Dark Hallows II: Tales from the Witching Hour by Mark Parker

Author:Mark Parker [Parker, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarlet Galleon Publications, LLC
Published: 2016-10-24T22:00:00+00:00

THE JACK-O’-LANTERN MAN

Brian Moreland

At ten o’clock on Halloween night, Corey Wilkes and his little sister, Paige, sat on the den floor, sorting their piles of candy after an evening of trick-or-treating. Corey, age ten, still wore his Darth Vader costume, all but the mask, which sat on the floor. Paige, age six, was dressed as a pink fairy with silver wings.

Thunder roared above, making both kids flinch. Heavy rain clapped against the roof. Wind howled like a ghoulish voice, and cracks of lightning brightened the dark windows.

Corey and Paige sat wide-eyed as Dad topped off their night with a story that sent chills creeping up their spines. "Then out of the foggy night came the Jack-O’-Lantern Man, with a tall, dark body, hands made of twisted roots, and a head shaped like…what?”

“A pumpkin!” the kids said in unison, having heard the story many times before.

Their dad smiled. “That’s right, with a monstrous face carved into it."

Corey thought of all the glowing jack-o’-lanterns he’d seen around the neighborhood tonight. Some had silly faces, but others, like the one he and Dad had carved, contained evil expressions with wicked eyes and jagged teeth. Corey pictured the Jack-O’-Lantern Man with the face of the pumpkin on their front porch. The boy imagined its glowing eyes staring down as a dark hand reached for the victim’s throat.

As the story got to the good part, Paige squeezed her brother's arm.

Dad leaned close to them. "To this day, they've never caught the Jack-O’-Lantern Man. Every Halloween someone reports seeing him creeping around their barn or in the cemetery or even in neighborhoods like ours. And every few years, on stormy nights like this, children and their families mysteriously disappear. Because whenever he finds small children sleeping in their beds, he sneaks into their rooms, lifts back their covers, and gobbles them up."

Dad lurched at Corey and Paige. The kids screamed and giggled as he tickled them.

Their Uncle Malcolm, who lived with them, sat on the sofa and stared with drool dripping off his bottom lip. Their Dad’s older brother was what their parents called “special.” He never talked and rarely looked you in the eye. He just stared. Tonight, Uncle Malcolm wore the same goofy costume he wore every year, a clown suit, because clowns were the only thing that made Malcolm smile, or show any emotion at all for that matter. Dad said their uncle was always aware, though, always listening. Malcolm just didn’t know how to express himself like normal people. Corey thought it was a little weird that a grown man still dressed up for trick-or-treating, but Dad said their uncle would always be a kid inside.

Dad continued to laugh and tickle Corey and Paige. Their mother entered the living room. "Okay, little monsters, time for bed. You still have school tomorrow."

Paige stood. "Aw, Mom. We were having fun."

"Yeah," Corey said. "Dad was telling us a really scary story about this bogeyman who eats children."

She shot their father a look. "Well, I'm so glad your father could give you two the willies so you have nightmares all night.

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