Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us and sometimes they win.  – Stephen King

  It’s the season of fall, with leaves on the ground, pumpkins, and the first frost, but most students know it to be the month of Halloween, and everything spooky. To some kids it’s the best holiday by far, spending weeks in preparation for the scariest time of the year. Most people love a good scare, with costumes and candy, and thoughts of monsters on the prowl. Although being spooked can be thrilling and exciting, some people look at Halloween to be a time for unhealthy and unnatural things to occur, and others have too many of their own demons inside of them to tell the difference between a scary holiday and everyday life – like high school.

  Stephen King is an American author of horror, suspense and supernatural fantasy. Known by many for his horror stories, such as “IT” and “The Shining,” his books sell all over the world for those who love to be entranced with the thrill of the scare. King has been writing for 40 years, with over 60 novels published. With every new story that publishes, King is questioned for the content he chooses to write. King’s novels almost always connect to a real life situation, such as alcoholic parents, anger, or neglect. The monsters just add to the trauma of the situation.

  In King’s stories, the antagonist is always a monster lurking around the corner. For students, it’s the threat of essays, homework, and the stress of social life. For me and many other seniors I know, it’s the stress of graduating, the stress of scholarships, applying to colleges, and living up to the great expectations that everyone holds over our heads. To some kids, the real life horrors we face in life are just as terrifying as the horrors in King’s stories, fears of failure can take shapes in ways others can’t imagine.

  In the real world, the horrors are just as frightening, it’s just as hard to overcome your fears, but if a protagonist in a horror story can overcome a supernatural creature, then students should take hope in the fact that everything comes to an end, and you can overcome almost all challenges you face. The courage is there you just have to seize it. So the next time you are facing a haunted house, scary movie, anxiety, depression, or a horror novel, remember to keep fighting. Hundreds do it every day, don’t give up, don’t give in, and whatever you do, don’t let the monster win.