Feared…A Story by Devanshi Your fears of halloween confirmed forever... Katherine doesn't quite get what's going on this halloween, she is reminded of something she is willing to forget, she can't predict her future... Feared… Your fears of Halloween confirmed forever… Whoosh...Ah, that breeze. The rustle of those autumn leaves. I can still hear if not feel it. This, is that now-so-precious place. The meadow where I once had the luxury to spend time with my sister. Oh, Ann. Just how much I miss her. I forgetfully go to her room sometimes, only to realize she can’t see me. I try to touch her, but my hand passes through her flesh. She would scream her head off if I was visible. No one would be able to bear my blood covered form. Perhaps, I would have achieved a better form if I was throttled instead. I feel horrible, ugly, regretful. Someone’s hatred for me had reached unwonted limits… ___________________________________________________ “Hey, how about a game of cards instead?” “Sure, I feel weak after this crazy long Badminton game.” Mom had laid out the picnic blanket for us, but I preffered the grass. A cold breeze was blowing. Ann found it uncomfortable though I appreciated it. The wind, for some reason, felt like a swipe of relief. Relief from what, I didn’t know. “So, what are you planning for Halloween?” “Something…” “There you go. It’s halloween , Katherine! Do you plan to use fake blood or vampire teeth, or would you wear that weird wig, and...?” Ann had no idea I wasn’t going to need fake blood at all. “Some kind of princess, I guess. I don’t prefer being on the dark side…” “Hmm. It’s Eleanor’s wedding just a day before halloween.. What if someone wore a costume in there, huh?...wouldn’t that be hilarious!?”
“I think so. The church hallway was packed with a lot of people in black coats. My cousin Eleanor was nowhere to be seen yet. We were some of the early birds. Mom was busy wiping off the water that had just spilled on her dress. Ann found Madison, our cousin, for a chat. Everything seemed to be calm. Normal, it looked like, except for that one horrifying moment that made things whirl the other way around. The slight chuckles that came to me at seeing Ann, vanished. I was taken aback when I saw him. He stood there, still as a stone, standing beside the door, eyes fixed on me as if trying to convey a “Beware” message. I saw him. He...he had died a year ago, hadn’t he?! No, this can’t happen, I try to convince myself. I must be dreaming, I’ve been having nightmares lately, I thought. Though I knew for sure I wasn’t. His ghastly sight brought back hundreds of memories. Memories I have so been willing to forget. I remember all of it as clear as my name, Katherine. The same Katherine who had committed treachery against this boy, just a year ago. We didn’t have the best of life, Kaden and me. Our families weren’t the wealthiest. With no one in our neighbourhood rich enough to pay for security, we had the worst of crimes and murders. He was one of the unlucky victims. I had been his last hope. It was halloween night, just as it will be tomorrow. We were together, going to the meadow. Apart from my sister, he was the one with whom I liked to spend my time. It was as calm as it would have been any night. But catastrophe awaited us. He stayed and waited beneath the tree, while I went to get a water bottle, after we had gobbled up everything from the small picnic basket. It was somewhat windy, but this time it had felt like a cold breath of death, I was about to know why...That’s when it happened. There was a rustle in the bushes. Three boys with great muscular bodies jumped out. I was stopped in my tracks to turn around and look when I heard him yell. It was just one knife through his body, Yet he still had a chance to live. I had the pocket knife with me which I carried everyday as a safety measure. I peeped from one side of the tree. Our eyes met. I could almost feel the pleading in his eyes. I could’ve sprinted towards the bloodbath, knife in my hand, I had a hundred possibilities looming over my head. I took too much time to decide. It wasn’t much late, only three knives in. I ran, not toward him, but toward the road, escaping the fight. I heard one more bloodcurdling scream and that was it. I had left him and as if in return he did the same to me, left. I’ve dreaded that episode ever since I got home, not giving away the slightest details of what had happened. I didn’t know what happened to his corpse, but I knew one thing, I was the one person, Katherine, whom he had hated the most. My head was now spinning madly. I didn’t know what to do. His bloody figure had scared me to death. I hid behind a pillar, I ran through the still standing crowd and tried to mingle with it, hoping he would lose me. I crouched down behind the last bench, my knees folded, mind racing and heart beating faster than it ever has. I didn’t have the guts to risk a glance at him again. I somehow missed the ceremony, lost in thought. The next time I saw Ann, she was searching for me, ready to leave with mom... “Hey, Katherine. You look so gloomy!” We were home. “ Don’t spoil halloween for yourself . Or not for me at least. I don’t know what is with you right now, but I really want you to make things flow away with this halloween!” Make things flow away with halloween, sounded good, except that I didn’t know how to make horrible halloween memories flow into “halloween”. Night came upon us faster than usual. I stood there, stupefied at the changed appearance of my sister. She was a great expressionist, I had to admit that. And her expressions combined with that dark costume made a perfect impact. I had my mother’s long pale yellow fluffy skirt on me with a matching fluffy top. “You look gorgeous. Madison said she was going to wear a princess-like gown as well, just like you. It looks as if you are Cinderella and I am the horrible witch!” You are wrong Ann. I am the one who’s evil. I am the abandoner, a person who had left someone hopeless when help was needed. A murder has been successful because I had let it to be. How can I be called a princess? Or am I even worth being Ann’s sister? I brushed that thought away, which would have otherwise made me cry. I tried to calm down, tried to forget things for this one night, for happiness’ sake, for my sister’s sake. “ Trick or treat!” We surprised Mrs. Todbick. “Ah, there you are, dear Ann. And my dear Katherine, you look gorgeous.” “She sure does.”, said Mr.Todbick, coming up behind Hannah’s mother. “Whoa, whoa. Now there, stop showing your teeth like that Ann. You look terrific. Your treat is on the way.” “There’s your treat little Snow Whites!” Mrs.Todbick gave a lovely candy to both of us. We could only afford to get a candy down our throats during halloween. And when it came, we wouldn’t miss a bit of it! We proceeded towards one of the few decorated houses. People who could afford to decorate their homes with lights were the only ones who could afford a candy or two for each of us. Something was in my shoe. I had stopped to take off that one shoe. It happened again. I convinced Ann and Madison that I would soon catch up with them, so they moved on. I could feel something insidious was on its way towards me. But surprisingly I saw no shadows except for the one of Mr.Todbick’s house. The small stone in my shoe was out. I stood up. I lifted my eyes only to get a shock. A chill ran down my spine. There he was, only a few feet away from me, with four knife wounds over his body. I somehow managed to mutter the words, “ That’s a pretty scary costume…..did you know him?” He didn’t reply. I had to face the truth. It was an illusion, no, it wasn’t, it was….I couldn’t decide, just like I wasn’t able to decide fast enough we he was being murdered. I finally get the answer, he is a ghost! He doesn’t have a shadow, I could see a little bit of the wall behind through his form. But I was terrified when he lifted a real knife. How could a ghost possibly touch or hold something like that! Wasn’t his hand supposed to pass through air when he reached for it? Lost in my thoughts, I don’t see him approaching. I encounter the shock when he is just an inch away from me. I feel warm liquid gushing out of my mouth. My hand shows its red. Pain pierces through my stomach. I feel the agony he had felt when he was slaughtered. I let out screams, but it’s as if the ears are 1000’s of miles away. Another shot of pain flows through my thigh as another knife goes in. I can’t handle this, I am nHe will get four knives through me for sure, I think. I lie there, in a pool of blood, moaning in agony as the life passes out of me. But wait, am I not dead? I can’t feel anything so I am. I try to get up, and surprisingly succeed! Weren’t the wounds deep enough to provoke death? I try to clutch the pole of the light above me, but I can’t. My bloody hand passes through it like air. I stay there, shocked at the sudden change of things. No, I remind myself, it must be a few nerves cut off that’s affecting my sensation.
My face lits up when I see Ann and Madison returning, each of them with a candy in hand. I search for mine and find it lying on the ground, dyed with blood. I cautiously proceed towards them, afraid that my pale yellow gown stained with blood will make them scream or run away. Determined to make myself appear in front of them, I stand in the middle of their path, a smile breaking through my face. The distance between us was gradually decreasing. Ann was in a frantic mood, calling out my name now and then. When we were just an inch away, I opened my mouth to tell something, but wasn’t heard. They passed through me! I was nothing but a figure made up of air! I stay still, trying to swallow what had just happened. The truth struck me. I realized that what Halloween had made him, was what it had made me, a ghost. Being killed on a Halloween night was the reason behind all this! Kaden hadn’t made his appearance throughout the year, except halloween! He wouldn’t kill me on a specific night for no reason. He wanted me to experience what he had experienced. He wanted me to go through everything he had, being a ghost. He, wanted me to feel how it was, to be helpless. An emotionless, speechless and helpless ghost was what I had become. I would be my own form’s slave and live through it’s agony for years to come. I had perished, in the same way Kaden had, from this world which looked so precious, once gone from my hands. From my family, which I regretted the most, having to leave Ann, Eleanor and mom so suddenly. ___________________________________________________ I still wonder if I would run into him someday. Ghosts bumping into ghosts, never heard of that. After I left, I visited my house sometimes to check on things. Ann was doing well in school and mom had finally got a job as a farm worker. There are a lot of things I regret, but the one thing I am thankful for, is that my home now had one family member less to feed and thus they were better off themselves. © 2016 DevanshiAuthor's Note
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Added on October 19, 2016Last Updated on November 26, 2016 Author
DevanshiAboutI am a 13 year old who has just been inspired by the Hunger Games!! I have discovered that I love writing essays in school and writing my first short story was really fun!! So there you go!! more..Writing
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