PROSE
SAFE HOUSE
It’s already been one hour in and I haven’t gotten any candy. I’ve knocked on about 600 doors today and I’ve either gotten no response or been told to go away. Honestly, I can’t even tell if it’s because I’m old as hell for a trick or treater or if my costume is too scary. Half the time I can literally see the freaking people running to turn off the lights in the front of the house. It’s really embarrassing to watch. Oh well. I can’t really expect too much out of this town. Ever since that family moved in and the dad became mayor of this county, everyone’s just been slowly becoming more and more isolated. No one wants to talk or hang out anymore. There are no more local events or competitions. I haven’t made any friends recently. This town feels really, really lonely.
31|The penchant||NOV 2021
As I continue walking to the next house, I adjust my mask into a more comfortable position. I’m not particularly dressed up as one specific character. Basically, I’m that clown from It, that freaky Mike Myers guy, and the Grim Reaper all packed into one. No one gives a crap about costumes, about Halloween, none of that, so I went all out this year. I thought I would get some attention today. I didn’t. I knock on the door of the next house. And I wait. I wait there for a long, long time. Literally all the lights are on in the front of the house. Wait, not just that. I walk to the right a bit, just enough to see the side of the house. The wall is covered in tall vines and bushes. A singular flower is visible underneath all the undergrowth. All the lights are on at this side of the house
too. Freeloaders. I pound on the door as hard as I can. The door seems sturdy, so I don’t care less about breaking it. Practically the biggest house in the town and the owners can’t even spare a chocolate bar for anyone. What the hell happened to this town? I take a step back and pull out my phone. Hopefully, I’ll catch the owners spilling a drink on themselves or something, anything interesting like that. Honestly, I’m so mad at this neighborhood right now that I can’t really think straight. A figure emerges at the left window of the top floor, and my hand immediately jumps at the opportunity. Unfortunately, the guy in the window isn’t doing anything at all. It’s like he’s just standing there, staring at the
