(Sorry. Was catching up the chapters after taking a week off to take care of my mom. There will be one more chap tomorrow. And hopefully one more on Sunday, but no promises because it's near Eid Adha)
[Edward POV]
Standing on my father's left side, my half mask covered my face as I walked side by side with him. He wore a simple cowboy outfit with leather boots and a cowboy hat.
While we were walking, it was awkward between the two of us. He suddenly asked without prompting, "Why do you like lying?"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Come on Old Man, you can't ask me a personal question like that, not even 2 minutes after we met." I muttered with disbelief.
He was taken aback and apologized, "Sorry–"
"That's the kind of question you can ask after getting to know someone, not while you are getting to know them. You suck at making small talk, old man."
"I said I'm sorry." My dad muttered apologetically, at the same time my reaction made him chuckle. While walking, we saw Gloria and Mitchell who were taking Lily around trick or treating. They were going in the direction of the Dunphys house, which meant trick or treating was over for them.
"Hey Ted." Mitchell greeted as he walked towards us.
"Hola Ted. Who-Who is this? Your son from your family out of town?" Gloria said teasingly.
"Huh? What does that mean?" I was confused.
Mitchell politely explained, "She meant family from the other side of the town– Wait, why am I explaining it to you?" He finally came to his senses.
"No, this is Edward's former teacher's…son?" He looked at me as if to get confirmation. "She's my aunt." I replied casually. I lost track of how many aunties I have right now. But I guess this one's fine because I was using another identity.
"AH, that makes much more sense." Ted finally breathed in relief. I turned to him and said, "Why did she ask you if you have a son from another town? Are you the type of guy who will cheat on his wife?"
"No, it's the other side of town, not another town– Wait again, why am I explaining?" Mitchell muttered exasperation.
Gloria, and Ted were taken aback, but baby Lily, as if she knew who I was, kept calling me, "Ed! Ed! ED!" while trying to get to me.
"No– I'm not." My dad stammered.
"Ay, it was a joke." Gloria intervened. "Um, why are you bringing him around?" Mitchell asked.
I looked at my watch as my dad was explaining, and before Gloria could ask another question, I spoke up, "I'm sorry? Are you guys going to continue talking? I have 20 minutes left, and I don't want to waste it here. Can't you wait until after I finish trick or treating?"
"Y-You're right. We're sorry." Mitchell said apologetically.
"That's quite rude." Gloria scolded me, "It's not good talking to an adult like that."
"Get out of the way OLD LADY. I have candies to get, and I don't want to waste my time at the nursing home!"
Gloria gasped and she became angry, "Who are you calling old lady? Who's in the Nursing home?!"
I rushed to the other house while ignoring them. Mitchell had to hold Gloria down with my dad while I casually went trick-or-treating.
"....¡Este culicagado!" I heard the end of Gloria's cursing.
"I heard that I still have my hearing. I'm a young boy after all." I replied jokingly.
After enraging Gloria, Ted brought me away from the duo, and we could still hear her shrill voice echoing down the eerie, empty street, even after we had put some distance between us. Her grating, angry tone seemed to linger in the air, causing some of the remaining trick-or-treaters to scurry away in fear, as if the old witch herself might descend upon them.
"You're...quite confrontational," my dad said with a hint of exasperation after pulling me aside.
"Well, the Phantom never had any friends or people who loved him for who he was. He didn't understand basic human etiquette - otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to kidnapping the girl," I replied, my tone laced with a touch of defensiveness.
My dad regarded me with a look of disbelief. "So, like the Phantom, do you not have any friends either?"
"Please," I scoffed, walking briskly ahead of him. "I just don't want to waste any time I have left."
"What's your hurry?" he asked, rushing to catch up.
I suddenly stopped and turned towards him, asking mockingly, "Have you never gone trick-or-treating with your son before? Why ask a question when you should already know the answer?"
His smile faltered, replaced by a look of sadness. "As a matter of fact, I haven't. My son and I, we only went to one house. And that was it."
I clicked my tongue in disapproval. "That poor guy. He couldn't even enjoy what it's like."
"Oh, and what does it feel like exactly?" Dad asked. "Maybe I can tell him about your experience so it won't make him feel so sad?"
"Well then, in the next 15 minutes, I'll teach you all about Halloween! And the main point of Halloween…is all about fear and pranks!"
[General POV]
In the Dunphys house, Claire was resting in the living room while Phil was in the kitchen, taking out some snacks.
"Honey, can you check on Luke?" Claire asked while massaging her sore feet. "He's supposed to be back by now."
"Manny just texted me. They are on their way home." Phil replied as he brought a glass of water to Claire. However, he couldn't sit on the couch as the other spots were filled by the porcelain dolls.
"We-We should probably box these up tonight." Phil muttered with some anxiety. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more with the dolls.
Claire rolled her eyes and said, "I'll do it tomorrow morning. I just want to get some rest now. Besides, we always do it the next day."
"Sometimes I just want to do it today." Phil muttered. "We can even take them back tonight." He added with desperation.
{"Take us back."} An ethereal whisper resounded softly.
Claire rolled her eyes and said, "We rented them out for a whole day. We can't take them back now. Phi-....Phil?" Claire sat up as she saw Phil frozen while standing completely still. Phil looked at Claire with an ashen face and asked, "Honey, did you hear that?"
{"Take us back."}
Claire widened her eyes, and she instantly turned towards the dolls behind her. She stood up, and immediately went to Phil.
At this moment, Gloria and Mitchell were already near the porch. Gloria was still grumbling about teaching the kid a lesson. But then, Phil and Claire burst out of the door, dashing all the way to the street after passing by Gloria, Mitchell and Lily.
"The dolls are talking– THE DOLLS ARE TALKING!" Phil muttered hysterically as he ran.
"AHHHHH" Claire screamed as she ran.
Mitchell and Gloria looked at each other, and took a glance into the house. They saw the numerous dolls there, and decided it was best to follow Claire and Phil.
Phil saw a priest walking by the house, and grabbed him immediately, "Father you have to help us. Our house is haunted. We have unknowingly invited several spirits into our house."
"Hey, this is a costume, I'm not a real priest." The random guy shouted in fear as he shoved Phil away. "Father, you took my money every month yet you shy away when the time comes for you to step up!" Phil yelled at him as the random guy scurried away hastily.
"Ayy Phil, Claire, what did you guys do?" Gloria asked in bewilderment and a little fear. Phil turned to Claire, who was panicking. Claire anxiously replied, "I– I rented some dolls for decorations–"
"To scare Edward." Phil exposed her.
Claire continued, "It– The owner, said before…. he was going crazy with the dolls. I didn't think that's what he meant!"
"Ay!" Gloria exclaimed before she started praying to ward off the spirits.
"We're lucky the kids are outside right now." Phil muttered. "We need to have all the dolls sent away before they get back."
"Mitch, can you keep an eye on Manny and Luke? They are coming back right now." Claire asked before she took out her phone, "I'll call the owner of the dolls."
"I'll call the cops." Mitchell said.
"What's the cop going to do? Arrest the dolls!?" Phil exclaimed in disbelief.
While the adults, plus Lily were clamoring outside the house, Luke and Manny sneaked through the back to enter it.
"I don't have a good feeling about this, Luke. Why do we need to hide the candies again?" Manny asked as he followed Luke from behind as they tiptoed around the kitchen.
Luke stretched his head to look at the living room, "Shh! I told you, if we have too much candies, then my mom will snatch them, and divide them into portions. She'll only give the next to us when we finish what we had. She did it last year."
"Your mom, not my mom. She won't do that to me." Manny said.
"Oh, so every man for himself then? I thought we were a team today." Luke said tauntingly.
Manny sighed and said, "Fine. I'll keep a lookout while you hide your candies."
Luke went upstairs, leaving Manny alone in the living room, surrounded by the porcelain dolls. He shudders and said, "Claire must have been seriously traumatized as a child that she thought these things are normal behavior."
He picked up a doll from the bannister, and suddenly, he heard a scratchy voice, "Put me down!"
"Ahh." Manny dropped the doll back in her place and took a few steps backward.
"Luke?" He called out. "Something weird is happening down here."
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Luke said urgently as he stomped around his room, trying to find a place where he could hide the candies. Then, he decided to put them all inside his pillowcase.
"I must be imagining things, right?" Manny muttered to himself. However, his heart couldn't calm down.
Suddenly, he heard the same whispering, yet beckoning voice again, "Manny~"
"AHHHH! IT'S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!!!" He shouted and dropped his bucket of candies before running out of the house. Luke came down a minute later, and saw the candies scattering around the floor.
"Luke~" The voice called him too. Luke was confused, "Huh?" He turned to the doll, and then remembered, "Oh, he made me put speakers in it. That's pretty sweet."
He suddenly dropped down on the floor and started picking up Manny's candies. "When I got down, the dolls had already eaten all of his candies." He mumbled as he practised his excuses for when someone asked him about where Manny candies went.
Well, it seemed that he angered someone because of this. A huge gush of winds knocked down the dolls to him, making him scream in fear before rushing outside the house.
"Give that back!" The dolls shouted.
"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed while running.
…
[Edward POV]
Unaware of the situation happening inside the Dunphy house, my dad and I were holding one tissue roll each.
He asked me hesitantly, "Are you sure this is how people celebrate Halloween?"
"Yeah. We prank the ones who gave us fruits and other healthier alternatives. It's the LAW. Besides, it's harmless pranks. We even gave them 2 rolls of toilet paper." I said before I threw the tissue paper on the tree and my dad, on the rooftop.
We ran away after we did that, and I checked the time.
"You kept checking your watch, why?" He asked me abruptly.
"I'm like Cinderella. Instead of unchoking the balls at 12, I need to get home by 8."
My dad chuckled, and then he was confused, "Wait. You said get home by 12, right?"
"Yeah. I did?" I looked at him innocently before throwing a tissue roll. He caught it and threw it back to me. I caught it and threw it to him again.
"Just keep it. What do you want me to do with it?" He asked me weirdly.
"Oh, I thought we were playing catch. Okay, I'll keep it. Now, I have time for one final house. Let's go to the scariest house in the neighborhood. Mr Kleezak's house."
"Wait. How did you know Mr Kleezak?" My dad asked, but I ignored him.
"Who doesn't know him?" I answered ambiguously.
It took only a short walk to Mr Kleezak's house. After I rang the door, the old man with breathing support, wearing his robe, opened the door. He asked gruffly, "What do you want?"
"Trick or Treat!" I said while holding my bucket of candy. Mr Kleezak was confused, and then he muttered, "That was today?"
"It's okay if you forgot. He has enough candy already." My dad said. I protested, "Hey, there's never the term, "ENOUGH CANDY" for a kid. Don't make your own decision."
Mr Kleezak looked at my dad briefly before saying, "Wait. I know you."
"I'm Ted. I live nearby, Sir." My dad extended his hand for a handshake. As both of them had experiences in being in the army, they got along pretty quickly.
"No, that's not where I remember you from." Mr Kleezak shook his hand 9 before replying. "You come here with a ghost. What is that? 2 years ago?"
"It was 9 years ago." My dad smiled and replied. "I can't believe you still remember me."
"Is this your new son? I remember that ghost boy. He was so excited for candies. He didn't even look at me." Mr Kleezak said with a rare smile before he said to my dad sternly, "You took care of that boy, right?"
"I tried to." My dad replied with a deep depression in his eyes.
"Good. Make sure to be a good father to them. Otherwise, you'll end up like me." He said gruffly before he turned to me, "Wait here. I have some candies on my table."
I nodded and said, "Thank you Grandpa!"
He came back a minute later, panting as he walked. "Here." He placed some caramel candies inside my bucket. "Happy Halloween. Now, get out of my porch."
"Happy Halloween!"
My dad and I walked away, with me waving at the angry grandpa as I left. He stood by the door frame as he watched me go away. I know he looked angry, but that guy was also lonely.
"Thank you Mr Ted for taking me around." I suddenly said to my dad. He looked at me with confusion, "O-Oh. You're welcome. Next year, if you want to, you can come trick or treating at my house."
"I will if I have the chance." I said before I walked near him and gave him a hug. He was startled at first, but then he hugged me back lightly while patting my back at the same time.
"Thank you." I whispered before I released him. "Wait LOOK OVER THERE!" I suddenly shouted while pointing at the sky. My dad turned around to check it out, but there was nothing there except for some clouds.
"Hmm? There's nothing– Harry?" He turned back, only to see I was gone. "HARRY!?" He shouted, but I didn't answer him and continued slipping away. With the cover of the darkness and my own costume having a dark color theme, I managed to get away from him quickly.
I sat on the curb, while unwrapping a candy bar before popping it into my mouth. A wave of contentment washes over me, and without me realizing it, my lips curled up into a smile. The gentle night wind blew, and it hit my face as if it was comforting me. I closed my eyes as I enjoyed the moment.
The short, relaxing moment.
The moment that made my life felt better.
I finally, have a proper memory of the holiday with my dad. Except, I was the only one who knew about it.
["Why do you like lying?"]
I remembered his question before. Well, Mrs Henderson probably got it right. Maybe I am a pathological liar. But growing up, lies are necessary for me. Lies become the shield that protects me, and everyone else around me.
When I got beaten up by the warden, I lied to the other smaller kids there, telling them that I fell down.
When we all had to go hungry for days, surviving only with the bare minimum, I lied to everyone, telling them that I heard people would donate to the orphanage, and we could eat again.
I lied and lied, until I was an expert at lying.
Why do I like lying? Maybe the answer was…
"Because lies are more comforting than the truth."
I sat there with the lollipop in my mouth, and finally my watch beeped.
I took out the antidote for the pill.
"STOP!" I heard Sage's shout as I swallowed it. I turned and saw her, with her shirt clinging on her body, sweat dripping on her chin.
"Did you run around in high heels?" I asked her with shock and some admiration. "That's some tough shit right there."
"We need to get you back home, right now." She grabbed my cheeks.
"Huh? Why?" I asked with confusion when I suddenly realized it, "Oh damn, I won't fit into the shirt anymore. I will be naked out here if I don't, won't I?"
"Come on! We need to move fast!" She said as she grabbed my hand and we rushed to my place.
"Wait– My friends are at my house!"
"We'll just have to face them!" Sage said.
My body started hurting, and my heart beat quickly again so that I couldn't run anymore. Sage picked me up into her arms, and ran towards my house hurriedly.
Luckily for us, my house was empty at the moment. We went straight to my room where Sage had to cut me out of the shirt. I also choked myself in it, and I became completely naked in front of her after I grew back into my teenager self.
Sage flopped down on the floor and said, "Oh. Haa…Haa…We made it."
"Thank you Sage." I replied breathlessly as I lay down on the bed. Suddenly, I sat up and looked at the door. She asked, "What's wrong?"
I replied, "I don't know. I figured that someone would catch us like this, and a misunderstanding will happen again. But not this time huh.."
I was unaware that everyone was at the Dunphys house right now, the cops, the agents, and even my friends were there, trying to get a glimpse of the haunted dolls. I changed into a simple white shirt and khaki pants while Sage took off her shirt to take a shower. She took off her shirt casually, not even minding my presence there.
"I'll go and see what's going on." I said to her as I finished wearing my clothes.
"Okay. I'll let myself out later." She replied, before I threw her a towel. She wrapped it around her body, and I finally turned towards her. I hugged her abruptly, which startled her.
"Thank you Sage." I said sincerely.
She smiled as she relaxed, and said, "You're welcome Ed. I just hope you finally have another memory to cherish."
I nodded at her, and then I suddenly turned to the door again. She was confused and asked, "What is it?"
"Well, no one's really busting us huh?" I replied with a shrug.