Halloween Larks

A rusty knife glistened through jagged broken glass. Laboured breathing and an unearthly screech as a monstrous hand reached around the door. The door slowly creaked open….

“Bed!” Dad bellowed. “Switch that Halloween rubbish off!” 

Click! The living room lights blared, but no Dad visible. Yet, he continued moaning like sour vinegar. This reminded me that last 31st October, I cunningly put tart cooking apples in the dunking booth. The twins also swapped out the sweetest apples for the sourest in Mum’s homemade toffee apples. Hilarious watching people’s grimaces! What prank would I play today?

Halloween decorations danced in the draft from the open door. Orange lights winked on and off illuminating the giant skeleton on the lawn.

Like actors leaving the stage after being booed off, we six siblings walked dejectedly. A cat with flattened ears, a witch dragging her broom, a slump-shouldered Dracula, a monster with downcast eyes, a scarecrow losing his straw, and a ….tittering teddy bear. Looking back at the youngest, we saw her laughing at Dad, who had suddenly appeared wearing both a tutu and a pink candy floss wig over paint strewn overalls. Laughter exploded from us.

“Why are devils and ghouls always together?” Dad asked in a silly Frankenstein voice tickling the teddy bear.

“Give up?” Dad asked this time pirouetting around like a demented ballerina.  

After a dramatic pause, “Because devils like ghouls around!” said Dad trying to stand en pointe in heavy work boots.

Groaning, we all traipsed up the stairs. We all kicked the Creepy Doll, a Halloween take on the Christmas theme of Elf-on-the-Shelf. Our parents daily placed it in different locations.

Admittedly, finding Creepy at 2:00 AM on the toilet seat in an ill-lit bathroom was scary.

Suddenly, a giant spider dangled before our noses and we shrieked in unison. A Mum-trick because we heard her chuckling.

Inspiration came suddenly! I ducked screaming, “Bats!”

Among shrieking, dodging and swatting siblings, I smirked  like a demented jack-o’-lantern. A prank well done!