One Short Story A Day

July 23, 2024

Prompt: One of the trick-or-treaters bears an uncanny resemblance to your departed sibling and repeats that sibling's last words before picking your sibling's favorite candy bar.

It was Halloween night, and the streets were filled with trick-or-treaters of all ages dressed in spooky costumes. I had decided to stay home this year, opting to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids instead of going out myself. As the night grew darker, I noticed a group of children approaching my house, their laughter echoing through the quiet street.

I opened the door and greeted them with a smile, admiring their creative costumes. Amongst the group was a young boy who caught my eye immediately. He bore an uncanny resemblance to my departed sibling, Alex. My heart skipped a beat as memories of my beloved brother flooded back into my mind.

The boy smiled at me, his eyes holding a strange depth to them. He walked up to me and whispered in a voice that sent shivers down my spine, "It's time to face your fears."

I recoiled in shock, my heart pounding in my chest. Those were the last words Alex had spoken to me before his tragic accident. The eerie resemblance between the boy and my brother sent a chill down my spine, and I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of my stomach.

The boy reached out his hand towards the bowl of candy I held, his gaze never leaving mine. His eyes seemed to pierce through me, as though he could see into my very soul. With a trembling hand, I offered him a candy bar, my brother's favorite. The boy's lips curled into a knowing smile as he picked up the candy, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through me.

As he walked away with his friends, I stood frozen in place, my mind racing with questions.

Who was this boy, and how did he know about my brother's final words? Was it just a coincidence, or was there something more sinister at play?I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that there was a darkness lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly innocent encounter. I knew I had to find out more about the boy who resembled my brother so closely, and the cryptic message he had delivered to me.

Determined to uncover the truth, I set out to find the boy and his friends, following them through the dimly lit streets of the neighborhood. They led me to an old, abandoned house at the edge of town, its windows boarded up and its walls covered in graffiti. A sense of foreboding washed over me as I approached the decrepit building, my heart pounding in my chest.

I pushed open the creaking door and stepped inside, the air thick with dust and decay. The boy and his friends stood in the center of the room, their eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. I demanded answers, my voice trembling with fear and curiosity.

The boy spoke again, his voice low and menacing, "You cannot run from your past, for it will always come back to haunt you."

With a sudden sense of dread, I realized that the boy and his friends were not ordinary children. They were something else entirely, something otherworldly and malevolent. They had come to deliver a message, a warning from beyond the grave.

As I tried to flee from the haunted house, a spectral figure materialized before me, its face contorted in a twisted grimace. It was my brother, Alex, his eyes filled with an otherworldly light. He reached out to me, whispering in a voice that was both familiar and chilling, "Face your fears, for they will consume you if you do not."

I stumbled backward, my heart racing with fear and disbelief. The boy who resembled my brother stepped forward, his eyes alight with an otherworldly glow. He handed me the candy bar, my brother's favorite, and spoke in a voice that echoed through the abandoned house, "Remember me, for I am always with you."

With a sense of acceptance and understanding, I took the candy bar from the boy's outstretched hand. I knew then that my brother's spirit would always be with me, guiding me through the darkness and helping me to confront my deepest fears.

As I left the haunted house behind, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I knew that I would always carry my brother's memory in my heart, and that his presence would give me the strength to face whatever horrors lay ahead. The boy and his friends faded into the shadows, leaving me with a newfound sense of courage and determination.

And so, as I walked back home through the darkened streets, I knew that I had confronted my fears and emerged stronger for it. The Halloween night had brought me face to face with the supernatural, but it had also given me the gift of closure and acceptance. My brother's spirit would always be with me, guiding me through the darkness and lighting my way through the terrifying unknown. And as I turned the key in the lock of my front door, I knew that I was never truly alone.