‘The ‘Red Death’ had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avator and its seal — the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.”
This is the opening paragraph of Edgar Allen Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death.” Poe’s story along with six others will be told at the First Congregational Church of Ashfield, Sunday Oct. 30 at 4 p.m., during an afternoon performance of stories told and acted by professionals from throughout New England.
The show, called “Whispering Bones,” was created by Kelvin Keraga and it has been chilling people to the core for the past 12 years in a variety of theaters in the Northeast.
Jeannine Haas of Pauline Productions saw the show years ago and decided to bring the frights to the people of Ashfield.
The show has evolved over the years to become more elaborate. The actors have gone from reading the scary stories to memorizing the frightening chronicles and reciting them for the audience.
Keraga explained that people love scary stories because “They speak about the issues beyond your ability to control … As we grow up we understand we are not completely protected by our parents. Hearing frightening things without facing them helps us prepare for things out of our control.”
While some stories will make you quiver under your covers, others will be funny, such as Haas’s reading of “Storyteller” by Saki from the 1998 book “Truly Scary Stories for Fearless Kids.”
Haas said the show is about 1.5 hours long and will be fun for families with children about 12 and up.
Masks for COVID are required at the event, and costumes are encouraged. Tickets are limited to about 70.
When asked about people’s fascination with spooky season Haas said, “There is a fascination with mortality in the air. It’s a good thing to mark it.”
Tickets can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3ghPKns or at Ashfield Hardware.