Ghosts and goblins
With Halloween coming up, we can be expecting to see a great deal of paranormal activity after dusk! But there may be more to the holiday than costumes and candy.
In the Black Dog Woods of Wiltshire, a gruesome black dog haunts the forest. The dog's red eyes glow in the dark like live coals. In Parsonage Wood, at Castle Coombe, disembodied voices scare lonely wanderers on winter nights.
The TV show "Supernatural" has commissioned some serious reports on the state of the land. It seems that no less than 227 evil paranormal activities have been reported to the police over the past 12 months in Britain.
On the other hand, the researchers discovered that, in a period of 25 years, 755 official reports of angelic activity were made to the police.
Friendly ghosts would smile or wave. Some have even saved people's lives. Fairies have been sighted at Croston, while at Sutton Wood a monk wearing a gold cross can be seen.
Exercises
| 1) | a. | What are the ingredients of a good ghost story? |
| b. | How do you create an atmosphere? | |
| c. | What structure is needed for suspense? Discuss in groups, then in class. | |
| 2) | a. | Work in small groups to write a short Halloween story. Let half of the class focus on atmosphere. The other half should work on creating suspense and a surprising ending. |
| b. | Turn off the lights. Light some candles. Let the groups read their stories aloud, just using a flashlight. | |
| 3) | Decorate a table, and serve some Halloween treats. | |
| 4) | Find out more about the history of Halloween! |
