Case File 08 — October 31, 1919

FIRE FROM THE SKY STRIKES CARNIVAL GROUNDS
Burbank Tales Times — October 31, 1919 

WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION

Only months after the carnival arrived, something extraordinary happened there.

Another object fell from the sky.

That immediately recalls the meteor that struck the cemetery in 1916.

This time, the “burning stone” reportedly struck the fortune teller's booth.

The woman survived.

What she supposedly said afterward may be one of the most important passages in the entire collection.

She warned that at harvest's end “the restless dead shall walk among the living.”

Then came instructions.

Carve the harvest pumpkins and place flames inside them so wandering spirits can see the light.

Offer treats when they arrive at the door.

Wear false faces and masks so the dead will not recognize the living and follow them inside.

Today those practices are instantly recognizable.

But the newspaper doesn't call them Halloween traditions.

The event occurred on Hallow's Eve — October 31, 1919.

If this account is taken literally, the woman wasn't describing an existing celebration.

She was telling people what they would need to do from that night forward.

There is another connection.

The smaller story describes increasingly aggressive coyotes reportedly living in a den created by the earlier meteor strike at the cemetery. One particularly unusual animal was said to walk on two legs.

Authorities dismissed the reports.

Again we see the same sequence:

the sky → disturbed ground → something changes.

The carnival may have brought something to Burbank.

But increasingly, it appears the land already had something waiting for it.

FROM THE JOURNAL