Imagine staking out a graveyard on a dark, rainy, cold Halloween night.

“Really, Officer, I'm just sitting here. In my car. What am I doing? Oh. Waiting for someone.”

Who?

“Well...”, looking over scores of headstones, “...I'm not sure.”

Just think. Instead of having this conversation, I could be answering the front door for little visitors, running door to door, sharing stupid one-liners. (Remember this one: What did the big chimney say to the little chimney?) I could be oohing and ahhing over their store-bought costumes. (Whatever happened to gypsies and hobos and ghosts made out of Mom's rag box and discard pile? A homemade wand out of a flashlight?)

Oops, I'm dating myself.

Do I dare mention to him the spell I came across in researching WITCH IN THE HOUSE? The one where a witch goes from cemetery to cemetery just after midnight, collecting dirt and knotting it into the corners of a new cotton handkerchief? Four cemeteries in all.

No fair just popping through the gate, grabbing a pinch, and darting back to a dry, warm car. To do this right, you have to walk all the way through, back to the last headstone. For me, that'd eliminate the big cemeteries. Really big. Up and down hills. Really dark.

So, see, if I stake it out and see someone shortly after midnight, I’d know for sure, right? Not that I'm having any trouble “meeting” witches. Since WITCH's release, fan mail has picked up. Way up. Witches are loving it.

So, okay, maybe I’d chance an explanation. “See, Officer, I'm waiting for a witch to show up.”

This is when he'd propose a sobriety test, no doubt, since technically I am in control of motor vehicle. “It's Halloween. They visit cemeteries on Halloween.”

Not happening, right? None of the witches I know go to such extremes to ensure their wishes will come true. They're of the “If I believe it, will come true, it will” frame of mind. A nice place to be. I've tried it; it works. It's always worked, ever since I picked up a little book at a garage sale twenty years ago and learned about the Wish List. The basic principle is: if you know what want, you can have it. After all, somebody gets all the good stuff in this world, so why not you? But you have to think about it to know what you want, to put the message out there. The best way to do that is to make a wish list.

And, hm, let's see, writing things down. Makes sense, right? Having it in front of you every day so you think about it and remember what you're striving for.

Did you know that's a basic principle of spell casting, writing things out? How many of us do that? Ooh, let's see...Christmas list, birthday list...

But the officer wouldn't want to hear all that. I'll just offer him some Halloween candy and an autographed copy of WITCH IN THE HOUSE.

It won't be the first signed copy back at the station.

Jenna McKnight