I’m the kind of person who starts counting down to Halloween on November 1. Always have been. I could never get enough of the holiday when I was younger, and that’s stayed with me as I’ve gotten older. So you better believe every October, I make it a point to have that house on the block. The one that you can barely see the lawn from how many Halloween decorations there are. Once the leaves start turning, that’s my cue to put out the decorations. And considering how people are always stopping by to take pictures or drive past my house, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Although the one thing I can’t put out until shortly before Halloween itself are the Jack-o’-Lanterns.
Of course, that moment is always a bit bittersweet for me. Because on one hand, carving the pumpkins means Halloween is almost here. But on the other hand, before we know it, Halloween will be over.
But I recently got an idea. Why don’t I carve some pumpkins early? It could be a fun little quirky tradition. Christmas in July is a thing, so why not Jack-o’-Lanterns when summer is in full swing? I saw no reason to not try it, so I went off to get some pumpkins. Finding them in the summer isn’t as easy as other times in the year, but in the modern era, finding stuff out of season has never been easier. So once I was able to find some pumpkins, it was just a question of how many I wanted.
I decided on five. Then I paid for the pumpkins, bought some candles to go with them, and brought the stuff home. All that was left was to decide when to carve them and then get down to work. I decided to do it that weekend because we were due for a nasty storm.
Sure enough, the weekend came, and the storm arrived right on schedule, and it was intense. This was no quick summer downpour that lasts 10 minutes and then it’s over. It rained all day, and it didn’t take long for there to be flooding in the area. The sky was an overcast grey, and I didn’t feel like going anywhere, so that was my cue to start carving pumpkins.
By now I’ve done it a million times, so I’m well practiced at it. Which means it wasn’t long before I had hollowed out the first one and was working on etching a face into the pumpkin’s surface. This part was definitely way harder than hollowing out a pumpkin, but I’ve practiced this enough as well to the point where I’m not horrible at carving a face, but I’m still nowhere near the amazing artist that some people are at this. That’s the one Halloween thing I haven’t mastered. Yet.
So my first one turned into a generic spooky face with a twisted grin. It’s simple, but a classic. So then I got started on the second one. This one I turned into a happy face with a genuine smile. The other three I tried different things with, but they just ended up being variations of the first two. But that didn’t bother me a bit. I always enjoyed the process, and they all truly become something special once you light the candles.
Which is exactly what I did after that. Then I placed them inside the pumpkins, turned off the light in my kitchen, and stood back to admire the effect. It made me smile. As it always does. So now all that was left was for me to take them outside one by one and arrange them.
My house is a small two-story building, but it comes with a comfortable front porch. That’s where I put some of the pumpkins once I’ve turned them into Jack-o’-Lanterns, along with on the three stone steps leading up to my porch. So I arranged them and stood back to admire my handiwork as the rain thudded on the roof and filled the streets. It was a nice effect, because the pumpkins and the candles within them stood out starkly amongst the grey, wet atmosphere. And thanks to my porch roof, which extended all the way to the first stone step, it kept me dry, and gave me a great view of the entire street.
With that done, I went inside to enjoy the rest of my evening. I had some ravioli with tomato sauce and salad for dinner and treated myself to some red velvet cake for dessert. Then I watched a movie on TV. Just before I went to bed, I stepped back outside to blow out the candles inside the pumpkins. The clouds in the sky made it seem extra dark outside, and after the intense rain, the air was muggy and humid. As a result, the candles in the Jack-o’-Lanterns seemed to shimmer in the intense humidity, and the orange glow seemed incredibly pronounced. For just a moment, I was briefly transported to a crisp October night.
But just as I was about to extinguish the candles, I noticed something. My porch light and the candles revealed what looked like footprints leading to and away from my front door. The heavy rain and the water it left standing everywhere meant that if you went walking tonight, you’d be leaving wet footprints everywhere, and thanks to the intense humidity, those footprints wouldn’t immediately dry.
So there I was, staring at a set of footprints that arrived at my door, then went away. I just shrugged it off and chuckled. No doubt someone wanted to come for a closer look at my Jack-o’-Lanterns. Probably to take a picture or two. Well they got a look just in time because I extinguished the candles, went back inside, and headed to bed without a moment’s hesitation.
I got up the next morning, had some breakfast, then went about my day. After spending time with my family, I came home, put away the leftovers from our meal together, and read a book on the couch. After a while, I had a snack and since it was dark enough out, I went out on my front porch and lit the candles in the Jack-o’-Lanterns. Then I stood back to admire the sight for a moment until I went back inside and returned to my book. The intense humidity had lessened a bit, but was still high, so I stayed indoors to read instead of sitting on the porch like I often did.
When it was time for me to head to bed, I went back out to extinguish the candles. The sight of candles inside the Jack-o’-Lanterns flickering away against the thick night sky was striking. I took it in for a moment before one by one, the candles were out, and all that was left was a tiny wave of smoke billowing from each one.
I was just about to turn around and go back inside when I looked down the street and saw someone. Despite all the bright streetlamps positioned at every interval, I couldn’t see quite as clearly as usual, as the person was standing far away, and the humidity still lingered in the air and gave everything a haze. But even from that distance, I could’ve sworn that whoever was there was watching me. And I couldn’t be sure, but I thought the person was wearing some kind of costume.
But then a car drove down the street, and when the car passed the spot where the person had been standing, there was no one there. So I went back in the house, turned off the lights, and went to sleep. The next day went by without incident, and I arrived home from work at my usual time. It was a bright sunny day, but not quite as humid as it was, so that was nice.
After I lit all the candles in the Jack-o’-Lanterns, I ordered some pizza for dinner. Then I watched some TV until it arrived. Right on schedule, my doorbell rang.
My pizza had been delivered by a guy in his mid-20s. When he told me the price, I handed him the money with a nice tip, told him to keep the change, and he gave me my pizza.
“Love the Jack-o’-Lanterns by the way,” he told me just as I was about to close the door.
“Thanks.”
“And I don’t think I’m the only one who likes them. I saw a few people running by just as I was about to pull up. They were in costume too, so I think you started a trend.”
I laughed. “Maybe. We’ll see if it lasts. Thanks again for the pizza.”
“Sure. You have a good night.”
Then I went inside, put on a movie, and had my pizza and some ice cream for dessert. I didn’t feel tired, but at some point, I nodded off and woke up to the sound of knocking at my front door. I quickly checked my phone, and saw it was 10:15. Then I headed to my front door.
Whoever was at my door knocked again just as I was about to answer it. But just before I did, I looked through the peephole and saw someone dressed as a vampire standing on the other side of the door.
The sight made me chuckle.
I was still chuckling when I unlocked the door and opened it. I have a screen door that also locks, so it provided another barrier between me and the guy in a vampire costume. Now I could see it was a guy in his early 20s. And his costume looked more elaborate than the typical one you get in a bag at the costume store, and his makeup looked carefully done. And he was holding a candy bag in front of him.
“Trick or Treat!” He called out enthusiastically a moment after I opened the door.
I didn’t answer at first, but I laughed.
“I love it!” I said as I took in the sight of the costume. I had to laugh at the initiative. If I could carve pumpkins and put them outside this time of year, I couldn’t help but admire someone doing this.
The guy in the vampire costume hadn’t said anything else, but he looked at me expectantly, the bag held out in front of him.
“Please give me one minute, I’ll be right back. I promise.” I said sincerely before I closed the main door and went to the kitchen. I always had plenty of candy, so it wasn’t hard for me to get some miniature chocolate bars, some individually wrapped mints, and some peanut butter chocolates and get back to the door in a minute.
When I opened the door again, the guy in the vampire costume hadn’t moved an inch, but he held his bag up expectantly as he saw me with the candy in hand. He stood back as I opened the screen door and placed all the candy in his bag. I thought he deserved a lot of candy for effort.
“Here you are,” I said as I placed the candy in the plastic bag. “You look great!”
“Thank you.” He nodded respectfully as the last piece of candy fell into the bag. “Happy Halloween.”
“You too!”
Then he turned around, walked off my porch, and headed down the block and out of sight without saying a word. I took the opportunity to blow out the Jack-o’-Lantern candles before I went back inside. I was still laughing at the guy asking for candy. In all honesty, I was surprised more people hadn’t done that.
The rest of the week passed without anything noteworthy happening. In fact, I was so busy at work I didn’t have time to think about much of anything. I had been staying late, and I hadn’t had time to light the Jack-o’-Lanterns by the time I got home. It was Friday afternoon by the time I could think about something other than work, and I immediately kicked myself mentally when I looked at my house and saw the pumpkins. Thanks to the summer heat, the pumpkins, which never lasted that long when carved to begin with, were not doing well at all, and this would probably be the last night before I had to throw them out. But it was fun while it lasted. So I went inside to get the lighter to light the candles, and just managed to get them all lit.
Then I went back inside and made myself some dinner. Exhausted from my long week, I fell asleep on the couch and woke up later to knocking on my door. I briefly checked the time, saw it was past nine, and went to see who it was.
A look out the peephole told me it was more people in Halloween costumes, but this time, the sight gave me a shiver. There were five of them, and when I opened the door, I immediately felt uneasy. They were dressed as a clown, a witch, a skeleton, a doctor, and a ghost. They looked to be about the same age as the guy in the vampire costume, but that was where the similarities stopped. The entire mood was different from last time. There was a feeling of tenseness in the air that I could sense the moment I saw them through the locked screen door. The guy in the vampire costume was quiet but I could tell he had a sense of fun. I could feel the five of them intently studying me. I had no idea what they were looking for, but I didn’t like it.
The clown had his face painted in a wide, eerie grin that looked right at me as I looked at them through the screen door. I stood there silently for a moment, watching them watching me.
“Trick or treat!” They all called out in unison from my front porch.
“Hi,” I smiled at them with what I hoped was a convincing smile. “I’ll be right back with some candy for you all.”
Then I immediately closed the door again. I could still feel their presence on the other side, their gaze still looking at me. Despite my best efforts, I could feel myself start to panic. The vampire costume had been good, but these costumes were creepy good. Too good to have gotten on a whim from a store or put together at the last minute as a simple joke on me. I tried to convince myself it was all in good fun, but it all felt off. I knew something was up. I just didn’t know what to do about it.
I was halfway to the kitchen when I looked out the window overlooking the street and saw the clown and the ghost had moved off the porch and were watching me from the kitchen window. I almost shouted out loud in shock, but immediately tried to play it off with a smile like I knew they were just joking and pointed for them to go back to the porch so I could give them their candy. After what felt like an eternity, I watched them go back around to the front of the house.
That made me feel a bit better. But just a bit. Because inside, I was now in full blown panic mode. What were the other three doing? Were they lurking in my backyard, waiting for me? Or were they trying to sneak in the back of my house? My stomach lurched as I thought this might all be a diversion, and that while the five of them distracted me, someone might be trying to break in my house another way. What was I supposed to do? What would I tell people if I called for help? Despite the fear, I felt myself take a bowl from the cabinet and stuff it with plenty of candy. Then, I went to the counter and took a knife out of the drawer. I was just about to start walking back to the front door when I heard two dull thuds come from the porch in quick succession.
I willed myself to go to the front door, and after I took a deep breath, I looked out the peephole.
There was nothing there.
I slowly opened the door, still holding the knife, and braced myself.
Everything was quiet, and the five people in costume were gone. And the entire mood felt different. So I took another deep breath, unlocked the screen door, and slowly set foot on my porch.
After a moment, I noticed something. Two of my Jack-o’-Lanterns had finally reached the end and had crumpled to the ground. The candles inside had been extinguished, and the smell of smoke lingered in the air. Meanwhile, the candles in two of the others had finally burnt out, so only one candle remained illuminated.
Or at least it did until I extinguished it a moment later. Then, after I checked my whole house and yard to make sure there was no one in a costume waiting to surprise me, I scooped up the remains of the pumpkins and tossed them in the garbage.
I slept horribly, but nothing happened. And the people in costume didn’t come back. I still love Halloween, but I’ll definitely hold off on carving pumpkins until fall gets here.