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Mask

There is only one thing Halloween means to me and that is memories of being scared witless by these when I was a small child...
In fact, when I found this image on the internet, after typing '1970s animal mask' into a search engine, my heart skipped a beat when it popped up. These masks - I remember there was a chimpanzee and a giraffe, too - were issued to us school children at this time of year as part of the 'fun and jollities' of Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night combined. Or Guy Fawkes Night as I more rightly remember it, which was a way bigger thing back in the 70s than Hallowe'en. Guy Fawkes Night I enjoyed. It meant building a huge bonfire on the field of my grandparents' farm, having a few fireworks, and eating baked potatoes and tomato soup in the dark. THAT was fine. It was the masks I hated.

I still don't like masks. To me, there is something sinister and deceitful in the wish to voluntarily hide one's face from view. I guess, probably wrongly, that I associate masks with the idea of criminal activity, practical joking and inciting fear. I should get over it, really, because I know people wear masks for other reasons that are perfectly legitimate, for example surgeons whilst operating, or sports people to protect their faces. But masks, like the lion one, merely bring memories of being a scared child in a playground wondering why all the other children found so much fun in wearing them.

And feeling like the odd one out.



 

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm with you. Seeing people wearing a mask makes me feel uneasy as well. Makes me wonder what is the wearer trying to hide and why... Small kids - maybe ok, bigger kids/pre-teens no... oh crumbs ,now I have to get through Halloween tonight...

KJ
31 October 2019 at 19:55
Denise said…
Exactly that, KJ. We’ve not had to deal with the rigamarole of dealing with Hallowe’en nuisance since we moved here to the countryside and that’s another reason why I enjoy living in the middle of lots of fields! Hope your evening wasn’t too onerous.
1 November 2019 at 07:40
Anonymous said…
Halloween was just fun this year - lots of small kids and no masked, pushy, rude pre-teen or teenagers. Just neighbors coming together and visit with each other. Like my daughter said; "It's the one time a year you get to talk with all the neighbors".
KJ
1 November 2019 at 20:12
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