Halloween, 1978

 

                                              

                                                   

                                                Prologue




    “All right, duckies! Are we all tucked in and ready for our bedtime story?”

    She was old and moved slowly, thoughtfully, and with tenderness as she checked each of the children to make sure they were comfortable. Her worn blankets and quilts swaddled them in their beds. The boys were snug in the rickety twin bed on the left that rasped as she padded them down. After checking the girls in their bed on the right side of the room, she ambled over, her bones creaking softly with each deliberate step. Finally, she turned and settled herself into a rocking chair that moaned and shifted from the weight.

    “As you know, tonight is All Hallow’s Eve, which means tomorrow is Samhain. Such a special day!” she cackled softly as she clapped her hands together. “So tonight’s story will be a spooky one that will chill you to your bones, as cold as the wind that’s blowing outside!” Her voice became low and hushed as she spoke, emphasizing the chilling tone she was trying to project to set the mood. “This is a story that will be near and dear to your hearts, my ducks! It all began with a group of friends, five of whom were meeting on this very night, Halloween, to go Trick or Treating together…”



                                                Halloween, 1978




    Jennifer got off her bike and leaned it over into the grass beside the driveway. She pulled her Wonder Woman mask up to rest on top of her head and walked up to the door. She rapped her knuckles solidly against it, knocking three times, then took a few steps back and turned around to wait. The sun was still high in the sky, and the brisk wind made her plastic-y superhero ensemble flap in the wind. Down the road, she could see Melissa’s house, a bit off in the distance on another hill. That’d be the next stop. She heard the door open behind her.

    “Jennifer! Hi, how are you?! Oh MY GOODNESS, look at your little Wonder Woman costume. It's so cute!”

    “Thanks, Mrs. Bardoff! Is Michael almost ready?” As she was speaking, Darth Vader came running through the living room from behind.

    “Mom! Move outta the way!” Michael squeezed through the space between his mom and the door out onto the porch. His Vader cape immediately tried to fly away due to the snappy and cold wind but it was secured fast by plastic ropes around his neck. He grabbed it and pulled it down to the side. “Wow, your costume looks great!” he said, slightly distorted through his mask.

    Jennifer blushed. She may have had a bit of a crush on Michael, she wasn’t sure, but sometimes she’d get these little butterflies in her belly when he was talking to her. “Thanks, my mom picked it for me because she said Wonder Woman was a strong example for girls everywhere, whatever that means. I wanted to be Barbie,” she replied. She caught herself looking down at his feet and felt a little awkward.

    “No, seriously, it's terrific! I’m Darth Vader!” he beamed as he pulled up his mask so he could talk a little clearer.

   “I know who Darth Vader is. Dad took us to see Star Wars three times.”

    “I’ve seen it SIX times!” Michael said, topping her total. Of course, however unspoken, kids always had their competitions, that whatever they did was somehow better than the others. Jennifer just smiled cordially.

   “Okay, then, you win!” she laughed. Everyone knew Michael was a big Star Wars fan. The BIGGEST fan, according to him. “Hey, we’ve still gotta go get Mel and Jason, so we’d better get going.”

    Michael pulled his mask back down and started Vader breathing. “KOOOHH, GERRRR. THIS WILL BE A DAY LONG REMEMBERED!” he proclaimed loudly. “Vader said that in Star Wars, you know. I’m gonna go grab my bike!” and he took off running around the side of the house.

    Mrs. Bardoff had the biggest grin on her face. “Well, it looks like you kids are going to have some fun tonight! Just try to be careful and watch out for cars on the road. They may not see you. Make sure everyone gets off to the side, please, Jennifer? Michael knows, too, but just in case, okay?”

   “Of course, Mrs. Bardoff. We’ll be very careful. Thank you!” She spun around and ran over to her bike. Michael came up riding his and stopped beside her. “Let’s go pick up Mel,” he said. After mounting her bike, Jennifer pulled her mask down over her face to help protect it from the wind. “Okay, bye Mrs. Bardoff!” “Bye, mom!” they hollered, one right after the other. “Bye kids, have fun!” Mrs. Bardoff waved at them as they pedaled down the driveway.

    They slowed but didn’t stop and looked both ways before pulling into the street. Like all of their houses, Melissa's house was a fair distance away, and her driveway led up a hill that could tire you out biking up it. It didn’t take too long, though, and they were halfway up her drive in a few minutes before dismounting to walk the bikes the rest of the way. They could see her looking out the window for them, so when they got off the bikes, she came out the door almost at a run.

    “MELISSA! YOU BETTER BE BACK BEFORE DARK! AND NO BEING ALONE WITH ANY OF THEM BOYS! I WON’T HAVE MY DAUGHTER BEING A SLUT!” Melissa’s dad sounded drunk as usual, but she didn’t stop to answer him and ran straight over to grab her bike, which leaned against the side of her house. “Hey guys!” she exclaimed, excited to see them. She was dressed as a witch. The wind blew her black hat off the top of her head, and she dropped her bike and chased it a few feet in the yard before snatching it up. “Oh, this is gonna be a pain,” she said aloud, pulling it down as tightly as possible on her head so it wouldn’t blow off.

    “MELISSA, DID YOU HEAR ME?!” her dad bellowed as he walked to the door, slamming it open. Michael and Jennifer were silent.

    “YEAH, DAD I HEARD YOU! I ALREADY TOLD YOU I’D BE CAREFUL! YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING!” she nearly screamed back as she walked her bike over to them. “Sorry about that, guys,” she offered. Her dad looked down at them. “Mikey, Jenn, good to see you. Have fun. Be careful. Don’t do anything stupid. I know what kids do. I’ll know if you did something. Have fun.” He had lowered his voice but still had a stern, growl-like quality. He took another long draw off the beer can he was holding. “Like I said, Melissa, be home before dark. I don’t want you out late.”

    “Okay, Daddy. Okay. Sheesh,” she replied as she turned her back to him and rolled her eyes. “Can we just get out of here, please?” she pleaded in a whisper to her friends.

    “Oh yeah, absolutely,” Michael said and got on his bike, turning it around. Jennifer followed suit, and soon they were cruising down the driveway, stopping at the bottom as they saw a car coming and waiting for it to pass. “We just gotta go get Jason, and we’re all set,” Jennifer said. “I really like your costume, by the way. It looks great!”

    “Thanks. It was really easy to throw together. I kind of wish I had one like yours, though. Wonder Woman is so cool!”

    “Maybe. I wanted to be Barbie, but my mom said this was the easiest. At least you don’t have to deal with the mask. This thing is a pain in the butt! I can’t see a thing when, if it moves at all!” Jennifer emphasized the point by re-adjusting it to fit over her eyes better. “Also, it's kind of hard to breathe in it. It sits right on your nose and mouth. And this stretchy string makes it so tight. Why’s it have to be so tight?”

    “KOHHHH GERRRRRRRR” Michael Vader breathed loudly.

    “Oh, Mikey, your costume is great too! I wanted to be Princess Leia, but dad wouldn’t get me one. He said it was too ‘showy’. We could have matched, though!” Melissa had maneuvered her bike up beside Michael on the road as she was talking to him, and Jennifer felt a twinge of jealousy.

    “Showy? IT'S A WHITE ROBE AND HAIR BUNS! What’s ‘showy’ about it?!” he asked exasperatedly. “Your dad, hoo boy, is he something!”

    “Yeah, he can be. He tells me all the time he’s just ‘overprotective’ of his little girl. Well, maybe he yells me all the time.” she snickered. But, of course, Jenn and Mike knew exactly what she meant and laughed with her. It was good they could make a joke out of something serious, but that’s one thing kids do well, even if they didn’t know it. It helped make them resilient to some of the more disturbing things they’d see in life.

    “Aww, forget about it. Just think of all the candy we’ll have in a little bit!” Michael exclaimed. He stood up to pedal faster, and the girls had to do the same to keep up. He was really moving.

    “EEEK!” Melissa screamed and suddenly fell back. The others slammed on the brakes and did a slide to turn around and see what was wrong. Jennifer yelled, “Hey, are you okay?”

    Melissa had laid her bike on the side of the road and was running across the street. A small, black object was skittering away from her in the wind. “My hat! MY HAT!” she cried as she chased it. Then, just as they were about to go back and help her, it blew up against an embankment and stopped, where she snatched it forcefully. She looked both ways for cars before crossing back and remounted her bike.

    “This stupid hat. Hair buns wouldn’t fly off like this,” Melissa grumbled.

    “Are you good,” Jennifer asked, her eyebrows raised slightly. Then, without answering, Melissa took off in the lead, one hand holding the bike handle and one clutching down at the hat on the back of her head.

    “Yeah, it’ll be fine. Let’s go,” she said, pedaling away from them.

    Jennifer and Michael caught up with her, and they rode their bikes around the bend. Then, off in the distance, Jason’s house came into view. Jason lived in the biggest house of all of them, and it sat close to the road, but there were no other houses near it. It was the biggest house because Jason had the largest family. He had two older brothers who were ‘too old’ to go trick or treating; they thought it was more of a children’s tradition now that they were in their mid-teens. He also had a younger brother, Brian, who was seven. His dad was an engineer at a local plastics factory and made “good money,” Jason always bragged. They pulled into the short driveway and laid their bikes on their sides before walking up to ring the doorbell. Within seconds, the door swung open.

    “HEY JASON, YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!” Brian turned his head and yelled. He was a good bit shorter than the rest of them, even though he was only a few years younger. There was an excited look on his face as he checked out their costumes. “Oh my gosh, guys, those costumes are so neat! Darth Vader?! That’s so cool! And Wonder Woman and a witch?! Wow, guys, those are really great! You should see my costume. I’m gonna be Mighty Mouse! My dad helped me pick it out, and he’s gonna be taking me trick or treating in the car because Jason said I can’t go with you guys for some reason, but I don’t know why not because…”

    Jason interrupted him with a yell from back inside the house. “Tell them to come in. I’m almost finished.”

    “Oh, yeah, sorry, come on in, guys. He’s in the living with dad finishing his costume.” Brian stepped back into the house to make way for them.

    “Thanks, kiddo!” Michael ruffled his hair as he walked past. Jennifer gave him a smile when she passed him, and Brian’s face got a little red. Melissa said, “Thank you,” and came inside too. They walked into the living room just off the hallway entrance and saw Jason and his dad. His father was behind him, pulling some strings and cinching them tight.

    “Hey, guys!” Jason exclaimed. “Can you guess what my costume is?”

    Melissa and Jennifer looked at him quizzically, but Michael said, “Oh, wow, that’s G-Force! You’re a Science Ninja?! That’s really radical! Your helmet looks real!” Michael was suddenly very aware of how his plastic mask looked in comparison. It was still cool to him, but Jason had an actual helmet, and his outfit wasn’t made of cheap plastic material.

    Jason smiled cockily, “Yeah, dad helped me get it. Pretty cool, right? He knows a guy who makes costumes for movies and paid him to…”

    Jason’s dad broke in, “Now, son, you sound like you’re bragging, and we don’t do that. We just got lucky that I knew the guy, and he could fabricate all of this.” He finished knotting the strings around the arms and gloves and stepped back. “You do look terrific, if I may say so myself,” he beamed at his son.

    “Thanks, dad,” he said as he pulled at the gloves to ensure they fit his fingers well. “I gotta go grab my pumpkin basket, and I’ll be ready to go,” he said, walking back into the hallway. “Everyone has theirs, too, right? It’s just in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

    Jennifer reassured him, “Yeah, we all have one. They’re outside hanging off the bike handlebars.”

    “Maannnnnnnn, I wish I could go with you guys. That’d be soooooo fab,” Brian lamented. His voice got a little higher pitched than usual, and Jennifer took some pity on him.

    “Aw, sorry big guy,” she tousled his mop of hair. Of course, all the friends did that. He had one of those popular bowl cuts that was a bit longer but didn’t cover his eyes, so it was almost like petting a shaggy dog. “If your dad weren’t gonna take you, I’d think you could come with us…” she smiled at him. Michael and Melissa gave her a look that read, ‘don’t encourage him’ but she ignored it.

    “Well, you know,” his dad chimed in. “I do have some work things I need to get done tonight. So this would free up a couple of hours...if you kids don’t mind?”

    “Really, dad?! It’d be okay??!!” Brian was almost jumping with excitement.

    “Like I said, big guy, it's up to them. It sure would help me out, though,” he looked over at the trio with his head slightly cocked and eyebrows raised. Melissa and Michael just turned and looked at Jennifer with a ‘good job, now what’ expression.

    “Uh, I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be a problem as long as he can keep up. But, we’ll be going pretty fast on the bikes and all, so um…” Jennifer stammered.

    “OH, BOY! YESSSS!” Brian jumped in the air. “I can keep up, no problem! Let me go get my costume on! It’ll just take a second.” He raced off, his fast footsteps thumping up the stairs at the end of the hall.

    Jason returned from the kitchen, his black strapped plastic grinning pumpkin basket in hand. “Dad, where was Brian running to? He almost ran into me in the hall.”

    “Oh, the kids offered to let him come with you all on your bikes. I figured since I had a lot to get done for work tonight anyway, this would just be easiest.” He patted Jennifer on the shoulder as he said it. Jason’s face went from a look of surprise to contempt as his glare shifted from his dad to her. “Besides, hanging out will be good for you and him. He basically worships you older kids. This will make his entire night that much more special.”

    “Yeah, but it’s gonna ruin ours,” Jason mumbled, still glaring at Jenn.

    Michael breathed in, “KOOOH GERRRR, This will be a day long remembered,” he rendered in his best Vader impersonation. He meant for it to add a bit of levity to the situation, but it could be taken in a couple of ways.

    Jason took it poorly. “Yeah, it sure will,” he grumbled.

    Melissa also offered up some encouragement, “Jason, come on. It’ll be fine. He was thrilled to get to go with us. I bet you used to beg to go trick or treating with your older brothers.”

    “I did, but I was a bomb kid, so they wanted to hang out with me,” he retorted.

    His father brought him down a notch, though, “Oh, no, they didn’t. I just made them take you too,” he laughed.

    “It’s fine,” Jason bemoaned. However, Jennifer noted that his shoulders slumped a little, and he looked defeated for the moment, which was out of character for him.

    “Yeah, it's fine,” she reassured everyone. “We’ll have fun. We’ll make sure he has fun. It’s no problem at all,” she doubled down. It was her mistake to invite him. She didn’t think he’d end up coming, but since he was, she would own it. Jason and Michael always liked to think they were the group's leader, but she knew, even though she was a girl, that she dictated their adventures when she put her foot down.

    Right about then, Brian came racing back down the stairs in his Mighty Mouse costume. He had his mask on, rearing to go. “Okay, guys, I’m ready! I have to grab my bike. It's in the garage.” He didn’t even stop. He just zoomed right past them out the door.

    “He’s going to be such a spaz tonight,” Jason sighed. “I gotta grab my bike, too. I’ll meet you guys in the driveway.” With that, he followed his brother’s footsteps outside.

    “Well, you kids, be safe, and thanks again. This really does help me out,” his dad said.

    All three offered some sort of ‘okay, we will be’ and waved as they walked out the screen door and went to mount their mechanical steeds. Jason and Brian had come out of the garage on their bikes and were waiting at the end of the drive. Brian waved enthusiastically back at his dad, who was watching them leave, from the door.

    Jason said, “Listen up, guys. I’ve already thought about the best route for us to take to maximize our house hits and candy intake.”

    “Ooooo, fancy,” Melissa giggled.

    He glanced at her but continued, “From here, we should go to Carpenter’s Lane. That has the most houses and connects to Craven’s Run. There aren't a lot of houses there, but they’re big houses, so hopefully, that’ll be slamming for how many places there are. It connects to Romero drive. If we can finish Romero before it all dies down, we may have time to go down Hooper’s Road. We’ll save that for last because it's the longest road with the fewest houses, so it’s only if we have time before dark. It’s probably going to be a couple of miles of biking,” he looked over at Brian, “so make sure everyone can keep up, and let’s not waste time, all right?”

    Brian enthusiastically replied, “Don’t you worry about me, bubby! I’ll be faster than all of you!” and made some zooming noises like he was racing a motorcycle.

    “Yeah, that does sound good,” Melissa said. “I just have to be home before dark, or my dad will kill me, so let’s goooooo already.” She pulled her hat down tightly one last time before kicking off and turning onto the street, heading toward Carpenter’s Lane.

    The route would make one big circle to eventually bring them back closest to Melissa’s house, which worked out well. Carpenter’s Lane exceeded expectations for them. Ten houses in quick succession, and they all had a half pumpkin basket full of candy before turning onto Craven’s Run. There weren’t very many kids out trick or treating in this neck of the wood. It was somewhat rural, and almost all of the ones that were they passed on Carpenter’s. Craven’s Run also ended up reasonably well, as Jason had surmised. The few large houses they stopped at that were giving out candy gave generous handfuls to each of them. It was a lot of biking up and down rolling hills, and Brian did lag behind some, but they dutifully waited up for him every time he yelled ‘Hold up, guys!” and pedaled furiously while trying to catch up. By the time they finished the last house on Romero Drive, the sun was still a fair ways off from setting, so they pulled over at the edge of Hooper’s Road to discuss their options.

    Jason, slightly out of breath, said, “I think we made really good time, guys. We can probably finish this before we have to head home.”

    “It really depends on Melissa, I’d say,” Jennifer offered. “She’s the one who’ll get it if she’s late.” She looked at their pumpkins, all three-fourths full of sweets. “Even if we don’t, we’ve done well. I wouldn’t be upset to call it if she feels like she needs to.”

    The group looked at Melissa, who was considering the sun and how long it may linger. “I don’t know if we have time…” she replied, looking concerned. “I mean, I want to, but, you know, my dad and all…”

    “KOOOOOHHH GEERRRRR,” Michael hissed. “I find your lack of faith...disturbing,” he mimicked in his best Darth Vader voice. “There are only three or four houses, so it’ll be fast. I think we have time, and Hooper’s winds back closest to your place anyway.”

    Brian chimed in, “Yeah, I think we should!” but Jason cut him off. “Brian, you don’t get an opinion. You’re only here because dad made us take you.” Brian looked down at the ground, his smile fading immediately into defeat. “Mellie, I think we have the time. We’ll be fast,” he promised, ignoring his little brother’s silent pout.

    “Well, okay, but we still haven’t pranked anyone, and I brought a whole roll of toilet paper for that,” she acquiesced, patting a large blob that filled a front pocket on her witch’s robe. Jennifer wondered how she hadn’t noticed it before. Jason’s face lit up. “YES! I knew you were slamming! All right, let’s just all be real fast. Brian, if you can’t keep up, it's on you, buddy.”

    With that, they all got back on the saddles of their aluminum horses and headed down the long, winding road named after some Hooper guy. The sun was getting lower as they approached the first house, and the reddish-orange streaks complimented the leaves that lingered in the trees but also littered the ground in their brown, gold, yellow, and orange glories. The wind had declined substantially, and Melissa didn’t have to hold onto her hat with one hand anymore. The group of friends sped along to the first house with a porch light on, the universal sign of welcoming trick-or-treaters. The houses out here were older and poorly kept as compared to the rest of the rural neighborhoods. Hooper’s Road was one of the oldest roads in the county, so they knew primarily older people who enjoyed the quiet lived out this way. They hopped off their bikes and walked together in a group to the door. Jason knocked loudly three times.

    They didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, and an old, bent woman greeted them. She wore a bun but had wispy gray hairs that floated around her face, and her lips were slightly sunken in, accentuating her long chin. Her skin was wrinkled, sallow, and thin but leathery. The initial appearance of this wizened older woman caught the children off guard, especially Brian, who inhaled audibly with a gasp. The lady’s face immediately broke into a vast, mostly toothless grin. Her drab, black dress was shapeless, patched but still, plenty frayed.

    “Oh, my!” she clapped as she looked at the children. “Why, just look at the lot of you! A veritable twack, all together! I'm guessing you're out Trick or Treating, hoping for some sweets tonight, and just look at your costumes! Why those things wouldn’t scare a newly-born spirit away! You know that’s what they’re for, right?” She looked at Jason specifically. “I don’t even know what you’re supposed to be! You look like a bird of some sort but none that I’ve ever seen!” Then she looked at Jennifer and Michael, “and you both couldn’t scare a baby! What’s that behind you? A mouse with a cape?! Whoever thought of such a thing! My word! That’s more funny than frightening!” Brian immediately got right behind his brother, barely peeking his head around to stare at her. “Now, but you,” she said, turning her bushy-eyed gaze to Melissa, “you must be a witch, and that’s a proper costume! Spirits fear witches, to be sure!” Melissa looked at her like she was a little daft, her mouth slightly agape. “Oh, but they wouldn’t be scared of one as quiet as you. That just doesn’t do at all,” the old lady huffed. “You may want to close your mouth a’fore you catch flies.”

    Most adults had opened their doors, commented on how cute they looked, gave them some candy, and wished them luck. Jason was taken slightly aback by the odd and rather brazen way this lady greeted them. He quickly worked his mind around it and figured some people got kooky in their old age. No big deal, he thought, just ask for the candy, he told himself. Finally, he cleared his throat, “ahem, trick or treat,” he said, sounding meeker than he intended.

    “What’s that, baby drake?” she asked, tilting her head so that she turned an ear toward him. “You’ll have to speak up. I’m old as dirt, and my hearing isn’t what it used to be.”

    He turned and looked at the group with a ‘come on guys’ look, nodding at her. The kids all started to mumble, “Trick or treat,” but the crone shook her head. “No, no, no, that won’t do at all! If you want treats, you had better ASK loudly, or be prepared for the tricks! I do have treats though, enough for the whole raft, but ye have to ASK,” she insisted.

    The group, almost simultaneously this time, said it loudly. “Trick or treat!” Brian was still huddled behind Jason, but he didn’t say anything. His face was pressed into his brother's back while his hands clenched at the well-made cape that cascaded down from his shoulders. Melissa and Jennifer gave each other anxious looks, unable to accept how strange this old lady was. Finally, Michael breathed lowly, “Kooooh gerrrrr” to finish his.

    “Oh yes, that’s much better! Now then, I have lots of treats! I’ve been baking all day! Come on into the kitchen, and I’ll sort you right out!” she said as she turned and took a few steps back into the house, picking something up off a counter. Jason interrupted her, “Ma’am. We really don’t have time for that. If you can just give us our candy, we’ll be on our way.” The lady stopped and turned back to face them. The children hadn’t noticed it before, but now she had a large, bloody carving knife in her small, gnarled hand. “Your candy? I told you I have treats but didn’t say I have candy.”

    Jennifer was losing patience, and that knife suddenly appearing set her slightly uneased. They were also on a time crunch, after all. “Ma’am, if you don’t have any candy, we’ll just be on our way.”

    “Oh dearie, dearie, no, that won’t work. I insist you all come in. I promise you’ll love what I’ve been cooking. Its all the best parts!” She smacked her sunken lips together with a lick of her tongue. “It’ll be fast, and I don’t want to not give you anything. You may try to play a trick on little, ol’ me!” she laughed a little cackle, finding humor in her words, as she started walking back toward the door. “And while it may not be the sweetest, I have some mighty tasty jerky! So come on in. I’ll make you my treats, too!”

    Jason stepped back, almost tripping over Brian, who had to scramble out of the way. “No, ma’am, no thank you! Keep on steppin'!” he said in a rushed, hectic voice. The entire group seemed to move with him as he stepped, and they all turned to run back to grab their bikes. In quick succession, they all got on and took off down the road at breakneck speed. Their legs were pumping furiously as they sped off. Michael hazarded a wary look back and saw the little old lady standing on the porch, watching them grow smaller in the distance as they rode away. He saw Brian trying hard to keep up with the older kids. Once they were out of sight of the house, they all slowed down and stopped to catch their breath.

    Jennifer broke the quiet, “That lady was freaky deeky! Did you see the hairy eyeball she gave us?” she asked through panting breaths. Poor Brian looked visibly upset. He was the youngest and most easily scared. She decided to try and add some levity to the situation to make him feel better. “Well, if we’re going to prank someone, I think we know who it is now.”

    Melissa had a worried look on her face. “I don’t know, guys. That was really weird. I don’t want to go back there. You know, that’s the Masterson’s house, right? I’ve known them for years, but I’ve never seen that lady there. Why did she answer the door? Why didn’t one of them?”

    Michael pulled his mask up and thought on this for a moment, “Maybe they were taking Travis trick or treating, and they haven’t gotten home yet? That could be his grandma or something. She said she’d been cooking there all day.”

    Melissa looked doubtful. “Maybe they did take him trick or treating. He’s Brian’s age, so that does make sense….but their car was still in the driveway around the side of the house.” Michael nodded, “Yeah, I guess it was.”

    Jennifer said, “It doesn’t matter. She’s just a batty old lady. I’m over it. Let’s go home.”

    Jason looked at his pumpkin pail, which was almost but not quite full. “Yeah, I agree. The other two houses are on the way, so we’ll hit them real quick and get Mel back. It looks like we’ll be cutting it close regardless,” he noted as he saw the sun beginning to set into the forest to the west.

    Brian said lowly, in a pitiful voice, “I just want to go home.” He had pulled his mask up on his head, too, and his cheeks were wet with tears. “Okay, buddy,” Jason said as he shoved off with his bike. “We’ll be home soon.”

    With that, the group took back off down the road. It was a very short but needed rest as they had all run out of breath from getting away from the unsettling woman. The pace had put them much further down the long winding road, and they could see the next-to-last house. The porch light was on, and Jason, who was leading the way, pulled into the drive, saying, “We’ll be really fast!” Michael couldn’t even do his Vader breathing because he was so out of breath, but he did audibly groan. “I guess the last two stops will be fine,” he mumbled. When Jennifer gave him a look of slight disbelief, he managed to get jovially back into character, “Don’t act so surprised, your Highness! You weren’t on any mercy mission, after all,” in his best Vader impression. He emphasized his point by shaking his pumpkin pale at her.

    Melissa got off her bike and started walking quickly toward the door. “All right, fine, but seriously we gotta be really fast. Anyways, this is the Thompson’s, they’re always really nice.” The group hurried behind her as she walked up and knocked. Before she could hit with the last knock, the door budged open from the force of her knuckles, even though she wasn’t hitting it that hard.

    As the door swung slowly on its hinges with a creakiness that had been yearning to be oiled for years, the group said in unison, “Trick or treat!”

    The doorway swung open. The same small, old, bent woman who seemed to have a delighted smile and a large, dirty carving knife gripped tightly in her bony, arthritic hand happily exclaimed, “Oh, it’ll be tricks, for sure, with this sord!” She laughed a high-pitched, devilish laugh that was surprisingly intense and loud. “The cooking is done! Come in and get your treats a’fore any bad spirits get you!”

    The children panicked. Jennifer let out a shrill scream that split the otherwise quiet solitude of the countryside. Michael felt his heart jump into his throat and haphazardly stepped backward blindly on instinct, flailing as he fell back, knocking Jason and Brian both down. Jason grabbed for him as they fell, trying to steady himself. He ended up pulling his black cape so hard the plastic string tightened around his neck and nearly cut into the flesh. Michael felt himself begin to choke before it gave a searingly hot relief by breaking. He coughed as he scrambled to stand up. Candy spilled everywhere, littering the yard. Brian was crying somewhere that Michael couldn’t see. Jason had pulled Michael down on top of himself. He was getting up as quickly as he could, trying to push him off to the side, too, and the girls had already started running to the bikes. Michael felt a primal rush of fear as he crawled up from his knees to his feet and ran straight toward his bike. Each child was in a blood-curdling grip of fight or flight, and the self-preservation sense of flight had won. Pieces of their costumes were ripped and torn, and Jason had completely lost his pumpkin from Michael falling on it and crushing it. The fall hurt his hand badly, and he felt his wrist throbbing from Michael’s landing.

    Without looking back they took off. As they were racing down the street, the sun was setting in its pink, purple, and orange hues, lighting half the sky; the other half a deeper purple and dark, dotted with a few bright stars and a blood moon.

    After pedaling for what they felt like was their lives, they saw the last house on Hooper’s Road and, just beyond it, the bend that would lead them back to Melissa’s house. They were only a few minutes away and just in time, as it was nearly dark. Jason started slowing his pace, though and turned to go toward that last house.

    Jennifer nearly screamed at him. “What are you doing?!” They were all panting, out of breath.

    Jason stopped, and so did the rest of the group. “Look, I lost all my candy. I know that was freaky, okay? I was there. I saw it, too. It was messed up, I get it, but I mean, THINK about it. That lady was playing a trick on us. Its Halloween! You know? She’s probably laughing her butt off at scaring a bunch of little kids. Well, I’m not little; now that I’ve thought about it, I’m not scared. I am mad, though, since Michael made me lose all my candy.” He gave Michael a sneer and glared at him. “So I’m going to stop here, at this last house, which we still have time to do because it's not even completely dark yet, and I’m going to get the last bit of candy we can into Michael’s pale, and he’s going to SPLIT it with me because that’s what's fair!”

    Melissa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you INSANE? Oh my God, Jason. You are the most spoiled, self-centered person I’ve ever met. Just because your dad is rich, you think you’re better than everyone!”

    Michael, however, felt bad for acting so scared and falling on him. “No, he’s right. I’ll split my candy with him. I shouldn’t have been that scared by that lady’s trick. Although, as he said, we’re not kids. I kinda do owe him, I guess.” Jennifer couldn’t believe Jason was pressuring him into feeling bad. “Mel’s right, Jason, that’s just you being….manipulating. Don’t be a jerk.”

    “I’m not being a jerk, I’m being me, and it's maybe my last Halloween, and I want some stupid candy!” With that, he got off his bike and threw it to the ground. He walked over and held out his hand to Michael, who dutifully gave him his pumpkin pale. “No, it's fine, guys, really, come on,” Michael said, sounding a bit defeated. “One last house, then Melissa’s. Then we’re done. It’s fine.” He got off his bike and started walking with Jason through the yard. Melissa looked at Jennifer, “God. I guess we better go and get this over with. It's so stupid, though. I’m ready to go home.”

    “Me, too,” said Jennifer. As they walked across the yard, catching up to the boys at the door, she thought aloud for a moment. “You know, I gotta wonder how she tricked us, though. How did she get to that house before we did? No cars passed us, and we were going really fast. It's really weird.”

    Jason knocked very hard and very loudly on the old door.

    “Yeah, that is weird. And how did she get inside both houses?” Melissa wondered. “It’s like, impossible…”

    Melissa looked back down the road, replaying the events in her mind. Jason banged on the door again and said too loudly, “TRICK OR TREAT! YOU’VE GOT SOME TRICK OR TREATER’S HERE!”

    While looking back, Melissa suddenly had a realization. “Hey, uh, guys, where’s Brian?” she asked, the concern in her voice raising its pitch.

    Jennifer turned around first. She gasped, which made Michael also turn to look. Jason banged on the door again, even harder.

    KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. “What are you talking about?” he said, simultaneously angry and disgusted at being interrupted.

    Melissa’s voice quivered, “He’s not here, Jason! I don’t remember seeing him with us since we ran from that last house! He’s….”

    The door swung wide open. There, just past the threshold, was the old woman. Her mostly toothless grin stretched the sides of her cheeks wide. Beside her stood a small child in a mouse costume with a cape, completely unmoving and staring blankly ahead through his mouse’s masked eyes. A dark, wet crimson stain started at the bottom of his mask and spread out to cover most of his chest. “Ah, my duckies finally made it for their treats! Come in! Come in!” she insisted in her high-pitched voice. She began to mumble some foreign words and the wind picked back up. As she spoke, the children felt an odd sensation come over their entire bodies and suddenly realized they couldn’t move. They were frozen in place, like Brian was, staring at them. Then, somehow, they began to slide toward, their toes barely dragging the ground as they were pulled inside the door, which shut with a mighty whoosh when they were all inside.

    “Now, now, duckies. It's dark out. That means it's bedtime. I’m going to tuck you all in. Don’t you fret! And Mr. Not Scary At All Mouse here is going to help me get the treats ready for you. Those treats will be so sweet! Just look at how young and juicy he is! Oh my, my, my, they’ll be delicious!” Her soft pink tongue licked her thin, sunken lips. “Now, off to bed! Pip pip, ducklings!”