Written by Kelsey Smith
"We were at that age where we were starting to tell the difference between fantasy and reality, yet that concept flew out the window with two real monsters right in front of us on Halloween night."
Kids dressed in their best costumes prowled the streets in search of full-sized chocolate bars so coveted by all. I was a witch that Halloween. The itchy pointy hat rubbed my forehead red by the time I met up with my cousins, Reagan and Oliver, to go on our quest to claim our own candy horde.
The night started out normal. Rang the doorbell and yelled “Trick or treat!” And repeated a couple of dozen times for good measure. Some houses, like my cousins’, put up a few decorations like a scarecrow, maybe lights, but the front of most houses were bare and empty as we trekked down our routine path.
Our candy buckets weighed us down as we pushed on to complete our quest. I could taste the orange Tootsie pops and Smarties melting in my mouth as their scent danced from our buckets. Before we were just about to reach the end and count our treasure at my cousins’ house, we rounded the corner to do one more house.
The last house was different from the others. Light beams and smoke flowed from a witch’s cauldron. A woman dressed as a witch stood behind the cauldron, expressionless. No one in the neighborhood put on such a show. They must have just moved in.
Once we all stepped on the sidewalk, suddenly two teenage figures came out of the shadows. One was a zombie with some flesh still intact, holding a bloodied machete. He traced the sidewalk with his machete as the blood trailed behind. The second was a green-haired clown with a serpent tongue holding a chainsaw. He raised his chainsaw high, but it did not make a sound.
My limbs shook and stood in place as they approached us. I was eight. My cousins, eight and six. We were at that age where we were starting to tell the difference between fantasy and reality, yet that concept flew out the window with two real monsters right in front of us on Halloween night.
My little cousin, Oliver, was unfazed and stumbled back. Reagan bolted off the sidewalk and to the street, next to her younger brother. Suddenly, I was alone. Candy was important, yet I liked living. But, I liked candy. This was a hard decision.
Then, a thought popped into my mind. If they are monsters, I can be a monster too.
Reagan, holding onto her little brother, whispered with a desperate tongue, “Martha, what are you doing?”
“Getting candy that’s rightfully ours!” I cleared my throat. “Muwahaha! I am an evil witch!” I said, with great originality.
I moved around the zombie and the clown as they lunged toward me. I gulped my fear down and rechanneled it into becoming the most convincing witch I could be. The candy was a few feet away from me, and it was a Grade A full-sized chocolate bar. I couldn’t remember the last time I got to hold such a thing.
“Muwahaha!” I yelled again to ward off the zombie and the clown. I stepped up to the cauldron and grabbed the chocolate bar. I smiled at the witch and thanked her. As soon as I looked back, the zombie and the clown were in my way to get back home, walking closer to me. I glanced at the witch, but she was still emotionless and apathetic to my situation.
The clown lowered his chainsaw and said, “Give us the chocolate bar. And you shall pass without harm little witch.”
“Martha, just give them the candy!” Reagan yelled.
No, I thought, Don’t give up. This is a full-sized chocolate bar we’re talking about. Keep what is rightfully bestowed upon all of kidkind.
I threw the chocolate bar into my bucket and bolted. They swung their machete and chainsaw at me, slicing the tip of my hat off. I ducked under their reach and went around them on the lawn. I hopped onto the street with my cousins and stopped.
I looked back. The monsters and the witch disappeared. Only the cauldron was left, drowning in the faint light of the moon.
“Wh-at-at happened?” I asked, clutching onto my candy bucket.
“They disappeared into thin air,” Oliver mumbled, “Was it...magic?”
“People don’t just disappear,” Reagan hovered her foot, thinking about stepping on the sidewalk, but she decided not to. She crossed her arms and grumbled, “And magic doesn’t exist, Oliver.”
“Then what was that?” he butted back.
“Let’s get out of here.” Reagan tugged at my shoulder, but I didn’t move.
Silence shriveled the air. I waited a second for something to happen, but nothing did. Reagan poked me on the shoulder. Hard. I jumped. She pointed down the street, Oliver already leading the way back home. I nodded.
We ran to my cousins’ house and poured a big mountain of candy on the kitchen table without saying a word. We ate until our stomachs were full and sore. However, the clown and the zombie were still clear in my mind as I nibbled on my full-sized chocolate bar.
Kommentit