A Halloween Walk

The doorbell rang again. The old man yelled across the house to let his wife know he would get this bunch of trick-or-treaters. It was a perfect night for Halloween. The moon was hiding behind dark clouds, a strong breeze whipping the leaves about, and a chill in the air made it the definition of a spooky night. As he opened the door real slow it gave off a long and loud creak. The door was just about opened all the way when he jumped out and yelled “BOO!” He chuckled as some of them jumped, others screamed but, it didn’t take long for the group of kids to settle down and open their bags to receive the treats. The kids all said thanks and speed away as if racing to a fire at the next house down the street.

As the last kid left it stirred memories in the old man. He sat the bucket of goodies down next to the door remembering the bags of popcorn balls, chips, and candies that the kids got each Halloween. He long to see them again, it had been years since he got to hug his children. He felt that there were so many things left undone. He knew that his children understood that he loved them and would do anything for them. Yet, there was a deep since of loss. The old man didn’t even know how to explain it to himself let alone to anyone else.

He wondered if the night was causing his melancholy mood. A night for the living dead. The only problem was he felt like one of the dead that should be walking around outside instead of the neighbors’ kids. With that macabre thought he got up and yelled down the hall to his wife “I am taking the dog for a walk”. She responded like she normally did “I’ll be here”. The old dog saw his master go for the leash, which meant it was time for a walk. While he was excited, the dog’s age was showing as well as he walked instead of bouncing like he did when he was a puppy. So, two old gray-haired creatures went out the door for a walk.

The wind was still whipping around and caused the old man to fasten the top button on his coat. As usual the dog lead the way sniffing at all of the normal stops. The dog seemed to be oblivious to the mood of the night and was only vaguely interested in the people that were out. Apparently, the feeling was mutual because the people paid little notice to the old man and his dog as they passed. Parents were busy herding kids from one house to another for more trick-or-treating.

As they walked and passed more people the old man got to thinking, which was never a really a good thing. So, this is what it feels like to be a ghost to glide past people completely unseen and unnoticed just like a creature of the night. How many people are unnoticed during the day? How many people just float past us unseen as if they were specters from the spirit world? Is it just as cold during the day as at night? His mind continued along this moody path as he walked.

As the two gray haired creatures walked, they turned down a path that led through a small, wooded area. This was the dog’s favorite area with lots of stuff to smell. The old man’s pace slowed as he let his old companion take his time sniffing around and take care of business. He wasn’t in a hurry and was enjoying the spooky night. Being in the dark woods just made the old man feel more like a zombie with his only purpose being to exist and eat, just not dead bodies. This caused him to laugh out loud getting the dog’s attention for a moment before going back to more important matters. There was a tree needing some special attention.

As they were making their way a mist started to roll into the woods making a creepy night that much more interesting. Then suddenly, the old hound let out a howl as if he just treed a coon and took off to the woods. The dog leap with such force that it almost pulled the old man down. He yelled at the dog and tried to calm him down, but the dog insisted on following the trail. Whatever the trail was the dog was not going to leave it. So, the old man decided to let the dog follow the scent and see what it was all about.

The moment slack entered the leash the dog took off almost dragging the old man into the woods. His nose was to the ground and started tracking something. After going about thirty yards, the dog stopped and sniffed around for a bit. Then finding the trail again let out another howl that was sure to wake the dead. The old man was almost in a run to keep up with his faithful side kick. He was beginning to think that the dog was possessed or had gone crazy.

The dog slowed and started to growl very low. The dog was no longer following a scent trail, he was hunting by sight. The old man could not see anything because of the mist and was really beginning to wonder about his dog. As the two creped slowly forward an image began to take shape. It appeared to be a young woman standing next to a tree. The image was still vague and unclear to the old man but now, the hackles on the dog were raised and his growl had turned vicious. Why and what had gotten into this dog he wondered.

As the image became clearer, a deep foreboding came over the man. Chills started to run up and down his spin. He knew in an almost a sixth sense kind of way that something was wrong and that danger, evil danger was near. The mist cleared a little allowing him to see that there was another person laying on the ground, a child. All the warning bells were going off in his head. There is something wrong here. He almost let the dog go but held on tight.

The image was that of a beautiful young woman. Her skin was a pale white as was her long flowing hair. As she turned toward the old man, he could see that she was dressed in a sheer white gown. In the breeze the gown clung to the woman hiding nothing from the man’s view. Her face was that of an angel. Everything about her conveyed desire and want. As she spoke it was hypnotic. The words did not register but they seemed to penetrate the soul and drain away his will.

As he stood there transfixed on this sensuous woman who was gliding across the ground toward him, the child cried just barely audible. It was enough to help bring the man back to his senses. He did the only thing he could, he let the dog go. The old dog bolted toward the woman as if he was a trained attached dog. As the dog leaped at specter, she gave off a blood curdling scream and vaporized into mist. When the dog landed, he stood his ground and looked around for a minute before running up to the child. A girl no more than twelve laid frighten against the tree.

He sat next to the girl and waited, giving an occasional lick after he would scan the area as if on guard duty. After a minute or two the old man came to his senses. He rushed up to the girl and asked her if she was ok. She said nothing but gave the dog big hug.