The Inkwell Prompt #36: The Halloween Party
When Jared was younger, he always loved Halloween, it was his favorite season because he and his mother always used costume making as a means of bonding but ever since he lost his mother, he never saw reason to celebrate, and most Halloweens were spent indoors with loud music blasting.
This year was different though, it was his first year in college and his roommate was bent on forcing him to attend the fresher’s party and he knew that no matter what he did or said, he wouldn’t be able to avoid it so he agreed to go.
On the day of the party, he didn’t bother wearing a costume because he really didn’t care and all he wanted was to be done with the day. His plan was to immediately get drunk the moment he got to the party and disappear into a corner till it was over and to him, that felt like a good plan.
“Bro, you are seriously not going to wear a costume?” his roommate Alex asked and he simply shrugged
He looked at his roommate and almost burst into laughter because Alex’s costume was horrible but he decided to keep shut because he knew if he said a word it would only drag the night further.
The drive to the party was incredibly long and Jared kept wondering where the venue was and spoke out when he realized that they were driving towards the outskirts of the town.
“Alex, where are we heading?” Jared asked and Alex replied that they were going towards the town’s cemetery as the people who hosted the party thought it would be spookier than their house.
Jared began regretting the decision to attend the party because he hadn’t been to the cemetery since he lost his mother but since he didn’t drive, he didn’t want to be the one to ruin the party for everyone by asking them to turn back.
They got to the cemetery and it was pretty jacked, a lot of people actually showed up and he could spot some jack sparrows, Darth Vadars, and countless witches and at that moment, he felt out of place.
He scanned around and immediately spotted the keg and dived towards it, he kept on pouring the beer until he began feeling lightweight, he then began walking around the cemetery looking for some solitude and before he could realize it, he was far away from the party and at his mother’s headstone.
The headstone read “to our dearly departed Jenny, mother, and wife, you will never be forgotten” and Jared at that moment while looking at it felt so sleepy so he decided to rest.
“Leave him alone, give him some space will you?” a voice said
“Are you sure he is breathing? He looks like he isn’t” another spoke
“What is he even doing here? The first voice spoke again
“Is my boy okay?” He heard from a very familiar voice and at that point, he woke up and his eyes met a familiar one, it was his mother.
He couldn’t believe what was happening, he had to be dreaming or maybe it was the alcohol because he was staring at the same woman who died almost 10 years ago and she looked exactly the same way he could remember.
"Are you okay, my love?” she asked him, and all he could do was burst into tears while rushing to hug her.
She felt so real and he couldn’t believe he could be with her again, he began apologizing to her about why he never visited and she told him she understood everything.
She asked why he wasn't wearing a costume because she remembered how much he loved dressing up but he answered by saying without her there wasn't a reason to and that made her sad.
She explained to him that even though she loved him and wanted to spend every moment with him, he had to go back to the land of the living and live a long healthy life.
He tried to protest but she explained to him that she couldn’t bear it if his life was cut short because he had so much to achieve and she had people here who would keep her company till it was his time to come.
She explained that when she died she was incredibly selfish because of how much she missed him and made a deal with a spirit so she could see him once a year on Halloween night but when he never showed up, it gave her time to think and she never wanted to hold him back.
His mother told him that he had to go at that time because if he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be let out of the other side.
They said their goodbyes while crying and he promised to always visit her headstone. Immediately after the goodbyes, he felt so sleepy once again and as he laid down, he saw a blurry view of his mother for the last time.
“Dude, wake up. Are you okay? We have been trying to wake you up for an hour and you refused to” He heard Alex his roommate say.
After regaining consciousness, Alex told them that it was time to leave the party and head back home and he simply nodded, he didn’t know if it was a dream he had experienced but he felt so much happier than he had ever felt since he lost his mother.
He kept his promise to always visit her headstone and when he would visit on Halloween nights, his mother would make sure to hide because she knew that if he saw her, one day he might never agree to leave.
Thank you for opening this box of passion
I no too dey read this kind thing..
My taste for horror is gradually dying..
😆 it's not scary na
This is a well-told story with a strong arc. The character development is also very good. We agree with Alex's perspective: Was it a dream or reality? And, we agree that it doesn't matter. He has gained insight. That matters.
Thank you for posting this story in the Ink Well community. Thank you for engaging with other writers.
Thank you so much for reading, I am really glad you enjoyed it.
Nice work, @khaleesii! This is a sweet story, well told and with all the elements of good fiction.
Thank you so much, I appreciate.
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STOPWell written ❤️ And I wondered until the end if it was a dream or not! I hope his mother can move on one day.
I think she has but she can't change what she agreed to.
Thank you so much for reading.
Congratulations, @khaleesii. This story appears in our Highlights magazine for last week in The Ink Well!
Thank you so much, I appreciate it a lot.