Stephanie Treece II

....Been thinking about my last blog post, and how in some ways Stephanie reminds me of Laurie Strode. For the uninitiated, Laurie Strode is the heroine in John Carpenter's Halloween, definitely one of the best horror films of all time. Laurie was full of intelligence and compassion, big fuzzy sweaters and pumpkin-carving abilities. Think Felicity -- but wielding a butcher knife to ward off psycho maniacs. She protected Tommy and Lindsey from Michael Myers -- The Boogeyman, The Shape -- and because of when Halloween was released (1978) and when I first saw it (early to mid '80s) I can't help but see Stephanie & Laurie in scratchy film reels, scraping autumn leaf imagery, haunted and nostalgic soundtracks. I remember walking back to school, with my other students and nun/teacher, and Stephanie had been at the laundromat, and was carrying this plastic bin of clothes next to me as she bopped and smiled -- so reminiscent of Laurie in her first scene of Halloween, when she's holding a pumpkin, chatting and laughing and spooking with Tommy past the old, decrepit Myers home. Stephanie worked at a Slushy/Slurpee shop, played hide-and-seek with Jordan, Aaron, and me, gave my mom hugs when Mom told her about the divorce.

Stephanie Treece -- I hope you're well. Maybe you're still living in Lemont, Illinois? Maybe you're married with a new last name, with children who -- gosh! -- probably have their own babysitter now! I send you love and gratitude, and the warmest of wishes, always.