Was It Just My Imagination?

https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/2019/10/was-it-just-my-imagination.html

I'll never forget that Halloween when I was in fifth grade. The day started weird and just kept getting weirder. I woke up on my own, which was one thing. Mom didn't have to rattle my bones to get me to wake up like she normally did. Instead, I got up all by myself, excited for my favorite day of the year, Halloween. But my excitement was tempered by a strange ringing in my head, like a doorbell going Ding...Dong...Ding...Dong and it wasn't just one time, either. It lasted all day.

            My clothes didn't fit right either - shirt and pants too tight and shoes too big.

            Downstairs Mom fixed pancakes for breakfast instead of my normal bowl of milk and cheerios, something she only did on the weekend, if then. Like I said, weird.

            Outside, the day was dark and foreboding, made even more so by a flock of blackbirds that followed me on my walk to school. An owl flew by with a mouse dangling from its beak. I even had to go by Old Man Jasperson's house by myself because neither of my friends, Tim or Jay, met me on the way like they normally did.

            At school the weirdness continued because all of the teachers had dressed in costumes for Halloween. Mr. Stevens, my fifth grade teacher, was Dracula which was odd because he was a quiet and withdrawn type and should have dressed up like some poet I'd never heard of. Plus, Dracula was exactly what I'd planed to dress up as later that night. Big time weird.

            Tim and Jay approached me in class wondering where I'd been. "Why didn't you meet us?" Tim asked, popping his bubble gum.

            "Yeah," Jay added, running a comb through his curly hair. "We were both waiting outside and you never showed. What's up with that?"

            Before I could answer and tell them that I'd walked by both of their houses and hadn't seen either of them, the bell rang and we had to sit down.

            By the end of school I had pretty much forgotten about all the weirdness of the day, my excitement for Halloween taking the place over everything else. At the final bell my friends and I bolted from the building, agreeing to met at my house at five in the afternoon to start treat or treating. Which we did.

            Tim showed up wearing a werewolf mask and an old fur coat of his grandmother's. Jay was dressed like a sorcerer in a light blue cape and wearing a pointed hat with sequenced stars and planets on it. I wore my Dracula outfit, complete with black cape, pointed teeth and slicked back hair.

            "See you, Mom," I yelled as I ran out the door, clutching a pillow sack bag for my treats.

            "Be home by nine o' clock," she called back.

            I told her I would and Tim and Jay and I spent the rest of the evening running up and down the streets of our neighborhood collecting candy. We made a real haul.

            At the end of the evening we decided to make one last stop at Mr. Jasperson's house.

            Tim was not excited. "Hell, he'll just give us apples, like every other year. It's not worth it. Let's just head home." He pulled out a small bag of M&M's, ripped it open and started munching away.

            Jay had a different thought. "I heard he was going to give out caramel apples this year. Those would be good. I like caramel."

            I liked caramel too but was unsure about stopping. Mr. Jasperson always struck me as kind of gruff. His wife had died a few years earlier and my mom told me he was just lonely.

            "You could talk to him, you know. He used to teach science at the University. You might learn something from him."

            Right, I thought to myself. Me talk to a college professor? An academic I wasn't. I didn't even know how to spell the word, let alone talk to a smart person. My best conversations were with my calico kitty, Jessie, only because she didn't care what I said as long as I kept her fed.

            But getting back to the suggestion of stopping at his house. I thought about and finally said, "Sure, why not? What have we got to lose?"

            Tim and Jay hung back while I walked up the brick walkway to the steps leading to the covered porch and then the front door. There was a single light on, barely illuminating the door knob. The rest of the lights were turned off. I turned and looked at my friends, who by now had stepped back to the sidewalk. I looked past them and noticed something strange; the street was empty and the neighborhood was deserted. Where were all the other trick or treaters?

            A gust of wind blew leaves that swirled around my feet. The night had suddenly become cold and windy. Nearby trees swayed and a branch cracked and fell to the ground. I shuddered, glad it had missed me. I turned and faced the front of the house, not noticing until then all the vines that were entwined along the railing and the door.  I took a deep breath, told myself to not be a sissy, climbed the two steps and crossed the porch. My hand started trembling as I reached out and rang the doorbell. Ding...Dong...Ding...Dong and it occurred to me at that moment it was a sound just like I'd been hearing in my head all day.

            Behind me I thought I heard a voice and turned. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then I realized to my horror that Tim and Jay were gone. I was all by myself. My heart began beating faster and faster. Hey, guys...I was just about to call out into the darkness, when I heard a scraping sound behind me.

            I turned around with the words trick or treat innocently forming on my lips. Then I saw the door swing wide open and, awestruck, I gazed at the entrance, not believing my eyes. There before me was a wall of caramel apples stacked one on top of the other and completely filling the entryway. I stood frozen in place unable to move as slowly they began falling, dropping one by one, until the entire lot of them cascaded down upon me like a caramelly waterfall, knocking me onto my back and burying me in a sticky, messy mass of apples.

            I panicked and pushed them away and scrambled to my feet. It was then I felt a cold hand grip my arm. What now? I was afraid to look, but I steeled myself and did, then immediately wished I hadn't. There, latched onto me was Mr. Japserson. He was dressed in a black cape like mine. His face was white, he had pointed teeth, and thick red lips that were curled back in a sneer as he intoned, "What kind of a trick did you have in mind for me, young fella'?" Which was weird enough except for this: he was holding his head in the crook of his arm. He was a headless Dracula! The world started spinning and I began screaming. Then I fainted.

Mom woke me in the morning with a cheery, "Hi there, sleepyhead. All ready for your favorite day? Halloween? Tim and Jay are waiting in the kitchen to walk you to school. Better get a move on." She raised the window shade, letting bright sunlight in.

            I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, confused."Wait, Mom. Hold on. It's Halloween? Today?"

            "Yes, dear, it is. Your favorite day, remember?"

            What was going on? I was major league confused. What about last night? What about Mr. Jasperson and the caramel apples? More to the point, what about the headless Dracula?

            "What about yesterday, Mom?" I asked. "I thought yesterday was Halloween." I'll admit  I was freaking out a little, on the verge of completely losing it.

            "Oh, sweetie," Mom bent down and hugged me, calming me. "No, it's today." Then she looked at me, deep concern in her eyes. "But you were acting strangely all day yesterday. Don't you remember? I had to keep you home from school. You had a pretty high fever, but it broke overnight. You're lot's better now." She looked at me again and felt my forehead."You sure you're feeling okay or should I keep you home from school for another day?"

            So I'd just had a high fever? Yesterday's weirdness really hadn't happened and I'd imagined it all? Better yet, today really was Halloween? Hot dog! It sounded good to me.

            I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ready to embrace the day. "No, Mom. I'm good. Tell Tim and Jay I'll be right down."

            "You sure, you're okay?"

            "Yeah, Mom I'm better than okay. I'm great!"

            She left my bedroom and I got dressed already picturing myself in my Dracula costume and heading out trick or treating later in that evening. It wasn't until I was combing my hair that I saw it - a bit of caramel stuck on my ear. I looked at myself closely and then saw some more on my neck. Then more caramel on my other ear. I got a wash rag and cleaned it all off glad Mom hadn't seen it. To be honest, I wasn't sure I could even explain it to myself, let alone to her.

            Tim and Jay and I had a great time trick or treating that night. We made a real haul. Our last stop was at Mr. Jasperson's . He greeted us warmly and even asked me if I'd like a job raking leaves later that week. I told him sure.

            He also gave out caramel apples for the first time that we could ever remember. They were pretty good, I have to say, even though there were kind of messy. Real sticky.

             

           

The New Boyfriend

Hi everyone!
Here's another 100 word drabble with a Halloween theme. I hope you enjoy it :)

Her new boyfriend was fabulous. Tall, quiet, with two twisted horns and a long snout like a fox. Love at first sight.

            For their second date, when he asked her to a party in the woods, she was all for it.

            "Wear something loose fitting and white," he'd said, stroking her blond hair. "Wear your hair down, too."

            That night he appeared out of the shadows and took her by the hand, leading her to a bonfire where people were dancing wildly.

            Oh, this is going to be fun, she thought to herself, unfortunately not noticing the sacrificial alter nearby.

The Magic Wand

Hi everyone. Special thanks to Dagmara for using my story for Spillwords Halloween. I hope you enjoy it!
https://spillwords.com/the-magic-wand/

Here's the story if you don't want to use the link:

Roxy set her purse in the back room and got ready to face the raucous crowd at Yesterday's Gone. She checked her look in the mirror and liked what she saw. She'd dyed her pixy haircut black for Halloween and was wearing black jeans and a black pullover, a gift from her friend. She smiled, reading the lettering on front. Witches Rule. Monte was a warlock, so he thought it'd be just the thing for her to wear, it being All Hallows' Eve and all. He especially thought it was perfect since he'd given it to her to help cast a spell on that jerk Big Ed who'd been hassling her for the last month. Even though the bar was packed with people dressed up in costumes and ready to party she'd seen him on the way in. He was trouble with a capital "T". Well, she was ready for him now. She checked her purse to see if the magic wand Monte had given her was still there. It was. To her it looked like a twig, like something out of Harry Potter, but Monte insisted on calling it a magic wand because that's what it was.

            "It came from up on the north shore of Lake Superior," he'd told her. "It's made from diamond willow, and it's got a lot of mojo going for it."

            So if Monte wanted to call it a magic wand, great. The important thing was that he had taught her how to use it, how to cast a spell, so now she was all set if that big jerk wanted to hassle her. In fact, she felt better than she had in the month since he'd first shown up and started giving her a hard time.

            Well, now I'm ready, she thought to herself. Bring it on.

            Big Ed surveyed the crowd with interest, wondering how many people envied his good looks and his awesome build. Probably a lot. Man, he loved Yesterday's Gone. As far as neighborhood bars went it would rate right up at the top of his book. If he kept a book, that is, which he didn't. But the drinks were cheap and more importantly, they were big, and that's what mattered. The sound system pumped out classic rock with Zeppelin and ZZ Top heavy in the rotation, plus, you could take an occasional hit in the bathroom and no one minded. So, yeah, what was not to like?

            The waitresses weren't bad either. Especially the cute little chick with the pixy hair cut. Roxy. Man what he wouldn't give...Well, she was all right, one of the main reasons he kept talking his buddies into coming back. Tonight, especially. Halloween. He'd dressed up a professional wrestler in a form-fitting, light blue tank top and a pair of tight, purple shorts. He had the build for it - muscles on top of muscles from working out and a gut that wasn't so bad as long as he remember to suck it in. It was going to be a good night. As long the beers and the shot's of Jack were flowing. Speaking of...She spied Roxy. Time for more drinks.

            "Hey there, darling," he yelled, snapping his fingers. "How about another round for your boy over here?" He'd been spending the evening trying to chat-her-up but she was so busy she wasn't able to spend any time with him. Like now. She just hurried over and dropped off their drinks and left quickly before he could give her a hug and a little kiss. Man, what he wouldn't give...

            Finally, around eleven he'd had enough. She had just dropped off another round when he motioned to her, "Aw, Roxy, come here little girl. Come and sit on Big Ed's lap and lets cuddle a bit."

            She scowled at him. "I've told you before. Back off. I've got work to do. Leave me alone."

            Big Ed was having none of it. "Come on, girly girl. Just one little kiss for your favorite customer."

            He grabbed for her but she slapped his hand away, dodging off to the side. He was able to get a hold of her arm for a moment, but she pulled away. "Stop it! God you make me sick. Just leave me the hell alone."

            He grinned. He could tell she was just flirting with him. Just like every other girl. They all did. He loved it.

            "Aw, sweetheart..." he was saying but stopped and watched as she ran off to the back room. Now where's going? Maybe to freshen up a bit for him. He smiled. Good.

             He took a sip of whiskey and was turning to his buddies when he noticed her coming back. He brightened and a smile formed on his face as she quickly made her way to his table. Changed her mind, I guess, is what he was thinking.

            He stood up to greet her, wobbling and weaving to gain his balance as he opened arms, "Come back for a hug from Big Ed?"

            He never got the chance. "Not on your life," Roxy said, stopping in front of him.

            He wasn't used to being rejected by any woman, especially a tiny waitress like this one. He started to get angry. "Quit fooling around and come here. Now."

            "Never!" Roxy yelled and pulled her magic wand out of her back pocket.

            Big Ed was startled for a moment. "What's this, little girl? A toothpick for me. A toothpick for your daddy?     

            He started to reach out but stopped when Roxy began waving the wand slowly, weaving it hypnotically back and forth, back and forth, in front of his eyes. He stopped and stood still, watching. What was going on?

            Roxy took a deep breath and let it out watching as Big Ed's eyes turned glassy. Then she began chanting in a soft, sing-songy kind of way, "Hut two three four. Hut two three four. Time for Big Ed to start matching around the floor."

            "What the hell..." he started to say, but then stopped. As she kept her wand weaving back and forth, back and forth, Roxy watched as a perplexed look came over Big Ed's face. Then his feet start moving, shuffling forward and backward, forward and backward. He tried to stop them but couldn't. Then out of nowhere words started coming out of his mouth, spilling forth like water from a spigot. He put his hand up and tried to stop them but couldn't. Quietly at first, the words forced their way out from between his fingers. "Hut two three four. Hut two three four." And then louder, "HUT TWO THREE FOUR! HUT TWO THREE FOUR!"

            Roxy could barely contain her laugher. It was working! She spoke up, loud and clear, so the entire bar could hear."START MARCHING!" she commanded. Big Ed stared at her, pleading, but she had no sympathy and gave him a devilish look in return."NOW!"

            So he did. He started marching around the bar in time to his chant, "HUT TWO THREE FOUR! HUT TWO THREE FOUR!" Bumping into patrons and tables and chairs, stumbling and falling on occasion, only to arise and begin marching again, chanting, "HUT TWO THREE FOUR! HUT TWO THREE FOUR!"

            Roxy stood back and watched, eye wide with wonder. She was ecstatic. Thank goodness for Monte. He'd said, "Let's teach that jerk a lesson, Let's make him pay."

            He'd given her the wand, told her about it coming from a special place on the north shore and taught her the chant. All of this, however, only after she'd held the wand, and, as Monte had said, bonded with it. She'd felt it's heat emanate into hand and fingers, finally feeling it's power flowing into her entire body, filling her with not only with warmth, but a measure of confidence she'd never felt before. It was a good feeling, kind of like curling up under a warm comforter on a cold night.

            Now she watched as that jerk Big Ed marched around the bar in time to, "HUT TWO THREE FOUR! HUT TWO THREE FOUR!" while the place erupted with laughter and cat-calls from not only the customers, but Big Ed's friends as well. It was apparent to Roxy: The magic wand had worked.

            Later that night on her way home from work she stopped to see Monte and thank him.

            "How'd it go," he asked pouring her a cup of coffee. They were sitting in the small living room of the apartment he lived in.

            "Fabulous," Roxy smiled and told him all about all about it; the hut two three fours, and the marching and how everyone laughed at Big Ed. When she was finished, she took a sip from her mug and turned serious, "I have a question, though."

            "What's that?" Monte asked. He was in a really good mood. He was happy things had gone well for his friend. Guys like Big Ed needed to be put in their place and he was glad to have played a small part in helping out. But it was really all Roxy's doing. The wand had uncovered something deep inside of her that she didn't know she had - the power of magic. From now on she didn't have to take crap from anyone anymore.

            "Toward the end the boss came out and told the jerk and his friend to leave and never come back. On his way out the creep called me a witch. I just grinned and tipped my wand at him and didn't bother telling him the spell would wear off in another hour." She laughed, "Let him think he's going to marching around saying 'Hut two three four' for the rest of his life." Her smiled faded, though, as she took Monte's hand and asked, "But, I'm not really a witch, am I? Just because I could chant the words you told me and make him do weird stuff, that doesn't automatically make me a witch, right?"

            Monte was quiet, thinking how to answer. "Well, look what happened tonight. What do you think? Do you think you're a witch?"

            Roxy thought for a moment, forehead furled. Finally she said, "No. I doubt it. I'm just a girl who was sick of getting pushed around and you helped me. You and that magic twig, I mean, wand," she corrected herself and smiled. Then she took the wand out of her purse and handed it to him. "Here. I guess you'll want this back."

            Monte held up his hands, "No. No way. I want you to have it. You'll never know when you might need it again."

            Roxy looked skeptical. Then she grinned, "You sure?"

            "I am. In fact, from now on we'll call it your magic twig. It's all yours. You keep your magic twig handy and you'll never be pushed around again. I guarantee it."

            "All right!" she said, enthusiastically. Then she paused, thinking, and added, "But will you give me more lessons? You know, teach me how to use it to do more magic stuff?"

            Monte was glad Roxy wanted to learn more. Deep down he knew the truth - she really was a witch at heart, she just didn't know it yet. She was going to make a great one.

            "Absolutely. If you want to learn I'll be happy to teach you."         

            Roxy smiled and sipped her coffee. She fell good. The best she'd felt in a long time and if it had to do with the twig and it's magic, so be it. "Great," she said. "When should be get started?"

            He set his mug down, stood up and took her hand, "How about now?"