31 Hazardous Halloween Tales (Part Two) (Tales 5-9)

*This is part two of my collection of “31 Hazardous Halloween Tales”. This story is underneath my folder titled “31 Halloween Tales”. Gacha Club character designs are underneath my folder titled “My character designs<33”. Enjoy!*

Tale Five-Never too many decorations

Konfetti grinned as she handed out candy to the Trick-or-Treaters, for their happiness was what fulfilled her, what invigorated her. Halloween was the one time of the year where she and her clown husband were seen as normal by the humans, the one time where they were accepted.

Speaking of which, where was Pierce? He left a few hours earlier. Shouldn’t he be back soon? It’d get too dark to see anything after a while.

Maybe he was out-NO! He promised not to do it…but what if he did?

Konfetti decided not to think too much about it. She had to keep a happy face on for the Trick-or-Treaters, so that they wouldn’t get scared. The decorations were frightening enough.

He’d return soon.

…………………………………………………

After the sky went dark and the Trick-or-Treaters disappeared, Konfetti could hear Pierce moving about in the attic.

She got up from the armchair and pulled the string on the ceiling, then climbed up the stairs.

As she climbed higher up the attic stairs, the familiar mildew scent was growing stronger and stronger with every step. Konfetti knew very well what it was, but still, she didn’t want it to be real.

Once Konfetti reached the top, she caught Pierce standing underneath the pale moonlight, the crimson blood clashing with his black and white clown attire. Next to his boots were the bodies of many bloody humans piled together. One of his claws held a bleeding heart, the other held an incredibly blood-stained meat cleaver.

“You went on a killing spree, didn’t you?” Konfetti asked, shaking her head.

Pierce was sweet to her, but with humans, he preferred to see them bleeding the last of their lives out.

“What? It’s Halloween, I wanted to have fun! And look, we’ve got new decorations for the spooky season!” Pierce beamed, gesturing to the many fresh bodies on the attic floor.

Though Konfetti felt sorrow for the most likely innocent humans who were murdered by her bloodthirsty husband, she also felt ecstatic at Pierce’s joy, for that was a deeply rare thing to happen.

Also, the humans were dead. What harm would it do to use them as decorations? They would be honored if they were hung up for a mysterious and magical holiday rather than buried six feet under, with the maggots and dirt. Besides, it wouldn’t do to hurt Pierce’s feelings. He worked so hard to slash and slice, he deserved something nice.

“I’ll never agree with what you do, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to hang them up for Halloween. Please do better next time, though.” Konfetti said softly.

Pierce rolled his eyes as if she asked him to do a bothersome and tedious chore, but once she gave him a kiss on the cheek, he promised to do better.

It wasn’t something that he could work on overnight, but Konfetti had faith in him.

He was so much more than the murders he committed. Just like every other living creature in the world, Pierce deserved love.

Nothing on the Earth could change that.

Tale Six-The glories of Hallows’ Eve

Spooky made note to take it all in. The crowds of humans, the scent of pumpkin spice and apple cider in the air. The circus tents. The haunted house attraction with the screams screeching in a radio, the purple and blue lights ever so enchanting…

Halloween was the one time of the year where she belonged. The one time of the year where humans didn’t fear her, where she could be a clown in peace, where she could give out all the pumpkin cookies and paint as many faces as she wanted.

It was also the only time she got to see Scary. Scary, with the maggots that crawled in and out of her leathery face as though they were always trying to perfect every detail about her. Scary, with her purple and black clown attire that was stained with the blood of her enemies and victims, prepared for anything that came her way. She was the polar opposite of Spooky and yet, that didn’t stop her from wondering what Scary was thinking about, what she was like to talk to, what it would feel like to kiss her and-

No. It wasn’t like Spooky could come up to her and TALK to her. No, no! Scary had much better things to do than to be bothered with such trivial things like love. She was a busy clown, her presence was important for the humans to get into the horror spirit of Halloween. Besides, why would she like a clown like Spooky? She would cackle right in Spooky’s face and then never speak to her again! It was better to admire her from afar, where nothing wrong was capable of happening.

“Spooky! Hi, hello! I’ve got such a marvelous idea, could you put a closed sign up?” Konfetti asked as she ran up to her.

Spooky raised an eyebrow in confusion, but still, she put up the closed sign on her cookies and paint stand, ever so curious as to what her good friend Konfetti had to suggest.

Konfetti pulled up one of the folding chairs and grinned even wider than she normally did, her pink eyes sparkling with excitement. While Spooky liked to see her friend in an agreeable mood, the way Konfetti was grinning made specks of nervousness float about in Spooky’s intestines.

“So you know the haunted house attraction that the humans are so crazy about? The one that boasts about having more clowns than any other haunted house attraction in these parts of town? You know it, right? You’ve seen it every year!” Konfetti beamed.

“Yes. Now what about it?” Spooky asked, growing ever so fearful and yet no less intrigued on whatever was brewing in the cauldron of Konfetti’s mind.

“Scary is Pierce’s sister and they both work at the haunted house together. We’ve noticed those longing, love-filled looks that you’ve given her and-“

“What do you mean?! I was just looking! It’s not a big deal!”

“Oh Spooky, we’ve noticed. It’s no use hiding it now! Pierce went around and told her. She wants to meet you! Come now, let’s go!” Konfetti cheered.

She grabbed Spooky’s hand and was about to lead her away, but Spooky let go and sat on the chair. She couldn’t just go to the haunted house! Whatever would she do or say?

Why couldn’t Konfetti and Pierce keep their mouths shut?

“Are you sure she wants to meet me? Why would she want to meet me? This isn’t some kind of joke, is it? Because if it is, then it’s not very funny and I’ll never talk to you again. Okay, maybe not again, but definitely not for a very long time!” Spooky said.

It was just too good to be true. How could Scary, a clown with more weapons than anybody could count and a penchant for bringing about chaos, could be interested in a human-loving clown like her?

“I’m not joking! I would never joke like that! Don’t keep her waiting, she’s dying to meet you!” Konfetti said, reaching her hand out for Spooky to take.

On one hand, the very fact that Scary wanted to meet her had brought such fanciful possibilities of a relationship! Days of bringing fear and fun to the humans, nights of watching Halloween movies together. For what could be more romantic than the cobwebbed and shadowed nights of Halloween?

But on the other hand, what if Scary didn’t feel the same? What if she only saw her as a friend and nothing more? What if she despised Spooky? What if-

What was the worst that could happen? If Spooky never talked to Scary, how would she know how the clown felt about her? It wasn’t like Spooky had much to lose.

So, Spooky accepted Konfetti’s hand and together, they ventured to the haunted house of many jittering jump scares.

……………………………………………………

Because Konfetti and Spooky were clowns, they couldn’t wait in line with the humans since the humans were the ones who wanted to be scared. But Spooky and Konfetti weren’t really all that frightful, they weren’t taken in as scare “actors” either.

The two of them had to climb in through a back window in order to walk about the house.

The clown girls had seen many terrifying, unsightly things crawl and skitter about. There were ghouls and ghosts, witches and demons, plenty of clowns (Konfetti waved to Pierce!), but the most disturbing and delightful creature of all was…

Scary herself, spinning on a ring that hung high in the circus tent, cackling maniacally as the humans screamed below her, shocked by her ghastliness, her sheer insanity.

But with the wild white eyes and the blood splatters was a peculiar beauty. A beauty that many wouldn’t be able to see if they didn’t look hard enough, if they didn’t see how the joy in Scary’s eyes was glimmering underneath her malice and mischief, if they didn’t stop to really see her.

Scary jumped off the ring and another clawed clown took her place. Spooky tried to find her in the white strobe lights, but only saw Konfetti and the other humans.

Where was she? Had she disappeared? Could she do that? Did-

“Boo!” A raspy, guttural woman’s voice whispered behind her.

Spooky jumped and turned around.

Standing right behind her was none other than Scary herself, smiling much more softly than she normally did.

Up close and personal, Scary’s white eyes seemed to hold hints of rainbow, just like a diamond. Goodness, but her eyes seemed to hold so many colors! How could a being have such vibrant eyes? The dark markings that surrounded her eyes that all of the humans thought was makeup made Scary’s eyes seem so large and full of mystery, like a porcelain doll’s. Oh, her lovely eyes! How Spooky could stare into them forevermore! Was that what humans felt when they were in love? Was that what they were talking about? How she wanted to travel deep into them as though they were another dimension into a pocket universe, full of all things sinister and spectacular!

“Are you Spooky?” Scary asked, her throaty voice holding a certain melodic rhythm to it.

Spooky nodded, at a loss for words. Usually she was able to talk up a storm! In her mind, she always imagined what she would say to Scary, but right when Scary was in front of her, all of her clever and romantic words had disappeared like a ghost, so she could only move about like a programmed Halloween animatronic.

“I’m charmed to see you in the flesh. Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” Scary asked.

Again, Spooky could only nod, hardly believing that she wasn’t in a dream, that Scary was actually talking to her!

Konfetti grinned and gave two thumbs up as Scary’s claw interlaced with Spooky’s hand, guiding her away from the crowd.

Wherever were they going?

……………………………………………………

After much walking, Scary opened up towering polished black wood doors, which revealed a room draped in red velvet and a long table that held various bloody hearts and intestines, all of which were teeming with maggots and centipedes.

“This is the vampire room! The vampires have left for the night to go out for a bite! Since they’re gone, this room is closed off to humans and we have it all to ourselves! Isn’t that swell?” Scary beamed, her grin spreading wider.

“It sure is fantastic!” Spooky agreed, finding her voice. Though the organs didn’t look too appetizing, Spooky admired the dim glow of the candle flames and the red velvet that gave the room a certain flair, a touch of character.

“I’m glad that you like it. Would you care for an organ? Or a piece of candy? I have to warn you though, the candy is so old that it may not taste good.” Scary said.

Old candy? That didn’t matter! Candy was like the alcohol the humans loved so much: It was better with age!

“I’d love to have some candy right now.” Spooky smiled, for it wasn’t Halloween without it.

“Alrighty then. Come and sit down, I’ll go get the candy bowl.” Scary said, pulling up one of the plush chairs for Spooky to sit on.

Once she sat on the chair, Scary pushed it in and went up to the smaller oak table next to the wall, grabbing a bowl of brightly colored candies.

Scary’s boots weren’t that loud on the floor. In fact, they didn’t make a sound at all. The only thing that Spooky could hear was melodramatic piano music. No screams, no laughter. Just the piano music.

Though the piano music was endearing, Scary’s high and low pitched laugh would make it all the more lively, would bring the true spirit of Halloween to the blinding light!

“Which candy would you like? A lollipop, a chocolate drop, or a plain ol’ bar? Pierce told me that you liked candy so I tried my best to find candy but all I could find were these old ones from many decades ago. I think they were from the 80s? 90s? Damn my memory, always trying to outrun me! I’ll clutch it in my claws! NOTHING CAN ESCAPE ME!” Scary cried out, raising a fist to the air.

Spooky giggled a bit from Scary’s words and pointed to a lollipop, to which Scary gave very graciously to her.

In a second (it only took a second!), Scary put the candy bowl back where it was and sat in a chair across from Spooky, one claw resting against her face, her diamond eyes no less intense in the mellow candlelight.

For a few minutes, there was only the sound of Spooky sucking on the lollipop and the piano music, but once she was done eating her candy, Scary said:

“Tell me everything about yourself!”

So, she really was interested in holding a genuine conversation with her? Spooky tried her best to collect her thoughts and began to tell her what had come up:

“Well, I love Halloween! Making cookies in the shapes of ghosts, witches, and the like has always been a favorite pastime of mine. I’ve got quite the collection of witch hats, you should see them! I sew them all myself when I’ve got free time, and boy, do I have free time! I also really like the night and how the moon shines on everything. I do like talking to people, but it’s nice to be able to get away from it all. A nice walk in the cemetery on a cold, calm moonlit night is just the thing I’d like to do when the day is done, at any time of year! Hmm…let’s see…what else…well, I wish humans weren’t so afraid of clowns. We’re not all out to get them, you know. Even the murderous clowns just want to be loved. Besides, humans are going to die anyway. They might as well accept it.” Spooky said.

She didn’t expect to go down such a dark route, but in the midst of talking about herself, she remembered how there were still humans who recoiled away from her, who would run if she ever stepped into the daylight, all because she was a clown. She tried her best to not think about it, to “not let the negative thoughts win” as Konfetti advised, but still, they would come up at random moments.

It just so happened that the thoughts came up on Spooky’s first date. Of course. Just her luck.

But something in Scary’s face had changed. She wasn’t grinning anymore, her diamond eyes were more serious. Spooky’s heart raced within her, fearful that she had said something wrong.

“That’s an interesting sentiment you have there. I agree with you. I love the thrill of finding and catching a human, leaving a trail of blood in my wake. To see them shiver before me with my teeth and my claws brings me life like never before! But that’s just it: I’m one of those murderous clowns. Spooky, why have you taken a liking to me? You’ve got everything all figured out, all put together. You find happiness in things that don’t involve blood, that’s very mature of you. So why me? I look as though I crawled straight out of the grave and I act like it too. You’re so…so sweet it makes me wonder if you’re even real. I just…I…Drat, I’m crying now!” Scary said, her demon-esque voice cracking a bit. She wiped away the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes so violently that Spooky worried that she would bleed.

Scary asked herself that? Really? Why? What was there not to like about her?

“Yes, you murder. I know that. The fact that you ask yourself why I like you shows that you haven’t been listening to what I was saying. Humans are going to die one day. They can’t run from it forever. What humans are most afraid of is death, but you bring it to them in such a colorful, memorable way that it’s honorable! You help keep the horror part of Halloween alive, I help with the family-friendly aspects of it. Halloween cannot exist without fun and fear. You want to know why I like you?” Spooky asked.

She didn’t wait for a reply, she simply began:

“Because you’re unapologetically you! No matter what happens, you still go out to the haunted house and give them quite a chill! The blood on you is beauty! Your dirt-stained claws are beauty! The maggots in your teeth are beauty! The insanity in your diamond eyes is beauty! Your spirit is beauty! You are beauty! All parts of Halloween must be appreciated. All clowns must be appreciated. You know, I’ve never done well with how the humans react to me, but the fear that humans have gives you strength! You’re wonderful because you’re you. That’s why I love you.”

Scary blinked, seemingly shocked by her words. Spooky herself didn’t realize that more of her feelings would pour out, but nevertheless, she was grateful that Scary knew.

“Their reactions still bother me a bit, I just don’t think about it for that long. But I guess I’m brave in that sense. Do you really think that about me? Honestly? I have been called many things, but beautiful! That’s a first!” Scary smiled.

Scary grinned, but her eyes were questioning, still in disbelief.

That was something Spooky had to fix.

“Yes! Yes, I do! There’s so much I want to tell you, but it’s all clogged up in my mind like cobwebs in a mausoleum.” Spooky admitted.

Scary’s diamond eyes glowed even brighter, the rainbow colors within them ever so vivid. She still smiled, but it was more like the pure, elated grins of Trick-or-Treaters finding whimsy, unlike the staged one she put on for the humans.

It was such a pretty sight that Spooky felt her heart flutter a bit.

“Then let’s not use words.” Scary said.

Scary leaned in for a kiss, Spooky could not believe that the date wasn’t something from her overactive imagination (She secretly pinched herself and found that nothing changed), and then-

“AhHhHhHhHhH!” A child cried out, a sound much too real to be from the speakers.

Scary abruptly moved away, her smile gone.

“Someone has been possessed! We’ve got to get the occult book, come on!” Scary said.

For the very first time, Scary looked like she was going to jump out of her skin.

“How? How could someone get possessed? What happened?” Spooky asked, the thought of a human struggling with something that they couldn’t control flashing in her mind. Possessions weren’t supposed to happen, the demons at the haunted house were forbidden to do so.

“I don’t know! Something must have gotten to the kid. I don’t really like possessions, they’re prolonged. Murder is one and done, but possessions…” Scary trailed off, shaking her head.

“We’ve got to find the occult book.” Scary said with resolve.

Spooky nodded in agreement.

With that, the two of them began their search.

……………………………………………………

Scary took Spooky down a secret path of the haunted house, the path that the cast members took. Scary and Spooky didn’t let go of each other, the mere thought of losing one another plaguing the corners of their minds.

They searched through every corner and crevice of the house, but found it to no avail. Neither of them wanted to alarm the humans or cast members, so they said nothing.

Finally, they came across a room that had cracked porcelain dolls lining the shelves from ceiling to floor. A little boy sat huddled in the corner of it, scratching himself and screaming out nonsense words.

Spooky searched the doll room, the boy’s cries breaking her heart, while Scary looked in the spider room. Both were starting to lose a bit of hope, but were still determined to trudge on, not quite ready to give up yet.

And what luck had befallen them, for Scary had found the occult book tucked in a web!

Scary wasted no time and recited a spell that sent the demon out of the child’s boy and into a blond-haired doll in a bloody blue dress. A doll of which Spooky smashed into pieces.

The poor boy didn’t know why he was in a room full of dolls, he had absolutely no idea of what had happened, so Spooky told him that he got lost and comforted him with cookies and candy.

Later on, with Scary right behind her, Spooky led the boy out into the main entrance of the attraction. Scary had announced that a boy was lost on a microphone. Only a few hours later, his mother and father came back, thanking them both with tears in their eyes. The three of them waved goodbye and then it was just the two of them at the entrance.

“I apologize for all of that. We really should be checking our sources more. Starting today, we’ll be more careful.” Scary said solemnly.

“It’s alright. The important thing is that the boy is okay. I’m oh so glad that the demon didn’t get him! His scratches will heal, right? The parents think that he got hurt from being lost and possibly bumping into things, right? Oh god, what if the demon isn’t dead? What if-“

Scary put a claw to Spooky’s mouth, stopping her rambling.

“You crushed it in a doll. Demons that are bound to physical objects die. You did your part, don’t fret. Without you, I think that child would have lost his gosh darn mind! Now, where were we?” Scary asked, moving her claw away from Spooky’s lips. The smile that she had in the vampire room had returned, ever so lovely and light!

“You were just about to kiss me.” Spooky said, the sentence more of a whisper, hardly believable.

“Ah yes. That.” Scary said, her diamond eyes glittering playfully.

Scary led Spooky to the abandoned ticket booth from the 1930s that had a black curtain with a white spiderweb on it for Halloween, for that was the only decoration anybody had bothered to use for the ticket booth.

Once they were inside, Scary had covered the window with the curtain and brought Spooky into a kiss in which both held each other so close, as though at any time, their bodies would rot away with all that was buried beneath the Earth.

Scary tasted pumpkin spice cookies and apple cider from Spooky’s lips, Spooky had tasted blood and bugs from Scary’s lips.

Though they were both so different, they weren’t repulsed by one another, for the love that flowed in both the living and the undead seeped in their bones, lasting in them like the fog that bloomed like a flower, glowing with the warmth of a Jack-o-Lantern.

All clowns deserved love.

Tale Seven-Why go to such a place?

Samir drove through the fogged street, searching for something to do on Halloween night. Every year, they and their husband, Quillon, would go to the town of Dahlia, where there were spooks and scares at every corner, waiting to crawl out of the shadows.

Yet on that Halloween night, Dahlia was quiet. Not a single soul was outside, not even a few Trick-or-Treaters.

Quillon bit his bottom lip, disturbed by the sight. Sure, Halloween was supposed to be frightful, but shouldn’t there be at least some people out? The quiet in Dahlia was just ridiculous!

But Samir didn’t give up. Their heart was coursing with excitement from the chilled calm, anticipating the sallow and gaunt creatures that were to come. Maybe everybody was having a celebration elsewhere! Dahlia was a big town, perhaps everyone decided to do something different.

“Isn’t this the kind of stuff that happens in horror movies? Shouldn’t we just do something else?” Quillon asked, unsavory thoughts flickering in his mind. Maybe he was worrying too much, but he had watched enough movies in his youth to know that completely deserted towns were never a good sign.

Of course, Dahlia wasn’t really deserted, right?

“Life isn’t a movie, Quillon. We’ll be fine. I promise.” Samir said in an attempt to stop him from worrying.

Goodness, but he thought too negatively! If only Quillon just took the time to relax, then he would be much happier with himself. He’d be able to appreciate things more if he didn’t stress himself out too much.

That was alright. It was Halloween night. There was no room for the fears of everyday life, for it was going to be the two of them and the ghostly enchantment of All Hallows’ Eve.

Samir kept driving.

……………………………………………………..

Samir and Quillon didn’t see anything happen for miles. Yet just when they were about to give up and turn around, their eyes caught upon a haunted house attraction that glowed with purple and blue lights.

“Quillon, look! A house of all things grisly and gorey! Shall we venture inside?” Samir asked, a grin spreading across their face. The excitement of Halloween was too much to ignore and the very presence of the haunted house attraction brought out such splendid enthusiasm!

Quillon smiled softly. He still seemed a little nervous, but he looked less anxious than before. That was progress. Sometimes, people took time to really get into the scary spirit. Normally it didn’t take him that long, but maybe that year was different.

No matter. One step into the haunted house would change all of that!

Samir and Quillon stepped out of the car and into the purple-blue lit house that was scattered with cobwebs and playing cemetery-shadow music on loudspeakers, the kind of music that would play in a fogged graveyard that smelled heavily of blood and mud.

Onwards they went.

……………………………………………………..

Just like the town itself, there was nothing. The music was on and the rooms were lit up, but there were no actors. Samir and Quillon always expected scare actors to pop up from behind the walls, but no, nobody jumped out.

Nevertheless, they held tight to each other’s hand, anticipating the sheer terror that was inevitably biding its time.

There was nothing but music and prerecorded screams…music and prerecorded screams…music and prerecorded screams…and then-

“VISITORS AFTER 8:45?! OH GOODNESS, WHAT JOY!” A little girl’s voice cried out from behind them both.

They both turned around and found a little girl in a witch’s costume, her orange eyes glittering merrily, her sharpened teeth were all flashed in what was more of a threat than a smile.

But she was just a child in a Halloween costume, what harm could she do?

Yes, what harm could a little girl in an empty house do to two well-adjusted adults?

She opened her mouth, black and orange strands of smoke spooling out like veins, surrounding them, drowning them, changing them.

Samir grimaced as their bones began to twist and turn, as their fingers contorted to claws, as their very body grew into something nothing short of unsightly. That wasn’t the worst of it though.

Quillon screamed, clawing and scratching at his face as though he wanted to peel off his skin. Blood dripped from the open wounds, he shivered so violently that he couldn’t stand up anymore, so he lay on the ground, shaking and screaming, bleeding and pleading.

Samir could hear nothing but the girl’s laughter, Quillon’s screams, and the haunted house sounds. The haunted house sounds that we’re determined to go on as if it were all a game, as if the love of their life wasn’t breaking right before them, as if-

Why didn’t they just turn around? As soon as they saw that nobody was here they should have left. Why did they insist on going to Dahlia? Something wasn’t right and they didn’t listen. Oh, Quillon! He didn’t deserve to be so tortured! If only they could just get over their pain and comfort him. If only they could wrap him up in their arms and run far, far from the girl who wouldn’t stop laughing, her laugh very nearly overpowering the haunted house sounds. Why, why, WHY did they drive on?

“Don’t be sad, you’ll get to have so much fun! Humans are better as monsters anyway! You two will be FANTASTIC!” The girl beamed, so much like any other Trick-or-Treater.

But in an instant, her orange eyes flickered with black, and she saw in a much lower, more demonic cadence:

“The world knows me as Eerie, and I’ll see to it that neither of you leave this Hallows’ Eve attraction.”

With that, she burst away into orange and black sparks of smoke, leaving Samir and Quillon to find themselves reflected back from a cracked mirror as pale, thin creatures that reached high into the ceiling, their eyes as black as the fur on a cat’s back.

……………………………………………………..

Samir had a slightly yellow complexion on their pale skin, so they came to be known to the public as “Sallow”, while Quillon was called “Gaunt” from how his cheeks seemed to sink in and in and in.

Sallow and Gaunt were nothing more than shock-starter monsters, existing only to give the humans a thrill that was both dazzling and dreadful. All they were to do was groan like tortured ghosts and reach out with desperate claws, and the humans would run. That was their gimmick, their showstopper.

Sallow and Gaunt never forgot their past lives as humans. The both of them made sure to think of it day and night. The agonizing change, their lives ending abruptly all because one force beyond their understanding “liked monsters”.

Sallow wanted Gaunt to smile for real, to gain back the mirthful nature that was stolen from him, for the humans that ran didn’t understand. They all paid a pretty penny to scream and point, yet never once thought about what the “actors” were thinking, what the “actors” were struggling with. Because why would they? The “actors” had needle-knife teeth and claws, they didn’t think of anything but inducing inquietude.

Sallow wanted Quillon back.

Gaunt himself figured that Sallow had their own troubles just from their eyes would look at him with distress in the brief moments they had together at the haunted house, but he didn’t pry. If Sallow wanted to talk about it, then they would.

The both of them wouldn’t let the mystique and maddening haunted house poison their love, change who they were at heart. One day, the two of them would find a way to change back, to reclaim the skin that was torn away from them.

For there was only one thing that they wouldn’t give up on, that they wouldn’t let go, that they vowed to never part even after death, and that was each other.

Love is like Halloween. It’s jam packed with the inviting light of a Jack-o-Lantern and riddled with spine-chilling corners, but once one finds just the thing to brighten the pitch black night, they’ll revel in all that waits beyond.

Though Sallow and Gaunt’s paths are ever-changing, looping at every bend and never ceasing with evils, they didn’t fall in love with each other just to let it all crumble away because things became more sinister than they ever imagined.

If finding their way back took a long time, then so be it. Love, like Halloween, went on and on, in an endless circle of 365 days a year.

They just had to keep following the benevolent, enduring candlelight of their hearts, and they would find their way back to themselves. To each other.

One day.

Tale Eight-An eerie night

Risna stood in the corner, fidgeting with strands of her hair. It was the community Halloween party at the town hall and she was absolutely bored to death!

Her Mom and Dad weren’t dressed up in costumes because they were boring, but somehow, they seemed to be having more fun! They were talking to people, drinking punch, eating apple cookies.

Risna saw a few kids scattered about, but they were all in their own groups, all with their own friends.

This will be a great opportunity for you to make friends! Dad had said with a smile.

But how? How was she just going to walk up to someone and ask to be their friend? What if all of her words got muddled up? What if she said the “wrong” thing and they walked away? What if they were particularly insufferable and she had to pretend to be nice? Risna didn’t like pretending when it wasn’t a game, she wanted a real friend.

Would anybody notice that she was gone? Risna, in her baggy, swashbuckling pirate costume, complete with a plastic sword and an eye patch, sitting all alone in the corner?

No one was noticing her in the corner, so why would they notice her leaving?

Risna made her way to the exit door, adventure and adrenaline seeping in her veins.

She was going to have some real fun!

…………………………………………………

Risna walked throughout the neighborhood, taking in the sounds of Trick-or-Treaters knocking on the doors, the cars driving past with their families. She could join the other kids, but that seemed too ordinary for her to do. Wasn’t there something more fun? More exciting?

But what? What else could she do in the town of Dahlia? What other interesting things awaited her? What-

Her boot stepped on something that weighed more than leaves yet crunched just like them.

Risna looked down. Underneath her foot was a dusted, weathered brown book that had a wide azure eye on it, as though it wanted to find all the knowledge of the world, to learn of what the world had to offer.

Who would leave such a book outside? It seemed to be too magical, too ethereal to be left behind.

But Risna picked up the book and placed it in her empty Jack-o-Lantern bucket, ever so excited to read its contents.

Again, nobody noticed.

…………………………………………………

After much walking, Risna went back to her house. But since she didn’t have the keys, she went into the backyard.

Risna thumbed through the pages of the book, searching for something interesting. Every other page was boring, boring, boring…

One word caught her eye. In bright orange letters, it read as: “Eerie dreary.”

Why was Eerie capitalized like a name? What was so dreary? Was it a spell? Did Risna pick up a magic spell book?

Out loud, Risna read:

“Eerie dreary

Please don’t fear me

I only want the fright delight

On this All Hallows’ Night”

It was only a few seconds where nothing happened. A few mere, minuscule seconds.

But then, right before her very eyes, black and orange smoke swirled and danced, swished and swayed, and…and…

A girl around her age with orange eyes wearing a witch’s costume tipped her hat to her and said in a voice that was a rasping, yet sweet mixture of child and creature:

“The name’s Eerie! What can I do for you? Do you want cupcakes and candy? Or ghosts and ghouls? Ghouls aren’t ghosts, by the way. People get confused by them a lot and I would just like to clarify that ghouls are monsters that eat dead bodies! They are NOT ghosts! I’ll say it again: Ghouls-“

“I don’t want to hear about ghouls! I just want to do something fun.” Risna said, trying her best not to think about monsters that ate dead bodies. Why did Eerie say that at all? The image was burned into her mind and she needed to do something quick in order to forget it!

“Do you have any idea of what you want me to do?” Eerie asked, gesturing for Risna to go on.

Risna shrugged. No, she didn’t know what to do. She wanted fun, but what? What would she do to make the fun happen?

“Alright then, I guess I’ll have to help. Go on and take my hand.” Eerie said.

Eerie extended her hand (claw? It was slightly pointed) and Risna took it, thinking of the movies she would watch at home, the adventures that would ensue from mundane things like grasping someone’s hand-claw.

In an instant, the both of them disappeared into orange and black smoke, prepared for the happiness and horrors that were to come.

…………………………………………………

Eerie had guided Risna it what was entirely a movie-esque journey, for she had conjured black cats that would fly into the sky, vampires who would give out pumpkin pie, and not a soul around them batted an eye. It seemed as though Eerie had cloaked her and Risna completely in the orange and black cloud, shading them from humanity.

All of it amused the child, but there was nothing more odd than when an adolescent boy looked them both in the eye and cried out:

“Stop!”

When they stopped, they were no longer in the main part of town, but right in front of a haunted house attraction that glowed purple and blue.

“You can see me? What is that you want? What could you possibly want that is more important than Halloween magic?” Eerie asked, her voice having a tinge of annoyance.

The boy pulled out a slick, black, fat squirming leech from his neck. Its teeth moved about like a suction, all of which disgusted Risna.

“I’ve see the magic that is surrounding you, I have been studying on how to wield powers beyond nature…but I still need help with some things. Can you please turn my girlfriend back into a human?” The boy asked, glancing at the leech as if to tell Eerie that it was his beloved.

“Well, I can’t really turn humans back into humans. That’s not my forte. But I can try to help her out.” Eerie said.

How long was it going to take? Risna couldn’t waste her time, Halloween was in session! Did the fun really have to stop because some boy wanted to help his girlfriend? That stuff was for Valentine’s Day! Why couldn’t he just wait?

But Eerie told Risna to step back. She did as she was told and watched as orange and black smoke surrounded the leech, morphing and melting just as it did when Eerie first came.

The leech grew…the leathery skin faded to flesh that looked easy to penetrate….and then there were eyes…a nose…a mouth…hair…

And there was an adolescent girl, blond hair all strung up in tangles, her mouth filled with too many teeth to be human, her white eyes tinged with terror.

“She’s herself now, but not quite. She’s got a bit of the leech in her. She’ll still want to drink blood, but at least she’s better. Right?” Eerie asked with a playful smile.

The girl looked down at her claws, as though she were trying to process it all. The boy put a hand on her shoulder and whispered words in her ear that Risna was grateful to be out of earshot from.

The girl was a monster! No longer a leech, but a monster who could do whatever she wanted!

Risna begged and pleaded to Eerie about being turned into a monster so that she could become a dastardly creature of the night, but Eerie shook her head and said:

“Summon me when you’re older and I might just do it! But think about it. Really think about it!”

With that, Eerie had zapped Risna back to the town hall party. Nobody noticed that she disappeared, Risna kept the events of the previous hours to herself.

For who would believe her wild tale about a Halloween ghoul-girl, a bothersome boy, and a leech girl?

Perhaps one day, Risna could become a pointed-tooth demon. Then, nobody would stop her! No adults, no rules, no nothing! Just pure Halloween fun!

But just like with everything else, she had to wait until she was older.

Tale Nine-What’s inside matters

Luella had noticed that her husband, Mikael, had grown disinterested in her. Each and every day, he wouldn’t speak to her. He wouldn’t glance at her. He wouldn’t even give her a peck on the cheek. Had work really taken over his life? Why couldn’t he just spend at least a few seconds with giving her love? Why was he so far apart from her?

Every night, she would try to cook him his favorite meals, but he would only say “Thank you” in a polite manner, as though they were only mere acquaintances trying to keep up a calm front with each other. Nothing more, nothing less.

Luella knew not what to do, for she loved her traditional life of being his loving wife, and tried oh so hard to make things right.

Day in and day out, nothing seemed to work…

Until she was watering her plants on Halloween night.

……………………………………………………

Luella and Mikael didn’t believe in Halloween, with its ghastly, unholy terror that it would bring upon all of humanity. Their son, Fabian, loved it lots, so he was out doing God knew what. Oh, how Luella wished that he was saved! How she wished that Fabian wasn’t so corrupted! How she wished that Mikael held her tight! How-

What was that underneath the rose bush? Was it a book? It looked to be so from what Luella could see.

She knelt down and placed the watering can next to her as she grabbed whatever it was peeking out from under the rose bush.

Exactly as Luella had thought, there was a book underneath the rose bush. The book was brown save for the wide azure eye that stared out of it, as though it wanted to find the gruesome creatures lurking under the world’s sparkling veneer.

Luella dropped the book as though it were peeling off her skin, melting away her bones.

The pages of the book swished along, yellow pages flipping around like butterfly wings. After a while, it finally stopped, the sounds ceasing.

Luella tentatively stepped towards the book, peeking into its contents:

“Sing the Melody that sets you free!

Recite the Melody that will bring you glee!

For the way to their heart is something that rings true.

Sing the Melody, for me and you.”

Her heart raced within her chest, thoughts swirling in her head. There was no denying that it was a book of magic spells just from the words twisted in a certain rhythm. Magic was wrong and yet, reading the words felt so right.

Would Luella dare read it? Was it just the thing to help her? Would she be cursed forever?

Although her morals were all twisted up with her terrors, Luella read the spell anyway, ever so intrigued and hopeful of what was to come.

……………………………………………………

From the mildew pages of the book there rose a deep violet figure, a figure that had no features until it began to form into a peach-skinned woman with violet-black hair that reached down to her waist, her amber eyes fanned by silky-black eyelashes. She wore a white lace dress as long and layered as a wedding dress. She smiled softly at Luella, as though she was afraid to offend her.

“Tis I’, Melody. What is it that you want? I can give you anything and everything in the world. Just tell me and I shall grant anything.” Melody sang, her voice in a lilting manner similar to the spell Luella recited.

Anything? Luella could ask for anything? Anything that she could ever want?

There were oh so many things that she desired, but it would be criminal to ask for more! She just had to ask for something that was simple, something that wasn’t selfish.

“Can you make my husband love me? He hasn’t been very sweet towards me lately.” Luella said, hoping that she wasn’t demanding too much of Melody. The way the woman glowed as though she was an angel, the gold light around her glimmering delicately.

“Sure, I can help. Just close your eyes and no matter what you feel, don’t open them.” Melody said.

Just as Melody asked, Luella closed her eyes. She could feel her bones breaking, her skin fading, but she could never open her eyes, for they were firmly shut…

……………………………………………………

Mikael arrived back home after a long day at work, smiling softly at Luella as he sat down at the dinner table. He wanted nothing more than to hold her tight and tell her how much he loved her, but goodness, working at the police station was a lot! Especially on Halloween night, when teens were bound to break the rules.

Mikael bit into the meat on the plate, unsure of what it was, but nevertheless satisfied with how it was cooked. It had just the right seasoning, just enough fat.

“You like it, don’t you? The meal?” Luella asked, her blue eyes glittering more than he had ever seen before.

Mikael nodded, mouth full of meat. What was Fabian doing out so late? He was missing out on a good dinner!

“I’m glad that you do. Luella loved you very much, so I wanted to help her out. You know the old saying: The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! Hopefully she won’t feel distant from you anymore.” Luella grinned.

Luella…Luella?! Luella’s skin was peeling away…her full black hair was shriveling into spiny gray strands…her clean clothes sported brown spots spontaneously, like acne attacking the flesh…

What stood next to Mikael was not Luella, but a pale, gray, hulking woman-creature with spindly claws and large white eyes that seemed to look left, right, and even look right behind.

“Some see me as a Melody, but I bring about what all run from. I bring what all deny. I am Morgue and it is your turn to die!” The creature-thing cried out in a voice that seemed hoarse like blood clogged in the throat, like dirt covering a grave.

Mikael felt his insides spilling out of him, surrounding him in a haze of guts and gore, just like the ungodly songs that Fabian sang. In his mind, he knew that Morgue was killing him. He could hear it in her cackle and he could feel it as an itch in the bottom of his spine.

But further and deeper, he felt the shame plucking away his veins, pulling apart his rib cage, at the very thought that he had eaten his wife, that he had enjoyed the taste of her, that he had murdered her.

As the very remnants of his wife (his wife…his wife…HIS WIFE WHO ONLY WANTED HIS LOVE) poured out of his mouth, the putrid, degrading aftertaste of vomit and guilt lingering in the corners of his dirtied teeth that reeked with the stink of spoiled flesh, tears ebbing the corners of his eyes, he knew with a certainty that wouldn’t leave, that didn’t come with merciful second thoughts…

HE WAS GOING TO BURNING BLOODY HELL!