Sparkler Snapshots

XXXI | Hocus Pocus

"It's as much fun to scare as to be scared. " – Vincent Price

Date: October 31st, 2017

Occasion: Halloween

Country: Worldwide

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XXXI | Hocus Pocus

"If we're going to die tonight, death by chainsaw is the way to go."

The words left my mouth in a mixture of fear and awe. I stared down the rotting wood of the haunted house before us, knowing I'd written my own death sentence by coming here. My sister, Holly and our friend, Lucas, nodded at my words, both gaping at the decrepit building in terrified silence.

Though crowds of people were pressing together to ride the luminous ferris wheel, and many were eager to hop into the spinning pastel teacups, the area surrounding the haunted house was so empty that my voice echoed for miles. Not that I could blame people for staying away. The house was adorned with cracked windows and gave off a distinct stench of rotting wood.

"I came to this theme park to ride the rollercoasters, Evan," Holly said, shooting me a vicious glare. It's not like I'd dragged her with me. She and Lucas insisted on tagging along to watch me flail and scream. "Since when was a haunted house a part of the deal?"

"You brought this on yourself, Hols," I snorted. "Besides, it's Halloween, and we're supposedly too old to go trick-or-treating so I thought we should celebrate it another way."

"I wish we were trick-or-treating," Lucas mumbled, staring longingly in the direction of the spinning teacups. The lights over there were casting a soft glow on the damp grass. He turned back around to see my raised eyebrow and said, "what? I want free candy."

"Well, since trick-or-treating is out of the question, should we find a way in?" I asked, jerking my head towards the house. It looked as though it had been attacked by a swarm of giant moths. The door was barely hanging on its hinges, and the walls looked so fragile that one touch could crumble them.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Holly was biting her lip so hard that she was beginning to draw blood. "Do you think this is safe? It seems far too creepy."

"This whole town is far too creepy," Lucas snorted. Holly and I shot quizzical looks at him, so he elaborated with a flurry of hand gestures. "I mean, look at the sky. Just look at it." We glanced up at the stars, which twinkled across the inky heavens. "You see? Stars everywhere. That means no pollution, no factories, and most importantly, no people. Super creepy."

Holly and I exchanged amused looks. I shrugged, drawing my jacket tighter around my shoulders as a chilly autumn breeze swept past. "He makes a fair point. But, come on, it's Halloween. We have to do something creepy to make the most of it."

"Alright," Holly grumbled in reluctant agreement. Lucas heaved a sigh and gave a curt nod. My lips twitched up with a smirk. I knew that Lucas would do whatever Holly agreed to, because he was whipped beyond belief. Granted, I was unsure about my sister and best friend dating at first, but there were surprising benefits on my end. "So, who do we show our tickets to?"

"Yeah, no one ever comes here because this place is terrifying as hell," added Lucas, putting an emphasis on the last three words as he shot me another glare.

I was about to suggest we split up and search around for any sign of life, when the front door of the haunted house slowly creaked open. The three of us fell quiet and instinctively huddled closer together. We had a good reason for it, since heavy breathing could be heard from the entrance. A second later, a mummy wrapped in decrepit bandages emerged from the house.