Halloween Games
It was a foggy trick or treat night.
We stayed close to keep in sight.
The night had been good to us so far.
We had enough candy to fill a car.
Just one more house up ahead.
The one that was haunted, people said.
It was the mansion behind the cemetery.
To say it was spooky was quite contrary.
We were a little slow with our approach.
The lawn was thick like walking on mulch.
After a double dog dare I banged the knocker.
We heard a squeak like a broken down rocker.
Then, the sound of feet shuffling along.
If we weren’t so scared we would have been gone.
We heard a deadbolt being thrown.
Then we heard another moving with a grown.
Slowly the door creaked as it was opened.
A dark figure stood there and hadn’t spoken.
A woman in black with a hood over her head
stood facing us . She smelled like she was dead.
She looked down and I saw her face.
She looked like a witch with skin like paste.
“Trick or treat” we stammered out.
Our bags were shaking that we held out.
“So, you wanna play a trick on ole Joyce”,
she said with a high scratchy voice.
“No mamm, it’s Halloween” I managed to say.
She said” Well, come on in. I have a game we can play.”
“If you win you will get a treat.”
“If you lose I will get something to eat.”
She pulled us in & slammed the door with a cackle.
“Go in to my parlor now before it’s midnight.”
“That’s the bewitching hour when we ‘treat’ kids right.”
We were all too scared to worry about loot.
We were almost peeing in our boots.
“The game goes like this. Three of you get 3 guesses.”
“That’s one guess each. Don’t make any messes.”
“You have to guess my name.”
“If you do you win the game.”
“You are first. Let’s hear your guess?”
“Joyce?” Joey said in a voice that was his best.
“Wrong” she yelled. “I knew that would lead you astray.”
She looked at Peter to see what he’d say?
“Rumplestiltskin” he finally gasped out.
She roared with laughter shaking all about.
“Nice try kid but, that’s strike two.”
Looking at me she said “Now, I want to hear from you.”
I happened to see an envelope sitting on a stand.
I remember the name printed on it by hand.
Along with the address of this place.
I took a chance and said to her face.
“You’re Ms. Haddie Hinklebow”
Her eyes opened big and she stared with a scowl
“Now, how did you know that?.” she asked.
“I saw a letter as I went by” I gasped.
She shook her head and said “You win.”
She gave each of us a sack of candy and gold .
She said “Come again next year if you are bold.”
We ran like hell and never went back.
Years later we include the story in our Halloween sacks
——————————————————R. W. Johnson—–(2013)