Halloween Fright

Winter gripped her younger siblings’ hands tightly, walking them quickly down the sidewalk and towards the next house. People were coming at them from all angles, and Winter wasn’t about to lose these kids. They reached the next house’s driveway, and Rowan pulled away from her older sister, racing up to the front door. This prompted Jackson to do the same, and Winter had to jog after them. The twins held out their plastic pumpkins, and the plump lady at the door dropped candy in. The lady’s toddler peered out from behind her, and Winter smiled at her gently. The twins examined the candy they had been given, and then beamed up at the lady.

“Thank you!” They chorused. 

The woman chuckled, and Winter took her siblings by the hands once again. She looked at them, and they smiled up at her sheepishly. Rowan swished her long princess skirt around her legs.

“What did I say about running away from me?” She questioned.

“Don’t do it..” Rowan mumbled.

Winter nodded, and the kids apologized. Winter couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s okay, guys, just don’t do it again.”

The twins grinned and the three of them set off to the next house. 

Throughout the course of the night, the children visited dozens of houses. At each house, they got a heaping handful of candy, and would then skip off to the next driveway. 

By around 9 o’clock at night, Winter was getting tired. They had been walking through this neighborhood for several hours, and watching the twins was exhausting her. She stopped walking, forcing the children to stop and look back at their sister. She bent down to their height and spoke to them quietly.

“Okay, guys. We’re gonna start walking home now,” She said.

The twins groaned and stomped their feet on the pavement. They began whining at her, and Winter rolled her eyes. She was way too young for this. 

“Winty.. Can we please do this next piece of road, and then stop?” Jackson conjured up his best puppy dog eyes.

Winter sighed. He knew she couldn’t resist, between the begging eyes and cute nickname. She stood up and nodded. The twins cheered loudly, and began to bounce towards the next house. Winter trudged behind them, her feet aching. They visited three more houses, and then the twins noticed something. 

“Fiona! Tyler!” They squealed, pointing across the street. The children they were referencing waved frantically and motioned the twins over. Before Winter could stop them, the twins dashed over to the other side of the road. The four children ran off together, disappearing into the darkness. Winter ran after them, but she was too late. They were already engulfed in the crowd of trick or treaters. Winter began screaming. She yelled out their names, looking at each child who passed frantically. 

People stared at Winter, confused, and then a woman ran up.

“Are you looking for the twins?” She asked, seeming distressed.

Winter looked at her, and realized that this was Fiona and Tyler’s mother. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. 

The woman’s face fell, and she looked panic-stricken. That’s when Winter realized how serious this was becoming. The woman, who Winter recognized as her mother’s friend Mrs. Hunts, grabbed her hand. They began looking for the children, continuing to yell their names. By this point, other people had realized what was happening, and everyone was looking for them. Since it was nine o’clock, it was completely dark, and the only noises that could be heard were the names of the children echoing throughout the neighborhood. 

Fifteen minutes later, they were still searching. Desperate, Mrs. Hunts took out her cell phone and called the police. Winter was in a full-blown panic, and was thinking the worst. The police assured they would be at the neighborhood within ten minutes, and Mrs. Hunts hung up to continue searching for her children.

The entire neighborhood had been combed over, and people began to drift into the woods. No one wanted to believe they were in there, but where else could they be? The police showed up within minutes, and they all ventured into the dark woods, calling for the children. Winter was sobbing, so panicked that people told her she wasn’t allowed to search. One of the house owners invited Winter into her home, and made her a cup of warm tea. Winter wrapped herself up in a blanket and called her parents. She explained the situation, and they were there almost immediately. They checked in on Winter, and then went out to search.

While everyone was searching, Winter watched the clock. 11:13, 11:14, 11:15. She felt numb. She had just lost her younger siblings. What if they never showed back up? Eventually, Winter’s thoughts tired her out. The young girl’s eyes drooped, and she drifted off. Her dreams were terrifying, full of images about what could be happening to her siblings. She slept for hours, and no one bothered her. She was only twelve, they all thought. Let her rest. 

In the early morning hours, Winter was woken up by screaming and cheering. She looked around groggily, taking a moment to realize where she was. She glanced at the clock. 2:23.

She stood up, stretched, and hurried onto the porch to see why it was so loud. There, standing out in the street, were her parents and siblings. The twins’ costumes were twisted and dirty, and their hair was full of leaves and twigs. She gasped, and sprinted over to them. Her parents backed up, and Winter threw her arms around the twins. She sobbed into their hair, and they let her for a moment, before pulling away. She let go of them, and they looked at her weirdly.

“We were just playing hide and seek, Winter,” Jackson explained. 

Rowan nodded. “Yea, and no one came to find us. How rude!” She crossed her arms sassily.

Winter laughed tearily, and pulled them back into her arms. They leaned into her, and at that moment she made a vow to herself. There is no way she’s ever taking them trick-or-treating again.