NARROWSBURG, NY — Laurie Stuart, publisher of the River Reporter, answered her desk phone one day recently. It was Kristin Hofer, asking about an article she wrote in 1985, when she was a 15-year-old attending Honesdale High School in Honesdale, PA. She wrote the story, “The Witch That Almost Wasn’t,” for the paper’s Halloween edition. Are there any copies left? she asked.

Laurie tells Kristin she’ll look. You can hear a smile in her voice. She’s proud that the River Reporter has carefully preserved and archived each of the issues it has published over nearly a half-century. 

Just weeks after I started as a reporter, Roger Snedeker, who takes great care each week to organize and store the latest editions, showed me the inner workings of the archival system. I felt like I had been let in on a secret. Maybe it’s what a new lawmaker feels when they first see the Constitution, or carpenters when they work with pure ebony, or a chef that’s found the rarest truffle. If you couldn’t tell, I’m green. But I know how rare it is for independently owned papers to continue to exist. I could not help but be moved by the meticulous stacks going back to the River Reporter’s founding year of 1975, file cabinets with the original photos reprinted in the paper, and handwritten letters to the editor. 

The current editor, Pamela Chergotis, recently re-joined the paper, after working for the River Reporter in the 1980s and ‘90s. Not only was I able to read some of the very first issues she edited, but Laurie easily located an archival copy containing Kristin’s story. The power of continuity is evident.

Laurie tells Kristin her paper is ready for pickup. 

Kristin’s cheeks are rosy as she lingers at the door. Laurie is not in the office, and I scrabble around looking for it. Lily Skuthan, in sales, Pam, and I all gather around as I hand her the manila envelope with her name handwritten on top. Lily, whose demeanor is so kind and whose voice is so sweet that you might confuse her for a live Disney princess, can’t help but ask what the three of us are thinking. Why now? What meaning does this story hold for Kristin?

Kristin seems shy. At 54, she has a childlike quality when talking about her story. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, carefully considering what she wants to say. She explains that she’s just self-published a children’s book. It’s titled “Schmickelhoffen,” and was inspired by her daughter, who came up with a clever way to respond to a cough, the way gesundheit responds to a sneeze.

“What started it was I did another story that I self-published, and it got me thinking, why not this one?” she said of the short spooky tale that she wrote as a teenager. “I have to rework it a little bit, but I’m going to do it,” she said. (The story is reprinted below.)

‘She knew I was struggling’

What was she feeling all those years ago, when she wrote that story? Kristin shifts again. She said, “I don’t remember much really.”

She gave credit to her neighbor, the artist Lydia Gorski, who illustrated the story. “Really, she did all the legwork and brought it to the River Reporter,” said Kristin. “I think she knew I was struggling.”

She paused. “Oh, you know,” she said, explaining her parents were not financially well-off and it was rough.

“I was the kid that was picked on...and my last name was Pretty, which doesn’t make for a good combination. You can add the word ‘Pretty’ in front of any derogatory word and have an effective insult.”

But, she was quick to add, “I’m over it, I’m OK.” 

I sit on the edge of the couch, Pam swivels her chair forward, and Lily leans on a desk. We’ve created a semi-circle to catch Kristin’s every word. 

Her life turned around after high school, when she joined the Navy. “Honestly, when I entered the military, I was a demoralized human being, and when I left, I was a confident and strong woman,” she said.

After the Navy, Kristin earned her bachelor’s degree and gave birth to her second child. She then worked as a dental hygienist, went back for her master’s degree, and is now a professor at SUNY Broome.

Coming full circle

Kristin’s writing life that began at 15 with her work on the school paper and her contribution to the River Reporter has served as a guardrail. In the Navy, she said, “I was always the one they said, ‘Give her whatever you need to write, she’ll make sure it sounds grammatically correct.’ So I was always writing people’s resumes and doing stuff like that.” In her professional life, she has written research articles that have been published in scientific journals. 

Today, Kristin is gravitating toward writing once again. She sent her children’s book to a bunch of different publishing agencies but most didn’t respond. Then she sent it to a self-publishing agency that had an artist illustrate it for her.

Kristin describes writing as “an avenue to just release yourself.”

She looked down at her first published story. “It’s a little emotional actually,” shaking her head. “It’s just kind of a fun full-circle exploration.”

Thank you, Kristin, for sharing your story and continuing to write. 

And thank you to the River Reporter for giving me a place to write. 

In my (very) short time as a reporter, I see the necessity of sustaining local news every day. I see it in Kristin’s story; I see it as accurate and informative news that is more scarce than ever; I see it when it makes people feel heard and represented; and I see it when it starts a hard community conversation.

The Witch that Almost Wasn't

By KRISTIN M. PRETTY

"Every Halloween seems the same," Eric said. "Nothing ever happens. All of the witches ride across the moon at exactly midnight, and the goblin, ghosts, and monsters don't even scare me anymore. Well, this Halloween is going to be different. I don't know what I'll do, but..."

He tip-toed out of his house.

Down at the witches' house, a young witch read the contract that had just been delivered by a messenger bat. "You are to ride over the moon at midnight on Halloween. Signed: Chief of Witches."

"Me? Ride over the moon on Halloween? I'm only a rookie. I've just finished learning how to talk and act like a witch. Am I really expected to ride tonight? TONIGHT?? Great bubbling cauldron, it's tonight!

"It's almost time to go and I haven't even started getting ready yet. Where's my black, pointy hat? Good grief, I can't find it! Maybe it's in the closet."

Gulp...

"It's not there! What am I going to do? This cowboy hat should be okay.

"Now, where are my boots? My boots are gone! Well, I don't have any time to worry about it. I'll just wear those hi-top sneakers... They'll get better traction anyway.

"Good goblins and ghosts! I forgot the most important thing! I need my broom! My broom...it's not here! Thank goodness for electric brooms.

"Now...All that I need is my black cat. Lucky. Luuucky! Hey kitty, kitty, kitty. My cat is gone too! Hmmm. I wonder how balanced a Great Dane is on a vacuum?"

So wearing a cowboy hat a hi-top sneakers, the witch left on her vacuum...with a Great Dane perched on the end of it. "Up, up and away. Whew! I just made it... Three minutes to twelve."

"Now what am I going to do with a witch's hat, boots, broom, and black cat?" thought Eric. "Oh well. Up, up and away."

Order Kristin's new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Schmickelhoffen-Hofer-Kristin/dp/B0CQC5KHXT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1[…]keywords=9798765790144&qid=1704761534&sprefix=,aps,398&sr=8-1