The shining

Our Samhain decorations include pairs of battery-powered lights taped together side by side. We hang them in the raspberry bushes along the back boundary. When darkness falls they look like glowing eyes peering at us from the woods.

These lights aren't exactly green technology. They're designed so you can't replace the batteries, and typically they only last a couple of days. We're no tea light experts (they're such insufferable snobs) but we don't think we've ever seen a tea light stay lit as long as a week.

Tonight, fifteen days after our Samhain celebration, there is no moon. Utter darkness engulfs the back yard.

And from this backdrop of black, two pinpoints of light flicker like the eyes of a predator.

That's right - after more than 365 hours, our tea lights burn on. We're not kidding. That's a real unretouched photo above, taken tonight. Maybe it's not much as miracles go, but we think it's right up there with Jesus on a men's room door.

Tom suggests they're not the tea lights at all. There was a violent death in the local woods recently, and he says it's the victim's ghost. Maybe. After seeing tea lights burn for 365 hours, nothing would surprise us anymore.