Many thanks to everyone who entered our competition to have their Halloween Story published in this month’s issue of the Focus. We enjoyed this spooky delight from June Penhelog.
I made my way along the dark wet lane to my cottage with my bag of treats for tonight’s ghostly visitors. It was Halloween and I was well prepared.
I expected my usual callers: Jack the vampire, Bobby the werewolf, Andy the Frankenstein monster, and Rebecca the mummy.
They’d been calling on me ever since I bought this little place, two years ago. I thought it great fun, especially when they pulled off their masks to reveal their smiling faces.
I had bought a nice selection of treats this year and felt sure they’d be delighted. It was already getting dark, so they would be here shortly.
It must seem silly for a person my age to enjoy Halloween so much, but there’s something spooky and funny about it, and I like that.
At exactly seven o’clock, I heard a loud knock at the front door, so I placed Matilda, my black cat, on the floor and headed down the passage.
I could see their shapes and the glow of a lamp. Exciting!
Seeing their faces always gave me a shock. Dracula looked particularly horrible: pretend blood dripping off his fangs, dark hair swept back, eyes red and scary. The other three looked pretty grotesque too, especially the way they shuffled around making monster noises.
Turning to the bag of goodies I removed sufficient treats for all four.
“Now children,” I said, “Let me see your faces.” They peeled off their masks and smiled at me.
“Thank you, Mrs Redman. Lovely treats. See you around.”
I had just settled down again when I heard another loud bang at the door. Who now, I thought.
I opened the door and recoiled in horror. It was the scariest mask I had ever seen. The face appeared half mangled with one eye slimily moving down its cheek. And its teeth didn’t look like teeth, more like greenish-black spikes, and drool oozed over the bulbous lips.
Terrified, I picked up the bag of treats, “Take them all,” I said, pushing them toward its hands.
But there weren’t any.
