THE NIGHT THE JACK O’LANTERN WENT OUT
By Alexander S. Brown
Copyright © 2014 Alexander S. Brown
Robert had an indefinite love for Halloween. So much, that despite the joys of Christmas, he favored the chills of Samhain more. There were multiple reasons for this adoration. Each year, he would stay up watching horror movies until the television network turned to white noise. Then there were the bags of candy that would last until the New Year. Most of all, this was the one night of the year he could roam the streets as something other than himself.
He was a thirteen year old trickster who used Halloween as another excuse to prank people. The Devil costume he wore this particular Halloween was suitable. From the plastic, manufactured Devil mask to the flame painted poncho, he fit the part of the typical 1950’s trick or treater.
His first costume choice had been a vampire, not the Devil. A story, he heard in school, changed his mind to this damnable creature.
Like always, he was grateful he waited until Halloween Day to buy a costume. Waiting until last minute had become a personal custom. School would end, he would ride his bicycle to Wentworth’s Drug Store down the street, buy a costume and soda with the allowance he accumulated, come home, carve a pumpkin, and then begin trick or treating.
Tonight, he rode his bike through the shadows of the neighborhood, thinking of the tale he heard earlier. This newly learned story was the inspiration for the tricks he would pull tonight. Unlike the previous year, he didn’t need toilet paper to roll trees, soap for windows, or eggs for throwing. All he needed was his costume and a carved gourd.
In a metal wire basket positioned between the handlebars of his bicycle, a jack o’ lantern sat next to a sack of candy. The candle within the gourd still flickered and illuminated the dark, empty streets. During carving, he had created jagged, triangular eyes and a matching nose. The mouth was also cut jagged, granting his creation fangs. The gourd looked chilling in the lonesome night.
He wondered how many kids he scared with this imagery. A Devil flying down the street, on a bicycle at full speed with a lit jack o’ lantern cutting through the night. This was enough to make any kid wet his or her pants, or at least give them nightmares.
He mused, admiring the cunning Jack who cheated the Devil. Even when the teacher spoke of the story, he smiled, thinking of the classmates he would terrorize. As always, Robert’s boastful mentality kicked in, causing him to consider he was just as tricky as the legendary character. Although most kids found this story chilling, he admired Jack.
Mrs. Ellderidge had told the story of Jack and the Devil in her witch’s costume. Her body, lacking poise and elegance, slumped against her desk. Her near retirement appearance added to the black clad costume and pointed hat she wore. Even without makeup, she was a crone. Her skin was pale white with liver spots and her frizzed hair was gray. The costume she wore clung tighter than intended to her body, revealing her pot belly and saggy breasts. She portrayed the image of a woman who never was attractive.
"Jack was a trickster," she explained, "and a crook. Throughout a life of conning good people, he was one day confronted by the Devil, who decided to collect his soul. With Jack being the manipulator he was, he told the Devil, ‘If you can climb the tallest tree in this county, then you can have my soul.’ The Devil laughed and asked to be taken to this tree. Sure enough, the Devil climbed to the top but once he got up there, he was too scared to come down. The Devil asked for Jack's help, which he refused. Jack explained once the Devil was on ground again, he would sure enough take him to Hell for proving him a coward."
At this point, Robert’s admiration for Jack increased. Jack had been a smart man. He shouldn’t be to blame because of everyone else’s stupidity.
"Jack made another deal with the Devil. The deal was if he helped the Devil down from the tree, he would never go to Hell. The Devil agreed and Jack helped him. Now that Jack gained total immunity, he continued living life without limits or regrets. But when he died and went to Heaven, he was not allowed to enter because of his bad deeds. St. Peter sent him to the gates of Hell where he was also refused entrance. With no other option, Jack was condemned to wander purgatory… Now, during his years of wandering, he determined he would rather go to Hell instead of being stuck in purgatory. He returned to the gates of Hell and made a final deal with the Devil. The deal was Jack would bring the Devil one human soul if he was allowed into Hell. The Devil agreed and explained every Halloween Jack would be allowed to roam Earth in search of a soul. On this night, the Devil provided him with a carved gourd lit by the embers of Hell. This would allow Jack to see his way through the night."
Of all of the lessons Mrs. Ellderidge taught, this one held Robert’s attention. The way she told the story made him feel connected with Jack, like he would do what Jack did if he was in his shoes. In a sense, he felt like a kindred spirit to the misunderstood character.
She continued, "So class, this is why it's tradition we leave jack o’ lanterns lit overnight on Halloween. When Jack is allowed to search for a human soul, the jack o’ lanterns we carry or keep at our doorstep confuse him. It makes him think we are lost souls, who are also on the prowl. So tonight, as long as your jack o’ lantern is lit, you are safe."
Although some of the kids gobbled this lesson up as truth, Robert saw how gullible they were and decided to take advantage of their fear.
Now that the streets were empty and most children were ready for bed or settling in to watch horror movies, it was time for the pranks to begin. He chuckled, thinking of the screams of his victims.
He rounded the bend to the first house belonging to his classmate, Mary Weisel. She was one of the few students who seemed scared by the story. While the teacher spoke, Mary clammed up. Her eyes grew wide, her hands clutched her desk seat, and she bit into her bottom lip. If he had been sitting behind her, he would have grabbed her in the middle of storytelling. She would have screamed and the class would have laughed. The only downfall is he would have received detention and a spanking from his parents. In the long run, the scare would have been worth it.
When arriving at her one story brick home he parked his bike near the street curve under an old Sycamore tree. He snickered when he saw the jack o’ lantern on the top step was still lit. She had been scared by the story instead of embracing it.
This is gonna be fun, he thought, imagining the bloodcurdling scream she would release. Hopefully, her cry would spook the entire house.
Quicker than a child running downstairs on Christmas morning, he positioned the kickstand, grabbed his jack o’ lantern, and snuck to the living room window. Before raising the jack o’ lantern up, he looked into the house where a television resonated in a dark room.
Sitting on the couch and loveseat were all seven of Mary's siblings. Their ages ranged from first grade to ninth grade. All siblings appeared different in height and weight, yet they all shared basic genetics. Their freckled skin was milky white and they all had reddish orange hair.
They were gathered around, watching television and snacking on Halloween candy. Still, they were dressed to character. Some wore their masks pulled back to their foreheads and others sat with their masks nearby on the rug. Others with partial masks, such as the youngest brother who was dressed as the Lone Ranger, remained in full costume.
Discarded candy wrappers littered the wooden floor as glass soda bottles, either empty or half empty, sat on coasters or were held. He snickered, imagining the soda bottles being spilt and everyone scattering as he scared them.
Robert flicked the window then moved aside, certain this action gained their attention. One of the younger girls, perhaps Mary, gasp
ed, "What was that!?!"
"It’s a tree branch," answered one of the older brothers, sounding annoyed she interrupted the movie.
Robert waited, grinning. He peeked back inside and saw everyone had returned their attention to the television. After flicking the window a second time, he ducked.
"There it was again," gasped the girl, who he definitely recognized as Mary.
"It's nothing," the same older brother reassured, his annoyance worsened.
"You did leave the jack o’ lantern lit, didn't you?" She panicked.
"I did," he answered. His voice indicated she should shut up and watch the movie.
“But-”she began to argue.
"Shhhh," the older brother demanded, "the movie is on."
Robert stood from his squatting position and looked back inside. The movie was The Old Dark House. He waited, then flicked against the glass a third time. Before being seen, he ducked.
"There it is again," Mary whined, hoping a sibling would investigate. With the possibility of someone else coming to the window beside Mary, he felt a wave of disappointment overcome him. Of course, if someone else came to the window, he could still scare them, yet the impact wouldn’t be as great.
"It's nothing," an older