Short Scary Stories

Halloween isn't what it was When I was Young

"Mommy, when will the tricky treating start?" my four-year-old, Rissa asked again.

"Soon, sweetheart. Soon." I was getting ready to take the dog out one last time for the night. Halloween night is hard on pets, even stout-hearted ones like our little pit-boxer mix. "Rissa, come away from the windows, honey," I admonished. "I know you're anxious, but it will start, just like it does every year...."

I took Tatters out for her walk, keeping to our yard, nervously eying the sunset. As soon as we went back inside, I checked the downstairs windows once more, drew the deadbolts on both doors, then drew down the black velvet shades we put up every year for Halloween.

Just at sunset, we heard the first one--a low moan, that rose into a howl. It sounded close, maybe on the sidewalk outside our house. Rissa whimpered, and snuggled close, and Tatters growled, but cringed against me, too.

"Why can't we have lights on, Mommy? The lantern makes too many shadows." Rissa fussed.

"Shhhhhh--whisper, honey...." another howl, and more moans. Then something scraped across our roof, sending Tatters trembling. She stood her ground, though, bless her. If anything did get in, she would die trying to defend us.

"I told you, honey--they shouldn't be able to get in, but it's safer if they can't see any light from in the house. Remember, Halloween isn't like it was when Mommy was little. Remember, how I told you, we used to dress up like monsters and ghosts and--oh, everything! And we would go around the neighborhood and people handed out candy...."

"Why don't they anymore? Why do the real monsters come now?"

"Nobody knows, honey. Maybe we just made them mad. I don't know." Another sss-crrrrrrrrape, across the side of the house. God, what had we done? A neighbor or two would likely be missing in the morning, nothing but a trail of gore to show that they had been dragged off by whatever abominations were out there....

And then by sunrise, all the monsters would have slunk back to wherever they stayed for the rest of the year--and we would fix our shingles and siding, bury whatever remains we could find of those taken away, sweep our streets....

Halloween isn't what it was when I was young.

When I was young, I would never have been horrified to realize that i had forgotten to close the bathroom window upstairs.....