A Halloween Story: Tiny Haunted Houses

[Bill Floyd]

Across the highway festered a neighborhood that was the exact inverse of The Acres' barren modernity: among the small and ramshackle and densely populated homes in the blocks surrounding a shuttered textile plant, the most expansive dreams took place between the ears of kids as they tossed restlessly on thin pillows.

Dreams of escape and fulfillment and answers; dreams that were quickly forgotten in the light of day.

Burke was happy to see his mom up and around for once, even if the most elaborate costume she could muster for herself consisted entirely of a black sparkly eye mask that didn't do much to change the way her eyes had looked since her oldest son went missing nearly five months ago.

Burke's own costume was just as uncomplicated: a bedsheet with twin eye holes poked into it, anonymous as any Charlie Brown tagalong, a getup that made him feel somehow safe and invulnerable. 

Laura Gilmour's parents were hosting a party next door, which from the sound of it had been in full swing since late afternoon, and when Laura's mom knocked on the door to pry Burke's mom away from the couch, she slurred the same pitch she'd been making all week: "He'll be with Laura and Theo and the other kids and they won't let him out of their sight, they promised to stay in the neighborhood, everything will be fine, come on."

So Burke's mom gave him a hug that was just short of a stranglehold--she had that loopy late afternoon look she got when she took her pills, which was much the same as the look Laura's mom had after about four beers--and when they departed they left the door wide open so Burke could see Laura and Theo waiting impatiently on the sidewalk out front, and he stared wide-eyed and said, "Holy crap, guys, where did you get those costumes?"

[Angela]

OH I hate that I got here late.  I commented on the later one, not realizing this was waiting here for me to read.  Very sorry.

Reminds me of my childhood neighborhood and what we all made do with.  Great beginning.

[Mike Handley]

Ditto Joey.

[Joey Delgado]

'The most expansive dreams took place between the ears of kids as they tossed restlessly on thin pillows....'
Simply marvelous line, Bill. Love the addition of the 'thin pillows' detail. Adds a realistic element to this surreal dreamscape. Can't wait for more.

[Stephen Torelli]

Owen's gone, but who knows where and now, Burke's in trouble... or may be. Great setup. Keep them coming!

[Gita]

It's a true thing of beauty when a collaboration goes smoothly. So far, you both are floating boats down a lazy river.

[Jamie Hogan]

It takes so much pressure off of a collaboration when you have a partner who can put backbone into a story. Six sentences and all of a sudden the neighborhood has character, the kids have history and are future-poor, you know the mom and we've all known people like the neighbors and it all looks easy as a paper boat floating down a stream. But you and I both know it ain't easy. At all.

[Diana E. Backhouse]

That hug short of stranglehold got me too.

[bolton carley]

oh, bill, this is some of your finest.  i love when you make judgment on those living in the tiny haunted houses.  and the ghost costume fit for a charlie brown tagalong? fab-u-lous as are the other details like the hug short of strangehold and the gilmours living next door.  this is expert stuff!

[Kaylynn Phillips-Temple]

I agree! Good job!!

[Paul de Denus]

The setup makes one itch for what is to come-