A 2011 Halloween Story
It’s here, the night when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is thinnest. There is a chillin the air, the wind picks up all around, a signal from the spirits that they are restless. As is fitting, there is a full moon in the sky. It casts its light down upon the earth; shadows appear everywhere, making the night all the more ominous. Yet there is nothing to fear, not anymore. The old ways have long been forgotten. Masks are no longer needed to hide one’s soul from the devil, now they are purely decorative, meant for children. It is all about tricks and treats. A legitimate excuse for an adult to play dress up. There are “haunted hayrides” that offer little entertainment except an excuse for a couple to snuggle up together out in public. These are the thoughts in her head as she puts on her sexy little witch number, complete with pointed hat. The striped leggings and ruby slippers an homage to the movie she hates most. Makeup is done, the glitter sparkles in the candles that she had lit to get in the spirit of the night. The phone rings, a text, it’s time to go meet the girls.
The party is on the outskirts of town. Chosen for the occasion because of its location: an abandoned house and barn with an old bone yard right next door. The perfect setting for Halloween. Everyone is there. Seems to her that the best kept secret in town got out. All the accoutrements are hung in the barn, the cobwebs, the spiders, skeletons, jack o’lanterns everywhere the eye can see. There is even fake blood on the walls and blood red punch, which she is certain, has its own spirits. Thriller is playing in the background, of course, would it be Halloween without Michael? The girls find her, a purple and pink fairy waves her magic wand at the zombies as she crosses the room (seems as though she brought them back to life all by herself), Lucille Ball also seems to have been resurrected for the evening’s festivities and the roaring 20’s is represented by the flapper at her side.
The evening begins slowly, as it always does. Noticing who is there, what they are dressed as, finding a place of their own to chat for a little while sipping away at the intoxicating red brew. “I should have been a vampire tonight. I feel like I am drinking blood.” says the fairy. They all laugh and agree. The drink is very thick, a concoction that both Edward and Lestat would agree on surely. As the wicked with purveys the room, she notices one of the zombies stumble over to them. He whispers something into the fairy’s ear and off they go to the dance floor. When she looks back, she sees Ricky kissing Lucy’s neck, seriously? Get a room already. The flapper is making googly eyes at a gangster holding up a wall. “Just go and talk to him. You know you want to”, the witch says. “Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you here alone.” The flapper is already on her way to check out his tommy. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got Lucy and Ricky here to keep me company”, she looks at the happy couple who are even more engrossed in each other now. The flapper calls back over her shoulder “Okay, love you!” Then she is gone, lost in the fog being spewed from the dry ice machines placed strategically throughout the barn.
Being single on any holiday, even her favorite one, sucks. Perhaps she should find herself a nice vampire for the evening. Just as she scopes the barn for such a prospect Lucy becomes detached from Ricky. “Hey, you know that old house is supposed to be haunted. Want to check it out?” Ricky is still sucking Lucy’s neck while she is speaking, he should have been a vampire tonight. “Sure, why not. It’s kind of lame in here anyways”, the witch puts down her drink and rolls her eyes at Frankenstein whom she just caught staring at her. FYI, Frankenstein wasn’t the guy’s costume.
The trio leaves the barn; there is shadow in front of the moon, even more shadows. There are mummies and zombies running around in the darkness, attempting to scare anyone that crosses their path but having little success, there are more laughs heard than screams. The witch is laughing herself at the clumsy would be ‘killers’. There is a light emanating from the graveyard; it stops her in her tracks. Tears well up in her eyes, something that has not happened to her in years. She feels herself drawn to the light; she begins to walk towards it when Lucy stops her, “Hey, where are you going? The house is this way”. “I was just curious about that light over there” the witch turns to Lucy then back to the graveyard. “What light?” Lucy asks as she comes up aside the witch. The light has gone out. “It was just there, I swear.” Lucy looks all around them but it is utter darkness in front of them without the moon’s rays. The witch shakes it off; it must have been her imagination. The three of them resume their trip to the house. But as she turns towards the house, she can feel someone behind her; she knows that the light is back. As they reach the front porch, she turns to the graveyard once more, the moon has reappeared again. Now she is able to see the outline of a tree and that of a person beneath it. The tears come back again; she knows this person is looking right at her, peering into her soul.