On the last Saturday in September, I read all 72 submissions for the fall Flash Fiction Writing Contest on the theme, “The Friendly Ghost.” I hope any of you who got interested in the contest from reading about it in the paper had a chance to stop by as well.
I look forward to the contest and try to come up with at least one entry, because I think opportunities for local writers to find community are more rare than ones for visual artists. So I always try to join the two flash fiction contests and the Hayward Lit Hop to hang out with fellow writers.
This year, my favorite submissions were ones about ghosts who found a way to continue the work they were doing in life. We had stories about lighthouse keeper ghosts, librarian ghosts and even a crossing guard ghost. I think these really captured the heart of the theme, where having some “unfinished business” might be a good thing, and the veil between life and death might be more permeable than we imagine on this side.
After I cast my votes, I stopped by the Fremont Ghost House, where I noticed that the Candle Lighters volunteers were busy painting sets and getting the Chadbourne Carriage House ready to be spooky! The group was just breaking for lunch, so I encouraged them to stop by the flash fiction contest just across the parking lot for more fun spooky vibes.
I remember going to the Ghost House as a little kid and debating whether I wanted to go through with the Good Fairy or if I was brave enough to try the scary route. (Now it’s definitely the Good Fairy; I’m too old to have people jump out at me). More recently, I went on a whim with my brother and his then-girlfriend. Now it’s a tradition again. The girlfriend is now my sister-in-law, and the group has grown to five by adding a nephew and my husband.
The friendly ghosts of all the past visits to the Ghost House are still with us, and I hope to make many more ghost memories.
