A Commune Away by Epheny Saffron

“Hey Almond, where did you find this colorful bucket?” He said, grabbing the flexible bucket and dumping small plastic containers onto the floor.

“Dad, that’s a lunch box!” Almond said laughing. “Sofia gave it to me. She said it was sad I didn’t already have one.” She walked over to the island and tore the lunch box from its placement.

“Well?” her Dad said, asking for an explanation. “Ehem! What the heck is this lunch box thing for?” 

“It's for carrying your lunch!” Almond said, matter of factly.

“Wow! People got lazy!” her Dad said, kneading dough to make his morning rye.

“See ya Dad. I’m gonna be late.” Almond shouted over her shoulder while snatching her backpack from the one silver hook her Dad had managed to put on the wall.

“Wait! Do you have to go to the child prison? Ms. CaVolli won’t stop calling me Neighbor. I’m Anwll Overlynn, not Neighbor!” her Dad said annoyed, begging for Almond to stay home from school.

“Sorry, Dad. Peace!” Almond said, shutting the door leaving her Dad to himself.

“A piece of what?” he said, confused.

🎃Six hours later🎃

He put his hands on a cardboard box sitting in the corner of the kitchen and started pushing it towards the living room. His back bent down as he moved with the box, sweat leaking through his shirt, dripping passed his hairline. Then he took his light blue scissors and made a thin slit through the duct tape keeping the box closed. He carefully opened the box, hoping that he would be able to reuse it if he didn’t ripe the corners. 

“Guess what! Halloween is next week!” Almond said smiling, as she burst through the door, back from school. 

“Well good evening to you too!” her Dad said sarcastically. 

“Daddy can I go? Can I please go?” Almond begged, while setting her lunch box in the kitchen.

“Almond, I have no idea what Halloween is. We didn’t celebrate Halloween on the commune.” her Dad said, walking over the Almond.

“But Mom would have wanted me to try Halloween. You’ ve always said that Mom loved to try new things, so why can’t we?” 

“I know, I know. But Halloween could be dangerous. Your Mom and I were born on the commune, grew up on the commune, met on the commune, you were even born on the commune. When I had to take you to Idho without her, I thought I couldn’t do it. I thought that there was no way I could possibly raise you right. But your Mom got sick and we both knew that she wouldn’t survive a boat ride. I had to take you on my own and start a life that you and I could both handle.” her Dad said as Almond laid her head on his chest. “I decided to move to the hills of Idaho where I homeschooled you and took care of you at home, I thought it was the best thing I could do. But when I got the job of Administrative Coordinator for Forest Therapy Guides, I was scared for what was going to happen to us in the city of Seattle. Last month, I didn’t even know what toilet paper was! I’m supposed to be your leader and I don’t know any more than you do about living in the city.” he said, quietly laughing. Almond looked up at him with a warm grin.

“Oh, Daddy. You're doing a great job! I know you're trying, but maybe you should stop trying and start learning.” Almond said as she burst into laughter. 

“What? How rude!” her Dad said, trying hard to look offended. Then they were both laughing hard, their ribs shaking.

“So Dad. Can you at least consider taking me trick or treating?” Almond said laying on the floor of the kitchen, her Dad laying next to her.

“Wait a minute. I thought you wanted to make Halloween.” her Dad said confused.

“Dad. You don’t make Halloween. You dress up and eat candy.” Almond said, giggling. 

“Well. What do you wanna be?” her Dad said, implying that she was allowed to participate in the Halloween activities. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Almond squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Sofia and I are going to be possessed angels.” Almond said, now on her feet. “It’s going to be amazeballs!” Almond happily.

“Amazeballs? Now that’s gotta be made up!” He said quietly to himself.

 “And don’t worry, I'm going to Sofia’s house tomorrow to make costumes so you don’t need to buy anything. Is it okay that we trick or treat with Sofia’s family?” Almond asked, too excited to silence herself. 

“Huh, sure. But what is Trick of Treating? Does it have anything to do with those pranks that you started talking about last week because that ink bomb really messed up my car, Almond?” her Dad asked laughing.

“No Dad, it has nothing to do with pranks. You're gonna love it.” Almond said, smiling. She skipped off to her room, ecstatic about her first Halloween. Her Dad ran his hand through his hair, wondering what the heck he was getting himself into. Then he went over to the computer in the kitchen, searching for a costume worth wearing for this “Halloween”. He scrolled through Superman and Black Panther, Bill Nye and M&M’s then he saw the costume that would surely represent himself. He wasn’t going to be Mother Nature, he was going to be Father Nature!

🎃 Two Days Later: Halloween Night 🎃

Almond snatched her Halloween trick or treating bag from the counter and was out the door within seconds. Her Dad was close behind, making sure his leaf halo didn’t fall off and his night gown-like dress didn’t look too baggy. He shut the door, set his keys in his pocket and stepped away from the house to meet Sofia’s family at the corner of Stone Bris. He awkwardly greeted Sofia’s parents and explained his costume.

“Yes, uh I’m Father Nature. You know, like Mother Nature.” Sofia’s parents SuperMan and Wonder Woman nodded quickly and glanced towards one another, secretly judging his strange costume. 

“And what are you two? Scandia guards?” he asked.

“Very funny!” Sofia’s Dad replied, annoyed. 

“No really. I have no idea what you guys are supposed to be.” Almond’s Dad said, with a straight face. 

“Oh wait. Wait a minute.” Almond’s Dad paused, thinking hard. “Oh! Your the, uh... SuperMunch I saw on the computer I saw two days ago when I was looking for my costume!” he said pointing at Sofia’s Dad. Almond, Sofia, and Sofia’s little brother Johnny looked at the adults frowning. They shook their heads as if they were disappointed.

“Okay, okay. Come on, let's trick or treat already!” Sofia said, pushing her parents away from Almond’s Dad. 

Sofia, Almond, and Johnny were ahead chatting away while their parents walked behind in silence. They were almost at the first house when Sofia and Johnny’s Dad broke the silence.

“I’m Christopher Deken.” he said, reaching out his gloved hand.

“And I’m Paris Deken.” Sofia’s Mom said nodding.

“Oh, uh… I’m Anwll Overlynn. Nice to meet you.” Almond’s Dad said smiling under his light green face paint. “I heard your daughter has been very nice to Almond. We just moved here from the hills of Idaho for my job.” Anwll said.

“Oh, what job?” Paris asked.

“I’m an Administrative Coordinator for Forest Therapy Guides.” Anwll said, smiling.

“So you're interested in helping nature?” Chris asked him.

“Well I was born and raised on a commune so naturally nature has always been my thing.” Anwll said, fixing his halo and adjusting his scarf crafted from thin vines.

“A commune! Wow! That sounds interesting!” Chris said, shocked.

“Oh it really was. We learned how to make medicine, stick tents, and the holidays were so beautiful. We even learned how to fight off everything from a mouse to a Shortfin Mako, or a Lightfoot Crab to a Box Jellyfish. It has been helping me to this day, actually. I feel like I can handle things that, AAH.” Anwll shrieked running to Almond, bringing her toward him.

“What is it Dad?” Almond asked, looking around for anything alarming.

“What’s wrong Mr. Overlynn?” Johnny asked, concerned. 

“What is that… that thing on that house?!” he said pointing to some skeletons emerging from a rooftop with fake blood all over them.

“Dad that’s fake. It's just decorations.” Almond said laughing at his foolishness. Anwll let go of Almond, backed away, and smoothed his costume.

“What happened to flower reefs?” Anwll complained quietly.

The five of them came upon the first decorated house. Sofia, Almond, and Johnny’s eyes were wide as they approached a large red house that was going to give them candy. The girls walked up to the house, Chris close behind them. Paris stood just before the path leading up to the house hugging her oversized coat with Anwll, looking too afraid to do anything.

“Trick or treat.” The three said in unison.

“Why hello girls and boys, I’m Mrs. Robynson and that’s my husband Mr. Robynson.” A fresh looking elderly woman said, pointing towards a tall man sitting in a rocking chair smiling back at them.

“Hello, I’m Almond and this is my friend Sofia and her brother Johnny! Where both possessed angels and he’s a Werewolf!” Almond explained. 

“Oh how wonderful! Would you like some candy?” Mrs. Robynson asked, a soft tone escaping her thin, light pink lips. Sofia nodded enthusiastically as the woman reached towards her overstuffed candy bowl.

“Mh!” Johnny groaned as his eyes caught sight of the bowl.

“Take as many as you’d like. I have plenty.” The three looked at each other thrilled at Mrs. Robynson’s words and grinned as wide as their lips would spread. They immediately headed for the nerds, then sour patch kids, then airheads. Sour always comes first. They each grabbed about nine pieces, thanked Mrs. Robynson, and turned back to their parents laughing.

“Dad. That was ah-maz-ing!” Almond said, stretching out amazing. Her smile quickly faded as she saw her Dad’s steaming face.

“That was horrible! What are you talking about?! That’s insane! Who in their right mind walks up to strangers house’s as possessed angel’s and Werewolves asking for candy at eight o'clock at night?!” Anwll's said, his voice scratchy and frolicsome. Paris and Chris panicked at what to do, what to say.

“Anwll it’s perfectly safe. This is a day where asking for candy in costume is acceptable. It’s Halloween.” Paris said, touching his arm lightly.

“So you people have done this before? Let me guess some strange annual thing!” Anwll said sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air.

“Um, actually it is an annual thing.” Chris said.

“Oh… oh, okay.” Anwll said, the light green skin on his cheeks going pink. Almond looked over at him with an effulgent smile shining on her bloody angel-like face.

“Dad, I should have explained everything to you when you asked. It’s not your fault you freaked out, I mean, if I were you I would have freaked out too.” Almond said, trying to comfort her Dad. “Well, maybe.” She said laughing.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Anwll said, bringing her into a hug.

“Thanks, possessed angel.” Anwll grinning, as he wrapped his silk cape around Almond. 

“Come on you guys, join us!” Almond laughed, inviting everyone into the hug. Paris, Chris, Sofia wrapped themselves around Almond and Anwll bringing the warmth with them. 

“Howoooo!” Johnny jumped out from behind a bush howling like a Werewolf.

“Today’s the day! Today’s the day!” Anwll screamed, closing his eyes while he shoved Almond in front.

“Johnny, you're gonna give the poor man a heart attack.” Paris said, backing away from the hug. Everyone burst into laughter including Anwll, as they started walking towards the next house.

“Okay, next house is Ms. CaVolli’s.” Sofia said, wiping her eyes of her happy tears.

“Oh no. Neighbor no!” Anwll said, stopping in his tracks looking unprepared.

“Come on Dad. Ms. CaVolli has candy! You know you can’t argue with that don’t you Dad?” Almond asked, trying to persuade him.

“Well… let's eat candy!”