Halloween might be the "ghost festival" of the West, but it's not scary at all. On this night, most people dress up in all sorts of weird costumes—zombies, devils, vampires, and even aliens—but it's all in good fun rather than to frighten. Kids especially have a blast on Halloween night, wearing strange masks and carrying jack-o'-lanterns as they play "trick-or-treat." Homeowners either hand out candy or spare change, or else risk having their outdoor Halloween decorations smashed by the mischievous kids.
Right now, Catherine's favorite holiday is Halloween. She doesn't care about candy or change; she just loves roaming the streets with friends and bothering the neighbors, like she's doing now—"Trick or treat!" she shouts while knocking on the door relentlessly.
"Alright, coming!" a woman's voice calls from behind the door. When she opens it, she's prepared but still gets a little spooked by the four floating jack-o'-lanterns!
After composing herself, she quickly realizes they are just four kids wrapped in black cloaks, blending into the Halloween crowd. But with large jack-o'-lanterns on their heads, it looks like their heads are floating in mid-air if you weren't paying close attention.
"Trick or treat!" the kid in front shouts, waving a small jack-o'-lantern and shaking a tiny fist. The clear voice gives away that it is a girl.
"Hold on, sweetheart, you'll get both." The woman laughs, grabbing a handful of candy and some coins from two small wooden buckets hanging behind the door and stuffing them into the girl's hand.
The kids cheer, wave at the woman, and run off quickly.
"Cathy, where are we going next?" asks the second jack-o'-lantern-headed girl in the group. The street is crowded with parade-goers, and many houses have already been visited by trick-or-treaters. While homeowners wouldn't refuse more kids, Catherine always said the first time was the most fun, so she sought out houses that hadn't yet been visited.
"Let's go to Wolse Street. There must be some houses there that haven't been hit yet," Catherine says confidently.
"But Cathy, if we head that way, we'll end up in the middle of Wolse Street. If we have to run back and forth, we won't have enough time to get home," says the third jack-o'-lantern-headed girl. She and the fourth girl are sisters, neighbors of Jessica, and classmates of Catherine. They were all playmates.
"Let me think," Catherine says, patting the pumpkin on her head. "Okay, when we get to the street corner, Rose and Lily will go west, and Jess and I will go east. If we can't make it back by the time we reach the corner, we'll divide the candy and coins tomorrow or the day after."
With that, she takes the basket from her arm and continues, "Now, let's split these up. I'll do the usual."
As mentioned before, Catherine wasn't interested in candy or coins, but she loved collecting different types of candies—many families liked to make their own, often coming up with creative treats. Each year, she liked to see how many different kinds she could gather.
The other three girls didn't hesitate. They were used to her routine. They quickly mixed the coins and candies from their baskets, divided them into three portions, and then picked out a few different candies for Catherine. She wrapped her share in a paper bag, put it in her pocket, and then they ran to the street corner, parted ways, and started their separate missions.
Wolse Street was less crowded, but not by much. Catherine and Jessica visited several houses, but many had already been hit by other trick-or-treaters, with smashed pumpkin decorations and fresh footsteps as evidence. The festive atmosphere was infectious, with people running around, shouting, and scaring each other. Although Catherine and Jessica played along, it slowed their trick-or-treating pace.
"Cathy, why do we have to go to houses that haven't been visited yet?" Jessica asked during a break.
"You ask me that every year. Can't you figure it out?" Catherine's eyes glinted mischievously behind the triangular eyeholes of her pumpkin head.
"Don't give me that 'first time' nonsense," Jessica said, rolling her eyes even though Catherine couldn't see.
"You're such a dummy. If we went door-to-door, how many streets could we cover?" Catherine tapped Jessica's pumpkin head. Each Halloween, her parents allowed her to spend the night in this neighborhood with Jessica. Opportunities to roam freely were rare.
"Don't call me dummy!" Jessica protested. However, with the pumpkin head on, her usual trump card was ineffective, and she couldn't threaten Catherine.
Even so, Jessica had other ways: "Hey, Cathy, did Mr. Savior write to you?"
"Jess-i-ca!" Catherine called her name in a dangerous tone.
"What's the matter? I thought you gave him your address because you expected him to write enthusiastic letters, like that girl from Canada." Although Jessica's expression couldn't be seen inside the pumpkin head, her teasing tone was unmistakable.
"Jess-i-ca!" Catherine's tone grew more menacing. She regretted telling her about the party. When she left that night, Edward had pleaded for her number. She didn't give him her phone number, but she softened and left her home address. However, Edward's writing skills were abysmal; his letter was full of mistakes, giving her a headache.
"But it's obvious he likes you. So, Cathy, do you like him too? I guess you do." Jessica continued to provoke, but her tone carried a subtle hint that went unnoticed by everyone.
"You'll pay for what you said!" Catherine, enraged, lunged at Jessica.
Jessica shrieked and started to run. The two little girls chased each other, laughing and darting through the street, with other "monsters" on the sidewalk joining in the fun.
Finally, as they jumped over a fire hydrant, Catherine suddenly spun around and grabbed Jessica's cloak. Not wanting to be caught, Jessica twisted her body to break free. Catherine, off balance, was pulled sideways and fell, accompanied by two sharp cries.
Jessica, startled, turned to help Catherine, but Catherine had already sprung up and was assisting another little girl. This girl, about five years old and wearing a little devil mask, had fallen, scattering her basket of candy and coins all over the ground.
"You jerks! You owe me!" The little girl, seeing her scattered treasures and feeling the pain in her knee, burst into tears.
Catherine and Jessica, knowing they were in the wrong, quickly removed their now crooked pumpkin heads and stepped forward to apologize and comfort her. "Sorry, are you okay?"
The little girl, still crying, glared at them fiercely, as if she wanted to bite them. This made Catherine both amused and exasperated. She sighed and offered, "Alright, how about I give you half of my share as compensation?"
"I don't want yours!" The little girl took off her devil mask, still looking fierce as she sniffled, "I have way more than you!"
"Alright then, what do you want me to do?" Catherine asked, exchanging a helpless glance with Jessica.
The little girl stopped crying abruptly and stared at Catherine. Puzzled, Catherine touched her own face. What is she looking at? The girl had red hair and a round face streaked with tears, her features delicate. In the dim streetlight, Catherine found her oddly familiar. They stared at each other until Jessica waved a hand between them. "Can you stop zoning out?"
Both girls snapped back to reality and looked away awkwardly. After a moment, Catherine cleared her throat, "Okay, how do you want me to make it up to you?"
The girl sniffled, her eyes bright with excitement. She wiped her face and pointed, "See over there?"
Catherine followed her gaze. Between two houses was an empty lot with a crowd gathered around, clearly playing bobbing for apples—a traditional Halloween game. A tub of water held floating apples, and participants had to bite into them without using their hands. Don't think it's easy; these apples were chosen for their slick, polished skins.
Catherine quickly understood the girl's idea. She wasn't afraid. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Alright, what are the rules?"
"Five apples. Whoever bites more wins. The winner gets all the candy and coins the loser collects before bedtime tonight!" The girl's eyes gleamed with a cunning beyond her years.
"No problem!" Catherine agreed without hesitation.