Hannah-Beast (Dark Corners collection) by McMahon Jennifer

Author:McMahon, Jennifer [McMahon, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2018-09-26T16:00:00+00:00

1982

They went from house to house until her pillowcase was heavy, heavy like she really did have a dead dog inside it, which was what the girls were telling everyone they met.

Hannah-beast’s a real monster, that’s for sure! Be careful, or she’ll eat you up! She’s got a dead poodle inside her bag. She’s gonna snack on it later. Yum, yum, yum.

You’re doing so good, Hannah. We love you, Hannah. You’re scaring the shit out of the whole town, Hannah. This is your night. The night of Hannah-beast. Say boo. Boo! Boo! Boo!

They flew through town; Manda was holding her hand as they ran, and Hannah’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her face felt tight, her head itched under the rainbow wig, but she was happy, so happy, the feathers of the boa tickling her as she ran, the cape flying out behind her. Everyone in town, all the kids from school, they all saw her. They saw her with the other girls, and they knew . . . they knew she was something special.

But now it was late. Nearly ten. The streets were clear of trick-or-treaters. Porch lights had been turned off. They sat on the wooden floor of the gazebo in the park, eating candy, trading favorites. Manda didn’t like anything with nuts. Mel hated Mounds bars (which meant Katie did too). They gave Hannah all their peanut butter cups, didn’t even make her trade for them.

“I should go home,” Hannah said. Even though she knew Daddy would be sleeping his bourbon sleep until the alarm went off at seven tomorrow.

“No way! Not yet!” Katie said, grabbing her arm.

“We’ve got one more special surprise, Hannah,” Mel said.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a scavenger hunt,” Katie explained.

“Do you know what that is?” Manda asked.

“Sure, I guess,” said Hannah, thinking it sounded like a thing from birthday parties, even though she hadn’t been invited to a birthday party since second grade.

“It’s where you follow clues, gather objects, and find a prize.”

“Like a treasure hunt?” she asked.

“Yeah, like a treasure hunt,” Katie said, smiling, bobbing her head.

“Well, what’s the prize?”

Mel laughed. “Think about the word prize, Hannah. It’s short for surprise, right? And it wouldn’t be a surprise if we told you.”

“It’s gonna be good, Hannah,” Katie promised. “Something you’ll never forget.”

“Are you ready?” Mel asked. “Ready for the first clue?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah said. “It’s late, and my dad—”

“If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to,” Manda said.

“Of course she wants to do it,” Mel said, giving Manda a disgusted look.

“Yeah,” Katie said. “You want the surprise, don’t you, Hannah?”

Hannah hefted her sack, heavy with candy over shoulder. “BOO!” she howled at the top of her lungs, and the girls all laughed and patted her on the back, and she was the star of the show. It was the night of Hannah-beast. Hannah-beast unleashed, that’s what Mel said.

“You can leave your candy with me,” Manda said. “It’ll be easier without it. And I’ll keep it safe, I promise.”

Mel handed her a piece of paper, and Hannah squinted down at it through the eyeholes of her mask.

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