Michael Subjack's Blog - Posts Tagged "witch"
Halloween Ninety-Five
For my fourth story this month, I've decided to go with Halloween Ninety-Five. Like Lost and Found, it leans heavily on 90s nostalgia. I generally find nostalgia to be a cheap ploy to invoke an emotional response from your audience but it fits rather well with Halloween (and most other holidays), so it feels right here.
I was slightly older than the kids in the story, so my trick or treating days were behind me in 1995. However, I was still young enough to have that youthful sense of joy and wonder that the holiday brought for so many of us.
Now that I'm older, it's still my favorite holiday but it has a decidedly different feel. It isn't better or worse but it is different. And while we can't relive those glorious Halloween nights as adults, we still have our memories and stories like this to keep that spirit alive forever.
I hope you enjoy it. And may you always steer clear of hungry witches.
Halloween Ninety-Five
I was slightly older than the kids in the story, so my trick or treating days were behind me in 1995. However, I was still young enough to have that youthful sense of joy and wonder that the holiday brought for so many of us.
Now that I'm older, it's still my favorite holiday but it has a decidedly different feel. It isn't better or worse but it is different. And while we can't relive those glorious Halloween nights as adults, we still have our memories and stories like this to keep that spirit alive forever.
I hope you enjoy it. And may you always steer clear of hungry witches.
Halloween Ninety-Five
Treats at the Witch House
Maddie looked at the hole in her green and black striped tights and wondered what she had done to deserve such a wretched Halloween. Not only was most of the candy crappy, but her bag had also ripped when she fell, causing most of it to spill on the sidewalk. The only good news was that she had yet to get her full-sized Snickers bar. When it came to Halloween, that’s all she wanted.
“Have a nice trip?”
Boorish laughter followed, and Maddie looked up to see Neil and Eric staring down at her with a mixture of amusement and contempt. Boys were gross in general, but these two were as bad as it got. And of course, she had fallen in front of them. But there was still a chance the evening could be salvaged. There was always…
“The witch house!”
Eric was pointing at a gloomy Victorian looming like an ominous giant against the starry purple sky, its front lawn peppered with a variety of creepy gray statues.
“Ring the doorbell!” Neil exclaimed excitedly. “I’ll give you half my candy if you ring the doorbell!”
“It doesn’t have a doorbell,” Maddie huffed, gathering up her crappy candy as best she could. She took one last look at the blood bubbling out of her knee before joining the two boys, both of which were glaring at her.
“Who asked you?”
“Just trying to help you out,” Maddie said with a shrug. “It does have one of those big knockers on the front door, though.”
Eric and Neil exchanged a mischievous glance as they crept over to the house. They hesitated when they reached the edge of the long, crooked walkway.
“Scared?” Maddie teased.
“Shut up!” Eric said. “Like you’re not scared.”
“I’m not,” she informed them. “Watch this.”
She strode confidently up the walkway, mindful of the cracks and overgrown weeds. When she reached the front door, she turned around and held her arms out.
“See?”
Eric and Neil stared at her in disbelief. She could almost smell their fear, but she also knew they didn’t want to look like cowards. They slowly made their way to the front door, pausing to take in the statues, which were even creepier up close.
“So go ahead,” she said, motioning to the large oval-shaped knocker.
Eric and Neil turned away from the statues and Maddie could see how eager they were for this to be over. As they approached the front door, she stepped back and waited. It wouldn’t be long now. She could barely contain her glee as they reached for the knocker when suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a towering woman who was somehow both ancient and ageless. The boys started to scream when a blast of green light emanated from her fingers, temporarily blinding Maddie as she almost stumbled and fell for the second time that evening.
Fortunately, she caught her balance just as the light disappeared. The woman was gone and her door was closed. The only things that were different were the two new statues she had in her front yard. And the full-sized Snickers resting at the bottom of Maddie’s tattered bag. With a bright, satisfied smile, Maddie skipped down the front walkway, stopping at the edge to give the house a friendly wave goodbye.
“Thanks, Grandma! Happy Halloween!”
And when Maddie bit into her Snickers later that night, she decided that it was indeed just that.
“Have a nice trip?”
Boorish laughter followed, and Maddie looked up to see Neil and Eric staring down at her with a mixture of amusement and contempt. Boys were gross in general, but these two were as bad as it got. And of course, she had fallen in front of them. But there was still a chance the evening could be salvaged. There was always…
“The witch house!”
Eric was pointing at a gloomy Victorian looming like an ominous giant against the starry purple sky, its front lawn peppered with a variety of creepy gray statues.
“Ring the doorbell!” Neil exclaimed excitedly. “I’ll give you half my candy if you ring the doorbell!”
“It doesn’t have a doorbell,” Maddie huffed, gathering up her crappy candy as best she could. She took one last look at the blood bubbling out of her knee before joining the two boys, both of which were glaring at her.
“Who asked you?”
“Just trying to help you out,” Maddie said with a shrug. “It does have one of those big knockers on the front door, though.”
Eric and Neil exchanged a mischievous glance as they crept over to the house. They hesitated when they reached the edge of the long, crooked walkway.
“Scared?” Maddie teased.
“Shut up!” Eric said. “Like you’re not scared.”
“I’m not,” she informed them. “Watch this.”
She strode confidently up the walkway, mindful of the cracks and overgrown weeds. When she reached the front door, she turned around and held her arms out.
“See?”
Eric and Neil stared at her in disbelief. She could almost smell their fear, but she also knew they didn’t want to look like cowards. They slowly made their way to the front door, pausing to take in the statues, which were even creepier up close.
“So go ahead,” she said, motioning to the large oval-shaped knocker.
Eric and Neil turned away from the statues and Maddie could see how eager they were for this to be over. As they approached the front door, she stepped back and waited. It wouldn’t be long now. She could barely contain her glee as they reached for the knocker when suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a towering woman who was somehow both ancient and ageless. The boys started to scream when a blast of green light emanated from her fingers, temporarily blinding Maddie as she almost stumbled and fell for the second time that evening.
Fortunately, she caught her balance just as the light disappeared. The woman was gone and her door was closed. The only things that were different were the two new statues she had in her front yard. And the full-sized Snickers resting at the bottom of Maddie’s tattered bag. With a bright, satisfied smile, Maddie skipped down the front walkway, stopping at the edge to give the house a friendly wave goodbye.
“Thanks, Grandma! Happy Halloween!”
And when Maddie bit into her Snickers later that night, she decided that it was indeed just that.
