From: An anonymous benefactor
Message:
The air was cool and a thousand stars graced the black sky. The sly harvest moon loomed overhead, so bright that shadows were cast because of it. Laughter and the sounds of conversations drifted through the Halloween night. On the sidewalks, children in a different assortment of costumes rushed by you with bags or plastic pales of candy. Halloween night was in full bloom. You grinned as you watched a group of little kids run up to a house, ring the doorbell, and shout 'Trick or Treat!' in anticipation. They gave a small shriek when a man in a zombie costume answered the door with a bright orange bowl of candy in hand.
Turning the corner of the street, you continued your walk to your friend's house. They were hosting a festive, and surely grand, Halloween party. It was because of the lovely night that you had decided to just walk to your friend's nearby house. You felt yourself grin once more as your mind drifted in thought of the upcoming party.
"Happy Halloween." A voice called out to you, breaking you from your thoughts.
You blinked in surprise, looking around as you searched for who had spoken. The street was surprisingly empty of Trick or Treaters, and you grew puzzled as to who had spoken. Looking besides you, you looked at a quaint house that glowed with light from countless candles placed on the inside of the window seals. Jack o' lanterns grinned at you from the lawn, each made with a unique, yet slightly scary face that glowed orange from the candles within. Hanging from the branches of the yellow leafed tree were bats cut from purple paper. The entire visage was warm and welcoming.
A small laugh turned your gaze away from the decorations. In front of the house, sitting on the steps leading up to the door, was a girl. Her clothes were from ages long since passed and a silver mask covered the top half of her face, glinting in the warm glow emitting from the house
The girl held up an orange plastic bowl with black cats on it and spoke once more. "Care for a treat? I still have quite a few left." She laughed once more.
You shrugged, who could say no to free candy? Walking up the stone path, the girl stood up as you approached. She held out the large plastic bowl with a smile. Reaching towards it, you found, to your surprise, small presents instead of candy. Puzzled, you took one at random and gazed down at a crisp white card on top of the silk bow. Squinting, you could barely make out the words, "Have a lovely All Hallows' Eve" written out in elegant calligraphy. A cold breeze brushed against you, making you shiver. You looked up, a word of thanks halfway out of your mouth, and paused.
Where was she?
The girl had vanished. You spun searching for her, but only darkness greeted you. The candles, the jack o' lanterns, and even the countless paper bats were gone. The house was filled with shadows, the paint curling, and the wood door slightly warped from neglect. Weeds sprung up from the cracked stone path and the withering tree reached outwards towards the sky with crooked branches that were bare of any leaves. The entire area was void of life, and had been, for a very long time. You shivered and hurried down the path away from the house. It would have been easy to dismiss the entire thing by saying you had imagined it all; you could not, however, dismiss the very real present still clutched in your hand...
Happy Halloween!
--- Phantom Anon
