Boo! Let's kick off the week with a good old spooky story. What is it about a ghost story that we can't resist? Most of us don't want to listen to anxiety provoking details of something horrifying but we just can resist the drama. The Atlantic's article "Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear" is a great read on why we might be attracted to these tales of suspense and horror. I'm going to guess, tales that make us shiver make us feel human.

In the spirit of feeling alive, today's project is to create a spooky story of your own. Fire up the notebook and pop the cap off your favorite pen. Think of what makes fear in you and create a short story that will frighten the pants off your entire neighborhood. Remember it's the tiny unexpected things that create the shivers.

The Ring.

My husband was out of town. He often traveled to distant, far flung corners of the earth. Gone for weeks at a time, I would find myself alone shuffling the kids to bed late. Tonight was no exception. As the kids were sliding into their warm bath, there were three short quite knocks at the door. Knock. Knock. Knock. At first I ignored the sound. "Most likely the mailman delivering late" I told myself. The knock, however, became louder and more persistent. Knock. Knock. Knock. The kids shouted excitedly, "Go see who was at the door!" I toweled off my hands and quickly moved to the entrance. Reaching for the doorknob, a waft of sweet rose perfume filled the air. As I fiddled with the lock, dizziness waved over me. Pulling quickly on the heavy door, there was a sinking feeling in my stomach. I had forgotten to turn on the porch light to peek at who might be knocking at the door.

As I peered out into the night, a shadow quickly hobbled down the stairs. Muttering "thank you," I quickly turned on the porch light to get a better look at the figure. A sweet old voice said, "thank your husband" and as I stepped out of the doorway to get a better peek at the visitor, I almost stepped on a perfectly wrapped, tiny white box.

There was no card. The present looked as if it was lifted straight from a european store. The black ribbon perfectly positioned and precise. I scooped up the box, shut the door and placed it on a the hallway bench. "How strange." I said to myself.

After tucking the kids to bed, I noticed the box glimmering, calling from the bench. It was so curious that my husband sent me this package. "No note, no shipping box and a weird old lady delivery?" I said to myself. It all seemed odd but the tiny package glittered and beaconed to be opened. Scooping up the box, the silky ribbon unravelled and the lid fell from the base. Out popped another box inside. A velvety soft, black ring box with smooth gold trim. The box creaked as the top opened. Inside sat a tiny, ruby ring. I gasped with delight, slid the ring on my finger. It snapped perfectly into place.

As I got ready for bed, the ruby danced in the light. It's short little sparkles made my head spin. It was late or early where my husband was but I sent him a message thanking him for the lovely gem. Tucking into bed the wind outside gusted. A storm was brewing. I switched off the light but even in the darkness the ruby glimmered. I stared hypnotized at the glistening bauble before slowly drifting off.

It was late when I heard the storm. I was half between awake and asleep but there was someone beside the bed. The scent of sweet rose filled the room. Their hand softly stroking their fingers through my hair. Then, Knock. Knock. Knock.

The next morning, waking and vaguely remembering the storm, I noticed my phone buzzing. It was a message from my husband it simply said "Hey, what ring?"