A Halloween Story: Babies Plotting a Rescue in a Ghostland

[Jamie Hogan]

Laura said fuck about eleven times before they got to the end of the block and Theo giggled every time, the snicker of a boy who knows what the word means and can't really handle it versus the maturity of the girl who likes the feel of the word coming out of her mouth - soft then cut - likes how grown up it sounds, and isn't bothered by what it actually means. She went into elaborate detail about sneaking through an unlocked window at the back of the Goodwill and stealing Theo's Iron Man costume and her own Catwoman and Burke finally had to interrupt her so he could get down to it.

"Fuck yeah," and that was twelve, "I'm going with you, and Theo is too."

Theo's walk slowed, "I'm not sure...I mean I don't..." but then the heat from Laura's eyes melted him and he nodded, working at his knuckles and looking out across the highway and over the field toward The Acres as if all those wood and shingle husks might rise up suddenly, bloodlust in their muntined second story eyes.

So Burke laid it all out, the places he wanted to look and the things he'd noticed during his reconnaissance and anyone with any sense would have cried watching it, babies plotting a rescue in a ghostland, making sure it happened during a time when their parents would be too gorked out to care, still too young to feel the weight of the conversation, to taste the desperate sadness of it.

They broke their huddle and set out with the rumor of daylight still playing at the tops of the western trees, the only remaining unsolved issue being what to do about the mobile phone Laura’s father expected to be grafted to her at all times.

[Angela]

So much lovely, smooth dysfunction going on here.  Like frayed, wrinkled silk.

[Stephen Torelli]

Plotting a rescue and untroubled what may lie ahead... poor souls... American youth.  But what a tale!

[Joey Delgado]

Young friends on a mission, superhero Halloween costumes, teenage crushes,....the stuff of the best Halloween stories. Plus, the prose is perfect. Keep 'em coming, please. :)

[Gita]

I had to look up muntin window design!! Love that.

There's a super spooky aspect to the title of this because it conjured "Babes in Toyland" which is the opposite of what's going on here. Also like the irony of Burke plotting and convincing the others after his mother wanted them to protect him.

Love the Laura character. She reminds me of Teeny with the foul mouth and chutzpah to steal costumes from GoodWill.  Reading these installments is the high point of the day.

[Paul de Denus]

Three strong characters developing- "looking out across the highway and over the field toward The Acres as if all those wood and shingle husks might rise up suddenly," yup

[bolton carley]

lol, bill floyd! :)  

jamie - love the words gork, grafted, and you had me at she liked to use the word "fuck" - :)  

the two of you are definitely going to put this place back on the map, if it weren't already.

[Bill Floyd]

I do believe the fire has been lit.  "...bloodlust in their muntined second story eyes..."??? I'm supposed to measure up to lines like that?  Fuck.