Trick or Treat
1 November 07
The darkness outside was thick and turbid and wrapped around the house like a gag. Islands of light cast from shrouded lamps failed utterly to dispel the threat from beyond the thin walls. We tiptoed in silence between rooms for a time, until my companion withdrew completely into her solitude and beneath her muffling sheets. I tried to escape the sounds by retreating to the farthest ends of the house but the echoes of the bells mocked me as I lay with my shaking hands covering my ears hoping that each time was the last time. I endured the shrill sounds of their voices like fingernails dragging across a blackboard and wished with all my heart that I’d remembered to pick up some Halloween candy on the way home.