Samhain - Spirit of Halloween

by Will Sketch Harris

  It’s quiet again.

  Gina looks around. Her eyes back to normal, she smiles at me proudly.

  “You did it, G.”

  “We did it, D."

  Veronica runs out from behind a truck and hugs us both. “Oh my God, that was crazy!”

  The clock strikes midnight.

  Nearly jumped out of my socks from the sound of it. As we look around, the sky is clearing above us. The buildings and cars that were set on fire, magically repair themselves. The old dead are vanishing as the recently killed resurrect before our very eyes.

  “What's going on?” Veronica questions.

  “Samhain’s spell is broken," I say confidently. “All the damaged he caused with his dark magic is reverting back to normal. It’s like nothing ever happened. Look!”

  Ace, Robbie, Tony, and Bradlee are jogging to the three of us, overjoyed and unharmed. Veronica meets Tony half way giving him a huge hug and kiss. The rest of us do a group hug, laughing in relief that it’s finally all over. Gina pinches Ace’s arm to see if he’s real. “Yeah pretty lady,” Ace yells making a muscle. “That’s all me, back in one piece."

  “Hey,” Bradlee wonders. “Do you think anyone remembers what happened tonight?”

  “I don’t think so,” I point towards the other side of the street.

  We turn to see little kids in costume suddenly come out of nowhere. Their happy smiles, the Halloween decorations, the holiday music coming from the cars driving by are lighting up the evening. It’s definitely over.

  Epilogue

  I wake up in the morning warm and safe in my bed. I think to myself, “Wow….that was a crazy dream…” I get up to see myself dressed in dirty overalls rather than pajamas. I think, “It couldn’t be…..” run downstairs and find my mom and dad sitting on the couch reading the paper and having a coffee. I stumble back for a second wondering if they know.

  “Mom! Dad! Hey!” My dad gives me a weird look and turns to my mom for an explanation. She just shrugs, “Oh I don’t know what’s wrong with him, late night partying maybe? I told you it was a bad idea….must be some kind of Halloween game or something….” My dad, now giving me a stern look adds, “Yeah, and next time I allow you to have your friends over tell them not to dig up the yard! Who did that crap?”

  “Uhhhh,…” I don’t respond and plop down in silence.

  *The doorbell rings.*

  My dad starts to get up, but I jump in front of him, “Haha, relax dad. I’ll get it, please enjoy your coffee”.

  I open the door to find Gina Romero looking right at me. The sun behind her creates this kind of romantic glow around her face. Just like in the movies. “Hey,” she says. “I forgot to give this back to you last night. You should probably put that away before your dad catches you with it.” She hands me the amulet and the book.

  “Thanks,” I mouthed the word, but it barely comes out, “What are you doing later?”

  Gina tilts her head and smiles. “I don’t know, what do you get in mind?”

  “Well, I figured we could lounge a bit, watch a movie…?”

  Gina steps into my house and without even moving her hands, the door slams shut behind her. “Nothing scary though. I’ve had enough horror for a lifetime.”

  The author

  Will began his creative journey as an illustrator and writer. He spent the better part of his professional career in New York as a graphic designer and web developer, before relocating to Germany in 2007 to establish SketchBoox Entertainment. He now wears many hats as an illustrator, designer, concept artist, and creative director.

  Samhain: Spirit of Halloween began as a simple drawing that came out of Will’s love for Halloween and all things horror. Over the years, it has become a labor of love and transformed into this full length storybook you see here. Rest assured, this is not the last you will see of this malevolent character or this creator.