On the theme of Hallowe’en, I have a small tale to tell.  It’s about voices.  We hear ém quite often despite living remote and usually miles from anyone.  Of course, we hear wolves howling and eagles shrieking and we even hear the trailing edge of conversations from moving kayakers now and then as they ply up and down the channel but I am not talking about them.  I am talking about the spirit voices.  Ghosts, maybe.  The ones that whisper in the night.

“Do you hear that?”

“Yeah.  I’ve heard it before.  Can’t make it out but it sounds like voices.  Waddya think it is?”

“Dunno.  I can’t make it out either but it definitely sounds like voices.  Like campfire conversation or something.  I hear what seems like words but none of them are distinct.  Nothing is clear.”

“Me, too.  And I have listened hard.  The voices usually come around after dark and more frequently in the summer but I heard them last night and it is October”.

“Scared?” 

“No.  They don’t seem malevolent.  They don’t sound bad or anything.  Just voices.  Just conversation.  They always sound as if they are just a smidge north of here, ya know.  Not south  Not west.  Kinda north with maybe a bit of east…like they were on the beach where we don’t have a beach. ”

“Yeah.  That’s where I hear it, too.” 

“So, do we tell anyone?”

Nah.  I don’t think so.  Who’d believe it?”