Halloween Countdown – 31 Scary Moments – Oct. 27

October officials marks the beginning of Scary Season. With this in mind, the Pepper Bough is celebrating with a daily dose of creepy moments sure to make your hairs stand on end. Come celebrate with us… if you dare.

“The great gray beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive.”

This begins Clive Barker’s 1992 young adult horror novel “The Thief of Always,” which tells the story of a bored boy named Harvey who learns of a place he can go where everyday is packed with summers and every night is loaded with presents and rich foods and good cheer.

Prior to writing this novel, Barker was best known for his work on extreme horror stories like “The Hellbound Heart,” which was adapted into the horror film “Hellraiser,” and his anthology of short stories, “The Books of Blood.”

With “The Thief of Always,” Barker revealed a softer, but no less terrifying, side to his talent as he mined the depths of his childhood in suburban London to create a timeless tale about the importance of not taking life for granted.

The scariest moment in “Thief” takes place at Mr. Hood’s Holiday Home, the place Harvey goes to escape from the dullness of his daily life. Everyday he is there at the home, the late afternoons grow cold and dark, providing the perfect setting for Halloween scares. Harvey, who has donned the mask of a demon, discovers that as the sun sets, he can feel his body transform into something winged and evil. As Harvey transforms, he discovers that he suddenly has a desire to drink blood, and this causes him to chase after and terrify his best friend, Wendell.

It is in this moment, as Harvey gives in to his darker urges that he is suddenly quite aware that Mr. Hood’s home is not exactly a paradise. Perhaps there is an even deeper evil lurking under its surface, too.

If you have not read this masterful novel, it is a fable meant to be enjoyed by all ages. But beware, it bites.