Helloween Night at Mac Doogle Castle

- Shabana Chowdhury Ahmed, Belgium

The celtic festival of Samhain in Scotland was an ancient festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, which was considered as the darker half of the year! It was celebrated from the evening of October 31st till the dawn of November 1st. The celtic people believed that the veil between the living and the spirit world was lifted from dust to dawn! Evil could enter the living world. 

The story teller tells her tale.

The castle of Mac Doogle in the countryside of Scotland in the 16th century stood upon a hill and could be seen from miles around. The peasants from the village who worked for him lived in fear as he was a cruel master. The castle had a huge dungeon, where prisoners were kept and tortured to death. Their bodies were buried in the dungeon. A woman, who healed the peasants with herbal medicines in the village, was condemned by Mac Doogle as a witch. She was tortured and killed in the dungeon. Her body was also buried in the dungeon. 

Mac Doogle had a daughter named Catriona by his wife, who died at childbirth after delivering the baby girl. A village woman was appointed to look after Catriona. When Catriona was five years old, she was sent to a girls‘ boarding school in Edinburgh. After completing her studies in medicine she returned home. Catriona opened a free hospital for women, who could not afford proper medical treatments. 

As days went by she kept in touch with her school friends. On her coming of age 21st birthday Mac Doogle allowed her to invite her school friends to a ball at the castle. It was customary for unmarried girls to be accompanied by their brothers. Parents were also invited so they could find suitable marriage partners for their children. 

The day of the party finally arrived. Horse carriages with families came from near and far. It was customary for all the guests to stay overnight at the castle. The Helloween night party commenced with pomp and grandeur. Exquisite food was served. Everyone was in an enchanted world. It was also the night of the full moon. At mid-night when the clock struck 12, a green coloured mist descended upon the castle. The buried people in the dungeon came alive! They came into the ballroom, where the guests were dancing. The creatures began killing the living people in the party. 

Mac Doogle looked in horror at the dead bodies around him. He could not believe what his eyes saw. He then saw his daughter being bitten by a vampire. Mac Doogle was torn to pieces by the creatures. Dawn began breaking on the horizon. The dead creatures turned into dust as the majestic sun rose in the sky. Next morning the villagers burnt the castle of Mac Doogle. No one ever went near the ruins. 

Life became better and normal for the villagers.