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The Newspaper

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween. What kid doesn’t like dressing up in silly or scary costumes and receive free candy? I mean, it’s just a given right?

It was a Thursday, school didn’t let out until three and it was only twelve. “Oh my gosh could the day get any slower?” The clock on the wall in Mrs. McDonald’s room was purposely going slow, or at least it seemed so. She was droning on and on about some explorer, while I dreamed of mountains of candy I’d be bringing home tonight.

“Ethan…”

I was brought back into the real world. “Yeah?”

“Sorry to have awoken you from your day-dreaming, but can you tell me if we should celebrate Columbus Day or not.” She stood there, arms crossed in front of her and a very stern look on her face.

“I…” decided to liven things up a bit, “…believe we should. It would give us a day off of school!”

Everyone chimed in with their agreements, to which we were suddenly hushed.

“Aside from that fact Ethan, what else can you tell us as to why you would still celebrate it.”

I thought a moment, trying to look like I knew what the answer was, when actually I had no idea.

“I, ah…well it’s like this…”

“Yes…..?” She urged me on. I hated it when she did that, especially when she knew I had no real answer to give.

“He, he discovered America and for that we have no school!” Smiling proudly and knowing that I had actually figured out a pretty decent answer.

“Alright, I’ll accept that…for now. Anyone else?”

“I think we shouldn’t because he was greedy. All he wanted was gold and it didn’t matter how he got it, just as long as he got his way. The man was evil!”

Sara…I sighed. Sara always brown nosed her way in the classroom and with the teachers. Everyone hated her because she knew everything and didn’t mind showing off.

“Exactly, but he did do some good correct class?”

“Yes Ms. McDonald.” We all sung.

That’s how the last few classes went. Slow, boring and slow. It wasn’t until the last bell had rung, that I was running home and thinking about all the fun I was going to have. Mom was in the kitchen finishing dinner when she said, “Ethan, do me a favor tonight, could you?”

Oh, oh, here it comes, the old be careful, don’t talk to strangers, and don’t eat any candy until your father and I have inspected it first.

“Could you while you’re trick or treating stop by the Gallegers home and check to make sure someone had picked up their newspaper?”

“Oh sure! We were going to go their first. Mr. Galleger always dresses up and sits in front of their bay window.”

“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but they’re not home which is why I want you to check that out for me.”

What? No Mr. Galleger? He was the highlight of the whole holiday! I was disappointed. Every year we’d race to their house and he’d be there, looking spooky. We’d even brave it by making silly faces at him on the way to their front door. Then, we say those famous words, “Trick or treat!” and he’d come over to the door, open it, and without saying a word, other than growl, he dropped a piece of candy in our bags. It was so cool.

Dinner was good, although I don’t remember what it was because I ate it so fast. Mother kept telling me to slow down, but I had to get out fast before all the candy, well, all the good candy would be gone.

Ding, dong…

“It’s Freddie, time to go!” I leapt out of my seat and grabbed my bag on the way out. “See ya!”

“Be careful!” Those words rang truth.

“The streets were filled with kids running from house to house and all in the neatest costumes I had ever seen. I couldn’t recognize anyone, which was part of the fun and you could hear “trick or treat” from the other side of the block. What a night this was!

“Hey, we have to stop at the Gallegers first, my mom said I have to check to see if their newspaper was picked up or not.”

“Do we have too?” Freddie complained. “Scott told me that there’s this one house on Western Avenue that’s all decked out for Halloween and real live monsters! Oh, and that’s not all! Screaming zombies that fly out at you on a rope and a bloody head in a bowl whose eyes pop open when you look at it. But, and this is the best part, there’s this guy, looks like Jason from the movie Friday the 13th and he’s carrying this chainsaw, a real one! He’ll follow you around and just when you’re not looking he pulls the cord and starts it up! Yeah! I’m not kidding you either!”

“Whoa…” This sounded too good to pass up. “Ok, let’s do it, we can stop and check the Gallegers house on our way back.”

We rounded the corner and saw all the people. Tons and tons of them, all waiting in a line down the sidewalk and even the police were there for crowd and traffic control! Freddie was right, it was cool and I even saw some of the monsters he was talking about. Screams and laughter filled the air as we got closer.

It was an old Victorian house, whose wrought iron fence was draped with a black cloth, cobwebs and gore was strewn everywhere. We waited, patiently in line, and it wasn't a long wait, thank god, because I don’t think I could have waited much longer. While we waited to go in and get our candy though I was looking around for that Jason guy, but I didn’t see him.

It wasn’t until we had gotten in and received our candy from this witch, who by the way was real spooky looking, that I saw him. Oh man, Freddie was right, he had a real chain saw and was following kids around the sidewalk just in front of the house. I wanted to stay and watch a bit more, but then that guy spotted me and turned around and headed straight for us.

“Um, let’s go to the next block ok? This was fun, but that Jason dude is headed our way, and I really don’t want to deal with him.” I was nervous and the closer he got the more I wanted to just turn and run.

“Chicken! He’s not real! He’s just someone dressed up like Jason that’s all.”

I started to walk to Whittier Avenue and this guy kept on following us. I mean, we were half a block away from the house and he still kept on.

“H-he’s not stopping Freddie, what should we do?” Do? Run and run fast and don’t look back is what I wanted to do.

“Nothing! Look I’ll prove it to ya!” Freddie can be brave, but this time he was dumb.

I watched in horror as Freddie walked right up to him and started to make faces at the guy.

“Come and get me Jason! Come and get me!” He was laughing all the while.

Then the guy spoke. He spoke in such a monotone voice, that it creeped me out. “You forgot the newspaper.”

"..."

Then it happened. I hadn’t expected it, but it happened. The Jason guy raised his chain saw and then in one fell swoop, sawed Freddie’s head off. It fell to the ground, as did Freddie. His hideous look of shock , still frozen on his face. I. just. Froze.

When I found my voice I screamed. “Freddie!” The guy looked at me and turned around and headed back to the house.

I thought to myself, “this is a nightmare!” I don’t remember running, but I did apparently, because I found myself back at home.

“W-what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?” Then I remembered what the guy said just before he killed Freddie and I thought, if I don’t get the newspaper, he’s gonna come after me!

Again, I ran as fast as I could to the Galleger's house, and sure enough there was the newspaper. I bent down and picked it up. As I turned around my heart leapt out of my chest. There, face to face was Freddie.

I screamed.




One of my favorite holidays is Halloween. What kid doesn’t like dressing up in silly or scary costumes and receive free candy? I mean, it’s just a given right?

It was a Thursday, school didn’t let out until three and it was only twelve. “Oh my gosh could the day get any slower?” The clock on the wall in Mrs. McDonald’s room was purposely going slow, or at least it seemed so. She was droning on and on about some explorer, while I dreamed of mountains of candy I’d be bringing home tonight.

“Ethan…”

I was brought back into the real world. “Yeah?”

“Sorry to have awoken you from your day-dreaming, but can you tell me if we should celebrate Columbus Day or not.” She stood there, arms crossed in front of her and a very stern look on her face.

“I…” decided to liven things up a bit, “…believe we should. It would give us a day off of school!”

Everyone chimed in with their agreements, to which we were suddenly hushed.

“Aside from that fact Ethan, what else can you tell us as to why you would still celebrate it.”

I thought a moment, trying to look like I knew what the answer was, when actually I had no idea.

“I, ah…well it’s like this…”

“Yes…..?” She urged me on. I hated it when she did that, especially when she knew I had no real answer to give.

“He, he discovered America and for that we have no school!” Smiling proudly and knowing that I had actually figured out a pretty decent answer.

“Alright, I’ll accept that…for now. Anyone else?”

“I think we shouldn’t because he was greedy. All he wanted was gold and it didn’t matter how he got it, just as long as he got his way. The man was evil!”

Sara…I sighed. Sara always brown nosed her way in the classroom and with the teachers. Everyone hated her because she knew everything and didn’t mind showing off.

“Exactly, but he did do some good correct class?”

“Yes Ms. McDonald.” We all sung.

That’s how the last few classes went. Slow, boring and slow. It wasn’t until the last bell had rung, that I was running home and thinking about all the fun I was going to have. Mom was in the kitchen finishing dinner when she said, “Ethan, do me a favor tonight, could you?”

Oh, oh, here it comes, the old be careful, don’t talk to strangers, and don’t eat any candy until your father and I have inspected it first.

“Could you while you’re trick or treating stop by the Gallegers home and check to make sure someone had picked up their newspaper?”

“Oh sure! We were going to go their first. Mr. Galleger always dresses up and sits in front of their bay window.”

“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but they’re not home which is why I want you to check that out for me.”

What? No Mr. Galleger? He was the highlight of the whole holiday! I was disappointed. Every year we’d race to their house and he’d be there, looking spooky. We’d even brave it by making silly faces at him on the way to their front door. Then, we say those famous words, “Trick or treat!” and he’d come over to the door, open it, and without saying a word, other than growl, he dropped a piece of candy in our bags. It was so cool.

Dinner was good, although I don’t remember what it was because I ate it so fast. Mother kept telling me to slow down, but I had to get out fast before all the candy, well, all the good candy would be gone.

Ding, dong…

“It’s Freddie, time to go!” I leapt out of my seat and grabbed my bag on the way out. “See ya!”

“Be careful!” Those words rang truth.

“The streets were filled with kids running from house to house and all in the neatest costumes I had ever seen. I couldn’t recognize anyone, which was part of the fun and you could hear “trick or treat” from the other side of the block. What a night this was!

“Hey, we have to stop at the Gallegers first, my mom said I have to check to see if their newspaper was picked up or not.”

“Do we have too?” Freddie complained. “Scott told me that there’s this one house on Western Avenue that’s all decked out for Halloween and real live monsters! Oh, and that’s not all! Screaming zombies that fly out at you on a rope and a bloody head in a bowl whose eyes pop open when you look at it. But, and this is the best part, there’s this guy, looks like Jason from the movie Friday the 13th and he’s carrying this chainsaw, a real one! He’ll follow you around and just when you’re not looking he pulls the cord and starts it up! Yeah! I’m not kidding you either!”

“Whoa…” This sounded too good to pass up. “Ok, let’s do it, we can stop and check the Gallegers house on our way back.”

We rounded the corner and saw all the people. Tons and tons of them, all waiting in a line down the sidewalk and even the police were there for crowd and traffic control! Freddie was right, it was cool and I even saw some of the monsters he was talking about. Screams and laughter filled the air as we got closer.

It was an old Victorian house, whose wrought iron fence was draped with a black cloth, cobwebs and gore was strewn everywhere. We waited, patiently in line, and it wasn't a long wait, thank god, because I don’t think I could have waited much longer. While we waited to go in and get our candy though I was looking around for that Jason guy, but I didn’t see him.

It wasn’t until we had gotten in and received our candy from this witch, who by the way was real spooky looking, that I saw him. Oh man, Freddie was right, he had a real chain saw and was following kids around the sidewalk just in front of the house. I wanted to stay and watch a bit more, but then that guy spotted me and turned around and headed straight for us.

“Um, let’s go to the next block ok? This was fun, but that Jason dude is headed our way, and I really don’t want to deal with him.” I was nervous and the closer he got the more I wanted to just turn and run.

“Chicken! He’s not real! He’s just someone dressed up like Jason that’s all.”

I started to walk to Whittier Avenue and this guy kept on following us. I mean, we were half a block away from the house and he still kept on.

“H-he’s not stopping Freddie, what should we do?” Do? Run and run fast and don’t look back is what I wanted to do.

“Nothing! Look I’ll prove it to ya!” Freddie can be brave, but this time he was dumb.

I watched in horror as Freddie walked right up to him and started to make faces at the guy.

“Come and get me Jason! Come and get me!” He was laughing all the while.

Then the guy spoke. He spoke in such a monotone voice, that it creeped me out. “You forgot the newspaper.”

"..."

Then it happened. I hadn’t expected it, but it happened. The Jason guy raised his chain saw and then in one fell swoop, sawed Freddie’s head off. It fell to the ground, as did Freddie. His hideous look of shock , still frozen on his face. I. just. Froze.

When I found my voice I screamed. “Freddie!” The guy looked at me and turned around and headed back to the house.

I thought to myself, “this is a nightmare!” I don’t remember running, but I did apparently, because I found myself back at home.

“W-what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?” Then I remembered what the guy said just before he killed Freddie and I thought, if I don’t get the newspaper, he’s gonna come after me!

Again, I ran as fast as I could to the Galleger's house, and sure enough there was the newspaper. I bent down and picked it up. As I turned around my heart leapt out of my chest. There, face to face was Freddie.

I screamed.

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