Halloween Surprises

Madelyn slowly entered through the side gate of St. Rita’s cemetery. She glanced over her shoulder so many times, making sure no one followed her, that her neck ached. As she squinted, searching the seemingly never-ending rows of tombstones, she could make out the outline of her best friend in the dark, Mallory, standing next to a large headstone. She was looking up at a large, stone angel, wings spread, looking down over the grave. Madelyn picked up her pace and quickly reached her friend. Mallory grinned. “You look scared. Do you not want to do this?”

Madelyn sat crossed legged next to the enormous angel. “Of course, I want to do this. If I look scared, it’s because if my dad catches me, he will kill me. Ghosts or serial killers would be the least of my problems.”

“We’re good,” Mallory said. “I’m sure he’s done stuff like this when he was younger. We’re not stealing, vandalizing, or drinking. If he does catch you, which he won’t, he won’t do anything radical. Your dad is cool.”

The night was eerily quiet. The trick or treaters returned home a few hours ago, leaving the entire town quiet once again. Madelyn relaxed and leaned back against the headstone. “This is a bit more boring than I expected. I mean, I didn’t expect ghosts and zombies, but there’s nothing at all going on.”

“I guess you’re right, but I’m pretty sure this is what we expected,” Mallory responded. “I can’t stop thinking about our close call the other day, though. We had enough excitement then to last us quite a while. Maybe it’s a good thing that there’s nothing scary going on here.”

A few days ago, the girls decided to take a different way home from school. It took them fifteen minutes longer to get to their neighborhood, but it was a much more scenic way to walk. The path along the tracks had woods along one side and various flowers lining the other. The excitement Mallory mentioned referred to a choice they made that was a major lapse in judgment they vowed never to make again. On that walk home, Madelyn saw a wild rose bush on the other side of the tracks. Against her better judgment, she pulled Mallory with her, running across the tracks so she could bring wild roses home with her to give her father. She was so excited about her find, she didn’t notice the train coming until it was almost too late. Forgetting all about the roses, Madelyn pulled Mallory to her feet and hugged her, grateful they were together and in one piece.

The girls were so shaken, they didn’t mention the incident to anyone. Now, in the cemetery, it seemed to be at the forefront of their minds. They talked throughout the night, mostly about school, friends, and their near-tragic experience. They talked so much that they almost didn’t notice the sun peeking over the horizon. “I don’t know why,” Madelyn said, “but ever since that happened to us, I’ve been walking around in a blur. I mean, I don’t think I’ve paid attention to much going on around me. I guess it freaked me out more than I first thought.”

“Now that you mention it, same here. I guess we really learned our lesson, huh?”

Madelyn nodded. “Look, the sun is coming up. That went fast. And, there wasn’t anything scary about spending the night here. No zombies or ghosts, but I’m glad we did it. It was nice talking all night long. I guess we should head home before anyone notices we’re gone. If you want, I’ll see if my dad can give me a little money so we can get some breakfast. What do you think?” The girls stood, but before Mallory had a chance to respond, she remained quiet and pointed toward the cemetery entrance. “Uh, oh!”

Madelyn looked at where her friend was pointing. “Oh, crap. My dad. How did he know I was here? I’m sure that no one saw me leave. Great, he looks upset. He’s going to kill me.”

“Don’t panic,” Mallory said. “It’s not the end of the world. True, we should have asked permission first, but other than that, we didn’t do anything terrible.”

Before Madelyn had a chance to think of what she would say to her dad, she stood there and watched as her dad. He didn’t look their way. “Where is he going? Why isn’t he looking at me?” She whispered to Mallory.

“I have no idea. It’s weird, though. How can he not have noticed us yet?”

The two watched as Madelyn’s father turned away from heading in their direction and began walking toward the newer section of the cemetery. They stood in silence, waiting to see what he was doing. He continued toward a few of the newer graves and pulled a bouquet of roses out of his jacket as he approached. Kneeling in front of a random grave, he laid the flowers on top of the headstone. Madelyn pulled her friend along as she walked toward where her dad knelt.

“That’s not where your mom’s grave is, is it, Madelyn?”

“No, since they got divorced, he had her buried back in her home state, near my grandparents,” Madelyn responded as she approached her dad. He didn’t notice them coming up behind him, so they remained quiet as they leaned forward to see what grave he was kneeling before. Madelyn gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth. She clutched her friend as she slowly pointed to the writing on the grave. “Oh, my God, Mallory. What the heck? How is that possible?”

Mallory looked to where Madelyn and her father were looking. “I don’t understand, she said.” She glanced around the cemetery in disbelief, wondering what was happening. That’s when she noticed another tombstone. She slowly turned her head toward Madelyn. “Um, Madelyn, I think I know what’s going on here, and I don’t think it’s a Halloween prank.”

“Well, you’re going to have to explain it to me, then. I’m wondering why my dad is ignoring me right now. I know he hears us behind him. I’m sorry, dad. I shouldn’t have left without asking, but this is an odd joke, even for you, don’t you think?”

“Uh, Madelyn,” Mallory said warily, “I don’t think he’s going to answer you. He’s not pranking you. Look at the names and dates on the tombstone. I don’t think he’d have your name and the dates put on a tombstone just to prank you. Besides, there’s another tombstone over there with my name on it.” She pointed a few rows away.

“What is going on, then?” Madelyn asked, not wanting to admit that she knew the answer.

Mallory turned to face her friend. “I don’t think we were as lucky as we thought the other day on the train tracks.”