When I was a kid, I used to love Halloween. Not for the candy, because I was a picky eater and only liked a few kinds… but more for the costumes and the fact that sometimes I’d see things that other people didn’t. I didn’t know until years later that they didn’t see these things too, I just assumed they did.
I used to talk about the people dressed up in really old clothes, or the people who looked dead, or other things and no one would know what I was talking about. I figured they just never saw these people because they were busy or looking somewhere else.
Anyway, Halloween was fun until I was 13 and celebrated it for the last time. I had been working on my costume for about three months and I was very excited about it.
I’d found some black fabric and with my Mom’s help, I’d turned it into a hooded cloak that was long enough to completely cover my feet… bulky enough to not show what was underneath it… and the hood part was deep enough to completely hide my face. With it on, if I looked into the mirror, I could only see my mouth and chin… everything else was just darkness.
I also carved and polished a dead tree limb until it looked like a wizard’s staff… stained it black… then carved a notch in it and inserted a cardboard scythe head wrapped in aluminum foil.
See where I’m going here?
I painted my face bone white with some face paint my Mom bought me and wore some black gloves with white skeletal fingers she sewed on for me.
Yup… I was going as Death.
I thought it was the coolest idea ever and I thought I looked great. I even went so far as to wear my darkest black t-shirt and black sweatpants under the cloak so even if they did see through it… all they’d see is darkness.
It was perfect.
I said bye to my Mom around 6:30 and headed out. I lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone else and you felt pretty safe about going anywhere. There wasn’t any real worry about drugged candy or weird people grabbing you. It was great.
I started off in the apartment complex where I lived and hit every apartment I could. The first dozen or so just handed me candy and shut the door… not saying anything. I figured… they were so much in awe of my Death costume that they couldn’t speak.
Yeah… I was that kid.
It was when I got the one of the apartments on the end of the complex that I realized the beginning of my suffering. The door opened and a middle aged mom smiled at me and said the words I would hear so many times that night.
“Oh… don’t you look good. You’re dressed up like that Willow character, aren’t you?”
The first time it happened, I just shook my head and in as deep a voice as possible said…
“I’m Death…”
They’d laugh and just close the door after giving me some candy. To be honest, I figured it was just a one time thing… until it happened again… and again… and again.
Two dozen times and I was fuming. Willow came out in 1988 and the movie was already more than a year old by then. Why did everyone think I was Willow. I mean, I know I was short but come on… I’m not THAT short?!
I left the complex and moved out into the surrounding neighborhoods. I began to feel a little better when the comments turned into more generic characters… but still, it was a bunch of wizard comments. I mean really? What wizard walks around with skeletal hands and a scythe… a FREAKING SCYTHE!
I wandered around until my sack was full and I was so fed up with everyone having no clue who I was or laughing in my face when I told them. I’d had enough and headed home.
I got home and the lights were off so I assumed Mom was asleep or out somewhere. I dumped my bag of candy on the kitchen table, grabbed another one and figured Id head back out to see if I missed anyone.
As I stepped outside, I noticed everything seemed a bit more quiet. The air, which had been a little chilly before, now seemed wet and really cold. Fog had rolled in out of nowhere and everything looked really cool.
I just stood there in the courtyard and smiled at how much it looked like a horror movie now.
“This is awesome…”
Heading out to check some of the people who didn’t answer their doors… and some I skipped over because the crowds were too thick… I stumbled upon a kid dressed like Dracula. The guy looked to be maybe six or seven years old and all by himself.
His costume was great. Old style clothes from decades ago, his skin was pale from makeup or something, his hair was short and slicked back… and his eyes looked so weird. The kid… or whoever made his costume… was a genius.
It was then I got a little worried. The kid was all by himself. I mean, it’s like close to 9:00 now and I know the town was relaxed about things… but not when you’re six.
Walking over to him, I caught his attention. He looked at me and his eyes went wide. Not with fear though… more like recognition.
“Death…”
I just smiled at this kid. Finally… someone knew who I was. The biggest grin crossed my face and I was determined to get this kid as much candy as possible.
“You hit many places yet?”
He shook his head no and I grinned… my teeth shining as moonlight came out from behind some clouds and lit up my hood.
“Cool… I’m taking you trick or treating then.”
The kid grinned and followed me as I took him around the complex. I asked him if he was new, as I’d never seen him before and I knew all the kids. He didn’t answer me. I shrugged it off, figuring the kid was nervous.
We came to the first few places and a lot of them didn’t answer, but the ones who did just handed me some candy and moved to close the door.
“Hey wait a minute.. what about Dracula here?”
They looked at me funny and closed the door. This happened so many times and each time, it got more annoying. It was really starting to piss me off.
“These assholes sure are being stingy.”
I turned to the kid, who was frowning now, and crouched down next to him.
“Hey Drac… don’t worry about it. I got a ton of candy back at my place. Why don’t we head back there, I’ll split my candy with you then I’ll walk you home. Sound good?”
The kids nodded, looking much happier now and I led him back to my apartment. As we got close, I could see the lights were on.
“Give me a second to grab my stash. I left it on the table.”
He nodded as I walked inside and grabbed my bag of candy off the table. My mom was watching TV and asked what I was doing.
“Gonna split my candy with this little kid I found. Everyone was being mean to him and wouldn’t give him any.”
My mom smiled and kissed my head as she walked into the kitchen.
“Tell him to head on home, it’s late.”
I nodded and told her I was going to walk him home then be right back. I headed outside and saw Dracula looking around nervously. I walked over to him and handed him my first sack of candy.
“Here you go… now, where do you live? My mom said to walk you home cause it’s getting late.”
The kid just looked at me and looked nervous. He pointed to somewhere outside the complex and I nodded.
“Ok… give me a sec to let my mom know and we’ll leave.”
I turned my head to look at the door when I noticed it was open and my mom was staring at me.
“Who are you talking to… and where is the little boy?”
I looked at my mom, wondering what was wrong with her.
“He’s right here…”
I looked back at the kid… but he was gone. My sack of candy was on the ground and there was no one in sight.
“Where’d he go?”
My mom walked over to me and looked around.
“Where did who go, honey? I followed you outside and you were by yourself… talking to no one. You took your bag of candy, held it out, then dropped it and turned to talk to me.”
I just stared at her.
“No… I handed it to the little kid dressed as Dracula. Didn’t you see him?”
My mom looked at me funny and placed her hand on my forehead.
“You don’t have a fever… but honey… you were the only person out here. Now… where is the boy so I can drive him home?”
I didn’t know what to say. He was right here… but mom didn’t see him. He couldn’t have run off because I was talking to him when she watched me drop the candy.
“I guess he ran off or something.”
My mom frowned but when she saw the look on my face, she just wrapped her arms around me and herded me inside.
“I’ll ask around tomorrow and see who he was. It’s late and you need to head off to bed.”
I nodded and walked inside after picking up the sack of candy.
The next day, Mom asked around and no one knew who the kid was. She asked the neighbors that I went to with him… and they all said I had been alone.
They said I kept asking about candy for Dracula… but there was no one there, so they thought I was just being funny. Mom just thanked them and dropped it.
When she got home she had me go over everything that happened one more time and I told her. It didn’t make sense to me but Mom just laughed and shrugged.
“Maybe he was a ghost? It’s as good an explanation as any.”
With that said, she dropped it and moved on. I just sat there, eyes wide with fear. I’d gone as Death… and took a kid ghost trick or treating. The very idea bothered me so much… I tossed my candy in the trash.
That was the last time I celebrated Halloween… the night I went trick or treating… with a ghost.