October Halloween Story Time
The Lantern Man
It was Halloween night, and the small town of Hollow Creek was buzzing with festivities. Every year, the locals warned the kids to be home before midnight, whispering tales about the Lantern Man, a ghostly figure who roamed the woods just beyond town. No one knew exactly what he did, but everyone claimed he appeared once a year—on Halloween—carrying an old lantern, searching for those who dared stay out too late.
Alex and his friends didn’t believe in ghost stories. They had heard the warnings all their lives but never took them seriously. That night, after a round of trick-or-treating, they dared each other to go into the woods to prove the Lantern Man was just a myth.
With flashlights in hand, the group ventured into the dark woods, laughing and taunting each other, their voices breaking the eerie silence. The trees loomed overhead, casting long, twisted shadows. As they went deeper, the air grew colder, and their laughter slowly died out.
After a while, the woods were deathly quiet.
That’s when they saw it.
A faint light, flickering in the distance.
It looked like a lantern, swaying slowly, the glow barely piercing the darkness.
Alex froze, his breath catching in his throat. "It’s probably just someone else from town," he whispered, but no one moved. The light started to move toward them, its flickering growing stronger with each passing second.
"Let’s go," one of his friends said, backing away, but Alex stayed, unable to take his eyes off the light. His pulse quickened as the glow of the lantern got closer. He could now make out a figure—tall and thin, with a hooded cloak that obscured its face, walking silently through the trees.
It was the Lantern Man.
Suddenly, the light vanished, plunging them into complete darkness.
Just as they reached the edge of the woods, Alex felt a cold hand clamp down on his shoulder, yanking him backward. He spun around, flashlight dropping to the ground.
There, inches from his face, was the Lantern Man. The hood fell back, revealing a decayed, twisted face with hollow eyes glowing from within, and a grin that stretched too wide.
The lantern flickered back to life in his hand.
Before Alex could scream, the Lantern Man whispered, "You’re too late."
The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps—heavy, deliberate, and fast—coming straight for them. The boys turned and ran, their flashlights shaking wildly as they stumbled over roots and rocks. Alex glanced back, his heart pounding, but there was no one there.
Or so he thought.