by N. M. Howell
“Nice spread,” I said. I reached for a small orange-colored cookie and took a bite. “This is amazing. What is it?” The cookie melted in my mouth like butter.
“A new creation,” Mrs. Pots said cheerfully. “Pumpkin butter cookies. My own recipe.”
“Well, they’re amazing,” I said as I grabbed another.
“Thank you, dear. What lovely makeup you have on tonight.”
“I can say the same to you,” I said. Mrs. Pots had painted her face white with smudged black around her eyes. “What exactly are you?”
“A dead baker,” she said as she posed. “Can’t you tell?”
“You look great.”
“Where are the other girls?” Mrs. Pots asked, standing on her toes to try and see over the growing crowd.
I shook my head. “They’re still inside getting ready. They’ve been obsessing over their secret costumes since yesterday morning.”
“I bet we’re in for a treat, then,” Mrs. Pots said as she turned to her task of setting out the rest of the treats.
Mrs. Pots continued to work as I went to find Mrs. Brody to see if she needed help with anything. The crowd was growing at an alarming rate, and it seemed nearly the whole town had shown up. The rear yard was packed, and when I walked out to the bluff and looked down at the bay below, a large crowd had grown there, too.
I looked around for familiar faces, but, with everyone in costume, it was difficult to tell who was who. After a few minutes of searching, a voice came calling out from the crowd behind me. “River! River, over here!”
I turned to see Grace waving to me over the crowd. Trey was with her, and I went over to join them. Grace gave me a big hug, and then stepped back and posed for me. “How do I look?”
“You both look fantastic,” I said as I admired their costumes. Both were dressed up as sort of Frankenstein zombies. Grace had painted their faces to look like they were stitched up, and they wore torn clothes with fake blood. They really did look awesome.
“Thanks. Nice witch costume.” She winked at me, then reached for my hand. “Come, let’s get some drinks. Yours looks empty.”
Grace pulled me towards the nearest drink table and poured us all some punch. “Not a bad party for such a little town.”
I shrugged. “Brimstone Bay isn’t that bad. I had reservations about moving to a small town after living in New York, but I kind of like it here.”
Grace shook her head dramatically and made a slashing motion along her neck with her finger. “Couldn’t do it myself. Back to the big city for us, soon. Once the restaurant gets off the ground, we’ll go back where we’re needed, running the main place in New York.”
I glanced at Trey who was staring down at his feet.
“And what do you think about that?” I asked him, nudging him with my elbow.
He shrugged. “I like it here. It’s quiet.”
I laughed. “Oh, not as quiet as you might think.”
I turned to look behind us when I heard my name being called again. Mayor Scott and Jordan were walking up to us, and I nearly doubled over I was laughing so hard.
“What?” Jordan asked as they came up to us.
I tried my best to regain my composure, but it was just too much. Jordan was dressed as a vampire, which, with his striking ice blue eyes, looked really quite sexy, but Mayor Scott was dressed up as a werewolf.
“Nice costumes,” I said to them. I couldn’t get over the Mayor’s costume. He was a werewolf, after all. But I was likely the only one in town who knew the truth about what he was. I couldn’t decide if it was brave, hilarious, or simply stupid of him to come dressed like that. A bit of column a, but of column b, I guessed.
“Thanks,” Jordan said. “You look great.” He pulled me in for a one-armed hug. I did my best not to swoon.
“Drinks?” I asked, hoping that the blush I could feel growing on my cheeks wasn’t noticeable in the dark. The sun had set, and the decorations were in their full glory. The candles cast a warm glow over the entire yard and the firelight flickered against the trees. It was shaping up to be a really great night.
“Where are your friends?” Grace asked.
“Still getting ready, I guess,” I said. “They’ve been working on their costumes all day. Hope they come out soon.”
As if on cue, two of my housemates came walking out of the house towards us.
“Oh. My. God.” I fell to my knees I was laughing so hard. “You guys, what are you doing!”
Jane and Rory were dressed as Soot and Agnes, my two cats.
“We’re your cats,” Rory said.
“The cats to your witch,” Jane winked at me.
Rory was wearing a skin-tight black and white body suit with cute fuzzy cat ears and whiskers drawn on her cheeks, obviously dressed as the little kitten, Agnes. She looked like she should be on a stage at a show. She looked remarkable.
Jane was dressed as soot, and was wearing a sophisticated gray business suit with a bow tie and ears.
I wiped the tears from my eyes as I shook my head. “You guys are hilarious. Where’s Bailey?” I thought it was a safe bet to guess who Bailey was dressed up as, but I had to see it for myself.
“She’s coming. She’s having a hard time navigating the stairs.” Rory laughed.
“Huh?” I asked.
“Here she comes,” Jane said.
I turned to look at the house and saw a giant fuzzy white figure come waddling out to the backyard.
“You’re kidding me,” I said. “How did you guys even make that?”
“It took all day and some serious craftiness,” Rory laughed.
Bailey was wearing a full head-to-toe white fur suit, complete with footies and a fuzzy cat head. They had cut holes for the eyes for her to see through, but, apart from that, her body was completely covered. She looked absolutely ridiculous.
“Hey Momma,” I said as she made her way clumsily towards us.
She took off the giant cat head and wiped sweat from her brow. “It’s freaking hot in here.”
We all laughed, and I pulled her in for a hug. “Ouu, fuzzy,” I said into her suit.
She laughed. “It seemed like a really great idea at the time. But now, not so sure.”
“At least, you won’t need a jacket,” I suggested.
“Oh, you guys, I need to take a photo of this.” Grace pulled out her phone from her purse and waited for us all to pose together—the witch and her three cats.
Grace excitedly snapped a bunch of photos, then promised to send them to us online. I still couldn’t get over the girls’ costumes. Considering we just got the two new cats yesterday morning, it’s no wonder they had spent so much time cooped up in their rooms making the costumes. I had no idea how they managed to make all three of those things in less than two days.
“I’m starved,” Grace said. “What’s there to eat around here?”
“Mrs. Pots catered the party,” I answered. “Have you guys met her yet? She runs the bakery in town.”
“Oh, we’ve met her. The bakery’s right across from the restaurant,” Grace said wryly. “Claims to have the best cakes in town. We’ll see about that.”
“Be nice,” I said. “That bakery has been here for over twenty years. Don’t go all big city on her.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “I’m always nice.”
I smirked. Sure, she was.
We all walked over to Mrs. Pots’ food table to load up on snacks.
“Hi, Mrs. Pots,” Grace smiled. “Beautiful table you’ve got here.” She reached for one of the small pumpkin butter cookies and took a bite.
“Hello, Grace. Nice to see you,” Mrs. Pots feigned a smile, but it was hardly believable.
“Wow, these are good,” Grace said through a crumbling bite. “Reminds me of these darling little cakes Trey makes. You should try them. You’d go nuts over them!”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Mrs. Pots answered, then turned her back to us as she rummaged through her bag behind the table.
You’ve gotta hand it to the woman, at least she’s making an effort to be somewhat friendly. I don’t know how I would handle having someone swoop into my town and threaten my business.
Mrs. Brody called from the other side of the yard, and I left poor Mrs. Pots alone with Grace and Trey as the girls and I went to help Mrs. Brody with whatever it was she had planned. Trey was a really friendly guy, and I could hear him strike up a conversation with Mrs. Pots about her favorite ingredients as I walked away. I hoped they all learned to get along, as it’s never a good idea to piss off the competition. Besides, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right?
“We’re going to get the fire ceremony set up, can you girls gather all the guests?” Mrs. Brody asked. “I’ve just about got it set up now.”
Mrs. Brody had set up a circle of logs around the fire, and had positioned various bags and metal containers on the ground as well. Peeking inside the nearest bag, I saw some sort of colorful dust. Unsure what the contents of the bags were, I felt it was better to just let her unveil her mystery rather than pry.
I went around the yard, gathering the guests to the bonfire. There had to be at least a couple hundred people, and not everyone would be able to see the fire, but Mrs. Brody assured me that wouldn’t be an issue, so I gathered the rest of the crowd anyway.
The band finished playing their song, and, on Mrs. Brody’s cue, began playing some eerie background music to set the mood. The crowd hushed in anticipation. I didn’t know what was coming, but the rest of the guests seemed to. I was probably the only one here who hadn’t been to one of these parties before, I guessed.
Mrs. Brody coughed to clear her throat. “We are gathered in on Hallows’ Eve to celebrate the spirits at Hallows’ Bay.”
The crowd clapped as she spoke, and cheered at the mention of Hallows’ Bay. It was a cute nickname, I’ll give them that.
“With light, there is dark, and in dark, we get light,” she announced dramatically as she tossed a handful of the colorful dust in the fire.
The crowd let out cheers of awe as the fire erupted into a magical show of colors and shapes, soaring high above the rooftops into the sky above. The forms erupted in the sky into orange jack-o-lanterns, white ghosts, and red stars. The demonstration was spectacular, and I could see why everyone spoke so highly of the party. Mrs. Brody’s light show beat any fireworks I’d ever seen in the big city.
“We hide behind our costumes, but allow our true souls to shine through on this celebrated night,” she continued. “Ghouls, witches, vampires—who are we to know what is real and what is show?”
She tossed another handful of dust on the fire and it erupted into a red flaming cat who pounced around the treetops, chasing small sparkling bats that flew from the fire before it.
I cheered as the cat appeared and my housemates meowed. I still couldn’t get over their costumes.
As the cat and bats disappeared, the roaring fire died down slightly, and a thick white smoke began to spread around our feet. The crowd hushed again.
As the flames lowered, I could see Jordan on the other side of the bonfire. He winked at me as he caught my eye, and I hoped the red glow from the fire masked the redness in my cheeks. I cursed myself for blushing. I was a grown woman, yet a boy still made me blush. How embarrassing. I smiled back at him through the flames as Mrs. Brody tossed another handful of dust on the fire.
This time the fire began to roil, as if the flames were smoke in a cauldron.
“We gather this night to celebrate the living, to celebrate the dead, and to celebrate those caught in between.”
The atmosphere had grown momentarily sombre as the hushed crowd remembered their lost loved ones.
“Tonight, the dead celebrate among us.”
Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched scream erupted from behind the crowd. “He’s dead,” the voice shrieked.
I thought at first it was part of the show, but when Mrs. Brody quieted the flames and the crowd began to chatter, I knew it wasn’t part of the plan.
“Help, somebody! He’s dead!”
I ran towards the voice that I recognized as Grace’s. The crowd parted and I bolted forward towards the body lying on the ground in front of Mrs. Pots’ treat table.
I looked down into Trey’s face, his skin was stark white and his eyes empty.
5
Grace collapsed in a ball on the ground next to Trey, sobbing into her hands as the crowd pressed forward.
“Let me through,” Mayor Scott pushed through the crowd, accompanied by Jordan. Jordan immediately threw himself on the ground next to Trey and began CPR.
I fumbled for my phone and called for an ambulance. I was through to 911 immediately, and they said an ambulance was on the way. I pressed my hand up against my other ear to block out the growing noise of the crowd as I tried my best to answer the questions the person on the phone line was asking me.
I glanced around for Sheriff Reese, but couldn’t spot him in the crowd. Not a good night for him to skip out on a party.
“Get back, everyone,” Mayor Scott shouted at the pressing crowd. “Clear some room. Let Officer O’Riley work.”
“Not an officer anymore,” Jordan said as he worked on Trey’s chest. I watched, frozen in place as he gave mouth to mouth to his friend.
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked. I continued to hold the phone up to my ear, as the attendant asked me to stay on the line.
The Mayor succeeded in getting the crowd to move back, and a large portion of the guests were leaving. I silently thanked him. He was getting to be really good in situations like this. An unfortunate thing to be good at, but helpful nonetheless.
For the next few, long minutes, we all watched Jordan work on the lifeless body on the ground.
I moved to sit next to Grace and put my arm around her shoulder as her sobbing quieted to silent heaves. I stroked her back, knowing full well that nothing I did or said could make her feel any better in this situation.
I glanced up at the people surrounding us as it felt like time was standing still.
Mrs. Brody was busy shooing the rest of the guests away, and the girls were looking down in horror. Mrs. Pots was standing frozen behind her table with her eyes wide and her hands pressed over her mouth. She looked pale, as if she would pass out any second. I caught Bailey’s eye and motioned towards Mrs. Pots with my eyes. She understood, and moved to stand next to Mrs. Pots, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. It was quite the sight, given the massive white fuzzy cat costume she was wearing. But Mrs. Pots welcomed the affection, and leaned her plump face on Bailey’s furry shoulder.
Jordan eventually stopped his attempt at resuscitating Trey, and sat back on his feet. He was breathing heavily and shaking his head.
“NO!” Grace cried out, throwing her body over Trey’s. “He’s not dead. Please, no! He can’t be dead.”
She stroked the hair off her husband’s white face, her tears falling onto his forehead. He had orange cookie crumbs over his shirt and at the corners of his mouth, and she wiped them away dutifully.
“Did you see him choke?” Jordan asked Grace, barely holding back the tremble in his voice.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I wasn’t watching. He just fell.” She choked back sobs as she spoke, speaking each word slowly.
Jordan ran his hands through his hair, staring down at his friend as he shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
The ambulance pulled up along the side of the house and cast red and blue lights over the scene.
I saw Sheriff Reese arrive with the paramedics, and they were pulling a gurney from the back of the vehicle.
I turned my attention back to the body, and bent down next to Jordan as I noticed something strange about Trey’s eyes.
“What’s that?” I asked, squinting closer at the skin around his eyes.
Jordan followed my gaze and inspected the strange markings.
Streams of light blue were spreading like little lightn
ing forks from the corners of his eyes under the skin. After a moment, the same began forming at the corners of his mouth.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Jordan said.
“Could he have been poisoned?” I asked. Trey’s face was taking on a strange mask-like quality. It was as if someone had painted a pattern under his skin.
“P..p..poisoned?” Grace made out, her eyes growing wider.
She immediately jumped up and pointed at Mrs. Pots. “HER! It was her, I know it was. I saw her give Trey that cookie. She killed him! I saw her!”
Everyone grew quiet at the accusation, and I stared back and forth between Grace and Mrs. Pots. Mrs. Pots seemed to still be in shock, and I’m not sure she even noticed Grace’s accusation.
“That’s not possible, Grace,” I said, trying to sound level-headed. “Don’t be ridiculous. This was an accident. He choked, end of story.”
Grace shook her head and looked livid. “No. I knew from the moment we first met her that she wanted us gone. The way she looked at us when we first moved in across the street, I knew she had darkness within her.”
“Grace, dear,” Mrs. Brody said, placing a hand on Grace’s shoulder. “Don’t say things we can’t take back. We all know Mrs. Pots very well in this town. She’s not capable of hurting a fly.”
“NO!” Grace shouted again, stepping towards Mrs. Pots with her hand outstretched. “I saw her, just now. She was the one who poisoned him. I know it. I saw it!”
I picked up a few cookie crumbs from the ground next to Trey’s body, and held them up to Grace. “Grace, it was an accident. A freak accident. I’m so sorry, Grace. Trey choked.”
I then immediately withdrew my hand from the air and let the crumbs fall to the ground. My skin that had touched the cookie crumbs began to burn. “What the…” I began, staring down at the pieces of cookie that I had just dropped.
“Let me see that,” Mrs. Brody said. She bent over and picked up the pieces I had just dropped, then waved her other hand over it and cast a quiet spell.
