The boys had turned a corner and ended up on a street they didn’t recognize. Bobby, feeling sporty in his Spider-Man costume, and Adam, feeling almost heroic as Luke Skywalker, frowned at each other. Each of them were carrying pillowcases half-full of trick-or-treat loot.
“I think we went too far,” Adam said, looking at the row of big old houses running down the street in front of them. “I’ve never seen any of these houses before.”
Bobby shrugged. “Well as long as we’re here we might as well see if they have some good candy,” he said striding up a walkway lit by eerie Jack O’ Lanterns flickering with candlelight.
Adam, always more cautious than his friend, hesitated. “I don’t know about this, Bobby,” he said looking around the street. “How come there’s no other kids trick or treating on this block? Maybe we should go find your Mom...”
Bobby stopped and, exasperated, spun around. “Don’t be such a chicken, Adam,” he said sharply. “If no other kids have found this block then maybe we can really score. Come on!”
Reluctantly, Adam obeyed and followed Bobby up the creaky stairs. The night was suddenly still and cold and when Adam looked over his shoulder he saw a thick fog creeping up the street. He started to say something but Bobby was already knocking on the door.
After a few seconds, the door opened with an awful, almost human groan.
“Trick or treat!” they both said (though Bobby was more enthusiastic by far.)
“Indeed?” a voice as old as time said in reply. The oldest woman either of the boys had ever even imagined stepped into the dim light. A smell…a mix of cinnamon, rosewater, and something musty...assaulted their senses. “My, what brave young men,” the old woman croaked, her eyes twinkling impishly. Her teeth were brown and seemingly jagged and her dress, which looked like it hadn’t been washed in years, was a dingy black. “You brave boys deserve a special treat.”
She disappeared into the shadows of her house and just as quickly reappeared. In her gnarled hands were what looked like two balls wrapped in gleaming golden foil. “I save the best golden chocolate apples for the bravest souls,” she said, holding out the treats.
The boys glanced at each other and then, warily, they held out their pillowcases. The old woman deftly placed a golden apple in each. “Thank you,” Bobby and Adam said as one.
“Off with you now, you young scalawags,” the woman said. “You don’t have much time to finish your rounds before the witching hour strikes.” The door creaked shut before either of the boys could ask her what that meant.
Adam spun on his heels and fairly ran down the stairs and down the walkway. Bobby, full of more bravado, pretended not to be fazed as he sauntered behind his friend.
“Okay, Bobby,” Adam said anxiously, “I think we should get home now.” He glanced around and the fog was dancing all around up and down the street and he realized that he wasn’t completely sure which way they had come.
“Relax, Adam,” Bobby said, finding his courage again. “Did you see the big ball of chocolate that old lady gave us…I’ll bet all of these old houses are giving out cool treats! Come on!”
Bobby marched off towards the next old house and Adam, unwilling to be left alone on the increasingly foggy lane, scurried to catch up.
At each house the boys were greeted by old people with gleaming eyes and wry smiles and at each house they were given delectable treats: bags of chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, tiny cakes in protectively little boxes, glistening green apples, little wooden chests filled with plump jellybeans.
The fog was down to the ground by the time they reached the last house on the avenue. Adam paused at the gate of the last house because something about it looked so very familiar.
“C’mon, Adam,” Bobby said, “this is the last one and then we can go home.” Bobby wasn’t as confident as he sounded as the fog had spooked him as well but he knew that Adam looked to him to be the strong one and he wasn’t going to let his best friend down.
Adam couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity as he walked towards the porch behind Bobby. This house was smaller than most of the others and it was well-lit and actually welcoming. As he approached reached the top stairs he smelled a familiar aroma…gingerbread…and his heart started to pound as Bobby knocked on the door.
The door swung open and a woman, with a cherubic face and wearing a neatly pressed white apron, opened the door.
“Trick or treat!” Bobby said, relieved that this old woman looked like a normal person at least.
“My, my, my” the old woman said, smiling warmly, “what marvelous costumes!” She reached to her side and held up two large, meticulously decorated gingerbread men wrapped in plastic. “You young men deserve my best gingerbread men,” she said carefully placing one in each of the boys’ bags.
“Thank you!” Bobby said enthusiastically. Adam looked up at the woman with his mouth agape but he found he couldn’t say anything.
“You boys need to get back on home now,” the old woman said. “It’s too close to the witching hour for you to be here.”
“Okay,” Bobby said, turning to leave, “thank you, ma’am.” He started down the stairs into the gathering fog. “Come on, Adam.”
The old woman smiled at Adam who was still standing staring at her. She bent down and kissed his forehead. “Get along now, sweetie,” she said.
Adam nodded and turned and walked down the walkway. He turned and looked up at the old woman who smiled again and waved as the fog closed in all around. Adam waved back and then turned to Bobby. “Where are you?”
Bobby, his face pale, stepped towards Adam. “I’m here but I can’t see anything in this fog…I don’t know which way to go…”
Unconsciously, the boys took each other’s free hand and started to walk. Their hearts were pounding and there were tears in their eyes as they inched their way through the all-encompassing fog. They couldn’t see anything and their only contacts with reality were the ground beneath their feet, the pillowcases in their hands, and the tight grip they had on each other’s hand.
The fog grew darker and darker and from somewhere close they heard the howling of a wolf and cackling laughter that sent shivers down their spine. The boys stopped, not knowing which way to go and not knowing what was in the fog. They both wanted to cry out for their mothers but they didn’t want to let each other know how afraid they were.
And then, suddenly, there was a spot of golden light off in the distance.
“That’s the way home, boys,” the kindly voice of the last woman they met said softly. “Get along now.”
The boys, still hand in hand, started running towards the light as the dark fog around seemed to grow agitated. They ran and ran until, quite suddenly, they ran into someone. The boys both closed their eyes and screamed expecting to be brutally killed in the next moment.
“There you are!” a quite familiar voice said. “I lost sight of you for a moment.” It was Bobby’s mother, their escort for trick or treat. She was holding the hand of Alice, Bobby’s little sister, who dressed as Cinderella.
Bobby and Adam looked at each other. A moment? They smiled at each other nervously and only then did they realize they were still holding hands. They quickly released their grips.
“Come on, boys,” Bobby’s mother said, it looks like you both have more than enough treats for one Halloween night. Besides, it looks like the fog is starting come in. We’d better get home.”
Bobby and Adam looked into their pillowcases as they followed Bobby’s mother and sister. All of the treats they’d gotten on the strange street were there. Right on top were the smiling gingerbread men the last woman had given them.
“Dude, that was strange,” Bobby whispered. “Good thing that last old lady showed us the way home.”
Adam stared forward. “That wasn’t just an old lady,” he said solemnly, “that was my grandmother.”
Bobby looked startled. “It was? Why didn’t you say something before?”
Adam continued to look forward. “My grandmother died five years ago.”
Bobby’s mouth fell open with surprise and confusion but he didn’t say anything more as they continued home neither of daring to look back where they’d been or at each other.
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