Once upon a time, in a quiet little town, there lived four girls: Mary, Rita, Florence, and Helen, who were all between ten and fourteen years old. They had decided that this year’s Halloween should be a peaceful one, spent in the comfort of their homes.
As Rita sat with Mary in the cozy living room of her home, she declared, “I’m relieved we chose to have a calm Halloween this year. We’ve outgrown games like bobbing for apples and throwing apple peelings. Feels like we’ve been doing that since we were little.”
Mary replied, “I know, right? Many other girls feel the same. That’s why I thought a quiet evening at my home would be better than anything else, especially since my mother was going to a party at the club.”
Just as the girls were talking, they heard a knock at the door. It was Florence and Helen, who were thrilled to join them in their comfy Halloween retreat. After a while, their discussion took a spooky turn, with tales of ghost sightings and mysterious happenings.
As Mary offered some freshly popped popcorn to everyone, she also brought up a book that her brother, Bob, had borrowed from the library. The girls were curious and urged Mary to read some of it. With a smile, Mary opened the book and began reading a story about an old woman living alone in a big house.
Just as the suspense built up, a mysterious knock echoed through the room. The girls turned towards the window to see a figure draped in white, resembling a ghost! The room was filled with gasps and shrieks, but Mary reassured them, saying, “It must be a paper blowing in the wind.”
As Mary continued the story, describing a witch, a giant black cat, and an owl, strangely enough, each character from the story seemed to appear at the window. This led to quite a few frights and squeals from the girls.
Suddenly, Bob walked into the room, looking puzzled at the sight of the terrified girls. When they told him about the spooky sightings, Bob smirked. “Were you girls ready to repair any injury that you did to these creatures, if I find out what caused their strange appearance?” he asked.
Rita and Florence were taken aback, “How could we offend a cat or an owl, or a ghost, either?”
Bob laughed, “Let me see what I can do,” he said, leaving the room.
Moments later, Bob returned, not alone but with three of his friends, Ralph, Harold, and Jim. The boys were wearing costumes matching the eerie characters from Mary’s story!
Bob then confessed, “We boys felt left out when we weren’t invited to the party. So, we thought of a unique way to join in on the fun. We brought apples, nuts, and candies to share. Can we join you now?”
With laughter replacing their fear, the girls agreed to let the boys join in. They may not have had the quiet evening they planned, but it was certainly a Halloween they would never forget!
