by Kaleigh Brendle
“I look ridiculous.”
Lily Hall looked down at her costume, her face flushing the color of her lipstick— bright red. She was Katie Perry for Halloween and now was having second thoughts about her costume choice. Heather Kotran, her best friend, tried not to laugh.
“You look fine,” she promised. Easy for you to say, Lily thought. Heather was a sports news broadcaster. She wore a blue football jersey that looked more like a cape than a shirt. She had inherited it from her elder brother. A microphone was clipped to the football logo. She wore simple black pants with it, and Nike sneakers. Her yellow-blond hair flowed straight down her back like a yellow wave. She also had lipstick, and she had powdered her face so she looked like a witch as well as a sports score announcer. Lily’s costume consisted of a shining white gossamer dress, glittery silver high-heels, and a bunch of jewelry: a flashy necklace, three silver bracelets on each arm, a ring on each of her two ring fingers, and silver earrings. She was also equipped with make-up. Her caramel brown hair was parted to the side in one massive braid, tied with a sparkly pink ribbon.
They started out trick-or-treating, their pink candy buckets clunking against their legs. Heather ran ahead, jumping over crevices and cracks in the sidewalk and sprinting across the grass. Lily tried to run alongside her friend, but her high-heels had other ideas. She attempted to jump over a crack like Heather just had, and wound up in a sprawled heap on the grass. Heather helped pull her up.
“I hate these high-heels,” Lily grumbled as she walked on behind Heather.
They rang the bell of the first house they came to. When no one answered, Heather grabbed the faded black knocker and knocked about five times. Meanwhile, Lily had discovered a hidden orange bowl stuffed with candy. She was now secretly filling her bucket up with lute. When Heather saw, she ran over and started stuffing her own bucket—and her mouth.
“That was good,” Heather said through a mouthful of Sour Patch. Lily munched a Twix bar and nodded.
So on they went, going to every house on the block. They ran to the Masons’ house,
skipped over to grumpy Mr. Billium’s, then dodged a pack of teenagers and sprinted to old Mrs. Cornfield’s. Just before the block ended, they walked up to Mr. Cugini’s house.
“What’s up?” he said when he opened the door. He had a 1980’s work-out instructor outfit on, which the girls found amusing. They grabbed some candy from the bowl he held out to them. Unfortunately, the teenagers from before were back and gaining on them quickly.
“Bye!” Lily and Heather said in unison, turning and fleeing for the sake of their candy. The teenagers followed. The girls raced around the back of Mr. Billium’s house, thinking that they would lose the teenagers. It didn’t work.
Finally, Heather pulled Lily into a grove. The teenagers ran to catch up, but then they grumbled amongst themselves; the girls could even make out some of what they were saying: “You gonna go in there? Nah, I’m not either. Anybody in their right mind wouldn’t go in there. Man, that’s Hades Hollow. Don’t their parents tell ‘em anything?” But one burly teen stepped forward with his arms outstretched. The message was clear. Give me your candy or run. So they ran.
When they finally stopped to catch their breath, they were amazed by what now surrounded them. They were in a dark forest; the sunlight barely made it in, making it seem like day was already gone. Trees huddled close together, while chilling winds rattled their branches. A slight mist cascaded down from the blackened sky. Lily shivered in her short dress. This place was cold. This brought her to the obvious question: Where were they?
“This is Hades Hollow,” Heather said. “My parents told me about it. Ten years ago, a group of five hunters came in here. One came out.”
Lily began to look in every direction, but all she could see was darkness. It was if they had been swallowed by something and they now were in its mouth. Now that she thought that, Lily realized that she wasn’t far off. Heather’s flashlight beam illuminated a forked bridge in front of them. Moss covered its decaying surface, along with murky water from a pond below. Jagged white rocks, vaguely like teeth, stuck up around them. And that bridge…could it be a tongue?
Suddenly they heard a distant growl. Heather now understood why four hunters had died here. She sprinted back the way they had come, Lily close behind. They didn’t dare to scream; they just ran. The growling finally ceased once they reached the edge of the grove. Once there, they ran all the way to Heather’s house.
“I’ve never been so scared,” Lily recounted, munching a jelly bean.
“But it’s over now,” Heather said through a mouthful of Hershey’s drops. “Now comes the time to enjoy candy.” Lily nodded and grinned, staring thankfully at the mountainous heap of sweets laid out before them.
brown hair was parted to the side in one massive braid, tied with a sparkly pink ribbon.
They started out trick-or-treating, with their pink candy buckets clunking against their legs. Heather ran ahead, jumping over crevices and cracks in the sidewalk and sprinting across the grass. Lily tried to run alongside her friend, but her high-heels had other ideas. She attempted to jump over a crack like Heather just had, and ended up in a sprawled heap on the grass. Heather helped pull her up.
“I hate these high-heels,” Lily grumbled as she walked on behind Heather.
They rang the bell of the first house they came to. When no one answered, Heather grabbed the faded black knocker and knocked about five times. Meanwhile, Lily had discovered a hidden orange bowl stuffed with candy. She was now secretly filling her bucket up with loot. When Heather saw, she ran over and started stuffing her own bucket—and her mouth.
“That was good,” Heather said through a mouthful of Sour Patch. Lily munched a Twix bar and nodded.
So on they went, going to every house on the block. They ran to the Masons’ house,
skipped over to grumpy Mr. Billium’s, then dodged a pack of teenagers and sprinted to old Mrs. Cornfield’s. Just before the block ended, they walked up to Mr. Cugini’s house.
“What’s up?” he said when he opened the door. He had a 1980’s work-out instructor outfit on, which the girls found amusing. They grabbed some candy from the bowl he held out to them. Unfortunately, the teenagers from before were back and gaining on them quickly.
“Bye!” Lily and Heather said in unison, turning and fleeing for the sake of their candy. The teenagers followed. The girls raced around the back of Mr. Billium’s house, thinking that they would lose the teenagers. It didn’t work.
Finally, Heather pulled Lily into a grove. The teenagers ran to catch up, but then they grumbled amongst themselves; the girls could even make out some of what they were saying: “You gonna go in there? Nah, I’m not either. Anybody in their right mind wouldn’t go in there. Man, that’s Hades Hollow. Don’t their parents tell ‘em anything?” But one burly teen stepped forward with his arms outstretched. The message was clear. Give me your candy or run. So they ran.
When they finally stopped to catch their breath, they were amazed by what now surrounded them. They were in a dark forest; the sunlight barely made it in, making it seem like day was already gone. Trees huddled close together, while chilling winds rattled their branches. A slight mist cascaded down from the blackened sky. Lily shivered in her short dress. This place was cold. This brought her to the obvious question: Where were they?
“This is Hades Hollow,” Heather said. “My parents told me about it. Ten years ago, a group of five hunters came in here. One came out.”
Lily began to look in every direction, but all she could see was darkness. It was if they had been swallowed by something and they now were in its mouth. Now that she thought that, Lily realized that she wasn’t far off. Heather’s flashlight beam illuminated a forked bridge in front of them. Moss covered its decaying surface, along with murky water from a pond below. Jagged white rocks, vaguely like teeth, stuck up around them. And that bridge…could it be a tongue?
Suddenly they heard a distant growl. Heather now understood why four hunters had died here. She sprinted back the way they had come, Lily close behind. They didn’t dare to scream; they just ran. The growling finally ceased once they reached the edge of the grove. Once there, they ran all the way to Heather’s house.
“I’ve never been so scared,” Lily recounted, munching a jelly bean.
“But it’s over now,” Heather said through a mouthful of Hershey’s drops. “Now comes the time to enjoy candy.” Lily nodded and grinned, staring thankfully at the mountainous heap of sweets laid out before them.