In the wake of the apocalyptic arrival of the Antithesis, society changed in uncountable ways. Many, many things from the past were left there, disappearing into only memory, others were simply changed to fit the new societal narrative. An array of holidays, and other days of celebration were included in this societal shift. Some still cling to these artefacts of the old world though, stubbornly holding on, despite the scoffing of others.
Excerpt from “How We’ve Changed: A collection of reflections”
***
Cassy stared at the witch in the mirror. The cheap costume bunched and bulged over her motley, the hat slid off of her bouncy curls and onto the floor. “Hmmm, looks like this one is a bust too.”
With a flick of a wrist, and a sparkly twirl, the costume found itself folded neatly and placed back into its plastic packaging, which joined several others on a ratty chair.
The young man that worked in the old costume store shyly cleared his throat. “I'm sorry to ask Ms. The Clown, but you are a Samurai correct? Could you not get a much better costume through other means?”
“Of course I could! But that wouldn't be right! The best costumes always come in plastic bags, fit badly, and probably won't survive a night of vigorous trick or treating.”
Cassy started struggling into a “lost girl with red shoes and small dog” costume. The blue and white chequered dress was stuck over her face as she continued. “Well, I guess those are second best. The best, best, ones are made by hand. By parents, or even better grandparents, or friends. But we've left this a bit last minute for that.”
Cassy turned to the employee, dress stuck on her head, arms pinned up through the neck hole. She leaned towards him. “Help?”
***
The store was a mess, racks had been knocked over, costumes were strewn about, and someone had brought several cans of silly string. A group of five humans lay laughing in a pile of discarded outfits and accessories. One clown, one dishevelled employee, and three young people that looked similar enough to each other to be easily assumed as family. The smallest, with curly blonde hair giggled through a mouthful of whip cream from the can in her hand.
“Hayden, stop with the whip cream. You are going to ruin your appetite, you know mom gets upset if you fill up on sweets.” The eldest, a teenage brunette girl said, no actual heat to her words.
Hayden spoke, her mouth still full. “Is ok Becca, Cassy said it's good for you, a meal in a can, everything my growing body needs.” She giggled, as her brother Henry, the middle child, sprayed her with bubblegum scented silly string. Both sprung to their feet, and restarted the game of tag around the store.
Rebecca looked at the young man staring around the store in mute shock. “Sorry Phillip, we were just supposed to swing by and pick up some teeth for Henry’s costume. I’ll help you clean up”
“Nonsense!” Cassy crowed, bounding to her feet and striking a pose. “This is my mess to take care of. I was the one that asked you all for help with costumes afterall.” Cassy hooked her thumbs into her pockets, and stretched them wide, a cadre of spooky balloons bearing brooms and scrubbers crawled their way out to take care of the mess. “Besides, we still need to figure out a group costume!”
“Group costume?” Rebecca and Philip asked incredulously, in near unison.
“Of course, trick or treating is always more fun with friends! And group costumes make it ever more fun!”
Phillip scratched his head and shared a concerned look with his friend Rebecca. “I don’t know of many group costumes for 5 people Cassy. And there’s not much trick or treating to do around these parts anyway. Too dangerous, and most people don’t have the money to buy candy to give away. We are just getting costumes for a little get together for families on our floor at home.”
Cassy stared at the young man in shock, her jaw hanging slack, great crocodile tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “No! This can’t be! Trick or treating is a right of passage! A formative part of being a kid, and spreading joy! No no no no no! This just won’t do!” Cassy dropped backwards onto her bouncy bottom and stared at the messy floor in front of her, mumbling sad mumbles to herself, and shaking her head.
“Phillip, is she ok? Are we ok? I think we broke a Samurai, and as nice as Cassy is, maybe we should run… I’ve heard bad stories about Samurai that lose themselves.” Rebecca’s eyes scanned the room, flipping between her friend, her siblings that had collapsed in the corner together, and the despondent Samurai.
“I dunno,” Phillip replied. “She’s been pretty cool so far, I don’t think she’s going to sick her balloons on us, maybe we should try and help her?”
“How do WE, help a Samurai, Phil? We aren’t in a movie, this isn’t KISS saves Christmas!” Becca whispered loudly.
“I don’t know what that is, my family isn’t into antique animation like yours is.”
“It’s a band, they made a movie… No wait, that’s not important. We need to get out of here, help me with the other two.” She continued to whisper, trying to pull Phillip to his feet.
Cassy spoke up through her sniffles. “It’s ok, you can go, I’ll clean up. I’d never hurt you.. I just, sniff, want to spread joy, but…”
Cassy pulled a large hanky from her sleeve and blew her nose loudly, it stretched on for nearly half a minute. “Sniff, sorry. This is all so sad… no trick or treating, sniff, everyone should have free candy. Everyone should get to see people in silly, spooky, creative, costumes… Where has the joy gone?” Cassy blew her nose again briefly.
Phillip and Rebecca stared down at the sad clown, and back at each other with concerned looks. Phil hesitantly opened his mouth. “Well, um, maybe you, er we, us, could fix that? What if we, um, what if…” He trailed off
Rebecca looked around the room thoughtfully, her concerns of getting pulverised by an unstable Samurai dissipating. “What if… What if we reverse trick or treated? We could all dress up, and go around the city giving out costumes and candy, and spreading joy like you want to? I, I mean, if you can do that with your Samurai stuff? We can’t do a whole lot to help with that, but…”
Cassy’s head tilted upwards to look at the two teens. Hey eyes puffy from crying, but a smile was growing again. She blew her nose hard one last time, and wiped it clean with her hanky before it disappeared. Somehow her makeup remained unmarred by tears, mucus or hanky. “That’s an amazing idea! You kids are amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Cassy leapt to her feet and grasped the pair in her arms, lifting them both up into a spinning hug. “We’ve got so much planning to do! And candy tasting! We can’t give out bad tasting candy! Unless it makes people laugh…”
An old TV hanging on the wall flickered to life, Barty’s voice came out through the speakers. “I’ve got plenty of things we can look at to make this the best Halloween in years. Including candy trees! We can plant them in the streets. But first I have an idea for a group costume.” The image on the screen settled into showing an old cartoon. It had 4 teenagers and a dog running away from ghosts and ghouls. It came to a stop with an image of them in front of a bright green van with words on the side..
“I would like to be the Van” Said Barty through the TV.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
***
Margaret straightened the paper pumpkin on her apartment door one last time. She stepped back to get a better look at the few decorations she’d had the energy to put up this year. She was spry for her age, but 95 plus years of life take their toll, even with modern medicine helping out where it could.
She turned to look around at her neighbours doors, both nearby and across the wide open central square of the mega building she called home. She sighed at the complete lack of any other decoration. “What is the world coming to, that no one celebrates the old holidays anymore? Kids need to have some fun, get their minds off of, all that, out there.”She waved vaguely at the world around her, and turned back to her door, flicking imaginary dust from her “trick-or-treaters welcome” sign.
“Grandma Marge, you gotta stop putting that sign up. You’re going to end up with home invaders before you actually get any kids running around for candy.” The voice came from a young woman with neon green hair, and glowing pink cybernetic eyes as she exited the apartment next to Margaret's.
“Nonsense Adelaide, I may not have had anyone come calling for candy in a few years, but the year I stop is the year something important dies. Kids need a chance to be kids, to wear silly costumes and get free candy.”
Adelaide raised her hands in mock fear, laughing. “Ok, ok I get it Grams, Halloween is important, kids need to be kids. Just in case no miracles happen tonight though, the boys will be happy to take any leftover candy off your hands in the morning.”
“What are your younger brothers up to tonight…” Margarets words trailed off as loud noises echoed from down below. “What’s going on now, it better not be...”
Margaret and Adelaide leant over the railing looking down to the bottom of the communal atrium. Adelaide looked to the older woman, “Was there a halloween parade nearby? Did you spend your life savings to get some of the performers to stop by?”
Margaret cackled, as she threw her back. It started quietly, down in the root of her stomach, rising up through her body, and growing with intensity until it echoed off the walls. As her cackle faded, she turned to Adelaide, a sparkle in her eyes the young woman hadn’t seen in a decade or two. “Oh this wasn’t me girly, that down there is the true spirit of halloween, coming back from beyond the grave!” She broke once again into maniacal cackles. She grasped Adelaide's hand, and pulled her toward her apartment door. “Now help me finish putting my costume on, I’m not missing this.”
The decorated apartment door clicked shut behind the cackling older woman and her flabbergasted neighbour.
***
A clown stood atop a colourful replica of an antique gasoline van, her clown costume was only partially covered by an ill fitting costume of brown dog, complete with blue collar with a gold emblem. “Rappy Raroweeeeeen!” Cassy the Mystery Dog Clown crowed as she tossed handfuls of candy into the gathering crowd on the ground floor of the mega building.
Barty the Mystery Van blared Halloween hits from past and present out of pulsing speakers along his rim. Both sliding doors stood open wide, the four others from the costume store leaning out of them. Each dressed as another member of the spooky mystery solving gang from long past. They grabbed bags of candy, and packages of auto dressing costumes from the never shrinking pile in the vans centre, and tossed them into the crowd.
Phillip straightened his ascot and turned to the girl in a purple mini skirt. “How many mega buildings have we done so far Becca? I’ve lost count. And how are we supposed to hit the whole city with just us?”
Shouting to be heard, Rebecca responded, “This is number five! And it’s not just us! Cassy has balloon crews in mini-vans running all over the city making sure everyone has enough candy to make them sick, and giving costumes to them all too!”
On the other side of the van, Hayden and Henry spent as much time shoving candy into their own faces and pockets as they did out into the onlookers. “Do you think mom would let us do this everyday?” The young boy in green asked his sister in orange.
“Not a chance, we’ll have to convince Barty or Cassy to kidnap us” They shared a glance, and broke into a giggling fit together.
Cassy stopped her tossing as an opening elevator caught her eye. “That’s not one of our costumes! Barty!! Looooook! That’s a one hundred percent, home grown, handmade, amazing witch costume! Halloween lives forever!”
Cassy clicked her heels, springs popping out from the bottom of her paw covered shiny red shoes. She leapt from the Barty’s roof to land with a squeaking slide in front of the older women in a classic black witch costume, and the green haired girl next to her.
“Hi! I’m Cassy the Mystery Dog Clown, you are a witch, you look amazing!” Cassy gushed as she went in to give the older woman a huge hug. She paused, arms open wide, and sent Margaret a questioning look for consent to hug.
Margaret stepped forward into the hug, pulling Cassy in tight. “You are only supposed to wear one costume at a time dear. It’s never good to be indecisive.”
Cassy giggled happily, eyes twinkling as she stepped back, and spun in a small circle. “I am only wearing one costume though?”
Adelaide worked her slack jaw back into action. “You, you’re, you’re a Samurai! You have to be! How else… Why are you giving out candy?”
Margaret and Cassy shared a look, grins spread across their painted faces, one of green, and one white pancake, they hollered in unison, spreading arms wide. “Because it’s Halloween, and Halloween never dies!”
“So witchy lady, wanna help me give candy to the entire city?” Cassy asked, extending a hand. “I’ll even let you plant some candy trees,” She added in a stage whisper.
The Wicked Witch of Mega Building R22 grasped the hand of the Samurai dressed as a clown dressed as a dog. “It would be my greatest pleasure, perhaps we’ll even find you some Cassy Snacks.” She winked, with a cackle.
***
Several hours later.
Some time in the night Adelaide had gained a costume of her own, that of a winged monkey, to match her friend in theme. She still wore it as she entered Margaret's apartment, the Wicked Witch leaning on her heavily. Margaret's legs wibbled and wobbled, her eyes drooped with exhaustion, but the smile refused to leave her face. “I’m going to be stuck in bed for days,” Margaret said sleepily. “But It was worth every second of fatigue. I haven’t had a night like that since I was your age my monkey minion.”
“I’ll get the boys to swing by and give you a hand while you recover.” Adelaide laughed as she helped Margaret out of her costume and onto her bed. “Mom and I will make you some of the soup from your recipe book. Maybe something with simulated pumpkin in it?”
“That would be lovely dear, but don’t put yourself out too much for little old me.” Sleepy Margaret replied as she curled beneath her blankets.
“Nah, it’s no trouble. Besides, we’ll need something to eat while we figure out how we are going to top this next year. It’ll be hard without Cassy to help out.” Abigail looked back, her hand on the door knob, Margaret was already fast asleep, still smiling. She quietly closed the bedroom door behind her and left the old woman to her rest.
Abigail almost tripped over something as she left the apartment, sitting in front of Margaret's outer door, was a pair of potted bonsai candy trees, their colourful branches drooping with hard candy fruits. Attached to each was a note, one addressed to Margaret, and one to Abigail.
Rappy Raroweeeeen!
It’s been a blast! See you next year!
You should start working on a new costume right away!
Cassy the Mystery Dog Clown.
PS from Barty: The “candy” is actually super nutritious, eating one everyday may help old witches see many more spooky holidays.
***
Not too far away, in a brand new grove of trees, heavy with fresh bags of candy, sat a green van, it’s sliding doors wide open. In through the doors four costumed kids lay snoring in a cuddly pile, each lost in their own sugar coma induced dreams. Atop the van, sat Cassy the Clown, divested of her own canine costume, staring up at where the stars might have been if not for the city's light pollution.
“Next year Barty, we gotta go bigger. One city spookified is not enough! Do you think I should recruit more people, or maybe clone myself… some sort of Cassy Cloning Clown Car… Nah, that’s too much sameness. Unless each clone was a little different! We could have a frog clown, and a rodeo clown, a mime! Nah, silence is too hard…”
Barty spoke softly through the speakers around the van's rim. “I think one Cassy the Clown is plenty good enough. I’m sure with a whole year to prepare, we could find friends all over the world to help spread spooky cheer next year.”
Cassy lay back, spreading her limbs like a starfish. “Yeah you’re probably right Barty. One Cassy is enough. For now...”
Cassy’s giggles drifted off into the slow breathing of sleep, as winds whistled through branches full of sweet treats. A stray gust grabbed a branch and ripped free its offering, a bag full of sugary Cassy Snacks, which landed square upon her clowny visage.
“Gah! Wassat? Sgt. arm the cannons!... Oooh Cassy Snacks.” Cassy shoved her mouth full of her current favourite treat, rolling over and drifting back to sleep. Half chewed candy drool dribbled on to Barty’s shiny new roof.