A Halloween Tale
Twas the night before all Hallow’s Eve when the goblins and ghosts fly through the air… their spirits searching for something frightening and something to scare.
All the little children excited in the anticipation of getting the mother load in candy and treats to fill their oversized knapsacks and their colorful plastic pumpkins as they walk the darkened streets of gloom and doom. Made up in their colorful costumes they imitate witches, Ninjas, pop stars and various scary monsters, goblins and walking dead zombies. They giggle in delight as they go from door to door as they call out the frequent resounding demand into the night air- “Trick or Treat?”, Not knowing of the dangers or what lurks behind each door while they await their sugary sweet treats.
Hardly ever is it a trick but always something yummy to eat like homemade popcorn balls, chocolate covered confections or other sappy overdosed sugar treats or perhaps if lucky, a coin or two is tossed into their orange round pails... That is…until they reach the old haunted gray stone mansion that sits on the corner of Elm Street.
No… the children don’t dare to go up to those steps and knock on the darkened doorway that is framed by two flickering candles and imposing statues of twin gargoyles. It was said that the old place was haunted and the old woman who lived there was an unhappy dead soul who took her misery out on everyone she crossed paths with.
Her name was Isabella Pruette and she was guessed to be in her late nineties although nobody ever knew for sure her true age. It was rumored that she was an unwed maiden for all those miserable years because her one true love had been killed in a tragic accident that took his life and her happiness along with it on what was to be their blissful wedding day. That tragic day turned acrid cold and sour like bile rising up in your throat as Isabella vowed she would never take another love for the rest of her living days. And So she lived in the old gray mansion alone for years and years with it’s creaking doors and the mystique of all things wicked that go bump in the night alone in her misery.
Years ago, after the accident, neighbors would try to coax her out to befriend her, yet there was something not quite right about her and eventually even they got spooked by her odd behavior and gave up trying. Brave neighborhood teenagers would aggravate her on dares by ringing her doorbell and then they would run and hide to try to get a glimpse of her wrinkled up old body as she opened the heavy wooden door. They would try to peer in the windows at night to get a look inside but the windows were always smoked over with years of dust and grime and cobwebs.
Nobody had ever crossed the threshold of her door so nobody truly knew what the inside looked like. They only had their imaginations of plastic covered dust ridden furniture and rats and mice that scampered about the old woman’s feet. Some thought her to be an evil witch who cast horrible spells and curses upon the town when anything went wrong. She was sure to be the blame as they would exclaim, “It must be that old witch Pruette again, up to her tricks!” they would say and shake their heads at how strange and awful she must be, if only in their own minds.
On this particular Halloween night, it started out as it usually did year after year, with the children starting to come out and gather on the sidewalks in their various made-up garb, some cute, some funny and some downright scary, walking along the streets and ringing doorbells. However this year there was something different and out of place that occurred. At first, you couldn’t put your finger on it and then passerby’s walking along the street noticed something different about the old haunted mansion. They stopped and stared for a moment before quickly moving on.
There were faint lights flickering inside behinds the smoke windows and the porch was lit up bright with a jack-o lantern smiling a wicked smile sitting there perched on the stoop. What did this mean they wondered? Did old woman Pruette actually think children would dare walk up to her front door and if they did what could they expect?
Surely not a treat and if it was, would they dare eat it or would it be taken away by concerned parents to inspect it for signs of poison?
What tricks was old Pruette up to this time, they pondered as they held the hands of their small innocent children a bit tighter and kept their eyes alert as if she would reach out and snatch them right up with her gnarled hands and wicked cackling laughter and hisses.
This new development had definitely not gone unnoticed by a young lad named Jason who hurried over to greet his three buddies at the usual meeting place which was the local pizzeria. The boys had planned to create some Halloween havoc and then go camp out overnight in Jason’s backyard. The group of teenagers was a bit older at 15 and 16 to be out trick or treating, but that did not mean that they would not get into any mischief.
In fact Jason and his friends had on many occasions been the very ones to ring the doorbell of the old woman’s place and run like hell laughing and cracking jokes at her expense. They yelled and taunted her about how dried up she must be and that she probably farted dust because she was so old.
As Jason caught sight of his pals he approached them and called out. “You guys are not going to believe what I just saw.” He said.
“What? A ghost?” The one named Billy cracked up at his own joke. The other two boys chuckled along too.
“No. Get a load of this. The old hag’s place is lit up and she has a carved pumpkin on her porch. Like anyone is going to want stale mildewed candy from that ole dust bag.” He said smiling as his thoughts turned to something a bit devilish.
The other boys sat up at attention as a grin came across Jason’s face and they waited to hear what he had to say. They knew it had to be good considering he was smiling like a sly black cat.
“I think we should pay a visit to ole Pruette and smash that pumpkin to smithereens.” He laughed. “I mean after all what is she going do, chase us?”
He glanced over at the boys to see if they would go along with his idea and of course they all lit up like demented little jack o lanterns with evil grins in agreement.
It was a great plan to start the night off, and then they would creep through the streets and scare unsuspecting little kids and then finally take a midnight dash through the local graveyard before settling in the pup-tent at Jason’s house to tell ghost stories to one another to try to scare one another silly before they drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.
So off the four boys went not knowing what was awaiting them. It was Halloween, and you just never know what could happen on a night such as this. After all, the darkening sky held a bright full moon and the ghosts and goblins have been released from their cages to rattle and shake old bones around on this night of All Saints Day.
If only somebody would have warned them… but alas, some lessons have to be experienced the hard way and these boys were no exception.
Chad and Zach walked along together in front as Jason and Billy trailed behind pushing and shoving each other with horseplay as boys typically do. The two in front looked back and gave a signal to the others to run and hide behind some bushes as they saw a group of younger kids without parental supervision turn the corner up ahead them. The boys pulled out gruesome masks from their back pockets and slid them over their faces.
As the youngsters drawled near to them, Billy let out with a loud squawk of an owl hooting. That was their signal that it was almost time to pounce upon their unsuspecting victims.
The smaller children were laughing and skipping along unaware of the foursome hiding in the bushes when all of the sudden Chad and Billy jumped out screaming bloody murder to the top of their lungs in front of the group of terrified children who were now also screaming and making an effort to turn back towards the way they came.
Jason and Zach jumped out from the other side of the bushes to block their path and attempts to run, and in the scariest deep voice Jason could muster he told them to hand over their candy or he would turn them into werewolves. The frightened children screamed and dropped their plastic pumpkins and ran as fast as they could in their escape while the four boys fell on the grass laughing and hee-hawing at the looks on the little scared faces.
“Man, that was classic! Did you see the whites of their bulging eyes as they ran off?” Jason asked as he pulled off the mask and walked over to the fallen candy containers. Not much was in there yet but the four boys divvied up what was there and filled their pockets before kicking the colorful orange round faces out into the street.
They were still laughing as they rounded the corner and approached Elm Street where the old mansion stood on the corner, set back into a small grove of hovering dark trees. The night moon glow and the shadows made the old place look more haunted than everyone already suspected it to be.
Sure enough as Jason had told them, there on the porch sat a huge carved Jack O Lantern face smiling wickedly at them, beckoning them to come closer. If one looked carefully, they would have sworn the pumpkin was alive and laughing at the foolish young lads.
It only took a few moments and the four boys found themselves creeping up the ancient cement steps as the other Halloween goers passed on by quickly not daring to stop for a treat or a trick.
Chad was the first one to reach the steps of the porch. He looked back at the others and put his finger to his lips in an effort to quiet them. They noticed faint glow of lights dancing in the windows as if someone was inside walking about and they all heard the faint whispers of what sounded like music drifting from inside the great stone walls.
Jason motioned for them to quietly and cautiously approach the smiling glowing orb and lift it from its perch. It was bigger and heavier than they expected so Zach had to help Billy lift it. If they could get it down the steps without being caught, then the four of them would be able to hoist the huge pumpkin up in the air and throw it back onto the front porch steps effectively smashing it and leaving a mushy mess of orange guts.
Just as the boys positioned themselves to move and lift the heavy Jack O Lantern, they heard an odd noise and a creek that caused them to turn their heads toward the heavy wooden door. It was opening and as if it was in dreamlike mystic slow motion, the door opened all the way and there stood a beautiful young blond haired beauty staring back at them.
This was not what they expected at all and for a moment the four boys stood there in silence still holding onto the pumpkin. The girl was the first to break the silence.
“How thoughtful of you to move old Jack to a much better place where he will be seen from the street.” She said in a smooth silky voice that dripped with raw honey.
Jason was caught off guard by her radiance as she stepped out from the frame of the door and onto the porch with the foursome. She was definitely a looker with long golden curls cascading over her shoulders and her mesmerizing green eyes that twinkled in the moon’s glow.
She was wearing a long burgundy velvet sort of dress that flowed and came down around her delicate ankles where they could see the sparkle of silver jewelry adorning her small pedicured feet which were covered in black lace up pumps.
“Ummm, we were just about to ask you where you wanted us to set it.” Zach stammered, caught up in her beauty also. He glanced over at Billy who also had his eyes glued on the young girl who appeared to be around the same age as them.
“You fine young men can set it right here at the top of the steps and then I will invite you in to repay you for your kindness.” She said as she looked at each of them for a moment or two. “The wind is beginning to pick up and it is warm and toasty inside by the fire.”
Did they hear her right? She was going to invite them inside the walls of the haunted mansion. Trepidation lingered in their stomachs for only but a second before curiosity won out and it was decided by a glance and nod of agreement that all four boys were willing to take the chance to get a good look inside.
This was actually better than they could have planned and they would be the envy of their classmates when they told them they had actually been inside the forbidden haunted mansion on Halloween night.
In a blink of a eye, Chad, Billy, Zach, and Jason found themselves escorted inside and heard the thud of the heavy wooden door closing behind them as their eyes took in the sights and sounds around them.
Billy spoke up as he gawked at the surroundings. “I thought an old lady lived here alone, so who are you?” He asked the young girl.
“Oh yes, that is indeed true…she is my aunt who is not feeling very well at the moment, I’m afraid she has come down with some sort of nasty bug and cannot join us tonight. I am Bella, her niece and namesake.”
She smiled at them. “I am only passing through for a couple of days before I travel on to be with my oldest sister who lives in Transylvania.”
“As in Transylvania where the vampires live?” asked Zach right before Jason elbowed him in the ribs.
“Everybody knows there’s no such thing as real vampires, Stupid.” Jason gaffed as he rolled his eyes at his friend who was standing there with a whaddid I do look on his face.
“Actually, there are real vampires in this world, however…” she said with a smile, “They do not live in Transylvania where my sister lives.”
The boys just stood there looking at her trying to decide if she was pulling their leg or not. Chad whispered to Billy, “There ain’t really vampires, are there?” His friend shrugged a I dunno look and glanced back at the mysterious beautiful girl.
She motioned for them to follow and led them into a huge dining hall where a rather large oak table was the highlight and center of the room which was filled with all kinds of delectable treats and drink offerings.
“May I get you something to drink or invite you to help yourselves to anything you chose?” She asked as she pointed to the feast laid out before them.
For a moment the boys wondered if they should dare eat anything, for all they knew it could be poison, however, when Bella herself reached over and started munching on some of the fruits and whipped cream confections, they simply could not resist.
Jason went first as he was usually the leader of the pack as he filled a small china plate with all kinds of goodies. The rest of the boys followed his lead and soon they were all in divine heaven tasting and sampling things they had never even heard of before. Pastries and crème filled deserts and apple ciders and homemade root beers topped the list along with several assortments of candy concoctions in white and dark chocolates and raspberry cream.
She led them back into the parlor to sit and enjoy the food and to listen to the soft enchanting music that was playing in the background. She seemed pleased that they were her companions for the evening and she smiled a sweet smile to each of them which set their pulses racing because she was so different and prettier than anyone they had ever encountered. None of the girls at school compared to beautiful Bella.
The rooms were filled with soft mystic light and everything was in the style of old Victorian furnishings that looked elegant and expensive. Not that that mattered to any of the boys but nobody would have ever believed it was so nice and clean behind the dreary imposing stone walls. It was almost like being in another world that they had only read about in history books.
“Wow. Your aunt must be loaded to have all this cool stuff in here.” Zach commented as he continued to scan and take in every detail of this place and the girl sitting across from them.
“Yes, our family comes from great wealth but poor aunty never does anything with her money except live inside these walls. She does not get out much since the accident, you know…” Bella explained and briefly gave them the tragic story of how Isabella Pruette’s one true love had died on the day that was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.
“Sad really, when you think of it.” She sighed as she watched them with a steady eye.
The boys eyed one another and started to make their usual jokes but thought better of it since this was the old woman’s niece they were talking to.
Chad asked if he could use the bathroom as he had drank more than his share of the ice cold root beer. Bella arose and said “Of course.” As she led him back through a hallway while the other three boys waited.
Chad followed Bella towards the back of the huge house which seemed to be almost like a maze with twists and turns to the corridors. When they arrived at a brightly lit bathroom Bella stepped aside and said “I think you will find this satisfactory to your liking since you will be in here for a while.”
He turned to asked her what she meant but all he saw was a green mist and he felt very sleepy all of the sudden. He turned back to look at the room he was in and thought he saw a very huge lizard peeking out from the shower curtain. It’s tongue was bigger than his whole head and he wanted to yell out to his friends to tell them something was not right but it was too late.
He sank to his knees and was drifting to sleep on the cold hard porcelain floor. He caught something in his field of vision and lifted his head as the door closed and locked from the outside. Before his eyes finally closed in deep sleep he could have sworn he saw the vision of the old woman’s face before him laughing and smiling with her jagged rotting teeth bared.
Bella returned to the parlor a few moments later and asked if the other boys wanted to dance. Of course they did and the remaining three forgot about their friend as each wanted to hold the beautiful girl close to them to breathe in her enticing scent. After all they were red blooded boys and the beautiful girl called to their attention more than the little warning signs going off in their little stubborn heads.
Laughter and gaiety filled the walls of the rooms as the music played on and they danced and became more intoxicated by the lovely Bella. She flirted and swayed in front of them and soon they all became tired as if they were in a drunk like state.
Zach finally noticed that Chad had never returned and he said maybe he should check on him to see if he had fallen in the toilet or something.
Billy and Jason laughed at the thought of that as Bella told Zach how to get back to the restroom facilities to check on his buddy. She excused herself to go freshen up too and told Jason and Billy she would return in a moment.
Zach wondered along the back of the hallway and although it seemed to be a simple straight and narrow path where he could see light under the doorway where Chad supposedly was, he somehow got lost and made a wrong turn and ended up in a huge barren kitchen. He stopped to get his bearings and as he turned Bella was standing before him which gave him an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Are you lost little one?” she seemed to cackle and laugh at his confusion. He seemed disoriented and wondered if the food they ate had indeed been drugged, but before he could say anything he saw the flick of something in her hand and powder blown in his face.
Now he really was feeling quite odd and in an instant he felt something very different within himself and he became very dizzy. He tried to say something, but all that would come out was a croak.
Bella reached down and picked up the green fat toad from the floor and petted him. “Oh, poor baby Zach…. I think I will keep you in a jar for safe keeping for now. She laughed as she reached into the pantry and retrieved a large Mason jar and promptly plopped the frog into it before closing the lid tight and setting it on the shelf among other horrid things that were dried up and smelling of stench all sealed in various size jars along the shelf.
She smiled to herself as she set off to return to her two remaining guests. Soon she would have all four right where she wanted them.
Jason and Billy were wondering what was taking Chad and Zach so long when Bella appeared in the door frame as if on queue. “Your friends seemed to not be feeling too well at the moment. Perhaps they ate too much candy that made their tummy hurt.” She said in a soothing hypnotic voice. “I showed them to one of the guest rooms so they can rest for a moment or two.”
She smiled delightfully at them and said, “Well, we can continue to visit and you can entertain me.”
Billy started to protest and say that maybe they should all just go if their friends were sick but Jason hushed him and said “Well, we can stay just a little bit longer… after all Billy we don’t want to leave Bella here all alone on a night like this.” He reasoned.
Billy settled down and watched Jason moving in on Bella to get closer to her. So that was the gig he thought to himself. Jason wanted to have Bella all to himself so he could try to score with her. For a moment, Billy felt a pang of anger overcome him at Jason who always seems to want to control everything the group did.
As soon as he felt the anger rising he noticed Bella looking at him strangely and then she smiled an odd sort of smile and he thought he caught something in her eyes that did not seem right.
Actually Billy was sensing that maybe something was terribly wrong and they really needed to get out of here before it was too late. Bella spoke up and broke his train of thought. She asked him if he would like to see a rare sword collection and check out several suits of armor that his aunt collected over the years. Since he was indeed a medieval buff, somehow he could not resist saying yes that he would very much like to see it.
Jason smiled and nodded that yes he thought that was a good idea too and it would give him the opportunity to spend a little time alone with Bella.
Bella told Jason she would be right back and she led Billy up the stairs while Jason hung back and sat waiting on the loveseat for Bella to return.
At the top of the stairs, Bella showed Billy into a grand library which held all kinds of magnificent medieval swords and shields from long ago that had seen many battles. He was impressed and intrigued at the same time. He walked over and stood in front of a huge oil painting of a knight in shining armor who looked vaguely familiar. He turned to ask her who it was.
Bella said “Why don’t you find out yourself?” and as Billy turned to ask her what she meant he found himself actually in the portrait looking at Bella standing there smiling and he saw that she was ugly and not the beauty that they had thought she was moments ago.
He tried to speak but found that he couldn’t. He could only stand there frozen in time as he was caught in the stance pose in the framed portrait. He watched helplessly as Bella walked out of the room and quietly closed the door.
Jason was wondering what was taking so long as he started to go up the stairs after Billy and Bella. He thought for a moment that it was odd that he could not hear any sounds of his friends but as the thoughts crossed his mind he looked up and there was Bella coming down the grand staircase more beautiful than ever.
He did not know how he managed to get time alone with her but all other thoughts ceased as he took her hand and led her back to the parlor’s loveseat in front of the fireplace.
In an instant Bella was in his arms as he breathed in her intoxicating perfume scent and he became even more enamored with her. She stopped him but only for a moment and asked him if he had good intentions to which he would have replied anything she wanted to hear at that precise moment.
If only she would let his lips touch hers so he could taste her sweet divine lips and let him hold her close enough to be lucky enough to maybe cop a feel. After all he was a teenager with raging hormones and he could not believe his luck at having a chance with this beautiful girl.
She looked him in the eyes and told him that she had been saving her purity but she was rather attracted to him and that if he could promise everlasting love to her, she would let him kiss her and even do much more on this special night.
Jason nodded yes and even though he knew there was a chance he would never see her again nor did he know all about that love stuff she was talking about, he was not about to pass this opportunity up. He would have said anything she wanted to hear just to kiss and touch her.
This was indeed a special night of magic and he felt the electricity in the air. His skin felt electrifying like it was going to pop off. This was way better than anything him and his buddies could have planned or hoped for.
Bella unzipped her velvet dress and let it slip off to the floor as she stood before him. To a sixteen year old with raging hormones, this was Utopia for Jason as he watched her slow movements and he reached up for her. She let him take her by the hand and pull her to the couch underneath him and as he tried to kiss her.
Within moments she became the aggressor and rolled so that he was on the bottom and she was holding his wrists above him as to trap and hold him down. She knew what he wanted and she was going to give it to him alright. After all she had been waiting for this precise moment for quiet a while now.
Finally she brought her face closer and closer to his, teasing and nipping at his lips until she thought he could not take it a moment more. Jason lifted his head and the moment his lips made full contact with hers he felt a lightening bolt jolt him. He thought it was the magnitude of the kiss that he was getting into but he noticed something rather strange and he felt a dryness overcome his mouth as he continued to kiss Bella.
He opened his eyes and in that instant he screamed pure terror at the top of his lungs for what he saw was the face of an old shriveled up woman who was holding him down and he saw her rotting cracked lips and the stench of her nasty foul breath overcame him. He tried to get up but she was too strong.
She laughed and cackled in his face and said in a voice that turned his blood cold, “I knew one day I would be able to pay you back for torturing me all these years” she spat.
He thought he was going to vomit from the terror he felt as she blew a big puff of dust in his face. She smiled wickedly and said, “You think you are so brave yet here you are nearly peeing your pants because you are nothing but a frightened little boy. You and your pals were such easy targets for my revenge. It’s people like you that killed my beloved and I vow to pay you all back in good time.” She said as she bent down to give him one last kiss before he passed out.
The bells of the Town Hall clock struck midnight as the chiming sound was heard throughout the city. It meant that Halloween was officially over and all the little children were hopefully snug in their beds, their bellies filled with too much candy and they had a sugar high that would last throughout the following weeks to come.
So…. I guess you are wondering what became of our fearsome foursome who decided to play a mean spirited prank on an innocent old lady?
With malice and mischievousness in their hearts…
Well our boys Jason, Chad, Billy and Zach found themselves inside of the pup tent in Jason’s backyard. They awoke at the sound of midnight and for a moment they each sat up and looked at one another as if to question what the hell had happened tonight. However none of them uttered one word as they lay their heads back down and stared into the darkness as their thoughts overtook them. Was it fear? Was it a spell?
Maybe it was all a dream, but if so, why in the heck couldn’t they remember what else they did that night. Had they even made it to the graveyard? Maybe at this point it didn’t really matter so each of them just laid there until the wee hours of the morning before they could find a moment of peaceful sleep.
The next morning, after a quiet solemn breakfast, Jason offered to walk his buddies’ home as they typically did when they had overnight campouts. The four boys packed up their gear and headed off on the well worn path towards their own homes. Along the way they passed the old gray mansion and for a slight moment they all saw the parting of the curtains at the second floor window which caught their attention.
It was no mistaking that they all caught a glimpse of a beautiful young girl with blond hair standing at the window before she faded back and they each wondered if they had seen anything at all.
None of the boys would talk about that night ever again nor would they ever dare step one foot on the property of the huge gray stone mansion on Elm Street…
Especially on Halloween Night.
Revised version © PolarB 2008
-Original: © PolarB 2006
