That night,
in the green glow
of the thirteen lanterns
containing the spirits
summoned
from the tombstones
of the boys who worked
in the 1950s coffee shop,
the two witches
decided over candles
melting into the open eyes
of spiderwebbed skulls,
We'll make
America Great Again
by opening a haunted diner
the likes which could only
be paralleled
by the Ghost Town
of Knott's Berry Farm.
So they found a coffee house
with enough
outdoor space for
a pumpkin patch, and
in full moonlight, released
the spirits of the boys
who worked in the 1950s
diner of the past, to ask guests
trick or treat? as they serve
dark coffee
with rich cream, in glass
like candy bowls, to the classic
rock 'n' roll of Elvis Presley.
Owls watched
terrified children wander
into the haunted diner
on Hallow's Eve,
where they slid
into red plastic booths
built from upcycled coffins
so the thirteen ghosts
could take their order.
Welcome to the good old
days, the green-glow boys
laughed as they clacked teeth.
They say on Halloween
every year, the old brick building
on the other side of campus
comes back,
alive again
as the haunted diner
attracting weeping children
to learn from elders
risen from the dead
who are much
older and
wiser
as they serve coffee
and tell stories
of America,
Indestructible Empire.
♦️
First draft: October 18
Word count: 264
Inspiration: Deviated a bit from the mermaid theme here, but I felt inspired by the Halloween Vault prompt from CoffeeCommunity ... well, happening in a coffee shop. Here's the challenge:
https://my.w.tt/IIVBftDqTQ
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Oktober Mermaids
Short StoryHalloween Vault Winner | Frightmare Fest Winner | Mermaids and sirens, as well as other ghostly and ghastly terrors, gather together in celebration of the Halloween Vault and Frightmare Fest contests and prompts. Completed. #1 Oktober | October 18 |...
