Something Wicked...

"I know not all that may be coming, but be it what will, I'll go to it laughing."-Stubb in Moby Dick


I have been told I have a darker side. I love Autumn, Halloween, minor chords, zombies, ghost stories, cemetaries, scary movies, creepy music and anything slightly off. I don't know if it is a flaw, but for those who know me, it is quite a shock.

Honestly, I look like one of those girls who would like hot pink. My personality is loud and creative. I laugh all the time (sometimes attracting so much attention at a party, cops have been sent to quiet the ruckus). I am enthusisatic and am too nice, having a hard time saying no to people. But, I don't wear hot pink. I am most comfortable in sweaters, dark green or blue and even Spring pales to the color of Autumn. I am a hybrid of sorts. Recently I have tried to figure out why I am like this. I believe it is just me.



I remember when I was young, recognizing the only music I really liked at church sounded different from everything else. I remember it sounded sad even if it is wasn't. Once in elementary school, our music teacher came to class and had us listen to a song from a composer names Hector Berlioz. It was Halloween day and we listened to a song called, "Songe d'une Nuit du Sabbat." Our teacher pointed out the moment when the violins swirled and screamed and were plucked to sound like witches feet. The song was about a man who was in hell. I found it on a record a few years later and listened to it endlessly. I loved it. I loved how scary it sounded. It was different from everything else.

But, as much as I know this is me, I believe part of this came from my parents.

My mom grew up in Cleveland, has auburn hair, loves Autumn too, has a strange fascination with the Mafia and the Royal family. She reads murder mysteries, loves Motown, the Beatles, and the song, "Night on Bald Mountain." This was definately something different from the other mothers who seemed to hate Halloween.

My dad is a quiet man. He excels at math, science, and anything practical. He loves golden delicious apples in Autumn and the british comedy "Fawlty Towers." He also loves to read good fiction and is the only man I know who has read "2001: A Space Odssey." In fact he is a voracious reader and we have a lot in common...(including the fact we love to argue). But one thing my dad and I talk about endlessly is our favorite author, Ray Bradbury.

Ray Bradbury is best known for the High School required reading, "Farenheit 451." The novel was good, but I never understood why it was thought of as his best. Bradbury's writing is poetic. He is a lover of Autumn like my parents and his stories and novels are usually set in the season. Three of my favorites are "The Halloween Tree," "From the Dust Returned," and "Something Wicked This Way Comes." I grew up with both parents reading and discussing Bradbury's books at the dinner table.



Growing up with a mom obsessed with Halloween and Autumn, and a Dad obsessed with Bradbury, a regular movie at our house was not Snow White or Mary Poppins, but the movie version of "Something Wicked This Way Comes." For those of you unfamiliar with the novel, it is about a little town that gets a visit from "the Autumn People." The story is set in Green Town, Illinois and follows two young boys who are best friends. One of the boys is named Jim Nightshade. His father is a drunk and left him and his mother years ago. The other boy is named Will Halloway. His father is older and suffers from fear of age and regrets about his past. The Autumn People come to Green Town, running a strange carnival in October. People in the town start to disappear and soon, the boys get to the bottom of what the Autumn People are doing to the town. The novel is really about growing up and facing your fears and regrets. The movie version was a favorite at our house.*



This is really the first thing I remember loving as a child that seemed awfully dark (except for my obsession withTim Burton's Batman). The movie is such a lovely reminder of my childhood. Watching Johnathan Pryce as Mr. Dark in the library with Jason Robards as Charles Halloway is one of the most beautifully written scenes of dialogue of all time.

So, whether it is nature vs. nurture, I have only a few leads as to why I love the dark and minor. But,I do believe Mr. Ray Bradbury had some influence in the matter.

In July of this year, my brother and I received the opportunity to meet Mr. Bradbury at Comic-Con 2007 of all places! We listened to him speak about his career, and his love of the great authors. Then, he sweetly told the room how he was told over and over again through his career he wasn't a novelist, but a poet. I smiled from my chair, 15 rows back, and felt a connection with the man I'd read and listened to since I was little.






ps-As one can imagine, If I could and circumstances allowed, I would find someone close to me, walk through a park of falling leaves and read some Bradbury. Whoa. That sounds really cheesy. Maybe I could get away with wearing some hot pink.




*I used to watch it over and over again, except for a scene with spiders that may be the cause of my inrrational fear of spiders to this day.