Just Another Halloween

Just Another Halloween

"Aaahhh!" I screamed, gaping at my reflection in the bedroom mirror. Why did I agree to do this? "You okay in there, Noni?" Juliana's impatient voice called through the closed door.

"Fine. Be ready in a sec." Trying not to stare at my horrible image, I forced a pleasant smile to my face, and joined my sister. I'd promised to dress up for my friend Tina's party, but I had to take my bratty sister trick-or-treating first. That's what had started this whole crazy mess!

I'd constructed my costume out of a curtain and a pair of coat hangers wrapped in foil attached to the back with string. It was meant to be something, just not sure what exactly. The hangers were lopsided, and some yellow face paint had been hastily sprayed on. Last-minute, what was I supposed to do? I hastily texted Tina, "See you soon. Taking sister get candy. Scary face emoji." Pressing send, I left my phone on the bed; I'd only be gone about an hour, I wouldn't need it. I thought.

"Noni, hurry up, or the good candy will be gone!" Juliana whined as I appeared. Then, catching sight of my costume, she dissolved into high-pitched giggles. Completely humiliated, I turned away to hide my face, hot with embarrassment. Tina had suggested we dress up in the weirdest costumes imaginable. Like I said, I was a bat. Or Goth Girl, or whatever.

"You're laughing at me!" I shot back, jabbing her in the ribs. Ignoring me, she flapped her arms, imitating bat wings, which only made her look really stupid. She was wearing some type of green dress with a hat. Perhaps she was the green witch from that musical. Who knows!

Stifling my own laughter, I followed her down our well-lit street. She skipped ahead of me as we passed other costumed kids; they were the usual motley characters — princesses, superheroes, and clowns. Some asked what I was supposed to be, so I replied, "A bat."

As we neared the first decorated house, Juliana motioned for me to hang back. I was only too happy to let her do as she pleased, feeling that at fourteen, I was getting too old for candy. While she charmed the man at the door, I admired his yard. He'd clearly gone all out with hanging bats in his tree, bones sticking up out of his yard, and a real pumpkin with a scary face carved into it on his porch. As if reading my thoughts about the candy, the man asked, "What about you, dear?" I shook my head.

"Let's go. Hurry up, Noni!" Juliana demanded, already sprinting down the street. As we did the rounds of one spooky house after another, I was increasingly bored. Checking my watch, I realized only thirty minutes had passed. Come on, I need to have fun, too!

"Last house!" I informed her, making the decision to drop her off at home earlier than expected. With luck, I can go on to Tina's party! I didn't want to wear this ridiculous costume any longer than necessary. "Why not ditch her out here, then go to Tina's." I thought. I tried dismissing that idea, but it just wouldn't leave my mischievous brain.

I was about to put this plan into action, when two teens got out of a car, which sped away, with music thumping and its tires squealing. The boys were wearing black shirts, and black pants. On their faces were these clown masks of the evil variety. One had a dark smear of blood on one cheek, the other had snaggly teeth and one eye. One thing was certain, they definitely weren't in the fun Halloween spirit. Edging closer to Juliana, I clutched her hand. The boys jogged down the street towards us, laughing loudly. Not waiting for them to approach, we took off in the opposite direction. Too late. The one with the teeth appeared in front of us, leering. "Hand it over." He demanded, reaching for Juliana's bag. In his hand, I noticed something sharp.

Heart thumping, all previous plans (evil or otherwise) completely vanished from my mind. I glanced around for anything which could be used to defend ourselves. There was nothing, not even a sharp rock. No one else was about on this deserted, unfamiliar street either. To make matters worse, the moon had slipped behind a cloud. Okay, let's make a break for it. As the clown continued laughing and demanding Juliana's candy, a knife appeared in his hand. For her part, Juliana stood her ground, looked him straight in the eye and shouted, "Get lost."

Then, I remembered my costume. Would it work? With nothing to lose, I reached behind my back, and set to work. Unhooking one of my wings wasn't an easy process, but I carefully detached it from my cape. There! My finger was cut, but that couldn't be helped. Brandishing it like a weapon, I waited. The clown, with one hand clutching Juliana's bag and the other still holding the knife, gaped in astonishment. Beside me, Juliana stiffened, realizing the enormity of the situation. He lunged, and his knifepoint grazed my hand. I didn’t feel the pain, only anger. "Leave us alone." I shouted, stepping towards him, the wing held out like a sword. Dropping the bag, the clown dashed away, with candy now scattered on the sidewalk. We started running, desperately searching for someone, anyone who could help. Adrenalin coursed through me as we ran. The moon appeared, lighting our way with its silvery brightness. I cursed myself for leaving my phone at home. "Stupid girl! That won't ever happen again!" I scolded myself.

We came upon a house at the end of the street. As we approached, our shoes pounding the sidewalk, I moaned, because tonight was going so horribly wrong! Unlike the others, this house had a single light on, and no decorations at all. Ringing the bell, we impatiently waited.

"What do you want?" A voice demanded from inside. I pressed on the bell again. Panting, I glanced behind us, but there was no sign of the teen clowns. Just then, the door swung open. "Wait. I got somethin' for ya." In the glow of the porch light, we could just make out a woman's face, with dark eyes and a big smile. "Hello, girls. What are you supposed to be? A witch and a —-" Oh, come in." She said, noticing our frightened expressions. Hastily, she ushered us into her house. "What's the trouble?" She asked.

"Some teen clowns were chasing us." Juliana explained, "We're okay." She added, as the woman gasped.

"Actually, one demanded our candy, and he had a knife." I said, filling in the rest. I showed her my injury. By this time, my heartrate had slowed, and my breathing was back to normal. At that moment, I was conscious of the pain and tiny drops of crimson on my hand. I thought what a sight I must be, with a bloody hand and string dangling down my back. Worse still, I was clutching that awful coat hanger.

"She used her costume, the bat wing!" Juliana said, gesturing at it, "It was so awesome!" Now Juliana was safe, she was still behaving like a spoiled brat. "They stole all my candy!" She pouted.

"At least you both weren't more seriously injured. That's more important than chocolate." The woman's stern message and deep frown wasn't lost on me, but Juliana didn't comment. As she cleaned and bandaged my hand, the woman asked about the boys. I described them as best I could.

"Well, let's call your parents, okay. Now, tell me your names again!" I suddenly realized that in the heat of the moment, I'd forgotten that detail. As I introduced ourselves and gave the lady our number, Juliana had the nerve to demand more candy. The woman clutched the receiver, and I waited, holding my breath. It must have rung without an answer. She gave our names and her number and said we were safe. We waited a few minutes in case mom called back, but she didn't. The woman told us she hadn't expected much tonight, she'd gotten no kids, only us. We decided to head home; since it was very dark, the lady offered to drive us. I accepted, figuring this one emergency couldn't hurt. Besides, this was an unfamiliar street. Before leaving, she helped me unhook the other wing from my cape. Not so ridiculous after all. Even so, I was glad those "wings" weren't in the way.

"You sure you guys are okay?" She asked, as we settled into her small blue car. I nodded, not knowing what else to say. Soft music played on her radio as she drove. I discovered that we'd only gone a few blocks in the wrong direction. She even offered to explain to our parents what had occurred, but I said we'd do it.

Before the car had come to a complete stop, Juliana dashed out, without so much as a thank you; I was more polite, feeling this stranger had been more than kind. To my relief, mom's car was parked in our driveway. On our porch, I skidded to a halt, seeing the living room light on. Mom must be up! What should I tell her? Juliana ran in first, minus her candy bag. I remained outside, gathering my thoughts. Not your typical Halloween; still what a memorable night! As the lady's taillights disappeared, I realized I hadn't asked her name. Then, mom appeared in the doorway, a look of anxiety etched on her face. She too, scolded me for leaving my phone, saying she and Tina had called multiple times. Taking a deep shaky breath, I began pouring out the whole story.

The End