Scarier Than Ghosts

Crowley burst into a loud, maniacal laughter, his voice echoing through the foggy sky. “Oh, marvelous! Absolutely incredible! To think you’ve actually betrayed your dearest friend! Hahahahaha! Ahahahaha!” The scarecrow wheezed and playfully hovered around me. “I’ve never been so entertained in all these years!”

As he continued to guffaw with all his might, I, on the other hand, found my senses dulling by the second. The voices, the noises, the swarming lights, and even the frigid air all became numb as my eyes rolled back into my head.

The next thing I knew, I found myself standing alone in a void… standing before an elderly woman, offering a round of applause.

“Oh, child of sin, I praise you for doing the unthinkable,” she croaked. “Such a tragic betrayal, but your heart still beats without a care. Truly, your soul is wicked enough to handle my powers.”

I slanted my head. “‘Your powers,’ you say? Are you the witch responsible for this? Were you watching me?”

“Correct. A smart child, you are. It pleases me that the next witch has much potential.” She extended her wrinkly hand toward me. “With this power, you’ll have full authority over the borders between life and death, and the rules are yours to weave. Will you be my successor?”

I returned a small grin and took her hand, shaking it. “Sure thing. Pleasure to meet you… er, what’s your name?”

“Ohoho, my name matters not. Now, go and do as you please. Shoo, shoo.” With a simple flick of a finger, she pushed me back into the darkness as suddenly as our greetings, quickly sending me back to consciousness.

***

It only took a brief moment for me to grasp this sudden surge of power and absorb all the hostile spirits in the vicinity, freeing Ray in the process. He collapsed on the grass with a soft thud, still out cold.

Crowley broke the brief silence with a round of applause, cackling madly. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “So this is what the birth of a witch looks like! How spectacular!”

A soft giggle also filled the air, and the two of us turned to a little doll sauntering toward us. “Oh, Blanche, I wish you had told me your plans from the start!” said a familiar voice. “I would’ve helped you set all those traps!”

“Claire? Is that you?” I asked.

Claire, now possessing a new doll, giggled and did a little twirl. “Well? What do you think? I look cute, aren’t I?”

“Ew, don’t act so young,” said Crowley. “You’re older than me.”

“How rude! I wasn’t asking you!” She skipped toward me, hands clasped behind her back, and took a good look at me, scanning me from head to toe. “Hey, Blanche? Were all those traps you’ve set up throughout the house meant for her?”

I folded my arms. “Since when did you find out?”

“Ever since you snuck into the house yesterday, hehe. I was watching through those portraits.”

“...And why didn’t you stop me?”

“Because I was curious, of course! No one ever dared to break into an abandoned house all by themself!”

Crowley snickered. “No wonder you’ve never asked for directions, Blanche—you knew the whole layout already. I’m impressed. Hehehe, you’ve planned it all before the party even began!”

…He wasn’t wrong. This whole time, I’ve set all those traps for every possible scenario Maria could be in and hoped that she would walk right into one. I even used an excuse to go to the bathroom to make sure all those traps were set and ready, only for the spirits to toy with them in the end. One of my traps even destroyed Maria’s prior form.

“And I wish you could’ve told me that this party would’ve involved the dead,” I muttered, glaring down at the doll.

“Oh, didn’t I warn you in the bathroom?”

“Ugh, at least be more specific! I didn’t even know what you were talking about!” I sighed and rested my hands on my hips.

None of that mattered anymore. I had lost my best friend, and I became a witch. And I felt absolutely nothing. It was as if all my emotions died at the same time I became a witch, so could that be my price?

This… didn’t feel like a victory or a defeat. I just… survived, I suppose.

I stared at my palms, and after some pondering, I looked up and asked, “Does this mean our deal is done, Crowley?”

“But of course,” said the scarecrow. “I’m more than satisfied now. This was the most amusing contest I’ve had in years, haha!”

“Right, then… I guess the contest is over?”

“Mhm, now that you’ve absorbed all the house’s magic and become a witch, there’s no winner,” said Claire, shrugging. “Buuut, you can still choose someone if you’d like, hehe.”

I tilted my head. “Do either of you want to stick around in the living world?”

“Nope, not me,” said Claire. “I’ve been awake for an entire year, so I’ve been waiting to get this over with.” She yawned and turned around, walking back inside the house. “It’s about time that I get a nice, long nap… It’s getting late now… Goodnight.”

As soon as she stepped inside the house, I turned to the scarecrow. “What about you, Crowley?”

“Hmm, now that depends if I get to go wherever I want,” he said.

“Sure, just don’t get in my way,” I said, waving a hand.

A gust of energy swept through the scarecrow, who began to ascend and wither away. “Hehehe, then I’ll gladly accept the offer,” he said, dropping his straw hat and releasing straws into the wind. “In that case, I don’t need this physical form anymore—let’s meet again on the next Halloween.”

I snorted and waved him farewell. “See you next time then.”

The spirit bowed and became one with the wind, following wherever it led him.

As for me, I wasn’t sad about his departure one bit. In fact, no emotions stirred except for one.

I turned around right in time to face Ray, his consciousness finally stirring up. He groaned and clutched his head. “Ugh, what… happened…?”

I kneeled before him, quietly shushed him, and cupped his cheek. “You were sleepwalking, Ray,” I cooed.

He blinked, his eyes growing muddy with my magic. “Huh? I… thought… there was a contest…”

“Shh, there was no contest. You’ve slept through Halloween, remember?”

“...Really?” He grimaced and clutched his head. “But there were monsters… I-I could’ve sworn… Who… was with us again…?”

I poured more false memories through my touch, and he gradually relaxed his muscles. “Huh… Was I… dreaming?”

I smiled warmly. “That’s right, Ray. It’s all just a bad dream. It was just you and me. Now, go back to sleep.”

The moment I closed his eyelids, Ray went limp, falling asleep on my lap.

“Pfft, haha…”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was easy. Too easy. No wonder there were so few reports of missing people on Halloween. It was all thanks to this power. It was so, so easy! Hah!

“Haha… Ahahaha… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

When my lungs grew tired, I let out a long sigh and sang a lullaby for Ray.

“Happy Halloween, my sweet.”