Spooky Season

My favorite Halloween was the time I met my favorite author. A bit of backstory though...the best costume I ever wore was also that year, I was Masque of the Red Death. Being a major Poe fan, I could not resist dressing as my favorite horror idol...and I was glad to have designed it myself, against mother's wishes.
While trick-or-treating, my friends and I decided to explore a dark street we had never noticed before...rumor had it that this particular street only opened on Halloween night to those who approached at just the right time. Being the young ones we were, curiosity overtook us. We wandered down it, the world behind us seeming to close off, everything going dark. At first we panicked, but then a light appeared in front of us. Knowing better now, perhaps we wouldn't have approached, but such is the curse of being young and naive. A door materialized in front of us, a bag of candy in front of it and a sign that said "Take one." We all shrugged, deciding it couldn't be so bad. As I reached into the bag of candy, I thought I heard a voice saying, “Pick me, pick me!” I looked around, curious of where the voice could have come from. I noticed a Jack-o-Lantern which I swore blinked. As I looked at the Jack-o-Lantern, it seemed to be looking back at me. Then my friend screamed, the witch was after us! We ran and ran until a pale, dark haired man blocked our path. Gasping for air, the witch was no longer in sight. The man narrowed his eyes to look at us closer, and it was then that I realized who was standing in front of us. None other than Edgar Allen Poe himself! Mortified, he leapt back and cried out, demanding to know why I came to haunt him. Accusing me of breaking a promise to leave him alone if he told my story. Confused, I backed away and he continued to scream things we could not understand at me, THUNK. A book hit me and we fled once more, even more terrified. Each of us seeking the door to escape this madness. It was no where, and we began to cry. "Pick me, pick me" The candy in my satchel seemed to whisper, and so I did. I ate it right then and there.
~
"And then what happened mommy?" The 7 year old was thoroughly engrossed in the story at this point. The story teller smiled and pulled him up onto her lap.

"Well, sweetheart. We all escaped and promised never to go down unknown streets again, especially on Halloween night. Now, go get your costume on, your father is waiting." She kissed the top of her child's head and sent them on their way. A mask similar to the one described in Poe's story still hung on the wall, mocking the woman.