October: the month where ember leaves begin transitioning into warm colors, the same colors that whisper it’s cold breath into your ear. The blissful month makes its way onto my calendar, reminding me of the wonders of fall that come around every year. Halloween, hot coffee, and oversized cream-colored sweaters start maneuvering themselves into my life and I begin to feel as though the universe aligns just for one month out of the year. Halloween approaches and I remember to prepare. I gather all my decorations and set them up around the house, neatly placing spooky knickknacks here and there. 

6 p.m. comes by on Halloween night and the first batch of trick-or-treaters come ringing my doorbell. I greet the small children all dressed in adorable superhero costumes and I hand out candy with a warm grin. Another hour passes and I feel almost intoxicated by the candy I’ve been consuming throughout the night. My bell rings again and I get up to answer, prepared to give out more pieces of Hersheys and Reeses. Again, the children yell, demanding candy then leave just as soon as they come. “They’re just kids” I quietly murmur as I sit back down on my couch, popping another sweet in my mouth. Again and again, the children come ringing my doorbell, greedy hands reaching into the bowl to scoop out handfuls of little chocolates, and again I consume my own sweets as if fueling my body for the rest of the night. By midnight I feel as though I’m on an intense sugar rush. All my senses are heightened, causing me to be on edge for no particular reason. “Weird,” I think to myself. “Why would candy give me such a bad sugar rush?”

Once again my doorbell rings and I prepare my fake smile for the kids and their parents. I open the door with a bowl of candy around my arms, almost empty when I’m greeted with some peculiar children. They were pale with pitch-black pupils that were extremely dilated. There were three of them, all dressed the same: white shirts and white shorts- not particularly the scariest costume, but their presence made the atmosphere uneasy. The 3 children didn’t have a bag or basket for their candy nor did they vocalize the classic “trick or treat!” phrase like the rest did. I felt sick and unable to move due to their gaze that held me in place. 

“May we come in?” one of the little girls spoke up, her voice cold with little emotion. 

As much as I wanted to slam the door in their faces for bothering me with their stupid prank, my body neglected my demands, keeping me where I was standing as if an entity enchanted a spell on my soul. The world around me quickly changed into a spiraling vacuum where my belongings were sucked into a multi-colored void. Along with my precious Halloween decorations, I am pulled along, swimming in dense, cold air. Not understanding what is happening, I scream as loud as I can, hoping the madness stops. Who were those kids? Why do I feel so sick from eating a few pieces of candy? What in the world is happening to me? After what felt like an eternity, I wake up in cold sweat, hands freezing. It only takes me a while to process where I am. Behind a dumpster and on the ground I lay with nothing but a sheer blanket. On the right side of my legs lay a dirty needle. Remembering what happened just a few hours ago I started laughing. Hysterically laughing and unable to control it. Isn’t it funny? How amusing my world is. I lay my head back on the rusty dumpster and scratch my neck with filthy, uncut fingernails. I smiled to myself as I hear distance children reiterate what I’ve been hearing all night, “Trick or Treat!” 

 I take the needle on the ground and pick it into my forearm, absorbing the rest of the candy leftover inside the syringe. 

“Happy Halloween,” I muttered to myself, hoping someone could hear me. I’m sucked back into my fantasy world of a perfect life. October, such a beautiful month.