The Gatekeeper//October 342nd, 2020

Halloween does end the most abruptly of the holidays.

It’s gotten worse as time has gone on. Stranger.

One night, we all are happy trick-or-treaters, making mischief in the moonlight, but then the next day, for some, it’s like it never even happened.

The atmosphere starts to be taken over by what ‘should’ be everyone’s favorite holiday, according to society. 

But what do they know?

Those of us who choose to hold onto the Halloween spirit have probably all wondered.

Where do Halloween memories come from?

And, perhaps more importantly, where do they go?

There is an ancient pumpkin man. Not many have seen him. In fact, if you have seen him, you may have thought he was just a headstone in a cemetery, silently watching over his deceased.

And that’s not entirely wrong.

He is the Gatekeeper. Guardian and spirit of every Halloween memory that exists. Like a vessel, he holds the weight of thousands of Halloweens inside him; Halloween past is still very much alive within him. He will share his secrets with anyone who cares enough to ask, but he knows there are only a special few. And those few have earned his favor, whether or not they’re truly aware of his existence.

Those moments, when we become entranced, enveloped by a sudden happy memory of a night spent scurrying through our childhood neighborhood desperately trying to make it to every well-lit house we could, that is the Gatekeeper reminding us of what sets our souls on fire like the candles inside the many jack o’lanterns he has assisted into the afterlife.

When your pumpkin rots, after a few nights of glory, the Gatekeeper is there to make sure it becomes a part of Halloween history. Billions of pumpkin souls reside in his realm, every so often shining down to bestow their memories upon the ones that caved them. 

Do the memories mean the same to everyone?

Of course not. To some, Halloween is just a brief, passing enchantment. An evening of fun that turns into just another day, as quickly as it arrived.

But for the lucky ones, the memories stay. They become as vivid as the changing leaves against a bright blue sky on an October afternoon, and in an instant, they can send us to that special place, sometimes when we need it the most.

We are the lucky ones. Chosen, perhaps. Did Halloween choose us or did we choose it?

Only the Gatekeeper knows for sure.