by Charles Day
Samantha made it back home and waved goodbye to her friends. She went up onto her porch, looked down to the right, and saw the perfectly round wet stain from where her carved pumpkin had rested until last night. She then opened her door, walking in, prepared to let her parents know what happened.. And she did. Everything. She let them know that the old lady down the street had called the police. How mean Lou and his buddies were toward Nick.
After watching parent’s reactions, including her dad throwing on his sneakers and jacket, grabbing his keys to the car, She ran to her room and closed the door behind her and took off some of her costume, the witch’s hat and her black cape, then placed them in the closet. She could hear the TV, and guessed her parents were curled up together on the couch watching some scary Halloween movie. The sounds of screaming and old-fashioned music meant they were watching a classic, perhaps a monster movie like Frankenstein or The Wolf Man.
She passed by and noticed she was right, because the picture on the screen was black and white. She then interrupted their TV show by walking in front of the screen, and letting them know what had gone down tonight.
Samantha ran up to her room and closed the door. She took off her ruby red slippers, then threw them by her bed. She opened the drawer of her night table and reached in for her diary.
She always felt good, putting her emotions down on paper. She was so upset that her brother had been taken by the bully and his buddies. She really wished she could have done more, though. With that thought, she climbed into bed and rested on her pillows. She was writing the first sentence on a fresh page, when suddenly a cold wind passed her by.
Samantha sat up and looked at her window. She didn’t remember opening it, yet, the lower part had been raised. She jumped out of bed, walked to her window, and closed it while looking down at the yard. Someone was standing by a tree, looking up. She couldn’t see clearly, but whoever it was looked like a tall figure in a dark suit, and his mask seemed large and orange, almost like a pumpkin.
Samantha stepped back, holding her mouth with her hand as if she were going to scream, but didn’t want anyone to hear.
“My God,” she whispered under her breath. She figured someone must be playing a Halloween prank on her. She quickly ran back to the window, , then looked at the same spot where the tall man had stood.
He had disappeared. Samantha grabbed her black boots and slipped them on as she decided she was not done with Halloween just yet.
Whoever, or better yet, whatever stood between them and the front door was still there at the bottom of the steps. Only the light from the moon gave Nick somewhat of a view of its presence. It stood still, its arms remaining stretched out. And then … it moved.
Nick pushed Jenny and Maria behind him. “Hurry, get back with Lou and his friends, tell them to get whatever they can to use as a weapon.”
Nick wasn’t going to stay much longer, either. He just needed to get a few questions answered. But he was so anxious, he blurted them all in quick succession. “What do you want from us? Who are you? The police are on their way, so you better knock it off and go trick-or-treating somewhere else.”
The pumpkin-headed figure took another step, then another, taking his time as he ascended. And then, he spoke, with a raspy sounding voice . “You’re in my home, my secret place, and now you must suffer the consequences for finding my abode.”
Nick turned and ran like a rabbit toward the girls, herding them back into the room with the candles and his archenemies. If this was what detective work was all about, he decided he may need to pick a different career. Perhaps taking up one of the social sciences in college would work out better. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with bullies, stolen pumpkins, and now pumpkin monsters set on doing him harm. He did not want to become that Shaggy character with a sidekick named Scooby Doo.
As soon as Nick ran into the room, he shut the door, securing the lock.
“Someone’s out there dressed up as a large pumpkin, and he’s on his way up the stairs. And I know he’s not the least bit happy that we’re in his house.” Nick blurted the words out without taking a breath. “From the looks of it, with all these fresh candles around, we’re probably in his secret place.”
“What the are you talking about?” Lou asked. “It’s probably some prankster from our school. I’m going to kick his butt, and then you and I can get back to business.”
Nick hoped Lou was right, that it was indeed some kind of a prank and all these stolen pumpkins were just a part of that idiot’s crazy Halloween trick. Regardless, they were all locked inside his room, and whoever that guy was, he was outside the door
A soft knock came, and then louder taps. And then, the doorknob moved.
The knocking continued, becoming more persistent, but the jiggling of the doorknob ceased.
Lou and Ralph grabbed a few broken pieces of wood they found on the floor, near the closet, and gripped them tightly as they approached the door.
“Whoever you are,” Lou shouted, “you best be going! Because if you manage to get that door open, you’re in for a big beating. We have weapons.” He tightened his fingers on the splintering wood, then slowly raised the plank above his head, ready to whack whoever came through.
Nick saw that the bully meant business, and he watched Lou stay close to Jenny and Maria, as if protecting them. Byron was not far away, but he had no weapon in his hand for protection, except the flashlight. Nick could tell that Lou was pretty darn frightened. However, Lou and Byron remained at the helm, ready to pounce on whoever it was in the pumpkin costume.
Nick figured if the pumpkin guy was some punk from school, he wouldn’t take a chance coming in with a bunch of kids ready to deliver a serious beating. He guessed right, because the knocking suddenly stopped. Silence filled the air, and Nick could hear everyone breathing.
Samantha ran down the street toward Mrs. Needlewhitter’s home. She planned to make a quick stop, to ask if the old lady had called the police, and then run across the street and up the old cracked and weathered driveway to the abandoned house.
As she ran closer, Samantha witnessed trick-or-treaters still roaming the streets. Since it was getting late, she assumed they were most likely older kids.
She wiped the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she thought about her brother, Lou and his buds, the tall, thin man with a pumpkin head staring up at her, and this whole Halloween night. It was too overwhelming. She never expected any of this.
Every year so far, she and her friends had had a lot of fun, deciding who had the most candy, the best costume, and which house was hosting the best Halloween party. How had it all come to this?
Samantha knew it was all Lou’s fault. He and his butt-kissers, they’d made it bad.
She slowed to a stop as she approached Mrs. Needlewhitter’s white picket fence. To her surprise, the old lady stood, shivering, on her porch.
Samantha yelled out to her, “Did you call the police?”
“Oh, dear, no. Been stuck outside since you left. I accidentally locked myself out. Could you help me?” She turned to hear scratching from her window. Baxter was staring out the window.
“Sure, let me help.” Samantha opened the gate, then ran up the porch steps. She tried the door then walked around the house, checking all the windows, hoping one would be open, or at least unlocked, as Mrs. Needlewhitter followed her.
They quickly found one.
The bathroom window was ajar. Samantha grabbed the banged-up, steel garbage can, turned it upside, then climbed on top of it and pushed open the window.
Before she entered, she realized Baxter was inside. She looked down at Mrs. Needlewhitter and asked, “Is Baxter going to attack me as I try to get to the front door?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Well, what should I do?”
“I’ll get his attention at the porch window and yell for him to keep still. He’ll listen to me. He always does.”
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�As long as you don’t run. If you’re too scared, dear, I’ll ask a neighbor to call the police. I need to get in, the cold is getting to my old brittle bones, you know.” She reached her hand around her back and began scratching her rear, stomping her pink-slippered foot on the ground to get her blood circulating.
“I think we should go to the neighbor.” Samantha jumped off the garbage can, landing firmly on her feet. She quickly went ahead of the old lady, out through the gate, and then up to the neighbor next door, noticing their porch light was still on even though their interior lights appeared to be off. They may have decided to close the Halloween candy shop for the night. Samantha knocked anyway.
When Mr. Murdock answered, she was glad to see his face. “I’m out of candy, Samantha, but weren’t you here earlier?”
“It’s not about the candy. It’s my brother. Lou and his bullies have him in that old house in the woods, and Mrs. Needlewhitter is locked out of her house. We need the police.”
Mr. Murdock looked at Samantha, then saw the old lady coming to the edge of her driveway. He looked back down at Samantha. “Sure, right away. I’ll make the call.”
All of a sudden, a rush of cold air passed through him, his hair blowing like he was using a blow dryer. He hugged his arms close to his body, looking as if he had the chills. Samantha swore she saw a ghostly presence hovering behind Mr. Murdock for a quick second. And then it was gone.
Lou and Ralph held their weapons, ready to attack this freak in the costume. Byron gripped the flashlight. Although whoever it was behind the door may have walked away, knowing they’d get a serious beating, Lou, Ralph, and Byron stood poised for the attack.
Inside the room, the temperature seemed to be dropping even more. Nick could see the vapors from his breath. “I think we need to get out of this room.”
“I say we open the door and welcome this punk in. Let him come to us,” Lou said.
“Lou, fine. Open the door. If he ran away or went to hide, this is our chance. So go ahead, open the door.”
Lou reached for the doorknob. He turned the lock, then opened the door nice and slow, raising the piece of wood in his hand. Ralph did the same.
The door swung back on its own, the hallway dark and empty. Lou walked out first, then Ralph edged out. Byron followed with the flashlight.
Nick told Jenny and Maria to follow him, and they did. As the girls walked out, the room door slammed shut behind them. They all jumped, and then turned their attention to the stairs.
Something surrounded by a bright orange mist was floating up from the first floor.
Nick watched in sheer terror. The large, round, pumpkin head appeared first, and then the rest of the thin body, in a black suit. He had his arms stretched out again, and an orange mist completely surrounded him as he floated above the railings of the second floor, now hovering directly above them.
“You have seen who I am, witnessed the collection of pumpkins I’ve taken from your town. Now you must share in the fate of those of this small town. My ghosts and goblins that you’ve tried to keep away by carving scary faces in your orange vegetables are here. Those pumpkins will not help you now. I have taken them away. The time has come to allow my fiends to pour down on your town this Halloween night to wreak mayhem and terror. I mean, that’s what a real Halloween is all about, right?” He laughed, a horrible sound.
Nick realized that the legend was, in fact, true. The real Pumpkin Thief was right there in front of them.
Poor Jeffery Beamer; he’d been right.
Nick watched the apparition as faces of goblins and ghosts, and a few other ugly looking characters, suddenly appeared as if they came out from the ceiling and flew around the hallway. They quickly took off in different directions, flying through the walls, up through the ceiling, down the stairs. A few stayed behind, and started toward Nick and the rest of the frightened bunch.
They ran for the room door, which still was shut tight, so Nick slammed against it, forcing the door to open and allow them entry. They all ran inside, then Nick closed the door.
“Quick, everyone, grab one of the pumpkins! You heard what he said! They can’t harm us if we’re holding a carved pumpkin, right?”
The first ghost came in through the wall, followed by a goblin that appeared through the door. They both let out roars and shrieks, lifting their weird-looking hands to block the view of the pumpkins. They quickly turned and retreated.
“You see,” Nick said, “they’re not going to bother us when we have a pumpkin in our hands.” And then it came to him. Fear filled his insides. He felt like the bile turning in his stomach was about to come up his throat. “Our neighbors, our families … the town. We need to warn them of what’s coming! The ghouls and goblins, ghosts, and more. Take a pumpkin with you. We’re so out of here!”
Mr. Murdock went to use the phone. Samantha stood by the door and watched. As he approached the kitchen he screamed, turned, and ran straight at Samantha.
“Jesus, there’s a ghost in my kitchen! Help!” He pushed past her and ran out into the street.
Samantha saw the apparition floating toward her, and she screamed and ran, as well. The ghost hovered near the door. It looked like an old woman in a tattered white gown.
As Samantha ran into the street, she noticed other neighbors running out of their homes. The block was pure chaos. Above the trees, flying goblins, a few ghosts, and other Halloween creatures she couldn’t name—but knew were evil just the same—chased her neighbors.
Samantha ran toward Mrs. Needlewhitter, who never left her spot by the gate. Things were quiet at her house for the moment.
“Mrs. Needlewhitter, there are ghosts flying around scaring all our neighbors. What’s happening?” She quivered when she spoke, trembling as she hugged the old lady’s waist.
“Now, now, dear, there has to be an explanation,” the old lady said, gently patting the small child on her back. “Maybe it’s those punks playing a Halloween trick on us, using some of that Hollywood movie magic.”
“No way, this is real! These things are floating around and scaring everyone!” Samantha cried out.
She was right.
The ghosts seemed to vary in appearance. Some were children, dressed in old-fashioned clothes. Others looked more like witches and ghouls, with sharp teeth and gray hair. There were little fat goblins with long noses and pudgy bodies. Their hands and feet had claws for nails. They all looked angry.
The old lady held on to Samantha as they walked back to her porch.
A few ghosts and goblins flew over her house but seemed reluctant to come any closer. Samantha feared the worst as screams and shrieks filled the crisp, cold air of her town.
Nick and Lou led the way, holding two large, carved pumpkins, as they traversed the stairs to the first floor. Jenny and Maria held smaller versions. Byron, Norm, and Ralph also carried mid-sized carved vegetables.
The Pumpkin Thief watched. He floated toward them and reached for the pumpkin Nick held.
Nick pulled back and screamed, “Don’t you dare! These are our pumpkins. You’re not stopping us. You’ve done enough damage.”
“Oh, is that so?” The Pumpkin Thief grinned. He reached for Nick’s pumpkin again, but Nick was faster. He ran toward the door, which the others were already trying their best to get open. Lou managed to pry it ajar, and they all ran toward freedom. However, Maria didn’t make it, dropping her pumpkin as she tripped over a loose board on the front porch.
The Pumpkin Thief grabbed the young girl. He carried Maria up, up, high above the rest of her friends.
“Help me, guys! Help!” she screamed as she thrashed at her captor with her hands and feet.
Nick watched Maria scratch the Pumpkin Thief’s big, orange face and worried about what he could do.
Nothing. He could not do a single thing. He felt vulnerable, useless. He needed to help her somehow, but the Pumpkin Thief had her in his clutches and seemed to be squeezing her tighter.
The Pumpkin Thief must have heard him. He turned his large head.
“Leave those pumpkins here, and I’ll let her go.” He hovered high above them as he spoke.
Nick didn’t know what to do. Lou, Ralph, Norm, and Byron were already past the scraggly lawn, running down the driveway.
Jenny stayed by his side, tears slowly working their way down her cold, red cheeks. “Here, take your damn pumpkin. Let her down.” She tossed her pumpkin to the ground.
Nick did the same. He really had no choice. The evil spirit of Halloween had Jenny’s friend in his grip. There was no bargaining with something surreal. Maria’s well-being was more important.
“Ha! You think I’m going to reason with a bunch of children?” The Pumpkin Thief reached out his left arm, while still maintaining a strong grip on Maria with his right. He slowly drifted down toward the ground. The two pumpkins they’d dropped floated and then ascended toward the Pumpkin Thief, circling around him as he again floated higher.
“She’s mine.” The Pumpkin Thief sounded angry. “Bring back the rest of the pumpkins your ugly friends took from me, bring them to me, and then we’ll make a swap. There’s not much time. At midnight, I leave town until next Halloween. Then you’ll never see this girl again.” Nick cringed. Then, he witnessed a thick, orange mist surround the Pumpkin Thief and Maria. Seconds later, they vanished.
Nick pulled Jenny close as they watched the orange mist dissipate. He knew what he had to do:, alert the townsfolk of what was coming, and do his best to keep those evil spirits the monster had unleashed from ruining Halloween.
“There just has to be a way in,” Mrs. Needlewhitter said under her breath as she and Samantha climbed the stairs to her porch. She was sort of glad to be half blind, so she didn’t have to witness the horrors Samantha was describing.