Status Updates From The Halloween Tree

“Up in Illinois, we’ve forgotten what it’s all about. I mean the dead, up in our town, heck, they’re forgotten. Nobody goes to sit and talk to them. That’s really sad. But here — It’s both happy and sad. It’s all firecrackers and skeleton toys down here in the plaza and up in that graveyard now are all the Mexican dead folks with the families visiting and flowers and candles and singing and candy.

“But, stop and think. What does the word ‘witch’ truly mean?”
“Why —“ said Tom, and was stymied.
“Wits,” said Moundshroud. “Intelligence. That’s all it means. Knowledge. So any man, or woman, with half a brain and with inclinations toward learning has his wits about him, eh? And so, anyone too smart, who didn’t watch out, was called —“
“A witch!” said everyone.

Aye, boys, see? Gods following gods. The Romans cut the Druids, their oaks, their God of the Dead, bang! down! And put in their own gods, eh? Now the Christians run and cut the Romans down! New altars, boys, new incense, new names…”

I started another audiobook this morning and lasted maybe ten minutes before shutting it off and returning it to the library. Audiobooks are a tough balance for me, man. I wasn’t planning on the format for this one but I’ll check out the illustrations at home - the narration, anyway, is lovely

FIRST LINE: It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state.