I just knew Halloween was coming.  But it wasn’t because of the stuff in the stores.  No, I could feel it.  It was turning chilly outside.  The wind was coming in, like a witches wind.  I knew the witches would be coming soon on their broomsticks. 

Last night I woke up to a fluttering noise in the chimney next to my bedroom.  I thought it might be bats.  My science teacher said they swirl around chimney tops at night.  But when I looked out the window, I didn’t see any bats. I saw a big orange moon.  It was amazing.  It looked like a pumpkin.  This proved what I was feeling. I knew Halloween was coming.

At school this afternoon, I reminded everyone of the season.

“Mary Ann, what are you going to be for Halloween?” I asked my best friend.  She is my neighbor too.  We always go out together on Halloween.  Me and her  —  and my brother and her brother  —   and some of the other boys and girls in the neighborhood.

Our small town is in a valley near cornfields where owls hunt at night.  The surrounding hills are covered with thick dark forests of big oak trees.  On Halloween, my mom drives us from door to door so we can “trick or treat.”  Mom keeps watch so nothing bad happens to us. The people around here are very nice and give us candy.  Some of the old people give us apples so we can stay healthy. 

Mary Ann was  thinking out loud  today. She said, “I don’t know if I should be a witch or princess.”   

While she was thinking about it, I told her what my plans were.    “I’m going to be a nurse.”

“Oh, that’s so normal. Why don’t you be a vampire?”  

“''Cause I want to be a nurse,” I said.  

Some of the other girls came by and we asked them what they were going to be.  Cathy was going to be a hobbit.  Lisa was going to be a fairy godmother and Sari was going to be a black cat. Soon some of the boys came by and we asked them what they were going to be. 

“I’m going to be Superman,” said George.

“I’m going to be a Army soldier,” said Jim.

“This is my chance to be a Seal,” said Bobby, whose brother was in the Navy.

By the end of the day, we knew what everyone was planning to wear.  When the night came, the Halloween weather decided to play tricks on us.  It got very cold and windy. 

I watched the sky for witches, but the only one I saw was Mary Ann. She clung to her broom and shivered, even though under her cape she was wearing a winter coat.  

Sari was dressed as a black cat.  She followed Mary Ann around complaining. "I''m afraid I''m going to stumble. I can''t wear my glasses with this mask, hold on to me Mary Ann."

“Sari!  You’re a black cat. You should be able to see--even in the dark.”

“I know, but I can''t.  Maybe some moon light would help.  You’re a witch, make some magic and bring out the moon.”

Mary Ann waved her broomstick wildly about, but no moon appeared.  All we had was the glow from porch lights.

“Trick or treat!” we yelled as we went from house to house.  My mother kept guard from behind the steering wheel.  We envied her the warmth of the heater as we walked along.  But our bags were filling with candy, apples and toys.  

“Now let’s go to the next part of town,” I said.  My friends agreed.  So we climbed back in with Mom.

At the Herrington home, Cathy, who was dressed as a hobbit, tripped over her big feet and screamed.  The boys jumped into action.

"The enemy’s attaching us.  Run for cover.”  Their toy guns fired into the night.

“The ammo dump has been hit.  It’s all over the sidewalk,” Jim yelled.

That was really just Cathy’s candy.  It spilled everywhere. 

George lunged on top of it, “I’m Superman.  I’ll protect the ammo with my body.”

Bobby yelled, “It''s an act of terrorism. It’s time for the Navy Seals to the rescue.”

We girls lifted Cathy up and put her on her feet. “I lost some of my candy,” she cried. 

“I’m your fairy godmother, Cathy,” said Lisa, who was dressed in taffeta and sparkles.  “I’ll give you some of mine, don’t worry about it.”  

We moved on to the next house.  Dogs barked from nearby and Jim raised his soldier’s gun.

“I can keep those dogs from attacking us,” he said with courage and confidence.

“You’re only scaring them with your guns. Try to be quiet,” I said. 

Jim confronted me, “You’re a nurse.  You’re supposed to take care of the wounded, not give orders. Hah!”

 "Hah, yourself,” I said, and led the way to the front door of the house. 

I always liked Halloween.  Not just because of the candy, but I loved going into people’s homes and seeing what they were like.  All year long we would drive past big houses and little cottages that looked so interesting, but we never got to go in and see what they were like inside.

On Halloween, we got to go in and see. Usually we only got to see the living room, but that was a treat.  Some of the big houses were furnished with fancy lamps and beautiful drapes, thick carpets and figurines that were so graceful and elegant. Some of the smaller houses were not as fancy, but still we got to see inside.  

Each year, I tried to remember which houses we had already seen and which we missed.  There was one special little tiny house at the end of a lane that we never got to see inside. The people who lived there were never home.  This year as we drove and walked along doing Halloween, I thought of that tiny house. I reminded myself to check it as we passed by. The house was so small you could hardly believe anyone could live in it.  

“Trick or treat,” we called out as we stood waiting at the door of another neighbor. The door came open and out came a big dish of candy.

“Take one each children,” the woman said.  We did and we even remembered to say, “Thank you.”  We left the porch with those goodies and started back to the car.

"I want to go to that little house, the tiny one. You know which one I mean?”

“Oh that’s the Jenkins home,” said Lisa as she lifted the skirts of her fairy godmother gown.  When she ran through the car headlights, the sparkles flowed behind her in the chilly night air. 

“Where to next?” Mom asked as we all settled into the seats.

“Can we go to the Jenkins house?” I asked.

"Oh no, you don’t want to go there,” said Sari as she adjusted her ears with her paws.  “That place is haunted for sure.”

“We can drive by,” said Mom, “but I don’t believe anyone’s ever home.”

The night sky was still dark and the wind continued to blow. Mom pulled over at the end of the lane and we stared at the tiny house.  I was thrilled to see a dim light showing in the front window. 

“They’re home this year,” I called out, “Let’s go.”

No one responded. Then Mary Ann said, “Are you sure you want to?  Sari, why did you say that place is haunted?”

“Oh, I don’t know, it always looked haunted to me. It sits at the end of the lane with those big trees behind it and it looks lost and scary.”

“Oh come on, lets go see,” I coaxed.  We all climbed out and shut the door.  Jim took the lead and I followed. 

Suddenly a big winged creature flew over our heads. Sari screamed.  “It’s just an owl,” I explained. 

“Oh that was great,” said Bobby, “It’s a real Halloween thing.”

“Come on,” I said.  I placed a foot on the first step.  It made a creaking sound.  Dogs in the distance barked.  

Jim came to my side clutching his machine-gun.  “There’s a light on inside there, but I still don’t think anyone’s home,” he said.

“Sure, they’re home,” I said, then I mounted the stairs.  Soon, we all arrived at the top of the steps.  I rang the doorbell.  We waited.

I turned and saw the outline of my mother’s head behind the steering wheel.  She was watching and ready to take us home.   I rang the doorbell again.  We heard shuffling inside.  The door opened.

“Trick or treat” we called.

A very wrinkly old woman gazed out at us. Next to her was a bent over old man with his cane.  “Oh, children, you are here for Halloween,” said the woman.  “Let me see if I can find something for you.  Why don’t you come in?  It is so cold outside tonight.”

The moment I had waited for was at hand.  But how were we going to get so many of us into the tiny house?  I stepped forward and went in.  Jim came with me clutching his gun. Behind him was Bobby in his Navy uniform and Mary Ann as a witch.

The living room was tiny.  It had two stuffed chairs on either side of a small table that held a lamp. The walls of the small living room were covered with pictures of children, not dressed in today’s fashions, but from a time past, long ago. 

“These are our children,” the old man said, “three little boys.”

The woman came from behind the door with a basket of small, knotted apples. They looked like she picked them that day from her own backyard trees. To each one of us she gave an apple and we thanked her.  “Yes, these are pictures of our children,” she said. 

I looked up at all the pictures: little boys age two playing with puppies; older boys riding on swings; teenage boys in scouting uniforms.  On another wall were three pictures of the boys standing proudly in their military uniforms.

“Oh, and where do they live now,” I asked in my most polite grownup tone of voice.

“They’re dead,” said the woman, “They’re all dead.”

“They died in the war,” the man growled.  He looked at Jim’s Army uniform and Bobby’s Navy suit.  “Are you two boys going to die in a war? ”  

Jim was unable to answer.  His eyes were wide with fear.  

“We lost them all,” said the woman.  Her gray eyes stared at us like a ghost warning us from the grave. 

Jim gasped, “Retreat men! Back to the fort.”  Bobby turned and the two of them ran out the door.   

As the boys scurried across the lawn, we girls cautiously made our way down the rickety stairs.  Never again would we visit the tiny house of the dead on Halloween.   But it haunted us for the rest of our lives.