"Why are we going to Ireland for Halloween, Anakin? It's lame," my little brother Isaac complained pointedly as we sat on the plane.

"You know why. Our parents thought it would be nice given everything that's happened the past few years. Plus, it's not lame at all. Did you know Halloween began with the Celts 2000 years ago?  Back then, the holiday was an end-of-summer harvest feast called Samhain, also marked the Celts' New Year.  On October 31st, the Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred. Druids dressed up in costumes and had sacred bonfires. Those were the Celtic priests, you might say. They'd wear animal heads and skins and believed they had special power to predict the future on this night. They especially feared, what they ironically called The Good Folk, or fairies, especially on what we now call Halloween night. We better be careful."

Isaac cut me off, "Hold on, Fairies? I don't believe you. You must be joking. No one is afraid of fairies."

I lowered my tone and put on my best storyteller voice,  "Well the Celts were, and they were warrior people. Something must have spooked them. Anyway, On Samhain Eve, the Celts believed fairies and spirits came out of hiding and walked amongst them. If you saw an Irish fairy, it might look like a tiny person, but some could change size and shape, they'd say.  You're gonna have to beware in Ireland, Isaac. Their dancing and beautiful music is to enchant you. Fairies have bad tempers, too. They get angry if you bother them and ruin their fun. If  you see someone dancing with fairies on Samhain Eve, stay away. You might find the fairies dancing with ghosts, playing pranks, and causing mischief. If you upset them, they may bring nasty weather, spoil your crops or kidnap you to their world.  On Samhain Eve, the Celts feared the Pooka most of all.  This mysterious type of fairy often appeared as a yellow-eyed black horse.  It liked scaring people, taking them for wild rides, trampling their crops and scaring their farm animals."

Isaac looked a bit spooked but scoffed it away, "No way, Anakin. You're trying to scare me with a demonic horse? Besides, I don't have any crops."

"A fairy," I replied matter-of-factly, "and ghosts. They also made the first Jack-O-Lanterns, too, from turnips.  Fair enough, though, we don't own crops in Ireland," I paused and then snickered evilly, "but they might be in other people's."

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, turnips to drive the spirits away?"

I chuckled, "and fairies. The costumes were for that too."

Isaac giggled, "Stop it, there will be no fairy demon horses on the trip."

I shrugged, "You never know."

I thought it was my kid brother I'd been messing with that day, but boy, was I in for a surprise on Halloween night.