The boulevard of the dead and other stories

The man in street 315

"It's your turn," said one of the children, as he held out a basket full of small pieces of paper folded in half to the girl in front of him. "Good. Each piece of paper contains the name of a place near here, so on the count of three, we'll go there. Ready?"

When the count finally came to an end, everyone stared at the name expanding on the sheet; some with a certain amount of disguised disappointment, and others with growing excitement.

"Remember, we must be back in an hour, so try to cover as many houses as you can" and, as if it had just occurred to him, he added. "And do your best."

"Don't forget to always wear your masks. No one can tell who's hiding under the costume," added another boy, winking at the rest, as he lowered his skeleton skull mask.

"Who's hiding under the skeleton mask? Who's under that ghost sheet? Oh, who! And is that person in the witch's hat our friend? Is that person dressed as a mummy our classmate? We don't know!" exclaimed the first child, while waving his hands dramatically, smiling at the laughter of his friends.

Then, all the children began to put on their masks and verify that their costumes were in the correct position, while they assumed the identity of what they represented: Immediately grotesque laughter was heard, which they thought belonged to the witches; or the grunts of the mummies when they walked...

"Shall we go now?" asked one.

"I think so..."

"Wait!" interrupted the girl "Where is 315th Street?

All the children turned to look at the girl.

"You chose 315th Street? Why?"

"I didn't choose it, it was on the paper. You didn't write it down?" she asked, holding the paper out to him.

"This is not my handwriting... But, if it was in the basket, it means you must go. Otherwise, you'd be cheating."

"That's not your handwriting? Then who put the name in there? You know what they say about that street..." said another boy, pretending that a shiver ran through his whole body.

"I don't know who wrote the paper, but we know that if we don't follow the address, we would be cheating. So, it's better to go there... Maybe I wrote it without realizing it."

"You just said it's not your handwriting, Max!"

"I know, but..."

"What's going on at 315th Street?— If you're at least going to make me go, I guess I should know what's waiting for me there."

The group just remained silent, while they took the opportunity to adjust their costumes, looking sideways at the bags and baskets they were holding under their arms, calculating how much candy they could get.

"Well?"

"Emma, 315th Street is just before the boulevard. And, although it is a street like any other, full of apartments and houses, it is said that there is a specific house, in which its owner can grant wishes."

"Oh, come on! We're wasting valuable time..." exclaimed a girl dressed like a pirate.

"Wishes? Really?" asked Emma, skeptical.

"I have heard that all you have to do is explain to him why you long for this to happen, and he will grant it, just like that. But he doesn't receive people very often. Some say it is because he keeps traveling constantly, maybe because they discovered his secret, but, it is also rumored that the reason is because he can read people's intentions long before they arrive at the door. Then, if he agrees with your wish, he fulfills it without complaint."