"Look down on me, you will see a fool. Look up at me, you will see your Lord. Look straight at me, you will see yourself." - Charles Manson

"So girls, what are you going to name it?" she asked.

Amy and Julie just looked at each other then back at her saying in unison, "Spiders have names?"

"Of course. Every spider has a name. It defines their personality, so make sure you name it with a nice name and treat it nicely so it will be your friend."

Jeff Kroft nervously tried to shift in his sleeping bag, but had little luck. Notorious for talking 'big' in the daytime but becoming somewhat less aggressive after nightfall, the nine year-old seemed to think that the tighter he wound himself up in his bag, the safer he would be.

Even with his credentials, it took William Sterling several weeks to get permission to see Professor Andrew Manyard. Ex-Professor was a more apropos term because Dr. Manyard now spent his time in a maximum security mental institution. Although in a straight jacket, heavily sedated, and locked up in a padded cell, he still managed to strike fear into the hearts and minds of the hardened asylum workers

"You're so pale. Ugly and pale. You know that, right?"

Agnes turned her head and glared at the raven. Its beak was closed, and its beady eyes gazed at her without emotion. It didn't even give her the satisfaction of looking smug. She turned back to the mirror.

Within the fiery holocaust
was fueled some another premonition
seasoned within these spells of love and hate.
Released are the fume and emission
and other irritants--
sown into a chaotic seed

"Twas a full moon that knifed through the leafless Elms. As I walked down the sidewalk, the shadows quietly moved, practicing for the next evening. The sky was crystal clear even though you could feel the blanket of cold descending.

My positioning has brought to the foot of my door many an uncanny individual, and I have made it my mission to help those that cannot help themselves. I needn't explain to you the joy that courses through my very soul when I've helped to free the shackles of the mind that have been encased by any number of things. And yet, the practice of psychiatry carries with it a certain suspension of belief.

A complete stranger stepped in front of me, blocking my way. "I'm here to offer you a deal; if you agree to attend eleven parties, take part in everything that's on the itinerary, you'll receive one million dollars."

I sized him up, wondering, Do I have stupid written across my forehead?

The last time I remember not being in this place of lime green walls, fluorescent lights and locking doors, it was Halloween. I do not know how long I have been here, unable to leave, but it seems like forever. I sit here alone, amidst the smells of disinfectant, bad food and body odors. How I got here is a blur, there is just the memory of that one Halloween infringing into my thoughts during random moments when the pain subsides.

A warm autumn afternoon. The leaves have all matured into their gorgeous hues of oranges, reds and yellows. They've reached the end of their journey and one by one, break off of their branches and spin gracefully down to the ground. Many come to rest on top of the last remaining pumpkins in the Briar Hollow Pumpkin Patch. All Hallow's Eve has arrived and it's slim pickings for those who procrastinate.