It was September and heat continued
to oppress the city. Joseph Stephens was out for a stroll around town. The sun
was setting and Joseph hoped that the night would bring a much needed break
from the heat.
July the spirit of summer yawned as
the lights grew dim. The night rolled on but she refused to go to bed. July
wore out her welcome in many ways. She stayed up late some nights, keeping the
heat going until the early hours of the next day and often would stick around
well into September, leaving Patches the autumn spirit with a short season.
The sun finally set and Joseph
looked up into the sky at the giant summer spirit. “Hey July, you going to
bed?” Joseph called to her. “No, I think I will stay up! The night is still
young and all of the people of the city want to enjoy the nice weather for a
bit longer. Who am I to deprive them of my radiance?” July said to Joseph.
Joseph sneered “yeah sure ‘nice’ weather” he muttered. While it was true many
people in the city enjoyed warm weather and some even enjoyed the humid
weather, it wasn’t true that the whole city enjoyed July. In face the city was
pretty split up over all the seasons. Nice weather meant something completely
different depending on who you asked. Joseph would suffer the summer and was
rewarded with Fall and spring. Some people would wait all year for summer and
hate when winter arrived. Joseph’s problem was when summer was supposed to
start leaving and instead decided that everyone loved her so much that she
should stay until winter arrived.
The street lights in the city
turned on as the sun finally set. Building lights, street lights and car lights
illuminated the city. Turning a city of concrete into something a little nicer,
something a little more pleasant to look at. The air was slightly cooler without
the sun hanging over the sky but until July went to bed the persistent heat
would remain.
Music started to play, each note
lingered in the air as it was played, like a slowly drifting leaf on the wind.
The music was soft and slow but as it went on became more ominous. The slow
melody was joined with quieter more rapid notes. Like someone striking the keys
of a piano as someone on stage tried to play a relaxing melody on a violin. The
sharp keys continued until it drowned out the soft melody all together. The
street lights dimmed, the car lights went black and the city block lost power.
Lights went out everywhere within that city block. A cold wind blew, it was
freezing like the icy hand of death reaching out. It felt cold like the breath
of old man winter. Joseph looked around in the dark. Joseph didn’t think Winter
wouldn’t try to arrive this early, but he wasn’t sure.
“w-who is that?” July called out in
fear. The music started to get louder and louder. A black cloaked figure soared
through the air and with him he brought frigid cold air. “Halloween has come
early to this town and Death has come early for YOU!” Said the cloaked figure.
A skeletal hand reached out from the cloak and pointed at July. July quaked in
fear “N-no! You can’t! My father is the sun! you can’t threaten me!!” July
shouted back trying to calm her fear. “The sun cannot help you here. It is
night and I bring the darkness on my heels” replied the cloaked figure. “You
can’t! I am an immortal spirit” July protested. “Your soul will be especially
delicious” Replied the figure. Red eyes glowed from under the hood as he looked
up at July.
“Why
have you come? Why me? Why now?” July asked in a panic. “You have over stayed
your welcome, you bully the seasons into ending early and starting late. You
only obey those you fear and you only fear two things. Winter…”the cloaked
figure said slowly then he pulled down his hood revealing a skeleton head with
burning red eyes. “…And DEATH!”
July shrieked “No! I will leave, I
will be good I swear!!!” July said and then jumped so hard that
she soared straight into the air and didn’t come back down. Joseph watched
Summer disappear into the sky as he smiled with a devilish grin. The cloaked
figure loomed over the city, its red eyes burning so brightly it could be seen
from the ground. “Happy Halloween everyone!!!!” Shouted the cloaked skeleton,
then it began to cackle like a mad man. Trees twisted into black Halloween
trees and Jack o lanterns sprouted from the ground, their faces already carved
and their candles already lit.
Joseph began to laugh too. The
madness was contagious and the heat of summer had been getting to him. The city
block turned into a Halloween city, with spirits walking the streets and
Jack-o-lanterns on every street corner. Thick tree roots grew over the street
lamps and the light from the street lights emitted an eerie green glow. Car
lights were now purple, like black light and all of the houses and buildings
had a warm orange tint to their lights. Cold air rushed through the city but
then calmed down. The air became breezy but not cold. It felt like late October
on Halloween night.
The skeleton spotted Joseph
Stephens and soared down to meet him. “You enjoyed my work mortal?” Asked the
skeleton. “Haha, Yes I did sir. July had it coming and Halloween can’t come
soon enough” Joseph replied. Realizing this was all harmless fun. People were
scared but no one got hurt. The skeleton laughed, its laugh echoed through the
air as if it had been carried on the wind. “We already have two Czars of
Halloween mortal, if we didn’t I would offer you a title on the spot” Said the
cloaked Skeleton. “So who are you anyway? At first I thought you were Patches
in Disguise” Said Joseph. “I am a Grim Reaper, one of many, son of Death
herself” The grim reaper said. “I am also friends of Pumpkin Patch, or Patches
as you call him and a fan of Halloween” The Reaper added.
Joseph stood in amazement “Oh! So
that wasn’t for show then? You were going to kill July? Also what about the
city, will it stay like this?” Joseph asked. “No, I just wanted to scare her.
Also don’t worry about the city, it will return to normal by the crack of dawn.
The weather will be more of a pleasant early September as well. The heat should
stay away as long as July doesn’t come back” The Grim reaper explained.
“well I have actual work to do, I
can’t goof off too much, I am on the clock” The grim reaper said “Oh, do
spirits have time and schedules like humans do?” asked Joseph. “No, don’t be a
sucker. We live forever, why would we need time. Its just an expression that I
say when I have to leave” The grim reaper laughed, then he vanished.
Joseph felt weird about being mocked by the Grim Reaper. Maybe it
was a honor? Joseph wondered if all the Grim Reapers were jerks who loved
Halloween.
The night went on and Joseph
Stephens stayed outside as long as he could. He went home to get a jacket, he
bought a coffee from the local coffee house and strolled through the Halloween
city block. He greeted the spirits, who were all very friendly, he marveled at
the twisted trees and glowing Jack-o-lanterns and enjoyed the cool autumn
breeze on his face. Anyone with a fireplace began to light fires and the smell
of wood smoke drifted through the streets. Joseph had a feeling of bliss and wished
every night could be this good.
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