Read Online Halloween by Curtis Richards - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Curtis Richards
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ended with a blaring alarm bell, he sat in the stolen station wagon, watching the children burst out of the doors with a clamor. Many of them were dressed in Halloween costumes and bore black and orange paper cutouts made in school, witches and pumpkins, black cats and devils, skeletons and ghosts. One little girl pretended to be riding a broomstick with a cardboard black cat on it, another wore a jack-o'-lantern on his head like the famous Headless Horseman.
After a while, four boys emerged, one of them bearing a pumpkin so large he swayed from side to side like an overburdened burro. The other three were pushing him back and forth and taunting him. The boy they were bullying was the same one that had been talking to the pretty blond girl this morning.
"Leave me alone," the boy was pleading.
They wiggled their fingers in his face. "He's gonna getcha, he's gonna getcha, he's gonna getcha!"
The boy slapped at the fingers. "Leave me alone."
"The bogeyman is coming."
"No, he's not. Leave me alone."
"He doesn't believe us. Don't you know what happens on Halloween?" said the biggest one, putting his face close to Tommy's.
Tommy shrugged. "Yeah, we get candy," They laughed and danced around him, waving their hands in his face. "Oooooh, the bogeyman, oooooh, the bogeyman, the bogeyman, the bogeyman . . ."
Tommy clutched his pumpkin tightly to his chest and tried to push his way through them, but one of them stuck his foot out and tripped him. He fell on top of the pumpkin, which split open with a glupping sound, emitting a sour odor. Tommy had skinned his knee but there was no other damage done except to his pride. He fought back welling tears.
The sound of the boys' cruel laughter faded as they ran away, leaving Tommy to climb painfully to his feet. His jacket was covered with pumpkin pulp and seeds. Suddenly, as he began pulling these off with his fingers, he felt the sunlight eclipsed by a large shadowy figure. He looked up and there was a man in dark khaki coveralls standing there looking at him.
"Hi," said Tommy.
The man said nothing. Tommy could hear him breathing stertorously but the boy couldn't see his face clearly because it was positioned between himself and the sun. What Tommy could make out, however, left him in no mood to hang around. The man had dark red-stained lips and his eyes were rimmed in purple, like grossly overused eyeshadow. A livid scar zig-zagged down his cheek.
The weird thing was, Tommy couldn't imagine that that was the guy's own face. It looked rubbery and kind of masklike. But if he was wearing a mask, shouldn't he take it off around about now and say "Boo!" and reveal who he was?
Tommy didn't like this at all. Grown-ups didn't go prowling around schoolyards wearing masks, Halloween or not. And this guy's breathing sounded like something he'd heard when he'd visited his dying grandpa in the hospital. Creepy! He looked down at the pumpkin, wondering if it could be salvaged.
No way. Meat, pulp, and seeds spilled out of its shattered hull like the contents of a cracked orange skull.
When the man stepped toward him, Tommy needed no inspiration to run like crazy. In a moment his blurred legs had carried him out of the schoolyard and down the street, thinking about the bogeyman.
The man stood indecisively for a moment, then returned to the station wagon. His gait was quick and graceful for a big man. He started the engine and pulled away from the school, turning the corner and accelerating down the street on which the little boy had run. There he was, still running.
He pulled the station wagon parallel to the boy, studying him for a long moment. Then he accelerated again, leaving the kid in his dust. He turned the next corner, then began cruising at random, familiarizing himself with the street patterns—or returning to places dimly remembered . . .
"It's totally insane!" the leggy blonde was saying. Her hands flew out in a wild gesture, making Laurie laugh. Linda always made Laurie
After a while, four boys emerged, one of them bearing a pumpkin so large he swayed from side to side like an overburdened burro. The other three were pushing him back and forth and taunting him. The boy they were bullying was the same one that had been talking to the pretty blond girl this morning.
"Leave me alone," the boy was pleading.
They wiggled their fingers in his face. "He's gonna getcha, he's gonna getcha, he's gonna getcha!"
The boy slapped at the fingers. "Leave me alone."
"The bogeyman is coming."
"No, he's not. Leave me alone."
"He doesn't believe us. Don't you know what happens on Halloween?" said the biggest one, putting his face close to Tommy's.
Tommy shrugged. "Yeah, we get candy," They laughed and danced around him, waving their hands in his face. "Oooooh, the bogeyman, oooooh, the bogeyman, the bogeyman, the bogeyman . . ."
Tommy clutched his pumpkin tightly to his chest and tried to push his way through them, but one of them stuck his foot out and tripped him. He fell on top of the pumpkin, which split open with a glupping sound, emitting a sour odor. Tommy had skinned his knee but there was no other damage done except to his pride. He fought back welling tears.
The sound of the boys' cruel laughter faded as they ran away, leaving Tommy to climb painfully to his feet. His jacket was covered with pumpkin pulp and seeds. Suddenly, as he began pulling these off with his fingers, he felt the sunlight eclipsed by a large shadowy figure. He looked up and there was a man in dark khaki coveralls standing there looking at him.
"Hi," said Tommy.
The man said nothing. Tommy could hear him breathing stertorously but the boy couldn't see his face clearly because it was positioned between himself and the sun. What Tommy could make out, however, left him in no mood to hang around. The man had dark red-stained lips and his eyes were rimmed in purple, like grossly overused eyeshadow. A livid scar zig-zagged down his cheek.
The weird thing was, Tommy couldn't imagine that that was the guy's own face. It looked rubbery and kind of masklike. But if he was wearing a mask, shouldn't he take it off around about now and say "Boo!" and reveal who he was?
Tommy didn't like this at all. Grown-ups didn't go prowling around schoolyards wearing masks, Halloween or not. And this guy's breathing sounded like something he'd heard when he'd visited his dying grandpa in the hospital. Creepy! He looked down at the pumpkin, wondering if it could be salvaged.
No way. Meat, pulp, and seeds spilled out of its shattered hull like the contents of a cracked orange skull.
When the man stepped toward him, Tommy needed no inspiration to run like crazy. In a moment his blurred legs had carried him out of the schoolyard and down the street, thinking about the bogeyman.
The man stood indecisively for a moment, then returned to the station wagon. His gait was quick and graceful for a big man. He started the engine and pulled away from the school, turning the corner and accelerating down the street on which the little boy had run. There he was, still running.
He pulled the station wagon parallel to the boy, studying him for a long moment. Then he accelerated again, leaving the kid in his dust. He turned the next corner, then began cruising at random, familiarizing himself with the street patterns—or returning to places dimly remembered . . .
"It's totally insane!" the leggy blonde was saying. Her hands flew out in a wild gesture, making Laurie laugh. Linda always made Laurie
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