Short Story Swivel

Halloween Night

Halloween: A night where little children dress up as ghouls and goblins. Where the image of death knocks on your door for trick or treat candy. The one night of the year when you will find a princess skipping hand in hand with a skeleton. Of course that's the fun side of things.

Halloween: A night when ghouls and goblins dress up as little children. Where tricks for treats bring death to your door. The one night of the year that you can see a skipping skeleton holding the hand of a princess.

It is said that Halloween is a powerful night. It allows those who possess extra ordinary gifts to use them without recourse. The paranormal share the night on the same plane of existence as living flesh and blood. Some people eagerly await the first rays of the morning sun to signal their safety.

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Bardoch Anei was the Ichobod Crane of the twenty first century. His paranoia and superstition eventually forced him to find work he could do from the safety of his own home. Three hundred and sixty four days a year he spent preparing for that one night he dreaded most. His freshly polished silver horseshoes hung over every door of his house. He had a rabbit's foot for every day of the week and never went outside without throwing a pinch of salt over his shoulder first.

His fear stemmed from his abilities. Ever since he was a teenager he could see and hear the things that most people could not or would not see. Every Halloween while children and parents dressed up and pretended to be spooks, Bardoch could see the real spooks mingling in the crowds. He could see the spirits hiding in the shadows and he would watch as the hand of death dropped candy in the children's bags. He avoided graveyards like the plague and prayed for the morning light to come and shatter the evil around him.

As it happens every year, October 31st rolled in on its black carriage. Bardoch started that day the same as any other; orange juice and eggs for breakfast and then his morning jog. He was safe until nightfall. He worked until just before dusk and as the sky faded into a menacing gray, he felt his stomach rumble. He went to his cupboards and found them bare, his refrigerator also empty. It was the same every year. He would stock up on food only to find everything gone that night. Most of the time he waited it out. The food would be there in the morning. This time was different. In all his preparation he forgot to eat lunch and now his stomach was demanding food. He would have to go out to eat.

Bardoch gathered his courage, put his rabbit's foot in his pocket and threw salt over his shoulder. He took a deep breath and stepped outside. The air was stale and smelled of formaldehyde. No matter, he thought, and drove to a nearby Chinese restaurant. The place was small and the only way to recognize its existence was from the signs of the zodiac on the door. Inside the place was empty except for the staff and Bardoch ate virtually alone. While he ate he could hear the younger children laughing outside. It always started with the young ones, but it always lead to the ones who have been dead a very long time.

When he left the restaurant he watched the trick or treaters make their way into the neighborhoods. The road to his house was blocked off and no detour was marked. He turned down a side road and his car sputtered and died. After several failed attempts at restarting his car, he realized that he would have to walk. As he left his car it became apparent to him that he had pulled into a cemetery. He could feel his heart climbing into his throat as he began to walk towards home. He heard chains rattling behind him, but when he turned around, nothing was there. The sound grew louder and he moved faster. "Fear" he heard something say. Bardoch started running and tripped on an overgrown oak tree root. His head hit a grave marker with a loud thump.

When he woke up he found himself lying on his back in a six-foot deep hole. He panicked and scurried out. Then the headstone caught his eye and his curiosity overrode his paranoia and read what was written on it. As he focused on his own name and the nights date a creature appeared in front of him. The humanoid skeletal remains stood there with vulture like talons for hands and flaking flesh barely covered the bones. It wore a decomposing suit that almost matched the one Bardoch was wearing. Pieces of flesh fell and sizzled when it hit the ground. The creature reached out and grabbed him by the wrist. Bardoch jerked his hand away, but already his skin began to bubble and fall apart. His eyes began to boil and he squealed like a pig before the slaughter. He ran and fell headlong into his own grave and felt the dirt being shoveled in on top of him.

He woke up in his bed, tossed the covers aside and stared at the dirt that covered his legs. When he looked around he could see that it was still dark and he was still buried. The hand of the creature rose from the ground behind him, clasped his face and pulled him back into the earth. Above the grave the skeletal remains of a man who had been dead for years stood there with a bloody rabbits foot in one hand and a salt shaker in the other. It tossed a pinch of salt over its shoulder and walked into the night. The etched message on the gravestone behind it simply read "Happy Halloween".

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On Halloween night you can hear the squealing screams of Bardoch Anei and when the moon is bright you can see his grave by the oak tree. And you may just see him walking around with his unlucky charms looking for his own trick or treats.