“You can’t buy candy corn for trick or treaters!” Bianca exclaimed, as she snatched the bowl of candy from Sephiroth’s hands. She clutched the bowl, not wanting to return it to Sephiroth and his bad candy. “That’s the fruitcake of Halloween!”
This was her first Halloween since fate transported her from Earth to Gaia, and it was her favorite holiday. The celebration was among the things that she missed most about her home world. She didn’t know why dressing up in a costume meant so much to her, but it did.
It’s the perfect night to be my true self. During Halloween, Bianca had no one demand of her to bind her wings or wear normal color contacts to hide the color of her eyes. She could simply exist in her skin and none would judge her. They’d simply compliment her realistic costume.
In exchange, Bianca loved to serve only the best treats to visiting trick or treaters. She was the house that gave out full-size candy bars, making sure that her home would be well-remembered by the kids.
“You doubt me?” Sephiroth stared at her and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. His lips curled into a faint smile, which dissipated quickly and made Bianca wonder if it was even there. “It’s sweet and comes in three colors.”
Bianca’s ebony wings rested against her back as she stared down at the bowl of candy. The candy corn pieces seemed never-ending and kept appearing.
“Candy corn doesn’t taste sweet,” Bianca went to the metal cupboard, opened it, and retrieve several packages of full-sized Shinra Caramel Fusion, Peanut Blast, and Marshmallow Delight. “It tastes like sadness and tears.”
“Sadness and tears?” Sephiroth tilted his head. “But candy corn tastes sweet. It’s the quintessential Halloween candy.”
“And fruitcake is the quintessential Christmas food. Yet no one likes to receive fruitcake, and no one likes to receive candy corn. I think you are the only one who likes candy corn — and, of course, old people.”
Prompt: “I bought toilet paper and eggs! Those assholes aren't home. Let’s go!” “I’m pretty sure this is grounds for an annulment.”
Fandom: The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai
Characters: Jimmy, Jenny Parker
Rating: G
Word Count: 456
Note(s): Set in the universe of my fic, Never Knew. Jenny is technically canon, but thus far, is an unseen/unheard character that has no personality in the one episode she is mentioned in. I came up with her personality and faceclaim for my story.
It was Jimmy and Jenny’s first Halloween as a married couple. They were happy in their new home. The only problem was some of their neighbors: an uptight elderly couple who were constantly on power trips.
Donald and Marjorie Blanchard were in charge of the Home Owner’s Association. They constantly made their neighbors’ lives hell. Their latest crime was attempting to ban trick-or-treating.
“I can’t believe this!” Jimmy exclaims, reading the latest HOA newsletter.
“I know. It’s supposed to be a good, safe neighborhood for kids,” Jenny says. “That’s why we chose it, for our future family.”
“What kind of people hate kids so much that they’ll force them out of the neighborhood? I swear, the HOA rules weren’t this strict when we first looked at the house,” Jimmy replies.
***
Jenny comes inside from weeding in her garden. The Blanchard-run HOA complained and threatened fines because of the weeds. It’s not Jenny’s fault that the school kept her busy this past week.
Jenny walks into the kitchen to wash the dirt off her hands and arms. She hears the front door open and slam shut.
“Jenn?”
“Kitchen,” she calls to her husband.
Jimmy rushes in, carrying shopping bags. He has a wild look in his blue eyes. “I bought toilet paper and eggs! Those assholes aren't home. Let’s go!”
Jenny blinks. He can’t seriously be planning on what he was implying. It has to be a joke. She folds her arms, smirking. “I’m pretty sure this is grounds for an annulment.”
Jimmy sets the bags down on the white countertop. He stares at her, confused. “On what grounds? We were both single, unmarried and over the age of eighteen. I didn’t trick or manipulate you into anything. And we were both of sound mind when we entered into it. We’ve also consummated over marriage several times.”
Jenny laughs, which confuses her husband even more. She walks over to him, putting her arms around him. Jenny kisses his forehead. “See, I knew that would snap you out of it. Darling, have you been drinking? Perhaps, in the company of Johnny, Tommy, or Dutch?”
“Yeah,” he admits.
“And was Bobby there?”
Jimmy shakes his head.
Jenny nods. “I thought that might be the case. Sweetheart, you’re a lawyer. Don’t go committing acts of vandalism, despite how much Donald and Marjorie deserve it. You’re not a delinquent or a degenerate. Why don’t we get some of the other neighbors together and talk? I’m sure we’re not the only ones upset about the trick-or-treating ban. Or the other petty complaints and targeting by Donald and Marjorie. And I’m sure that you, my handsome lawyer, can find a legal way to stop them.”
Prompt: “You can’t buy candy corn for trick or treaters! That’s the fruitcake of Halloween!
Fandom: Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures
Characters: OCs David Yates, Molly Yates, and minor OCs
Rating: G/T (slight language)
Word count: 989
Summary: David celebrates Molly's first Halloween.
Note: This is something of a prequel ficlet to my current Whoniverse WIP.
It wasn’t David’s first Halloween in the States. But it was his first with a child. Before Molly, things were simple. He could simply forget the “holiday” existed. It’s only been in the last decade or two that Halloween really took hold of Britain, even if the traditions originated there. But in America, it’s very in one’s face and a part of the culture, whether it’s about the candy, the decorations, or costumes.
Ken, a coworker, popped his head in David’s cubicle. “So, what are you dressing the munchkin up as?”
David stared at him as if he had two heads. “She’s two months old!”
Ken shrugged. “Yeah, and?”
“I think she’s way too young. She won’t understand what is going on. And most importantly, Molly can’t even eat solid foods, let alone candy,” David replied.
“David,” Ken shook his head. “You’re missing the big picture here.”
David frowns, confused. “I don’t see how, but go on.”
“You’re a young, handsome single man with a baby. You put a cute costume on the kid, walk around the neighborhood, and collect some candy for yourself. And some phone numbers from the single mommies and aunts who took the kids trick-or-treating.”
David’s lip curled. Instead of engaging, he told his coworker that he was staying home.
“Well, that works too,” Ken admitted.
David breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, Ken wasn’t finished. “You can still get their numbers if you stay home and hand out candy. But the baby still needs to be dressed up. And when you answer the door, make sure you hold her so that the ladies can see that there isn’t a ring on your finger.”
David covered his face. “Oh, my God,” he groaned into his hands. A throbbing started in his temple. “Ken, can you please leave? I’ve got work to do.”
***
After he got off work, David stopped at a 99 Cents Only Store before picking Molly up from daycare. He was already regretting letting Ken get inside his head. David quickly grabbed up two of the cheaper bags of individually wrapped candy, a garish green monster pail, and the first Halloween costume that he thought would fit his daughter.
***
There was a knock at the Yates’ apartment door. David rushed out of the nursery, adjusting his daughter in his arms. “Coming!”
Molly fussed.
David peered down at her. “Don’t cry, love. You’ve got a clean nappy. Daddy’s got you. You’re fine. You even look cute in that getup.”
She cooed at him, which earned her a smile.
Someone knocked on the door again. David sighed. “Well, here goes nothing. Happy Halloween,” he greeted as he opened the door.
“Trick or treat!”
In the hallway stood two boys and a girl, dressed as Freddy Krueger, the Red Power Ranger, and a princess. The smile that David had plastered on fell when he saw Ken with the kids. “What are you doing here?”
“The ex had a party to go to, so I’m taking the kids trick-or-treating. Also, I wanted to see if you wanted to come along.” Ken peered down at the baby. “Oh, good. You did dress her up for the occasion. Could have found something better than a pumpkin, though.”
David’s mouth tightened. “I already said I was staying in. Molly will be due for a feeding in at least an hour. I’m not packing and lugging around a diaper bag and stroller just so you can pick up women.”
David grunted in pain as a boy in a Freddy Krueger costume kicked him in the shin. “Hey, where’s the candy?”
“Tommy! Don’t be a pain in the ass!” Ken warned his son. “Sorry, about that Dave.”
David glared at the kid. He picked up the pail from a side table, shoving it at the kid. “Here, help yourself.”
The boys immediately started digging in it.
“Eww! Dad, there’s candy corn!” complained the Power Ranger.
Ken gaped at David.
“What?”
“You can’t buy candy corn for trick-or-treaters!” Ken exclaimed, gesticulating wildly. “That’s the fruitcake of Halloween! Stores probably keep that junk in storage year round because nobody buys it.”
David rolled his eyes. “That’s ridiculous. And I happen to like Christmas cakes, thank you very much.”
Ken waved him off. “You’re a Brit. What did I expect?”
Feeling a warning throb of another headache, David was about to order his coworker and kids out of the apartment. He was interrupted by his trousers being tugged on. David looked down to see the little princess, who couldn’t be more than four years old. He crouched to her level. “Yes?”
“I brought something for the baby.” The princess held up a book, The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat.
“Kelly likes to be read to at bedtime,” Ken informed him. “When I told her that we’d be visiting you and Baby Molly, she decided that your little pumpkin needed a Halloween book.”
David smiled at the little girl. “Kelly, that was very sweet of you. Guess what? Molly likes to be read to, as well. Would you like to say hello?”
The princess nodded and came closer. “Hi, Molly!” She took the baby girl’s hand. Molly gripped Kelly’s finger. “I gave you a book. It’s about Halloween. Your Daddy is gonna read it to you. I hope you like it.”
***
David sat down with a sigh. He hoped there were no more trick-or-treaters. The last ones just emptied the pail of candy. Molly finished her bottle right before they came. David just wanted some quiet time alone with his little girl. He noticed the book that Ken’s daughter left on the coffee table.
He picked it up and held it in front of her. “Should we read a new book tonight?”
Molly gurgled in response. She swiped at the book with one hand.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’” David flipped the book open. “The sights and sounds of autumn were all around,” he began.
Summary: Jesse chooses alternate spooky season apparel after deciding he's too old for costumes and trick-or-treating.
Jimmy and his wife were on the planning committee for the annual neighborhood Halloween party. They are throwing out ideas to each other that they may present to the committee.
“Hey, Mom? Dad?”
Jimmy and Jenny look up to see Jesse in the family room. Jenny smiles at their middle son.
“What is it, sweetheart?” she asks.
Jesse perches on the end of the sectional. “I’m too old for trick-or-treating,” he states.
Jenny frowns. She knows how much the boys love the holiday. They always have and the twins still do. Jenny wonders if someone said something to Jesse to make him think this. “Honey, we don’t really have age restrictions here.”
Jesse sighs. “I know, but trick-or-treating is for little kids. I’m not one anymore. I mean, I still love Halloween, but I think I’ve grown out of that part.”
“Okay,” Jimmy replies. “How do you want to celebrate Halloween?”
“Keep in mind, you can still buy and wear a costume, either at the neighborhood party, Knott’s Spooky Farm, Disney, or at school,” Jenny assures her son.
“Well, as long as the costume is compliant with the LAUSD’s rules,” Jimmy grumbles.
“Maybe,” Jesse says uncertainly. “Speaking of the neighborhood Halloween party, I’ve been thinking… Can we do ugly sweaters for Halloween too, or is that just Christmas?”
Jimmy pretends to be offended. “Are you calling my Christmas sweaters ugly?”
“No,” Jesse shakes his head. But the way he drags out the last syllable is unconvincing. “Well, not all of them,” he amends.
Jenny laughs. “You know what, Jesse, I think you have a great idea there. There are some funny, tacky Halloween sweaters out there, just like at Christmas. And if people don’t want to dress up or spend money on costumes, they can still show their spooky season spirit.”
***
The neighborhood party was set for the Saturday before Halloween. Jimmy insists that before they head out, they take a family picture.
“Do we have to?” Alyssa whines. “I can’t believe you’ve got me wearing this,” she gestures to the pastel lavender, pink, and green sweater with black witch hats, ghosts, moons, cats, and gravestones printed on it along with the black, wide-brimmed witch hat. “It’s bad enough that I’m going out in public like this. Don’t torture me further with photographic proof of my humiliation.”
Jimmy pats her back. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’ll just have to get over it.”
“I think you look nice,” Jesse smiles sweetly at his sister. His red hair clashes with the garish orange jack-o’lantern sweater.
She glares at them both.
“Okay, that’s enough, you two. Let’s just take a quick picture and we can head out,” Jenny cuts in. She has her red curls pinned up like Winifred Sanderson, which pairs nicely with her officially licensed sweater depicting the Hocus Pocus witch.
Jayden is the first to pose, happy with his orange and black pumpkin patch sweater. The twins stand in the back, wearing zombie face makeup and Beetlejuice and skeleton sweaters, respectively. Jimmy uses a selfie stick to ensure that he, Jenn, and all five kids are in frame.
Prompt: “No reaction in the haunted house, but this you shit your pants over?”
Fandom: The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai
Characters: Jimmy, Alyssa Morgan-Parker (OC), Jordan Parker (OC)
Rating: T
Word Count: 1160
Summary: Jimmy finds something scary.
Note: This is a midquel to Never Knew, set during Season 3 of Cobra Kai.
The Parkers love the month of October and Halloween in particular. While Jenny took Jesse and Jayden to a Trunk or Treat at Bobby’s church and then to Knott’s Spooky Farm, Jimmy took the twins and Alyssa to Universal Halloween Horror Nights.
He knew his daughter liked scary movies, but it shocked him that she’d never been to a haunted house attraction.
Jimmy thought it wasn’t as scary as in previous years. Most of the mazes and scare zones didn’t affect him. But at least the kids had a good time.
Once they were home, Jimmy remembers that the trash still needed to be to be taken out. He starts with the main bathroom on the first floor. He picks up the wastebasket when he notices a box. He sets the wastebasket on the granite sink countertop.
Jimmy has seen that box and similar ones before. Several times. He probably bought about half of them over the years.
But the feeling of hope associated with buying or seeing those boxes isn’t there. Not with this one. Because he knows there is no way that Jenn is pregnant. Even if she thought there was a possibility, his wife would have told him.
No, there is only one person in this house it could belong to. And that is why he is feeling dread right now.
“Alyssa!”
As he waits for his daughter to come downstairs, Jimmy picks up the box. It was open, but the test had been thrown back inside the box. Anxiety courses through him. He shakes the test out of the box onto the countertop. Jimmy pulls off two sheets of toilet paper from the roll, using them to turn the test over. There is an unmistakable blue plus sign.
“Fuck.” Jimmy feels a pounding headache coming on. He starts massaging his temples. “Alyssa, get down here! Now!”
He hears rapid footsteps on the stairs. Then she peeks inside the bathroom.
“There you are. I heard you the first time. What’s wrong?”
Jimmy turns to her. Looking upon the fifteen-year-old girl now was even more of a gut punch than when he found out about her. He tries to keep the anger, fear, and disappointment out of his voice and off his face. It’s a struggle. “Do you have something you want to tell me?”
Alyssa frowns, shaking her head.
That makes Jimmy feel worse, and angrier, to be honest. It’s one thing to feel like she can’t tell him something, another to lie to his face. He thought they had worked through this. Jimmy gestures to test.
Alyssa looks at the countertop. “No reaction in the haunted house, but this you shit your pants over?”
Jimmy curls his hands into fists. He really doesn’t want to lose his temper, but this daughter of his is really pushing the limits. He takes a deep breath, counting to three. “Alyssa, you better watch your tone and language right now,” Jimmy warns. “I’m trying to be really calm right now. Can you start explaining yourself?”
Alyssa falters. “Look, Dad, I’m sorry I forgot to get the trash. It won’t happen again, I promise. But I think you’re overreacting.”
“Overreacting?!”
“Yes! Just chill out. I’ll take out the trash right now.” Alyssa strides into the room, snatches up the wastebasket, and starts to pick up what she thought had fallen out. She reaches for the test and box but stops when recognition kicks in. “Is that a pregnancy test?”
Jimmy pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling tired and so much older than he had hours before. “Sweetheart, can we just stop with this charade? I’m not going yell at you or shut you out. But I’m not gonna lie, I am disappointed. We need to talk about this.”
Alyssa stumbles backward as if she had been slapped. Her jaw drops, realizing why he called her downstairs. “Y-you think it’s mine?”
Jimmy gives her a patronizing look. “Alyssa, I know it doesn’t belong to Jenn because she’s perimenopausal. Even if it were a possibility, we would have already talked about it because of her earlier fertility problems.”
Alyssa feels a surge of sympathy and concern for her stepmother. But it’s not enough to dispel her frustration with her father. “Oh, I get it. Because I’m the only girl in the house, it’s automatically mine by default.”
Jimmy sighs.
Alyssa’s left hand starts moving to her right arm. It’s a reflex. She’s emotional. She fights back against that voice, the one that wants, no, needs that pain to deal. Instead, she balls her fists. “Dad, I am telling you that it’s not mine. I’m asking you to believe me. You wanted me to be more open with you. That’s what I’m doing. I’ve never had sex or done anything that would even lead to it. I know I’m not ready. That’s one of the reasons I went to you and Jenny about going on birth control. So I would be protected when I am ready. And I have been taking the pill regularly.”
Jimmy studies his daughter’s face. She’s crying those angry, silent tears. That she wanted to scratch her arm moments ago didn’t escape his notice. He wants to believe her. He clasps his hands. “Okay, let’s say I do believe you. What other explanation is there?”
Alyssa rakes a hand through her hair. “Oh, I don’t know. You’ve got two sexually active teenage boys under your roof too. One straight, one bi. Maybe ask them if they’ve had any girls over lately.”
“Hey, Dad, where do we keep the batteries? My TV remote stopped working.”
Jimmy and Alyssa turn to see Jordan in the hallway. They glance at each other, Alyssa raising her eyebrow at her dad.
Jimmy beckons to his son. “Forget the batteries for a minute. I’ve got a question for you.”
Jordan shrugs, confused, but still enters the room.
Jimmy picks up the test, again holding it with the toilet paper. “Does this mean anything to you?”
Jordan goes pale, blue eyes wide. He’s frozen midstep, like a deer in headlights. Jimmy has his answer.
“Told you,” Alyssa tells her father. Before either he or Jordan has a chance to respond, she punches her brother in the solar plexus. “You both owe me an apology,” Alyssa announces as she storms out of the bathroom.
Jordan folds in on himself, groaning from the pain. Jimmy grips his oldest son by the boy’s upper arm, holding him up. He guides him over to the toilet, flipping the lid down. “Sit. You and I are going to have a long talk and you will answer every question that I or your mother have. And yes, we’re telling her.”
Jordan sits. Looking up at his dad, he asks about Alyssa.
Jimmy crosses his arms. “I don’t condone her action, but I think she’s got a pass this time. You’re also taking her chores for the week, including taking out the trash.”
Prompt: Driving down a dark road late at night. The driver makes up a story to scare the passenger(s).
Fandom: Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures
Characters: Mike Yates, Molly Yates (OC)
Rating: G
Word Count: 600
Summary: Mike is forced to tell his granddaughter about Autons.
Note: A prequel to my Molly Yates WIP.
Mike Yates was visiting his son and granddaughter. A coworker had set David up on a blind date, so Mike was lucky enough to spend the whole evening with little Molly.
He took her to the playground at Golden Gate Park, where she played for hours. He occasionally read a book, but never let Molly wander out of sight.
Before he knew it, the sun was starting to set. He closed his book and looked around. Mike noticed that the park was practically empty. He remembered that David had told him about an assault and a mugging that had taken place in the park after dark. He saw Molly on the jungle gym.
“Molly, come down.”
The four-year-old pouted at him.
Mike beckoned to her. “Molly, now. It’s time to go. It’s getting dark and we still need to eat dinner.”
Only then, did the girl come down, or rather slid down the slide. As Molly ran to him, Mike noticed that she had a plastic doll in her arms. He frowned. She didn’t have the doll before. Mike told her not to bring any toys, so there would be no chance of losing them while they were out.
“Who’s your friend?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me her name,” Molly replied.
Mike tried not to smile. He took her free hand and they started walking to the car. “Well, where did she come from?”
“Space.”
He faltered. Mike knew children had active imaginations, and Molly was no exception. However, he had experience with things and beings that came from outer space. Not all of them were good. He hoped Molly was just exhibiting her vivid imagination. Best to ask more questions.
“Oh? Any certain planet?”
Molly scrunched her face. Mike nearly laughed. She was too cute.
“P-Poly… Polymos.”
Mike’s laughter died in his throat. There is no possible way she should know that name. The only reason he knew it was because the Doctor had told him back in his early days at UNIT.
Mike crouched down to his granddaughter’s level. “Molly, where did you find it?”
“By the swings.”
“Did you see anyone with it?”
She shook her head, pigtails whipping her cheeks.
That cold fear solidified in his chest. He wished that he had his gun. “Drop the doll now.”
Molly was confused but did as she was told. His tone scared her. She didn’t say anything as he picked her up and ran the rest of the way to the car. He quickly threw open the door and strapped her in. He glanced back over his shoulder, making sure they weren’t being followed before getting into the car himself.
Mike pulled out onto Kezar Drive. The sun had set nearly ten minutes ago.
“Grandpa, why did you make me leave the doll?”
Mike looked up at the rearview mirror, seeing Molly’s frightened and confused face. “Love, you know I was in the military a long time ago?”
“Yeah.”
“While I was serving, an organization called UNIT recruited me. Among other things, we kept humanity safe from alien threats.”
“Aliens are real?”
“Yes, sweetheart, they are.”
“Why does Daddy say they aren’t?”
“Well, love, your dad doesn’t know. We tried to keep aliens a secret from the public for their own good..”
“So, the doll was an alien?”
Mike sighed. “Not the doll itself. But I think that the doll was, let’s say, possessed by the Nestene Consciousness. They control things made out of plastic.”
Molly was on the edge of her seat, eyes wide, as Mike told her about how the Doctor defeated the Autons.
Prompt: Your OC comes home to a black cat in the living room.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: OCs Violet and Charles Evans
Rating: G
Word Count: 410
Summary: Violet comes home to a surprise.
Note(s): This is a scene from a Harry Potter OC fic that I'm writing. I know I'm woefully behind on writing and posting my Prompt-oween fics, but expect more in the next week.
Tagging @cecexwrites because you proposed a HP fic for some of my Prompt-oween fics.
Violet came home from a birthday party for the closest person she can call a friend in her neighborhood. “Dad, I’m home!”
Violet Evans was about to run upstairs to read more about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. The only thing that stopped her was a flash of black in the living room. She paused on the stairs and walked back down.
She entered the living room. A flicker of movement to her left caught her eye. Violet turned. A black cat was perched on the back of the sofa. Her eyes grew wide.
“Where did you come from?” Violet asked the animal.
The cat meowed at her.
Violet slowly held out her hand. She didn’t want to frighten it. “I’m Violet. I live here. May I pet you?”
The cat started walking to her. To her delight, the cat rubbed its head against her hand. She stroked its fur. It was so soft.
“Ah, good. You’re home.”
Violet jumped. She hadn’t heard her father enter the room. “Yeah, a few minutes ago. Why is there a cat in the living room?”
Charles looked at his daughter strangely. “Well, I thought you might like to get to know your pet before you head off to school.”
Violet stared at him. “You bought me a cat?”
“Well, I know that you prefer dogs. But the letter said that you could bring a cat, an owl, or a toad. A toad or an owl might raise some eyebrows. But a cat is a perfectly normal animal for, what was it that the professor called me?”
“A Muggle,” Violet promptly answered.
“Right. Well, I thought that you might get lonely. She’s been fixed and has had all her vaccinations. I found her at the local shelter.”
Violet surprised her father by hugging him tightly. “Oh, Daddy, thank you!” Charles smiled, hugging her back. After the divorce and moving back to London, he felt that he had failed his daughter and missed out on getting to know her. But this, he could tell, was a step in the right direction.
“You’re welcome, Violet.”
She turned her attention back to the cat. She continued petting it. Violet looked up at her father once more. “Does she have a name?”
“I thought I’d leave that to you. She is your pet.”
Violet smiled. She spoke to the cat. “As I’m a witch, I think I’ll name you Hecate, after the Greek goddess of witchcraft and magic.”
Characters: OCs Molly Yates, David Yates, and Sarah Miller
Rating: G/T
Word Count: 1123
Summary: When the Yateses go camping, Molly makes a friend.
Note: A prequel to my Whoniverse OC WIP.
When Molly is six years old, David takes her camping at the Mount Madonna County Park campgrounds in Watsonville. It is her first time going camping. Unfortunately, they got a later start than they planned due to David’s work.
While David is putting up the tent, Molly starts walking around the campground. She weaves in and out between the redwood trees. She sees one has a hollow area at the bottom and starts to run over to check it out.
“Don’t wander off!” David calls over his shoulder. “I want you where I can see you.”
“I won’t,” she promises. She goes back over to the picnic tables. Molly picks up her backpack, takes out a book, and starts reading.
After a while, Molly feels like someone is watching her. She puts down her book, looking around. A girl is peeking out from behind a redwood. Molly waves at her. The girl smiles and beckons to Molly. Molly looks around. The sun has begun to set. Her dad finished putting up the tent. He is now building a fire in the fire ring. Knowing it will be a while before they eat, Molly decides to go to the girl.
Molly walks through the trees until she’s in front of the girl. The girl is a few years older than her, but very pale. Molly thinks her white frilly dress is pretty but old-fashioned and not the best of clothes to play in the woods in.
“Hello, I’m Molly!”
“I’m Sarah. Will you play with me?”
Molly nods. “Yeah.”
The girls play hide and seek through the redwoods.
***
“Tag! You’re it!”
Molly shivers. “Sarah, you’re hands are freezing. I think you need to put on a coat or wrap up in a blanket.” She then notices that it’s much darker than when she left. “I think I need to go back. Daddy is probably going to be mad that I’m missing dinner.”
Molly looks around. She doesn’t know how to get back to the campsite. She starts to cry.
“Don’t cry, Molly.”
Sarah wipes a tear from Molly’s cheek. The sensation is a cold, tingly one, but Molly can’t bring herself to care. She just wants to be reunited with her daddy.
“I know these woods. I will take you back to your father,” Sarah reassures her. She holds out her hand, which Molly takes.
***
“There it is!” Molly let go of Sarah’s hand the moment she saw her father’s tent. The fire ring was still aglow. She sees people standing around it. When Molly sees who she is looking for among them, she runs to him. “Daddy!”
David catches her as she throws herself at him. He immediately embraces her, sinking to his knees. But sooner than she’d like, David releases Molly, holding her at arm's length, to look her in the eye. He’s furious. “Molly Alexandra Yates, where the hell have you been?! I nearly had the whole campground searching for you! I ought to smack your bum.”
Molly nearly starts crying again. She knows she messed up, but her daddy rarely yells at her. She’s caught off guard when he abruptly crushes her to his chest in another hug. He cradles the back of her head, fingers threading through her brown hair. David kisses the top of her head.
“You scared me half to death, Molly. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead. You could have been hurt and I’d have never known. Don’t you ever do that to me again. Do you hear me?”
David pulls back to make eye contact. She can still see the anger, but there is also fear in his blue eyes.
“Yes, Daddy,” Molly sniffles. “I’m sorry.”
David cuddles her again, realizing that they both need the comfort. He is about to continue scolding her, but her stomach lets out a loud rumble.
“I think we should let the kid eat,” advises one of the strangers around the campfire.
David picks Molly up and carries her over to the group. He sits them down on a bench in front of the fire. Another one of the strangers approaches, handing her a hot dog. Molly leans into her father.
“Go on, take it,” David insists. “You’ve got to be starving. You need to eat.”
Only then does Molly take and start nibbling on the hot dog.
David thanks the man. Then he turns his attention back to his daughter. “Where were you? And you better tell the truth, young lady.”
“I was playing with Sarah in the woods,” Molly answers after swallowing her food.
David gives her a stern glance. “I didn’t permit you to leave the campsite. I told you specifically not to wander off. Who is Sarah? How many times have I told you not to talk to strangers or go off with them?”
Molly doesn’t say anything. She’s already in trouble and knows it’ll be worse if she points out that they are among strangers. Molly takes another bite.
One of the campers studies Molly, a strange expression on his face. Turning to his buddy, he asks, “Did she say she was playing with Sarah?”
“Yes,” she confirms.
David taps her on the knee. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he chides her. He faces the camper. “Do you know that Sarah girl?”
The man laughs. “You must be new here if you don’t know the story.”
Molly perks up at the word ‘story.’ “What story?”
“This land was once owned by Henry Miller the Cattle King. He had a little girl, Sarah Alice Miller.” The man stares directly at Molly. “She was a few years older than you. One day, Sarah was riding her horse, but there was an accident. She died. Some visitors to this park have seen her, still wearing her favorite white dress. Sarah wanders the campgrounds. Sometimes, she can be seen riding her horse, while others spot her at the ruins of her old homeplace. Hell, it’s even been reported that Sarah hitchhikes or just appears in your backseat.”
Molly sits still, captivated by the man’s tale. “I met a ghost,” she whispers in awe.
However, David is not amused. “I don’t believe in ghosts, nor do I appreciate you trying to scare my child. Her imagination is already wild enough. Now, if you all don’t mind leaving, I think it’s high time Molly has been put to bed.”
***
Two days later, David and Molly leave the campground. Molly is already in the car, while David finishes putting their gear in the trunk of the car. Molly looks out the window.
“Bye, Sarah.”
Suddenly, Molly’s hand grows cold. She whips her head around. Sarah Miller sits beside her, her hand on Molly’s. Sarah smiles before disappearing.
