Too late for the Writer's Jam, but that's cool, since my brain decided not to coperate with me on not one, but TWO stories. Geez.
I wrote this one as a short story for the Halloween writer's club publication, so pretend you're a regular person and don't know the characters. You know what's also cool? I didn't finish it in time. Go me!
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I sighed, following the trails of wisps as my breath hit the cold night air. Leaning forward on my elbows, I looked down at the street five stories below. Adults and children milled about, demanding candy from the various residential and commercial buildings, going to parties, or simply being out for a stroll. Craning my neck to look around, I partook in the brilliance of the city, all lit up in twinkling orange lights to celebrate the holiday.
My Halloween? It had been fairly standard. I worked the morning-afternoon shift at the Wrtiers Bloc Café, of whose roof I was currently standing on. It had been busy due to the party we had been hosting, complete with themed drinks, special overly-frosted cookies, costume contests, and a writing contest. My feet were sore from standing for so long, so when I went out to run rampant in the streets during trick-or-treat hours, my friend and (unwilling) companion TC had to drag me around a few of the blocks.
It was the first year I had decided not to actually go trick-or-treating, something I had done for about thirteen years of my life. It wasn’t that I felt I was too old or anything…it was just that I was much happier watching the younger kids partake in the enjoyment of getting a fun-sized chocolate bar or mope at receiving candy corn.
I swear it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that part of my costume meant screaming and yelling at people. Nope, not at all.
The roof access door opened, and from the hatch emerged TC, a cardboard drink cradle in his free hand. “Hey Kat!” he called to me, even though I was already looking at him. I grinned at his costume – a brown pinstripe suit, Converse All Stars, spiked hair, and slick rectangular glasses. It was geek chic, and he pulled it off well.
“Hello Doctor,” I said, making reference to the fact that he was dressed as the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who.
“Good evening, Doctor,” he replied, indicating my own costume. It wasn’t everyday I ran around in a green labcoat, black blouse, tie, pants, dress shoes, and donned crazy spiked hair, but my dressing up as Dr. Forrester from Mystery Science Theater 3000 sent me on that route.
“Hot chocolate’s okay, right?” I was going to agree, but he continued on. “Well, too bad, that’s what you’re getting whether you like it or not.” I rolled my eyes but gladly accept the container he handed me. “Oh, Becky says to be careful, ‘cause they’re hot. ‘And make sure you really emphasize this to Kat, because she never seems to listen.’”
“Come onnnn, I’m more responsible that she thinks I am!” I proceeded to blow into the small opening in the lid, my eyes carefully watching the stream shoot into the sky.
“Sorry sorry, standard procedure with the Kat-person.” TC laughed before popping the lid off of his drink and observing the billows that emerged.
Shouts and giggles echoed up from the pavement below. I sighed and slumped onto the ledge of the building, mournfully watching as dots of kids hopped up and down the street, candy bags jostling with as much excitement as their holders.
“When did Halloween become not fun?” I asked, carefully taking a sip of the hot chocolate.
TC shrugged, releasing his lips from the plastic lid. “It’s not the holiday that becomes un-fun…it’s the person.”
“You saying I’m not fun?”
“No, I’m saying that you’re kinda judging yourself a bit harshly there.” He stood up to his full height (which wasn’t much, and only a good two inches taller than me) and smiled. “C’mon Kat, I’m twenty seven-years-old, and yet you got me to dress up for this holiday, right?”
I raised an eyebrow while hovering my nose over the mouth opening to catch some steam and warm it up. “Well, I guess…I mean…All I did was say that it would be fun if you did it with me.”
“So? That was enough for me.” TC walked a few paces towards the rooftop hatch before turning on his heel and coming back to the ledge. “It’s such a kids’ thing, though. Dressing up and asking for candy from total strangers? Did you ever stop and realize how bizarre this holiday actually is?”
With a giggle, I turned around, leaning my back on the concrete ledge. “I knoooow, and it’s a little disturbing come to think of it. But that’s the beauty of it all, right? It’s kind of like…I dunno…a holiday of trust, too. But going back to the kids thing…To that, I say bah! It’s fun until you let it not be fun! Most people get stingy with age and see things as immature. But if you don’t get to a little release of immaturity every now and then, well…You get boring.”
TC grinned, taking a swig from his drink before swallowing and speaking. “See, you said it yourself. You get boring if you don’t have fun. Halloween is the perfect time to do it. I mean, look at you – running around and acting as the character. You’re so into it.”
“’cause it’s fun!” I stopped, milling over my thoughts and the conversation at hand. “You’re right. Anybody who thinks it’s weird must be from another planet.” I held my cup up triumphantly before drinking heartily and turning to face back towards the street.
“Then there are a lot of people from another planet,” TC added, joining me at the ledge and slumping over to peer down below. “Hey, you have any of those discs left?”
Part of my costume involved burned DVDs with an episode of Mystery Science Theater on them so that I could throw them at various ‘lab rats’. I reached into my pocket, drawing out five discs. “Hey, I dooo…” Scrawled in Sharpie on each disc were the words ‘Experiment #604 – Zombie Nightmare’. I admired the way they glinted in the orange lights.
“…You should drop them onto the sidewalk.”
“You’re a horrible influence on me.” But one by one, I let each of the remaining discs flutter to the ground, laughing a bit at each clankity-clink as they hit the ground. Curious passerbys poked at them, but only two actually picked up them up and pocketed them.
“Lamers,” I grumbled, which caused TC to snort while sipping from the container. I looked at him, holding back my laughs as he coughed. “You okay?” He nodded vigorously, but silently.
“I know what’ll make you feel better! Ahem. ‘Dum dum da-dum, dum da-dum dum dum da-dum…chhhh!’ ‘So…this is what it’s like to be dead?’ ‘Well, roughly - this is what it’s like to be in a castket.’ ‘So um, why are we doing this?’ ‘Well aren’t you curious?’ ‘About being dead? We’re robots Joel, we’re not the ones who have to worry about it. You ah, understand my point?’ ‘Yeah sure well, at least I have a soul, okay?’ ‘Yeaaaah sure you do. Anyways!’…”
TC just looked at me, an amused smile on his face. "And you think you're too old for Halloween?"
I grinned. "Nevaarrr!"
