Excellent based on a true story the ghost of Tilden Park by jake cosmos aller SEP Horror 250 Words of Less contest entry

Many years ago, when I was a young lad, there were rumors that a ghost haunted Tilden Park. The ghost played the bagpipes, which would echo through the fog-covered mountains along Grizzly Peak. The path took you along the ridgeline and one had magnificent views of the entire bay area when it was clear. As you walked through the park, you came to the Peace Forest, which was a thicket of eucalyptus trees surrounding a pine forest. It was a very lonely corner of the park -- few people ever got that far into the woods. The story said that if you encountered the ghost, your time on earth would be up because the ghost was a sub-contractor for the grim reaper. The bagpiper would play his dirge to mourn the soon-to-be departed souls. I often walked through the park and ended up one day walking through the fog I heard the bagpipes playing a mournful tune. I wondered if that meant I would meet the ghost. I had so many questions for him, but I was afraid to see him because I did not want to meet the grim reaper as I was only 17 and had a lifetime ahead of me. But the fog lifted, so did the bagpipes, and I never saw the ghost. And I am still waiting at age 65 for my appointment with the grim reaper. Author Notes based loosely on a true story. There was a mad bagpiper who walked through the Berkeley Hills in Tilden on fog-shrouded mornings and evenings playing the bagpipes. I heard him play once.

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