, one night, Jack went into the farmers field and did a few donuts. But after that, Jack quickly sped through the trees and hit the wire full force right at the level of his neck. The next day, when the farmer took a walk, he found the biker’s head laying on the ground about 20 feet away from his body.”
“That’s awful. So, does that mean he does come back when someone lights a Jack O’ Lantern?” Josie asked.
“Well, it did happen on Halloween night. And another article connected to it said that some people were found dead and headless after having a party with lit Jack O’ Lanterns,” Melissa laid down on her cot.
“Wow, that is spooky,” Josie said.
“Yeah, I know.”
Later that evening after the camp dinner, Liam carved the pumpkin. Some of the other kids watched him as he carved a spooky smile in it.
“If Jack is really going to show up for a head, at least he will be smiling,” Liam grinned.
Melissa and Josie looked at each other. They were worried that if Liam puts a light inside of the Jack O’ Lantern, Jack might just show up.
“Okay, everyone… Because it is Halloween, we will have a special treat table set up soon for you all to enjoy. But remember, too much sugar will affect your sleep,” Norm said.
“But until then, everyone go outside and have some fun around the campfire,” Ms. Harper said.
Norm took the majority of the kids outside for some games and singing around the fire. Melissa and Josie sat at the far table and watched as Ms. Harper and the cook set up the treat table.
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about Melissa, Liam didn’t put a light in the pumpkin,” Josie turned around on the bench of the picnic table.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Why would Jack want any of our heads anyways?” Melissa grinned.
The two girls got up and joined in the festivities outside until about eight o’clock. After Norm told them all another spooky story, Ms. Harper called them all inside for some treats. There were caramel apples, candy bars, licorice and much more laid out on the table. They had music playing and party favors of different kinds sitting on the other tables.
“Wow, look at all the candy,” John rushed toward the goodie table.
“Happy Halloween everyone,” Ms. Harper called out with a smile.
All the kids grabbed a paper bowl and filled them with the goodies of their choice. Melissa and Josie each took some licorice and a caramel apple. They also picked a glass of punch before they sat down at the far table. The children were having the time of their lives this Halloween at camp. This kind of reaction from children always made Ms. Harper and Norm very happy.
Liam, walked in and noticed that no one lit the Jack O’ Lantern, “hey, what’s the deal here, we need to light Jack up.”
Melissa looked at Liam as he pulled a long lighter out of his back pocket.
“No, please don’t light it,” Melissa stood up a yelled.
“It’s okay, honey, it was only a story,” Liam said as he picked up the stem of the pumpkin.
“No, Jack might come for us,” Melissa said.
“Liam, lets not light that,” Norm shook his head no.
Norm could tell that the story really bothered Melissa, so Liam put the lighter away in his back pocket. They continued with the night festivities until eleven and then the children were sent to bed.
A couple of days later, Ms. Harper and Norm heard that there were some people beheaded and missing at a camp not far from theirs. Could this legend be real or was it just another coincidence? From that Halloween on, Norm and Ms. Harper didn’t allow Jack O’ Lanterns at their camp again on Halloween. Not even the electric kind.
The End
I hope that you enjoyed this short story. Please feel free to comment below.