(Not) Late Night Double Feature Short Story....show?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Are you handing out candy? Going to a party? Watching a parade (we love a parade where I live), or just staying cozy in the house?
Either way....today is a good day for a spooky short story, or two!
Prompt: A Haunted House turns out to be full of real horrors.
There's No Place Like Home
"This isn't one of those haunted houses where people touch you, is it?"
"No. It's just a bunch of theater kids yelling 'Boo!' you'll probably recognize them from school."
Jennifer kept looking out the passenger side window. She smiled looking at all the kids in their spooky costumes walking down the street. Jennifer wanted to be home handing out candy, just like she had the last several Halloweens, but this year her mom encouraged (read: forced) her to go with her sister Sarah and her friends. They were checking out a new haunted house. Apparently this was supposed to be the scariest haunted house to ever pop up in their town. Sarah didn't seem to be convinced.
They pulled up to an old farm house. Jennifer assumed that the haunted house would have been in a mall or a school or a theater. 'Had this house always been here?' She thought.
The house looked like the cover of a Goosebumps book. It was painted a cartoonish green and a fake skeleton sat in a rocking chair on the porch. Whoever ran the house definitely didn't cut expenses when it came to the fog machine. A man in a striped top hat walked up to the girls.
"You must be Sarah and Jennifer." He said, putting on a 'spooky voice'. "Your friends are already inside."
"Okaaaay..." Sarah said, her eyes squinting at the man.
"Do we need a ticket?" Jennifer asked.
"It's been covered." He said. "Just walk into the foyer...you'll get instructions."
Sarah and Jennifer walked up the steps and into the house. It was mostly dark, a single dimly lit red lightbulb hung from the ceiling. From what little Jennifer could make out, the room looked like a normal living room. There were 3 doors - one to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead. There was also a set of stairs. 'Would they go up there?' She wondered.
"We need to go." Sarah whispered.
"Why?" Jennier asked, tensing up.
"He knew our names."
"Your friends must have told him. Isn't that what he said?"
"They didn't know you were coming."
Prompt: A child's imaginary friend is not imaginary.
Mr. Lucky
"Did you leave a sandwich out for Mr. Lucky?" Thomas asked.
"Honey, you know we can't leave real food out. Your imaginary friend can have an imaginary sandwich. Okay?" Thomas' mom kissed his forehead.
"But, mom, Mr. Lucky isn't imaginary. He's real!" Thomas said, sitting up in bed. His mom sighed.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah." He said. "Can you at least leave a night light on for him?"
"Of course." Thomas' mom said. She turned on the night light and closed the door as she left the room.
Thomas tried to sleep, but he knew that Mr. Lucky would be showing up. Thomas hoped that Mr. Lucky wouldn't be too mad. This was the third night in a row that Thomas didn't leave a sandwich out.
Thomas woke up to the sound of his closet door opening. There were no footsteps, but soon he felt a breath on the back of his neck.
"Are you trying to starve me?"
"No. My mom just won't let me have food out at night anymore."
"This is the third night in a row, Thomas."
"I know." He said, holding back tears.
"Do you play baseball, Thomas?" Mr. Lucky asked.
"Yeah." He said, barely above a whisper.
"How many strikes do you get before you're out?"
"Three."
The next morning, Thomas' mom came into his bedroom to wake him. When she got to the bed though, Thomas was gone.