The uncarved pumpkin sits innocently on the front steps. The orange gourd welcomes autumn to the home. You do not notice the skeletal figure draped in black standing in the corner until you approach the steps. Its pedestal forces the welcome mat to lay askew at its presence. You notice and try to adjust the mat, but it doesn’t move.
The wooden red door stays closed until the first guest arrives offering mystery as to what lies behind it. Who, or what, will open the door from inside? You wonder nervously as you await. The door opens, welcoming you inside.
Standing at the foot of the stairs is a rosy-cheeked, cherub face child. She is in a nightgown, presumably up past her bedtime. Her excitement for the night keeps her witch’s hat on as her nightcap. A plastic jack o’lantern is held tightly in one hand. The black cat she holds in her other hand guards her treats in the plastic bucket closely. You smile at the sweet ‘treater. She doesn’t return the gesture. She merely cocks her head at you as if trying to view you at a different angle.
Passing through the door which separates the two rooms, you enter the formal dining room. To your surprise you find sitting on the floor a little girl dressed like a mummy. You know it’s a girl based on the yellow ribbon she most likely insisted on wearing atop her wrapped head. She sits with two jack o’ lanterns of differing sizes, but both with broad smiles, in her lap. The crinkles beside her large eyes peeking beneath the straps of white fabric show she’s smiling though her mouth is well-hidden.
A small pumpkin sits on the dining room table behind her. It’s placed perfectly between two candelabras which seem to be obnoxiously large for the size of the mahogany table. You find it curious that only two chairs are placed at the table. You want to ask, but hold your tongue behind your own mask.
The doorbell rings. You turn and see it open by itself, welcoming something in.
Raelyn Pracht 