Spooky Story Challenge 2018 Link-Up

Spooky Story Flash FictionIt's time for another annual Spooky Story challenge link-up!!Just a quick reminder of the rules:Rule the Most Important.... HAVE FUN!Rule the Next Most Important.... as this is a "Spooky Story" Challenge and set in October, your story should be at least slightly spooky.Rule of Slightly Less Importance.... this year's challenge is FLASH FICTION style, so your story needs to be UNDER A THOUSAND WORDS LONG! I know, I know, wailing and gnashing of teeth from the epic-fantasy authors' section... but that's the way it is, guys. That's why we call it a challenge!Rule of Exceedingly Great Importance (I know, there's no rhyme or reason to the order of these things, I think the Fate Kittens got ahold of my blog - a reference you'll understand if you go read my short story "Destined for Greatness" in the Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales anthology coming out next week)... make sure you post the link to your story in the Linky-List so we can read your story, and then go peruse the other awesome stories, as well! (If you do not have a blog but want to participate, you are welcome to post the story as a comment (or several, depending on what the word-limit is on my comments, which I don't know off the top of my head) on this post instead of using the linky-list!Rule Worth Noting... you are more than welcome to post a story that you wrote previously, so long as you have not published it online anywhere before!Additional Note... you are absolutely welcome to write more than one story and put it in the link-up!"The child mentioned a check?""I did not!"(Bonus points to whomever knows from where that quote originates)NEW THIS YEAR! As I stated earlier, everyone who posts a story will receive a "Minstrel's Tale" - a short, unpublished extra peek into the world of The Minstrel's Song. You can pick one from the following choices:  "The Adoption of Kiernan Kane," "the Fall of Haeronymous," or the short appendix "Of Kiernan and Leila." (And if you write more than one story... sure, you can pick more than one prize... because I'm nice like that)