“Candy inspection!”
Jack slid his mask back until it was resting on the top of his head. He was the tallest of the four children which, combined with his slender figure, sold the illusion of his skeleton costume. Liam and Isabella held out their pillowcases for Jack to inspect. Effy clutched hers tight. The four kids stood at the corner of Maple Street where the neighborhood dead-ended into the woods. Up and down the street, costumed children walked from house to house collecting delicious sweets in exchange for either looking adorable or in some cases being downright spooky. The suburban sprawl was alight with decorations - ghosts hanging from trees, headstones on the lawns, strings of orange lights. The street was alive with the sounds of footsteps and the din of children who couldn’t quite control their speaking voices.
Jack finished inspecting the other children’s candy bags and stopped in front of Effy. He was easily a foot and a half taller than her.
“Let’s see it.”
Effy looked at the ground where Jack had tossed a pile of Liam and Isabella’s plunder, then clutched her bag even tighter.
“Come on Effy, don’t make this difficult.”
Reluctantly, she held open her bag for Jack to ransack. He began tossing items aside like a cabin boy scooping buckets of water from a sinking ship.
“Apples?! Apples, Effy?” Jack held up a pack of Healthy Snax Apple Bites. “What is this, amatuer hour?”
Effy watched with compunction as the apples tumbled to the pavement below.
“But I like apples,” Effy muttered to herself.
When he had finished gutting Effy’s pillowcase, Jack held the bag out to her and shook his head with disappointment. With his hands behind his back, Jack marched back and forth in front of the other three kids like a drill sergeant inspecting his troops.
“What a disappointing sight you three are,” Jack scolded. “Liam, a bedsheet ghost? You’re mother is a seamstress for pete’s sake!”
Liam’s costume did leave much to be desired. The sheet he wore wasn’t even entirely white - the edges showcased a fine flowery print. And the eye holes looked like they were cut by a four-year-old. Plus, with Liam being on the rotund side of the scale, his getup looked more like a fluffy marshmallow than a ghost.
“Isabella, we go through this every year,” Jack now stood in front of the smallest member of their squad. “Fairies aren’t scary.”
“This one is,” squeaked Isabella. “She’s going through puberty. Look, see the acne?”
Jack bent over to inspect and when he was inches from Isabella’s face she snatched the skeleton mask from atop his head and smacked him on the nose with it. Jack jolted back upright and glared at Isabella who smiled an innocent grin and held the mask out to him. Jack snatched it and tucked it under his arm.
“See,” said Isabella. “Hormones are scary.”
“And then there’s the new girl,” Jack now stood in front of Effy. “What are you even supposed to be? Everyone knows you either go spooky or you go hungry.”
“I told you,” said Effy. “I’m Amelia Earhart.”
The other children stared at her wide-eyed.
“She was the first woman to fly a plane by herself across the Atlantic ocean.”
Again she was met with looks of either ignorance or disinterest, Effy couldn’t tell the difference. She was proud of her costume - she wore a leather flight cap with a pair of goggles resting atop her head, a brown jacket with the number 99 patched onto the arm, and boots and gloves to match. It was a faithful, if not mildly embellished, recreation of the infamous aviatrix.
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and sighed heavily.
“Let’s just get going. We don’t want to be late.”
Jack turned and began a swift walk towards the treeline away from the rows of houses. With the taller boy’s back turned, Liam bent to the ground and began rifling through the pile of discarded treats. Isabella playfully reached out and bopped Liam on the head.
“No!” she feigned a chiding tone. “Bad Liam.”
Isabella pulled Liam to his feet and they trotted after Jack. Effy didn’t want to be left out but she was disinclined to venture into the woods at night. Her parents had been charitable to let her go out sans chaperone but she was loath to press her luck further. She followed after the other children long enough to have a clarifying conversation.
“Where are we going?” asked Effy in an unsuccessful attempt to mask her trepidation.
“Trust me,” Jack replied, his voice as priggish as his face must look. “It’ll be fun.”
Effy craned her neck to see the lights of the neighborhood disappearing behind the trees. The melody of youthful exuberance faded and was replaced by the rustling of leaves and the scraping of branches. Isabella and Liam beckoned her to follow and Effy rushed to be closer to them. There was no going back now.
The moon hung full in the sky far above the treetops - its craters like cobwebs in a dusty attic. The eerie lunar glow lit the children’s way through the darkness. Effy bounced forward on her tiptoes, intent on spending as little time on the ground as possible. In her mind each leaf that crunched was a splintered bone, every root a grasping claw. She took quick breaths and tried to remind herself that there was no such thing as monsters but she was less than convincing. Jack plodded ever onward with an unmatchably nimble gait. Isabella had to take two steps for every one of his. Liam huffed and puffed under his sheet pausing here and there to free his costume from a snagging branch. Effy followed as close to Jack as she could, keeping him in front and the other two children behind - it was comforting to be the middle car on this train.
After walking for some minutes, Jack came to a sudden stop and Effy nearly bumped into him. Isabella and Liam caught up and Liam seemed particularly elated for the chance to catch his breath.
“Are we there?” Isabella’s face lit up as she pushed her way to the front of the group.
Curious herself, Effy leaned forward to better see what lay ahead. There in the clearing stood a colossal canvas tent with alternating black and orange stripes. Two piles of jack-o-lanterns were stacked atop one another to the left and right of the entrance. They were carved with ghoulish smiles and the flickering candle-light inside made it seem as if their eyes were following Effy. Jack turned to his companions with a fiery grin that for a moment reminded Effy a little too much of the jack-o-lanterns.
“Come on, let’s go inside!”
With that, Jack took off into the clearing followed by Liam and Isabella. Effy was so bewildered by the scene that for a moment she forgot where she was. The void left by the other children was quickly filled by the unknown darkness behind her. Between the chilling woods at her back and the eerie tent ahead Effy chose the option that didn’t leave her alone. She convinced her feet to move again and ran into the clearing to catch up. With Jack leading the way, the group passed under the entrance flap and into the tent.
As soon as she left the woods and stepped into the tent, Effy was struck with an impossible cacophony. A whimsical fanfare echoed all around her. She heard children laughing and talking deeper inside. There were other sounds but they were so out of place here in the middle of the woods that Effy could not immediately decide their source. Moments ago the only noise had been the contemplative sonance of the night. The contrast confounded Effy - she desperately wanted to stick her head back outside to give her mind a moment to grasp the strangeness, but Isabella was pulling her further into the tent.
Before they entered the canvas tent, Effy had been struck with the thought that she was about to enter a circus. Her parents had taken her to a circus once and she distinctly remembered the strangeness of that place. The carnival workers with their faces painted up, the exotic animals performing feats of dexterity, the acrid amalgamation of butter and grease and animal dung. But this tent was no circus - this was an altogether stranger experience.
The hallway through which she now padded was lined with odd paintings. There was one that appeared to depict a goblin attempting to compensate for his stature. The little green creature stood atop a stool with his chin held high in a disturbing mockery of fancifulness. He wore a red tuxedo with long coattails that fell past the stool and spooled on the floor next to him. The placard on the frame read:
Effy only caught glimpses of the other paintings as they passed. They all showed nightmare creatures behaving in strangely human ways. Effy shuddered. At the end of the hall stood a miniature booth with a sign above that read:
Jack stood impatiently at the booth rapping his fingers on the counter. Apparently unable to tolerate the wait, Jack rapidly rang the bell which rested next to his hand.
“Every year,” Jack groaned. “The service gets worse here.”
The incessant ringing of the bell finally elicited the attention of the ticket taker. Effy hadn’t noticed the small flap in the canvas wall of the hallway - she was preoccupied with the bespectacled adornments lining the walls. The flap lifted and a small green creature emerged. It was wearing a tiny uniform like that of a hotel bellhop complete with a matching fez. Its long ears bent back as its oversized head passed through the opening. The goblin opened the door of the ticket booth and stepped inside.
“Enough with the bell, kid,” the bite-sized goblin spat.
The rusty voice broke Effy’s concentration and drew her eyes to the ticket booth. She saw the goblin standing behind the glass and let loose an involuntary yelp.
“Oh, that’s real progressive,” the goblin words were laced with sarcasm. “Let’s all be frightened by the scary monster.”
Despite her brain’s insistence, Effy’s jaw refused to shut. As far as she could tell there was a real live goblin standing just a few feet away from her.
“She a friend of yours, Jack?” asked the goblin.
“She’s new. She’ll be cool though,” Jack insisted and then to Effy added. “You’ll be cool, right?”
Unable to wrest control of her limbs, Effy somehow managed to nod her head in the affirmative.
“What’s with the price hike, Pus?” asked Jack, “It was only two treats last year.”
“Ehh, don’t get me started,” said Pus. Effy wondered if all Goblins had such ridiculous names. “Inflation. The candy market’s going straight downhill, I tell you.”
Jack rummaged around in his sack for three pieces of candy and Isabella and Liam did the same. Liam leaned over to Isabella and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and then leaned against the ticket booth which happened to be the perfect size for her.
“Hey Pus,” she inquired. “Liam wants to know if you have change for a King Size bar?”
The goblin groaned and while Effy didn’t know much about monster behavior she could tell he was exaggerating.
“Why do you have to make things difficult, Pus?” Jack stepped in and began smooth talking. “Look, this should cover it.” Jack dropped a handful of candy on the counter. “There’s a little something extra for you. Buy yourself something nice.”
Jack winked at Effy. If she hadn’t been too startled to think, she might have appreciated the gesture. Pus grumbled some more but it didn’t stop him from scooping the candy up and handing Jack four oversized tickets. The goblin reached under the counter and pulled out a little sign that said ‘On Break.’ He hung it on the window then scurried off towards the hidey hole, complaining under his breath the whole way.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Isabella cried. “Let’s get inside!”
The children walked together towards the end of the hallway. As they approached, a pair of large velvety curtains pulled open and Effy was treated to a world of color and music. Her senses were overwhelmed by the sights and sounds and smells. She tried to make sense of the scene but there was too much to take in. She started from the top and began working her way down. The inside of the canvas tent was vast - great beams supporting it all converged at a point in the ceiling. From the rafters hung a massive chandelier with orange and black candles casting dancing shadows on the walls of the tent. At first the shadows appeared mundane but upon further inspection they seemed to form familiar shapes. Monstrous faces appeared in the shadows and took notice of Effy’s prying eyes. She quickly moved on and scanned the main floor of the room.
It was like a massive indoor carnival. All around her, costumed children were playing games. She saw a young girl dunk her head in a barrel and emerge with an apple in her mouth. An older boy dressed as a vampire was hurling ball after ball towards a target. It was a dunk tank game and a much smaller kid - no, not a kid, a goblin - was sitting on a platform above a vat of strange green goo. The goblin stuck his tongue out at the kid and that was all the motivation he needed. His next toss hit the bullseye and the goblin splashed into the goo.
Effy finally found the source of the music - there was a stage in the middle of the room and on it stood the strangest band she had ever seen. A wolfman crashed two symbols together, an oversized spider held a clarinet with two legs and stroked a cello with two more, a violin floated in the air as if being manipulated by some unseen force. Effy sincerely hoped that it was all done with parlor tricks and costumes but she had a sinking sensation that what she saw was impossibly undeniable.
“Tickets,” a voice deeper than the low strings on the cello demanded Effy’s attention.
She turned her head to see a towering ogre to her left. Its stomach was so large that she couldn’t see his skyward face above it. Its skin was a rocky greyish green color - she imagined touching it would feel like sandpaper. Jack, Isabella, and Liam all placed their tickets in the monster’s outstretched frying pan of a hand. The ogre bent over to get a better look at the children. Its face was asymmetrical with one eye much larger and askew to the other. Crooked teeth protruded from its lopsided mouth. Oddly enough, the ogre wore a pair of reading glasses, though only one eye was in position to see through the lens. The Ogre adjusted the glasses with a surprising nimbleness and glared at Effy.
“What are you supposed to be?”
Effy looked to her companions for advice but they were already distracted by the available attractions.
“I’m Amelia Earhart?” Any confidence Effy had was left back in the forest. “The first female pilot to cross the Atlantic?”
The Ogre’s face had a resting look of dumbfoundedness so Effy had no way of telling if it understood at all. After a moment of silence, the corner of the ogre’s mouth turned up and he exhaled slightly - Effy thought it might be a chuckle.
“Cute,” the ogre said.
“So...you’re not going to grind up my bones up and eat me?” Effy asked timidly.
“That’s a common misconception,” explained the ogre. “I’m actually a vegetarian. But I suppose I could make an exception for you.”
Effy’s eyes widened. The ogre reached out its oversized hand and Effy winced.
“Ticket.”
Effy quickly fetched the ticket and placed it in the ogre’s hand. Not wanting to spend another moment in the monster’s presence she bolted after her friends.
“Have a good time!” the ogre called after her.
Jack and the others were waiting in a line when Effy caught up with them. She turned around once more to see the ogre who was now sitting on a stool that looked as if it would at any moment collapse beneath it. She watched the monster pick up small book and begin reading. She didn’t know ogres could read. Curious.
“What is this place?” Effy asked.
She had been so absorbed in her surroundings she hadn’t been able to form a coherent thought until now. Jack leaned his elbow on top of Liam’s ghostly head, tossed a candy into the air and snatched it with finesse.
“Told ya it was gonna be fun,” said Jack with that old smug grin.
“But, those were m…” Effy stammered. “Mon…”
“Monsters?” asked Jack.
Effy nodded.
“But, monsters aren’t real,” Effy wished she could believe her own words but her current circumstance made it near impossible.
A sudden chill filled the air and the hair on the back of Effy’s neck stood on end. A macabre voice spoke as if from every direction at once.
“Oh, but monsters are very real,” the whisper penetrated her very bones.
Effy was petrified. She frantically wished to cower behind her friends but she seemed to have lost control of her muscles. With all the willpower she could muster, Effy craned her neck to look behind her and immediately regretted doing so. Floating just behind her was a ghastly visage with a cadaverous grin. The translucent azure specter opened its eyes wide and whispered a single word.
“Boo.”
Effy screamed and the noise startled her legs into action. She dove behind Jack and buried her face in the back of his skeleton shirt. Isabella frowned and glared at the ghost with a look of disappointment. The spirit’s malevolent countenance quickly shifted into a pale imitation of sincerity.
“What did I do?” it asked innocently.
Isabella reached into her bag, began pulling out candies, and hurled them at the ghost.
“Bad ghost,” Isabella chided. “Bad.”
The candies passed through its incorporeal body and onto the floor beyond but the phantom seemed perturbed nonetheless.
“Hey, knock it off,” it murmured.
The ghost stuck out its tongue at the small girl before disappearing entirely. Jack attempted to turn around and get a better look at the cowering Effy. She refused to remove her face from his shirt.
“You alright?” Jack asked.
Effy shook her head against his backside. Jack laughed a little and tried to comfort her out of hiding.
“Don’t worry, they’re harmless. Mostly.”
The festivities continued all around the children. Other kids bustled about, lining up for various games and activities. The noisy crowd was overshadowed for a moment by an echoing announcement.
“Boys and girls, I’d like to direct your attention to our main stage. Gather around and witness a genuine, bona-fide magic show. Let’s have a round of applause for the Magnificent Mister Fluffers!”
The ballyhoo ended and sounds of excited children rushed back into focus. Isabella grabbed Effy’s hand and pried her loose from Jack’s posterior.
“Come on, Effy!” Isabella persuaded. “The magic show is about to start.”
Reluctantly, Effy allowed herself to be dragged behind Isabella with Liam bringing up the rear. Effy looked back at Jack who seemed distracted by something. The tall boy was staring across the room intently, his mind clearly elsewhere. He must have felt Effy’s stare because he broke his reverie and met her gaze.
“I’ll meet up with you guys later,” said Jack, though his tone was preoccupied. “I’m gonna...there’s someone I need to talk to. You go. Have fun.”
Jack smiled and then disappeared into the crowd. Effy didn’t like the idea of splitting up in this foreign atmosphere but Isabella dragged her along. They found a seat in the front row and watched the act already in progress.
It was unlike any magic show Effy had ever seen. Instead of a magician, a scarecrow dressed as a magician stood center stage stiffly juggling pins. Its face was no more than a stuffed burlap sack with a crude face painted onto it. The top hat, tuxedo, and bow tie gave the impression of a magician though how it was ambulatory, Effy had no clue. She couldn’t see any strings holding it up - it was moving of its own volition. The scarecrow threw the pins high into the air then took a bow and the crowd cheered. It spent a little too much time soaking up the applause and when it stood back up the pins came crashing down on its head one by one. The children in the audience laughed and a smile reluctantly crept onto Effy’s face as well.
“You dummy,” a disembodied voice spoke from the stage. “Why don’t you show them your next trick?”
The scarecrow held a silent hand to its chin and pondered this for a moment before holding up its finger in a eureka moment. With one hand, it removed its top hat and with its other hand, it fished for a magic wand from inside its coat. Without saying a word, the scarecrow revealed the empty innards of its hat before setting it top-down on a nearby table. It waved the magic wand over the hat and then tapped it against the brim three times. Then it reached its hand into the hat and pulled out...nothing. The scarecrow seemed as confused as the crowd watching. It scratched its head quizzically. For a scarecrow, it was surprisingly expressive.
“You dolt,” came the disembodied voice. “Reach deeper.”
That was all the encouragement the scarecrow needed. Reinvigorated, it placed its hand back into the opening of the top hat. The scarecrow reached deeper than should have been possible - there was no explanation for it. The underside of the table upon which the hat stood was completely visible and there was nowhere to disguise the arm. The scarecrow pressed its arm into the hat up to its shoulder and then, as if something took hold of its arm, the magician was pulled completely into the hat. He was gone and nothing but the hat remained. The audience exhaled a collective gasp and Effy found herself utterly entranced by the show. A moment passed and then a rabbit emerged out of the hat standing on the scarecrow’s raised hand. It became clear exactly who belonged to the disembodied voice.
“Tada!” exclaimed the rabbit.
The rabbit stepped down from the scarecrow’s hand and walked across the table on his hind legs. From the table, he picked up his own tiny top hat and cape and dressed the part of magician.
“Let’s have a round of applause for my assistant!” said the rabbit. “Even if he is a bit brainless.”
The scarecrow’s disembodied hand waved from the top of the top hat before disappearing inside once again. The crowd cheered and Effy found herself sufficiently impressed - if that trick was all an illusion, it was a convincing one.
“I am the Magnificent Mister Fluffers,” said the rabbit. “How are you all doing tonight? Sufficiently sugar rushed, I hope?”
The audience roared. Isabella looked to Effy and smiled.
“Fun, right?”
Effy nodded.
“For my next trick,” said Fluffers. “I’ll need a volunteer from the audience. How about you there?”
Mister Fluffers point a fuzzy white paw directly at Effy whose eyes widened. She looked around desperately hoping that the paw was meant for someone else. Isabella pushed Effy up from her seat and towards the stage.
“Go on!”
Effy stumbled up the steps and onto the stage. All the eyes in the audience were now on her. Mister Fluffers smiled impatiently as Effy wandered towards him.
“Relax kid,” said Fluffers so that only she could hear. “You’re killin’ the vibe. What’s your name?”
“Effy.”
“Boys and girls, let’s get a round of applause for my lovely assistant, Effy!”
The crowd cheered. Isabella’s whistle was loud enough to be heard over the clapping.
“Nice costume, by the way,” complimented Fluffers. “What is that, Amelia Earhart?”
Effy, who had been staring at the audience trying not to sweat, finally loosened up and looked down at Fluffers. She was pleasantly taken aback by the recognition.
“Mmhmm. Thanks, I put it together myself.”
“Good on you, kid. Now hop in the box.”
The stage was littered with the magician’s props - the juggling pins sat askew on the floor, the table contained a deck of cards and some scarves. In the center of the stage was a wooden box on wheels. It was into this box that Effy now climbed. She lied down in the box which was lined with a soft velvety material. Fluffers climbed atop the box and shut the lid so that only Effy’s head and legs protruded from either end. From inside the top hat, Fluffers revealed a large hand saw and began cutting the box in half. The skeptical Effy that had existed before tonight would not have shown any signs of concern at the prospect of being “sawn in half” by a magician, but the present Effy was not so calm. Fluffers finished sawing and pushed the two halves of the boxes apart. Effy stared in amazement at her own lower half, and was confounded as she successfully wiggled her toes.
The audience stood and cheered and Effy smiled. She looked into the crowd and saw Isabella and Liam cheering harder than anyone. Isabella was standing on her chair shaking Liam in her excitement. But then something else caught Effy’s attention across the room. Two towering ogres were leading a frightened looking Jack along the far wall. The ogre walking behind Jack kept prodding him, nearly forcing him to trip and fall. The first ogre held open a flap and the second pushed Jack into the side room. Together they disappeared behind the flap.
“Hey,” Effy called to Fluffers. “Put me back together.”
“Relax, kid. I’m working on it.”
Fluffers pushed the two halves of the box back together and tapped his magic wand against the box three times. The lid rose and Effy was whole once again.
“Tada!”
The crowd cheered once again but Effy had no time to enjoy the applause. She hopped out of the box and grabbed Mister Fluffer’s magic top hat.
“Hey!”
“I just need to borrow it,” Effy called back to him as she ran off the stage. “I’ll bring it back!”
She ran over to her friends and beckoned them to follow to which they happily obliged.
“Effy,” Isabella was amused by her sudden initiative. “What are you doing?”
“Come on,” Effy replied. “I think Jack might be in trouble.”
Together, the three children weaved their way through the crowded carnival. The band continued to play and the patrons enjoyed their games. The tent was filled with the absurd and the impossible - a fact which stopped no one from having a good time. Effy moved quickly and surely, dodging other children and monsters as she went. Isabella and Liam trailed behind her. Finally, they arrived at the entrance where Jack had been taken. Isabella lifted one corner of the heavy canvas flap and held it so Effy and Liam could enter. Ducking low, Effy crept inside and was soon joined by her companions. A purple curtain hung around the edges of the room and it was behind this that the children disguised their movements. They inched along between the curtain and the wall careful to avoid notice. From their dark hiding spot, Effy heard a mysterious voice speak.
“Jack, Jack, Jack,” the voice oozed. “You owe me a lot of candy.”
“It was just some bad luck. I’ll get you your candy,” Jack’s usually calm demeanor was shattered and replaced with a quivering sap. “Just let me go trick-or-treat some more…”
“Halloween is over my young friend,” the other voice cut him off.
Effy reached a break in the curtain and opened it just enough to see into the room and quickly wished she hadn’t. The candle-lit room was drenched in spider webs. Jack sat on a chair in the center of the room with the two ogres standing behind him. One of the ogres had a hand on Jack’s shoulder preventing him from standing. Hanging from a single strand of web in front of Jack was an enormous spider four times his size. Effy could see every oversized hair on its disgusting body. The thing spoke, revealing the source of the second voice and as it did so, saliva or something worse oozed from its mandibles. Effy thought she might be sick.
“We’ve been overly generous to you, Jack,” said the spider. “But my patience has run thin.”
“No please,” Jack was on the verge of tears.
“Trick-or-treat, Jacky boy,” said the spider.
Jack struggled as the spider climbed down from its web and advanced on him but the ogre held him in place. Effy was once again frozen with fear.
“We have to do something, Effy!” Isabella spoke in a frantic whisper. “That thing is going to eat Jack.”
Liam nodded his approval. Effy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. What would Amelia Earhart do? She opened her eyes and flung open the curtain, revealing their position to the monsters.
“Let our friend go!” Effy cried.
“Yeah!” agreed Isabella.
Liam nodded and struck a pose, flexing his muscles.
The spider paused and turned toward the children.
“My, my, now this is an interesting turn of events,” mused the spider. “It looks like I’ll be having dessert with my meal. Grab them.”
The unoccupied ogre marched toward the children.
“Not so fast!” commanded Effy.
From behind her back, Effy revealed the top hat she had stolen from Mister Fluffers.
“One more step and I’ll cast a spell on you.”
The spider laughed. The ogre paused and after a confused moment laughed along with the spider.
“Oh, this is rich,” chuckled the spider. “Such bravery. Foolish, but brave. I think I’ll eat you last.”
Effy’s bluff had been called. With no other course of action left to her, she reached into the hat. It was deep - deeper than a hat should be. She felt around until her hand touched something foreign. She gripped it a pulled her arm free revealing...a bouquet of flowers. The spider laughed again but this time there was only malice in his voice. He ignored her and lunged toward Jack. The ogre continued towards the children and they pressed back against the wall. Suddenly, Effy felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. Startled, she looked down and saw the scarecrow’s hand sticking out of the hat. The gloved hand, having caught her attention, now gestured forcefully toward the ogre before disappearing back inside the hat. Effy pulled the hat close to her face and peered inside. She couldn’t see anything but could hear a sizzling sound from within.
“Point it at the ogre!” Isabella suggested.
Effy reversed the hat’s direction so that the opening was facing the monsters. A loud explosion rang out and a cannonball erupted from the opening of the hat. It slammed into the ogre with such great force that it stumbled backward into the spider. Jack’s chair collapsed and in the confusion he barely managed to roll out of harm’s way as the trio of monster tumbled to the ground. Jack crawled to his feet and ran over to meet his friends.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Jack was overjoyed.
“You can thank us later,” said Effy. “We have to get out of here.”
The four children ran for the exit and heard the infuriated spider yell behind them.
“Get off of me you fool! After them!”
The kids burst out of the side room and back onto the main floor. The crowds of children continued their revelry, oblivious to the sudden commotion. Effy and her friends ran through the throng with little care as to whom they bumped into. They crossed the room and ran into the entry hallway. The ticket taker sat on his tiny stool reading his book. He had nearly finished.
“Thanks for coming,” said the ogre without looking up from the page. “See you next year.”
Pus the goblin was busying himself polishing the frame of one of the paintings on the wall when the children burst in. In their hurry, Effy didn’t notice him and collided right into the little green man and the two of them fell to the floor. Effy pushed herself to her knees and stared down at the goblin.
“Sorry about that, Pus,” she smiled hoping to ease his mood.
“I hate this job,” said Pus, lying on his back.
Effy hopped up onto her feet and glanced around at the other children. She looked down at the pathetic goblin and felt a twang of pity. She dropped her pillowcase full of candy next to him.
“For your troubles,” she said.
And then the children continued running down the hall. Pus groaned to his feet and grumbled after them.
“You think you can just buy me off with...ooh, peanut butter cup.”
The goblin occupied himself with the pile of candy as Effy and her friends ran outside of the tent and continued into the woods beyond. They were tired and winded.
“Wait,” Effy said. “I forgot to give Mister Fluffer’s his hat back.”
She looked down at the top hat in her hand and then back to the tent. There was no way she was going back there. Seemingly aware that it was being spoken of, the top hat shook and fell to the ground. It then began to rise into the air revealing the scarecrow beneath it until the scarecrow stood before them wearing the hat.
“Thanks for your help back there,” Effy smiled.
The scarecrow removed the hat and bowed. Though it wasn’t capable of smiling, Effy felt as if he returned the sentiment. The scarecrow placed the hat back atop its head and then waddled off in the opposite direction. The children were left alone at last, back in the woods where their journey had begun. They walked together in silence for a while until they could see the lights of the neighborhood through the trees. Isabella tugged on Jack’s arm as they walked.
“Give me the mask,” she demanded.
“Huh?” Jack was confused.
“Your mask,” said Isabella. “Give it to me.”
Jack removed his mask and handed it to Isabella. She snatched it and began smacking him repeatedly with it.
“Ouch.”
“What were you thinking?!” Isabella squeaked, “You nearly got yourself killed. You nearly got us killed. You’re lucky Effy was there, thinking on her feet.”
Jack grabbed back the mask.
“I’m sorry, okay?” said Jack and Effy could tell he was sincere. “It was pretty exciting though, yeah?”
There it was, Jack’s cocky grin was back. Isabella elbowed him in the side.
“I don’t know about you guys,” said Effy. “But I don’t even want to think about candy for a whole year.”
The other children laughed and agreed. All except for Liam who was stuffing his face with chocolate.
“What?” he said through a mouthful of candy, “It’s delicious.”
They laughed again and walked back into the neighborhood.
Candy Carnival was written by Daniel Weinell and illustrated by Maribel Navarro.
