A (30:20)
My name is Danny and I live here in Liverpool in the UK. I am 33 this year, so obviously my trick or treating days are well behind me, but the times I got to throw on a scary costume and head out into the night with my best mates are some of the fondest memories I have from my youth. That's even aside from the free sweets. And we all know how stuff just tastes better when it's free. But maybe I am looking back through rose tinted glasses to a degree, because I do remember one Halloween that was mostly definitely not all fun and games. In fact, what happened that night was probably one of the most terrifying things that's ever happened to me, even if it did take me a little while to realize the significance of it. So me and my childhood friends are all either 15 or 16 during the Halloween of 2003, right on the verge of being too old to trick or treat anymore. Saying that considering most of our voices had broken at the time, us turning up at people's houses was less cute kids begging for sweets and more like moody teenagers extorting people out of their Haribo Minis under the threat of egging. People were generally pretty sound about it and only once did we have to actually throw an egg in anger. But there were many, many occasions where a homeowner would take a peek through the living room curtains before just refusing to answer the door. And it's not like we could egg everyone, we only had a pack of six and had to use them sparingly. Fun fact, a lot of places around ours just refused to sell teenage boys eggs during the Halloween season. As one Bloke said to me, you don't look like the type to take these home to make a Spanish omelet, do you lad? Point being, there came a point during the evening when we were pretty dismayed at the pathetically low amount of chocolate we had managed get our hands on, which is what directly led two of us to make a huge error in judgment. So later on in the Evening, maybe about 9ish, we are in this fancier neighborhood near the river, knocking on house after house and generally getting the knock back from the owners, until we come to this one house where an older guy actually answers the door with a smile. We give it the old trick or treat greeting, to which he responds by laughing warmly and giving us a little clap, which was unusual but not entirely unwelcome. He starts telling us how not a single set of trick or treaters has knocked at his house all evening, and since he finds Halloween a great deal of fun, it had left him pretty dismayed. We get into a casual conversation with him about our costumes, who we were supposed to be and all that, and although I don't think he managed to pick up on a single reference, he was very complimentary. He then goes on to tell us that since it's getting late in the evening and he was unlikely to get anyone else calling at his house, that we were welcome to as much chocolate and sweets as we wanted. He told us that he had stocked up on like a shed load of stuff, thinking that he was going to get many more visitors than he ended up getting, and since he was off to bed soon, soon we could just help ourselves, otherwise all the chocolate would just end up sitting in his cupboards for a year and he wasn't about to give kids year old sweets come next Halloween. We had basically hit the jackpot, thinking that we could just rinse the old fella of his sweets and make up for the paltry amount that we had collected over what had been an unusually fruitless trick or treating session. Only he said there was one small problem. Since he was getting on in his years and didn't get out much, his oldest grown up son had come by to drop off all the sweets along with his usual weekly shopping. Then, without having thought it through, his son had put all the sweets in a top cupboard in his back pantry, one that was way too high up for him to reach without doing his back in. If a couple of us were willing to help him reach the cupboards and take out a few tins of sorts, soup for him in the process. The sweets Were ours all of them. Now I know what you're thinking. Who is daft enough to just wander into a complete stranger's house in the middle of the night? Apparently we were, and I'll explain why. Firstly, we were in the middle of our teens and most of us were big lads, hardly in a position not to be able to defend ourselves. Secondly, this fella seemed pretty old and infirm, hardly a big threat to us, especially since the two lads who volunteered to go inside to help him outnumbered him two to one. And thirdly, the fact that one of us had managed to pilfer a bit of peach schnapps out of his parents booze stash, which was promptly shared as soon as we were able, had seriously impaired our judgment. So pretty much as soon as the old bloke laid out the terms, two of us, Sam and Corky, volunteered to go inside and help the fella get his soup so we could get our sweets. They went inside. The old fella shuts the door behind him after saying something about keeping the cold out, and we wait outside in the street buzzing about having hit the chocolate jackpot. Like I mentioned, we were all pretty tipsy from having shared that bottle of booze. So we're just sitting on the stone wall outside the bloke's house, chatting and waiting. A few minutes goes by. Sam and Corky haven't reappeared yet, but I think we were just in too high spirits to really notice. A few more minutes go by and we start getting a little bit impatient, wondering what is taking so long. It had gotten colder and colder as the night went on and by that point it was actually starting to drizzle and none of us fancied getting soaked on the walk back home. So one of us gets their phone out and starts trying to ring Sam and Corky on their mobiles, to which there was no response. We actually start cursing them out now, speculating that they are stashing some of the sweets away in their costumes or something so they don't have to share with the rest of us. The lad who had tried to ring them does so again, shaking his head and getting annoyed as the rain started to get a bit heavier. Then right at that moment, we hear a bang of something smashing against the wooden gate at the side of the old fella's house. It was loud enough to make us all jump, so we stand and turn around to see what could have made the noise. That's when I see Sam climbing over the wooden gate at the side of the house, like scrambling over it as fast as he could, like he had seen seen a ghost or something. We are all like what is going on mate watcher? And clambering over the wooden fence near the back gate before basically throwing himself over the other side and hitting the concrete driveway with a thud. The pure fear in his eyes. When he started running down the driveway at us shouting for us to run. We all started backing off like getting ready to leg it. When Sam stops turning back towards the house and saying something like oh, Corki's still in there. Crap, crap, crap, he's still in there. Everyone starts asking him what just went on for him to come running out like that, but he doesn't respond. He just looks up towards the second floor of the house with a gasp. I turn to try to see what he's looking at and watch as one of the top windows of the house opens up. It was one of those kinds that opens up by the rotating from the bottom. Like it doesn't open like a door but like a hatch if that makes any sense. We can't really see what's behind it thanks to the darkness inside the room. But out of nowhere we just see Corki emerging from the window, climbing out backwards while gripping onto the ledge. He's trying to edge out Tomb raider style so we can drop feet first into a section of flower beds that were very fortunately placed underneath the window. I say very fortunately because I am not messing around. It must have been a 15 foot drop at least from the second floor window. At least 15ft. Then as we're watching him do this, there's like a flash of movement in the room above Corki who then screams this proper horrible blood curdling scream before crashing into the flower beds beneath him. He fell so awkwardly too. Like my first thought was that he had to have broken something having fallen that distance in such a way. So I start rushing towards him to help him up and get him moving. But to my surprise he just bounces back up out of the flower bed and starts legging it down the driveway towards us. That same horrible look of fear on his face that Sam had then, that was that. We just bailed. Sprinting as fast as we could down this long dark road that led towards the river. Not stopping until we reached the promenade which was lit up in this ominous pumpkin orange street like Glow Pretty opt for Halloween, right? Not that it occurred to me until months afterward. Only when we were certain we were a safe distance from the blokes house did we stop to catch our breath. But it didn't take long for those of us that had waited outside to demand to know what had happened. Only then did we see the blood pouring out of Corky's hand from a cut so deep we could actually see this pale bit of tissue in the orange light, which turned out to be one of his actual bones. The old fella had stabbed his hand as he had been hanging from the window frame, and that's what caused him to scream and drop. I remember Sam just sitting down on the concrete near the railings, just with his head in his hands. Maybe he was trying to fight back tears, I couldn't quite tell. But it was Corky that spoke up first. He pulled a knife on us, got us into the back pantry thing and pulled a knife on us, he said, hands in his knees, still panting. He had something else too, like his phone or it was a Taser, lad. He had a Taser. My auntie had one that looked exactly like it. I'd know it anywhere. Sam interrupted. We were all just in shock and listened as they went on to describe how the nice old fellow we thought we were dealing with turned out not to be so nice or so old at all. Corky told us as soon as he had gotten them into the back pantry, he had risen up from being all hunched over and started to move a bit more limberly, which is right when Corky said he started to get the creeps. Realizing that something wasn't right about the guy, the old bloke pointed at the cupboard where the sweets were, told Sam and Corky to help themselves, then just sort of disappeared after telling them he'd be back in a minute. The cupboard was apparently so high up that Sam had to give Corky a boost up to actually open it, and when they did actually open it, there was nothing inside at all. No soup, no sweets, no nothing. Then the next thing they knew, the guy was blocking the exit to the pantry, holding a knife and what was, according to Sam, definitely a Taser, and was ordering each of them to go upstairs. But that's not all. Apparently when the fella turned up again, he was completely naked with only his shoes and socks on. We didn't get all the grim details out of them for a few months, but apparently the guy wasn't suffering from any dysfunction, if you catch my drift. They said they had listened to him at first, heading towards the staircase before they attempted to escape, with Sam heading out the back doors into the yard and over the fence. But Corky was sort of trapped on the stairs with the guy, blocking his escape Escape. So as I mentioned, he had to run upstairs, find a front facing window and just climb out of it. We considered calling the police right then and there. I mean, he had obviously just stabbed one of my friends in the hand. But Corky had other ideas. Even with his adrenaline pumping, he explained pretty coherently that there was no way he could complain to the police. That he could see the older fella putting on that innocent old man act again and just telling the police that we had forced our way inside and tried to rob him. Then he'd defend himself. And that's how Corky ended up with a wound on his hand. I remember the lad who was about to phone the police just stopping dead thinking about it for a second, then putting his phone away. Five lads, way too old to be trick or treating, stinking of booze versus the word of one sweet old man who was apparently no threat to anyone at all. It'd be an open and shut case for the police. Or at least that's what he got into our heads. I'm sure there's people who might hear this and disagree, knowing there was some way of us having evidence in our favor or, I don't know, something to prove that we weren't lying. But I suppose we'll never really know since we didn't act on it. To find out, we stayed away from that neighborhood for years. We eventually managed to get it together to enact some kind of revenge. But when we went back to the place we found it was some young couple living there, the older fella apparently being long gone. We didn't get any closure at all. But closure is overrated. There's a lot to be said for the power of just forgetting, you know? But yeah. Anyway, this has gone on long enough, I reckon. So I'll wrap it up. The story of the scariest thing to ever happen to me or anyone I know during Halloween. And honestly, it's probably the most disturbing thing to happen to me in my entire life. I am now 36 years old and I live in the Philippines, in Baguio city, a city that was built on top of the mountains. I remembered having a friend when I was around eight or nine years old. It was summer and all the kids were on vacation. As the youngest, my brothers and their friends rarely allowed me to join them whenever they were playing. I have my own set of friends around my age, but most of them are girls and I always wanted to be part of the big boy club. One time my brothers went out and I was the only one left at Home with my parents. My mom allowed me to go outside and play. Unfortunately, all my playmates were out at the time with their parents, so I decided to play on my own. Since we live in a city that was built on the mountains, it is common to have bushy tall grass and mountains of dirt in the area. I decided to play with some dirt and do some digging. But before I do, I have to walk and make my way to the thick bushes to reach that small circular patch of land that is free from any vegetation. As I was doing some digging, this little girl who was also around my age approached me and asked if she could join. I politely accepted as I have no one else to play with. A few hours passed and she hadn't told me her name, even though I introduced myself more than once. Whenever I asked her her name, she would always keep quiet and would change the subject. It was getting pretty late and I had to say goodbye. She asked me to meet her at the same spot the next day. The following day, all the kids in the neighborhood are out to play, including my brothers. I decided to play with my friends and totally forgot that I was supposed to meet my new friend. But as soon as I remembered, I saw her from afar. Half of her body was hidden inside the bushes and is making a gesture that I should come with her. I waved back and made a hand gesture suggesting she should come and join us. Weirdly enough, she would not step out of the bushes and would just stand there waiting for me. I ignored her for a while, thinking that she was probably shy and would come and join. Eventually. After playing, I decided to join her. As I was about to approach her, she went ahead but nodded at me, acknowledging that I am coming to join her. Upon arriving at the same circular patch of land surrounding by the bushes and tall grass, she asked me to come with her to her house. I asked, where do you live? She responded, just behind that big rock, pointing at the big rock that was covered in bushes and tall grass, but there's nothing there. I don't remember seeing any houses beyond that. I responded, and her response was just come and I will show you. As soon as I was about to join her, I heard my brother scream my name, asking me to come up for a snack. I grabbed my friend's hands and asked her to join us instead for a snack. And as I was guiding her out of the bushes, she suddenly stopped just a few steps away, back to the pavement and told me, I cannot go beyond here. I would just meet you back at the same spot when you're done. And she ran back to the bushes until I could no longer see her as a kid. It did not occur to me the weirdness and the unusual behavior that she showed me. The next day, I decided that I would spend more time with my new friend. I went out and headed straight to the usual spot. And there she was digging as if she was continuing the hole I had dug a few days ago. I joined her. She held my hands and she asked me to be closer to her. Suddenly, my brothers and his friends decided to come to the same spot we were playing, not knowing that it was their hideout. Whenever they were trying to sneak for a quick smoke and drink some liquor, surprisingly, they allowed me to be there. So we continued to dig as if nothing happened. When suddenly my brother asked me, why aren't you playing with your friends? They came to the house looking for you. They're in there now waiting for you. It did not occur to me at the time that it was weird. They did not even acknowledge my friend's presence. But I told my brother that I would be there in a few minutes. After smoking, my brother and their friends left the area. So I was left alone with my new friend. Again, she held my hand and asked me to come to her house with her behind the big rock. This time she was forceful and a little aggressive, as if she was desperate for me to go with her. Like almost crying. I remember her hugging me three times while begging for me to join her. I still remember that moment when I was very uncomfortable with the situation because I know that there was nothing behind that rock. I have been there many times before and it just leads to another section of thick bushes. I insisted on not going and I held her hands and dragged her out of the bushes. But she shouted, stop. I told you I cannot go past this point. And I replied, why? What do you mean? She forcefully took my hands off hers and ran back to the bushes. I felt really bad, as if I should have joined her. But at the same time, I was scared for my own safety. The following day, I decided to spend more time again with her. I asked her to at least come with me and sit in between the pavement and the bushes. She agreed. We sat down. While watching the other kids play, we were approached by my friends. Joanna, one of my closest friends friends told me, hey, let's go to Yvonne's house and watch tv. There will be snacks. Come on. But when I was about to introduce my new friend, Joanna and Yvonne grabbed me by the hand in a hurry, dragging me away from my new Friend. I could only look back at her and could not even say goodbye. A few months had passed. My family decided that we will be moving out and living in a different place. During those months, my friendship remained with that girl. Same spot, same time. The day we were about to leave, I saw her just peeking from the bushes, from inside the car. I was told not to go anywhere by my parents because everything was ready. I remember not removing my eyes off her until I could no longer see her. As the car drove away, she did the same. But she made a weird gesture. Just when we were about to lose sight of each other. She pointed to her head and pointed back at me. And it was the last time that I ever saw her as a kid. It did not occur to me that my situation was scary. I remembered her. Our unnatural friendship. The weird part is I cannot remember her face at all. It is as if it was wiped from my memory. And I am really good with faces. I can still remember all the kids faces except for hers also. I just realized that she always seemed to wear the same clothes. A dirty white dress, almost yellowish. Black shoes with white socks. Hair always tied upwards. But the face. I cannot remember her face. Up until now I always wondered what if I had joined her to go to her house? What would have happened? It bothers me still today. What happened to her? Is she still alive? Or was she really alive in the first place? I know this was not an imaginary friend because of the emotions. This sensation whenever I was with her. It was all real. It was not an imaginary friend because I was never sad when I was a kid. Whatever or whoever she was, I am just hoping that she is doing well. It's.
