One Scary Night

     “I hope we’ll get lots of candy floss!” Pealightfull said excitedly.

     Acraim shook her head and said, “be grateful for whatever candy they give you, and don’t be greedy!” She was a few years older and felt responsible for him, and didn’t want to appear rude to the citizens of the Haunted Woods on this special night.

     She was nervous, too. While they’d gone trick-or-treating before, they normally stuck to their neighbourhood. This would be the first time making the trek to the Haunted Woods, which felt a lot scarier. Their friends had told them that there was a lot of great candy and decorations to be found there, though, and they felt old enough to finally give it a chance. They had spent a lot of time and effort on their costumes as well, and were very proud of the results. Pealightfull had sewn himself a cape to become a Super Attack Pea, whereas Acraim had made use of her glowing skin to turn herself into a bubbling Toxic Waste Barrel.

     Their costumes were ready and stitched tight, their candy bags grasped with closed fists, and their sheer determination shone bright through the eerie atmosphere of the Haunted Woods. It was time to go.

     They had heard stories of one crowning house which gave out all of the best candy during every year’s Halloween celebrations. It was at the end of the street, around the corner and up a small hill, which was shrouded by dead shrubbery all year round. The fog never seemed to lift, even during the summertime when the sun shone brightly elsewhere. This house was their one goal, and every other house they visited on their journey was just progress towards their ultimate prize.

     They both turned to look into each other’s eyes before walking out onto the road. Glassy with both fear and excitement, they each knew that they would protect each other no matter what the night brought. Pealightfull may be small, but his looks are deceiving, and this was not the night he would turn to mush.

     They made their way down onto the road and joined the mass of other Neopets and Neopians who were also out trick-or-treating, dressed in their favourite spooky costumes. They passed an Eliv Thade, quite a number of Jhudora’s, a Jazan, some Gilly’s and even an array of Varwolf variations since that seemed to be the hot pet this year!

     Their night started off with no unpleasantries and they even managed to visit a number of houses who allowed them to take as much candy as they wanted to stuff into their Halloween Candy Bags. Once they got to the end of the street and turned the corner, the sound of laughter and voices abruptly stopped. They turned around to look over their shoulders and could still see the others behind them, but no other Neopet had turned the corner to visit the house on the hill. They were on their own now.

     Their brisk walk slowed right down, and even though they weren’t doing it intentionally, they could feel the weight of the night over them. The street lights slowly dissipated as they walked on, and within moments, they felt completely alone. They looked back again but the sight of the others had been covered by a dense tree line.

     “Wh ... where did those trees come from? I don’t remember passing them as we walked down this path”, stammered Pealightfull.

     “I don’t remember seeing them either, but let’s keep going. We shouldn’t stay on this path longer than we have to” expressed Acraim, with a sense of urgency in her voice.

     They kept walking forward in the direction they thought the house was in, but they’d lost sight of that, too. They were surrounded by a dark forest, filled with tall trees and creaky branches. The only thing they could hear was the crunch of the dead twigs underneath their feet and the thumping of their hearts in their chests. They didn’t say anything to each other but knew they both shared the same dreaded feeling.

     A twig snapped behind them. They both spun around, startled and on the verge of running. Their fear had frozen them both still. They stared into the darkness and could not make anything out, squinting to try and see into the fog that surrounded them.

     Before long, big green eyes peered back at them and cut through the fog with acute sharpness. The air was uncomfortably still, but a low rumble began filling their ears, growing louder as the beast took steps closer. It seemed to be walking on hind legs, and was much taller than both of them. The grumble turned into a snarl, and the beast was now close enough for its razorlike fangs to glisten under the moonlight.

     Acraim and Pealightfull stood frozen, sweat pooling on their brows and their skin clammy with terror.

     “We need to run, NOW” Acraim whispered fiercely.

     She scooped Pealightfull up in her paws and bolted in the other direction. She did not know where she was going, but knew they were in danger. She ran as if her life depended on it, when then she decided to turn off from the path into the forest for some cover. She found a large shrub which was big enough to cover both of them. There they sat, Acraim gasping for breath but trying to stay quiet at the same time.

     The beast was not far behind them, because it too stepped off from the path and followed their trail straight into the forest. It crept up slowly, nose close to the ground and talons crunching the forest floor. The moon peeked out from behind the dreary clouds for just a moment as they were hiding in the shrub, exposing the beast for what it was.

     The beast had large hind legs with razor-sharp black claws, brown grizzly fur which was matted and dirty, elongated pointy ears, and two sharp fangs. It was a Halloween Lupe, but not the friendly sort. It looked to be prowling for victims on this road, and Acraim had a good feeling they were the first to be seen there in a long while.

     They remained in the shrub for a few minutes, and used the time to calm their nerves and breathe a little slower. Their mission still remained the same, and the house should not be far.

     The Halloween Lupe disappeared into the woods, and the duo decided it was a good time to leave in case it decided to come back. They heard a distinctive howl as they found the path, which caused them to hasten their steps into a jog.

     They kept walking in silence, scared to mutter any words in case it gave away their location to another beast which could not yet be seen. The fog seemed to grow thicker as they kept walking, and the air started to have a hint of sourness to it. They scrunched their noses since it was quite unpleasant.

     “There! Just up that hill, look!” Pealightfull suddenly yelled.

     Acraim got so scared by the sudden outburst she threw her Halloween Candy Bag on the ground.

     “Oh my goodness, don’t do that!” she hissed, “and be quiet”.

     Pealightfull was not wrong, and the mysterious house had suddenly reappeared in the distance.

     Their pace quickened, but they were rapidly surrounded by fog and could no longer see in front of them.

     “Where do you two think you’re going?” asked a shrill voice from the shadows. “You would not be mean to a helpless old woman, would you?”

     “We really must be going, we have places to be” replied Acraim, whilst continuing to walk and hoping to get out of the dense fog.

     A figure appeared in front of the duo, stopping them in their tracks and not giving them any option to go around. She circled around them, the fog dancing in swirls with her passing force. Her bewitching green eyes, black witch's hat and black robe to match; it was Edna.

     “Where did I leave those bat wings? Ah, yes, you must go find them for me” she cooed. “I am concocting a most important potion, but I need you to help poor, old me”. Her eyes narrowed on Acraim and Pealightfull, and they felt an invisible force pulling them into her grasp. She let out a deep cackle which made their skin crawl and the hairs on the back of their necks stand on edge.

     “I have a plan” whispered Pealightfull, “but I need you to distract her”.

     “On it” replied Acraim.

     “Hey Edna” said Acraim, “we will help you find the ingredients you need. Can you tell me what they are?”

     “Oh I thought you would never ask. I'm searching for the missing ingredients for my latest spell, Bubbling Wand of Jetsam Charming. I need you to find me Apple Fruit Pancakes, Chill Pill and Wellington Boo..”.

     Whilst Edna had been giving instructions to Acraim, she hadn’t noticed that Pealightfull had escaped the grip of the fog and positioned himself onto a springy branch. As Acraim looked behind her to check on what he was doing, he used the branch to launch his little Pea body straight at Edna’s face, striking her in the right eye.

     “EEEEEKKK” she screamed!

     Pealightfull yelled, “RUN!”

     Acraim scooped him up again and ran as fast as she could out of the sour-smelling fog. She did not stop until the air was once again crisp, the moon bright, and the trees not so dense.

     “Did you see me fly?! Did you?” Pealightfull asked with glee.

     “I did; your cape even caught some air” Acraim replied between breaths.

     Pealightfull walked forward without saying a word, causing Acraim to instantly panic. Based on their experience on this path, she had to keep a close eye on him since there had been perils hiding behind every corner. He took a turn and was suddenly out of sight.

     “No, wait!” yelled Acraim.

     As she also turned, she almost tripped over the stairs leading up to the front door of the mysterious house they had been searching for. They had arrived at last.

     They started walking up the stairs, which creaked with every step they took. The house was dark inside, and it looked like nobody was home. The windows were covered in ancient cobwebs, the railing on the stairs was nothing but splintered remnants, and the house moaned as if it were waking from slumber.

     Acraim walked in front, just in case there was danger lurking behind the door.

     All of a sudden, the Halloween Lupe emerged from beside the house. Edna was right behind him, the fog trailing behind her like a drape.

     There was rustling behind the door of the house, and shuffling footsteps as an unknown figure moved about. Acraim and Pealightfull were already at the top of the stairs, they had nowhere else to go!

     The Halloween Lupe and Edna walked up the stairs, slowly but with fierce determination. The savage looks in their eyes did not falter.

     “This is it. I am sorry I could not protect you on this Halloween night!” cried Acraim, as she clasped Pealightfull tight.

     The door swung open, and the pair had both clenched their eyes shut, waiting for the worst to happen.

     “Trick or treat!” chimed the Halloween Lupe and Edna at the same time. “Gosh, you two really made us work for it tonight. We were just trying to have a little fun”.

     Acraim and Pealightfull both stood there stunned, their jaws gaping wide.

     “Now that’s enough” a voice said from behind them, “you know the rules. The tricking is up to the house, once they make it to the door, they get the treats”. The voice was stern but warm. Pealightfull and Acraim both turned to face it. An elderly Aisha was standing in the doorway, with a twinkle in her eyes and holding more candy than they had ever seen before. They simply couldn’t believe it was real.

     “You both have been very brave to come all this way, very few Neopets do these days. They seem to prefer getting the treats without any of the tricking, and that just won’t do on this special holiday.” She held out some bags of candy for them, and Pealightfull spotted his favourite Candy Floss. “Take as much as you want dearies, I don’t expect to have any other visitors this late. Yes, yes, that goes for you too. You’ve done a great job tonight” she directed the last part to the Halloween Lupe and Edna, who didn’t need to be told twice and stuffed their faces immediately.

     Acraim and Pealightfull did the same, thanking the Aisha with their mouths full of their favourite treats.

     “This is my favourite Halloween ever!” Pealightfull said joyfully.

     The End.