A Collection of Scary Stories

Careful What You Wish For

 Coming home from school, my ragged sneakers slapped against the cracked asphalt. Leaves in various shades of brown had already congregated in the yards of my suburban neighborhood, rebelling against my neighbors who would battle them continuously throughout the season. Today was Halloween and I could already feel the mysterious thickness that accompanied the holiday settle into my skin.

Passing the neighbor's maple tree, I strolled between the neatly manicured shrubs framing my house, opening the door and quickly tossing my bag onto the couch before kicking my shoes off. Glancing around at the new additions to my mom's Halloween decorations, I called out for her.

"Mom," I said, "I'm home!"

As if on cue she appeared from the hallway. "Hey, honey. How was your day?"

"Oh, you know. Same as usual."

She shot me a smile as she replied, "That's nice."

Taking an apple from the display of fruit sitting on the dining room table, I retreated into my room to put on my costume. Every year my mother tried to dress us in themed family costumes, and every year I refused. Of course, I always lost to my mother's compromise. So, as my little sister, mom, and dad masqueraded as Marvel superheroes, I was the Joker.

A little later, equipped with extra costume makeup and a pillowcase, I set out for the evening. Walking out the door, I noticed the sun had already set. The darkness slowly creeping in with the arrival of night combined with the atmosphere of Halloween itself, giving the air a palpable feel of strangeness. Not necessarily evil, but not kind either. Just, strange.

With my mom and sister beside my dad on the porch, he turned to me. "Son, you're going to head out with me. Your mom is taking Jessie with the Hendersons."

The Hendersons were the people living across from us. They were, odd to say the least. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson had a daughter the same age as Jessie and a 'son' Gerald. Gerald was their son who had died when he was four, though they still acted like he was with them. They would come over for a play date between Jessie and their daughter and ask if Gerald could stay with me. My mother thought they were fine, but my dad and I wanted nothing to do with them. So, when we saw the opportunity to go on our own, we took it.

"Jamie! Have you grown?" My head snapped around to find Mrs. Henderson behind me.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied with a forced grin.

Mr. Henderson appeared behind my dad with a wide smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hope you don't mind if Gerald tags along. He was so excited this morning."

We didn't reply.

As my dad and I meandered down the streets crowded with little girls in princess costumes and boys dressed as superheroes, we glanced at each other uneasily. After talking to the Hendersons, an unsettling feeling had clung to us. Often while chatting idly with him, I could feel a chill sweep down my spine. Looking over I could see in my dad's gaze that he had experienced the same. Though, we both refused to believe what we were experiencing could be possible. So ultimately, we settled into a conversation of silent glances, conveying our thoughts to each other, too afraid to speak them into existence.

With each step, that feeling continued to fester until I couldn't stop the growing frustration. "Dad, sometimes I wish we didn't live here."

My dad turned to me, mouth open, but didn't say anything. It was then that a strong gust of wind shook the trees, interrupting him, before it stopped. Sometimes I wonder what he would have said, but now I could never find out. The last thing I saw before everything went black was the neighbor's oak tree and the fact that my dad's costume zipper had come undone.

It was a lot darker when I finally opened my eyes again, the street lamps having turned on already. I glanced around before seeing my dad hunched over holding something on the side of the road. Trying to see what he was doing, I found that I couldn't move my limbs, or even feel them. Slightly panicking, I stood there and waited for my dad to move so I could see what was going on. I couldn't tell how long I had been standing there, moments or hours, before my dad moved out of the way. Illuminated by the moonlight, I saw my own face staring back at me, eyes closed.

What was going on? What's happening? Thoughts like a thousand angry hornets buzzed around in my head until my mind became a cacophony of noise. Though, even in my panic, I noticed that my body's eyes had opened. The clown makeup distorted my face, sharpening the features. I watched in horror as my body rose from the ground and brushed itself off.

My dad stepped back, looking relieved. "You okay son?"

I stared as my mouth replied, "Yeah, dad. I'm good."

My mind shut down. I went numb. I still couldn't move. Glaring at my body and seeing it leave with my dad, I tried to scream. Screeches tore from my mouth, but no one around me turned. They couldn't hear me. I was helpless, left staring but unable to do anything as my body left without me.

With a grin, it's blood red lips, my lips, twisted into a deranged grin and words rang inside my head. Hi Jamie. It's Gerald. 

Thanks for the wish.