Hey, Boys and Ghouls!

As Halloween approaches, Southern California Living invites you to enter its annual Scary Stories contest. Your story can be scary-scary or funny-scary but not gruesome-scary, please. Stories must be original, a maximum of 600 words and typewritten.

There will be four winners in each of two categories--authors 18 or older and those 17 or younger. Or you can tell your story in a drawing. (Drawings must be 8 1/2 by 11 inches or smaller and done in any medium.) There will be one winner in two categories--artists 12 or older and 11 or younger.

Mail your entries to Scary Stories, Southern California Living, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; fax them to (213) 237-4888; or e-mail them to socalliving@latimes.com. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 11, and winners will be published Oct. 31. Please include your name, judging category and phone number (for verification only).

We are sorry that the volume of entries does not allow us to accept phone calls or to return entries.