Everyone went quiet, and that’s when James’ dad grabbed them from behind and the boys screamed. His mother screamed too but then leaned back, shaking with laughter, her hood falling back to reveal her long hair.
Seeing her hair always surprised James because normally she wore her beret with her uniform and not a single curl escaped from it. He also smelled her perfume that day. He didn’t know what it was called, but it always made him think of roses. She never wore that on work days, either. So, it was kind of special.
~
That memory stirred something in James. But as he concentrated on his feet and the road and how his breathing increased on the incline, the stirring slowed and ceased as he arrived at the foot of the hill where The House perched. The number of monsters, ghosts, and sexy she-devils milling around with plastic pumpkins or pillow cases full of candy had thinned. He hunched his shoulders against the wind and stuck his hands into his coat pockets, feeling a flashlight in each one. No one wanted to be near the place. Maybe, especially on Halloween.
James leaned on his knees for a moment to catch his breath. A breeze snaked around his collar, and he shivered. The moon lit a clear path on the grassy hill.
When he reached the wooden steps, they creaked a little under his weight. James startled and put his foot back on the ground, then swiftly took them up to the porch. He stopped in front of the door, lost in shadow due to the overhanging porch, despite the full moon. He breathed out, forcing himself to avoid using his flashlights.