Some people think of fog as merely a form of precipitation, but on Halloween it is more like spirits huddled together in disguise. Like an army, they close in around you, confusing you and causing you to travel blindly ahead. Fog manifests itself into varying shapes, making you think you see things that don't really exist. What if, though, what you see in the fog is really what is there all the time? And you can see it only now because the fog is what defines it, like a lamp revealing the lemon ink of invisible writing.
Perhaps the spirits surround us at all times. They run up and down the roads constantly, shouting warnings of the deaths they have seen on this land. The fog is what reveals them to us, letting us see another realm. Only we believe that it is nature playing a trick on our eyes, and not Satan playing a trick on our hearts. It does exist. Those things that you see are real.
I drove my way down the high school entry way, down a lane named after a principal long ago taken by Death and his associate, Cancer. As I crept over speed bumps near the soccer field, I saw the faint hint of light mixing in with the fog. The wisps of white seemed to be waving hello to me, asking me join it.
A weird urge overtook me, and though I was afraid, I parked my car and treaded out to the field. The grass dripped wet with dew and I could taste the moisture in the air.
"I'm here," I called into the darkness, expecting no reply. Nothing but a goal net lay before me.
"Have you come prepared?" asked a voice. I could see no one.
"Prepared for what?" I whispered, thinking I was talking to myself.
"For battle," the voice answered.
I squinted with difficulty to see some bodily form, and after my eyes adjusted, I could see what was awaiting me across the field. Hundreds of white spirits stood in formation, lined up with the sharpness of a picket fence. They were armed with weapons and ready to fight at the first commanding word. They were faceless swirls of white, every changing their form. They made their intention clear: they were here to take me.
My eyes widened and my hands began to shake with fear. Automatically, me feet started backing up, until I stepped through something. Some entity. It was as if my soul had just gotten so close to another that it had shaken hands. The cool feeling of the transaction startled me, and I jumped around to see what was behind me. A curl of white floated at my side. A hundred more transparent spirits stood at a stand still. They began to swirl around me and I heard them speak.
"We have been fighting everyday."
"We are so glad you are here."
"You are prepared, you have been training."
"I am on your side. We are with you."
My mind finally began to comprehend the strangeness surrounding me. Indeed, I was standing on a battle field. Two armies stood at attention, ready to start another fight for fragile souls.
Next, a large form of fog moved toward me. It was different from the others--perhaps a bit more gray--and it frightened me even more. No sound came from it, but instead it hovered above the dew dropped grass, ready.
The swirl of whiteness next to me spoke. "That is Death. Do not be afraid."
I was confused, because I had paralleled nothing like this in any of my dreams. Of course I am terrified of Death. And why isn't Death on the other side, ready to take my life?
The fog looped up and down before answering my unspoken question. "Death is on our side. The Evil One does not decide who Death takes; it's not in his power, though he wishes it were. "
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Death will take you at some point, of that you can be certain. But where he takes you is your choice. You are standing on our side, which means you have nothing to fear. For you, getting taken by Death will be like having a white horse carry you to the golden castle. The other side is the side that should fear Death."
I looked over at Death, that big misty entity that held no fear. He wasn't wearing any armor and had no weapon with him.
"We must begin the fight, draw your sword."
I pulled the weapon from my left side. Indeed, it had been there the whole time. I held it up and saw the blade glint. I waited expectantly for the spirits to advance. They did nothing.
"You must step forward."
And so I did.
The spirits opposite us needed no encouragement. They advanced towards us quickly. The spirits on my side charged on with voices yelling. I heard the clanging of metal and the hissing of evil.
A spirit descended upon me and I countered it with my sword. As soon as I heard the metal ping, my mouth opened and words marched out.
"The Lord will protect me from all evil. He will keep my soul. Psalm 121:7."
The ghostly whiteness vaporized into nothing. I felt a thud on my side and turned to defend myself again. I pressed my weapon against my opponent.
"Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you may go. Joshua 1:9."
The evilness lurking after me shrunk down and vanished. I looked over my shoulder at Death, curious as to his actions. He was on the sidelines, not blinking an eye. Death was not there to fight, but rather to pick up whatever was left.
Four spirits came upon me, wrapping their string thin hands around me. I tried to cut myself loose, but the wild waving of my sword did nothing.
"Speak truth!" I heard a friendly spirit shout.
My lips loosened and words came pounding over my enemies.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12."
The claws on me crumbled and I was free once again. There were still more spirits to battle. Indeed, a whole football field of them left to go. I swallowed for courage and stepped on. At that moment, the pumpkin in the sky burned through the darkness. The fog lost its thickness and disappeared. There I stood on the wet grass, my hand clenched around nothing but air. Nothing was before me and nothing was behind me. I could no longer feel Death looking over my shoulder, watching how hard I would fight.
I shut my eyes for a moment, then opened them. Was I a little girl in my nightgown, sleep walking and not knowing it?
Next I heard a siren, though it was nothing like an alarm clock. I watched the street as an ambulance blared by, its colored lights flashing urgency.
No. What had just happened was real. Death was preparing to take someone else. He will take you at sometime, of that you can be certain. But where he takes you is your choice.
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