Spooks Don’t Stand Ghost of a Chance

Ghoulies got you down? Just in time for the witching season, storyteller Martha Holloway has some advice on how to keep the seasonal spooks at bay.

“When you go to bed at night, remember to set your shoes next to the bed in a V . . . the bigger the shoes, the better,” she recommended, in tones as sweet as praline pie. “Also, if you’re going past a graveyard, keep some crumbs in your pocket and throw them at any ghost that might come along.”

Stuff and nonsense?

Even nonbelievers can get what Holloway calls a “delicious scare” in “Spooky Fun,” a Friday night program that’s part of the Once Upon a Story storytelling festival this weekend in San Juan Capistrano.

The program will feature David Novak, Diane Ferlatte and Holloway telling “old-fashioned campfire tales . . . that can make your spine chill,” said festival organizer Melba Jones. The session is recommended for older elementary schoolchildren to adults.

Holloway, a La Jolla resident, said her selections for Friday’s event may include a North Carolina chiller about a pair boys who make pocket money by keeping company with the freshly departed.

Crumbs, anyone?