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p_r_i_s_c_aTitle: Halloween
Characters: Markus, Rose Smith
Words: 678
finished: 31.10.2015
:::
Lost in thoughts Marcus hurried through the long, cold halls of the Mountain. He had just had a meeting with Lee and Jeremiah; there were problems again with some gangs who troubled the people in Brownsdale. Nothing serious so far, but he knew he should better step in before it got out of control.
Suddenly he noticed her, a little girl, cowering under one of the steel stairs, knees pulled up, her arms tightly around them. He stopped, watching her slightly uneasy about what to do. Even he could head the Mountain, he had never learned to be close to the children. He wished Erin would be here, she knew to reach out to them, and they loved her like they had respect for Marcus. Suddenly, the girl lifted her head; wide, brown-green eyes stared at him. And he recognized her.
"You are Rose," he said. The daughter of Smith. Usually, she did live at a children's home near the Mountain; only now and then she came to visit him.
"Do you know when my Dad will come back?"
Her voice was low and slightly shaking. He shook the head. If he had known that she would come here today, he would have sent someone else on this dangerous mission. "I'm sorry, no. He went to a town some miles away for some transactions." This was all he could tell her; she wouldn't be able to understand the truth anyway.
"Do you think... the ghosts will hurt him?"
Marcus frowned. "Ghosts," he repeated.
"Sister Mary says, today is the night where the ghosts come back. She wants us to stay in the house."
"Oh." Marcus needed a moment to remember what she was talking about. October 31st. Halloween. No one here had thought about this, it was just cold, rainy day like others. Not for Rose, though. The little girl looked so worried and Marcus could feel anger rising up. Why did someone scare children with horror stories when the world around them was already cruel and unpredictable enough?
He bent down and reached out to her. "I get it, you are talking about Halloween. But don't worry, this is just a fairytale from the old times. I'm sure, your dad is safe out there."
She blinked. "There are no ghosts?"
"Well." He was not sure why he was doing this, but suddenly he bent down to her, smiling. "When I was as old as you are now, oh yes, there were a lot at Halloween. Children liked to dress up, as clowns, cowboys, fairies... and ghosts. And we did trick and treating, that was always great fun."
The look in her eyes changed, still a bit mistrusting but curious too. "Trick and treating? What's that," she wanted to know.
"An old tradition. At Halloween, all the houses were decorated with lights and pumpkins, and we knocked at every door, calling: Knock, knock, trick or treat, give me something good to eat. We received many candies." Marcus chuckled at the memory. "And next day, we all had stomach pains.
Almost better than the candies were the pranks. Sometimes we did a little joke although people were giving us treats, just because it was so much fun."
He noticed the shy smile on Rose's face and suddenly thought, how sad it was that the old times and all the wonderful traditions were gone forever. Rose and all the other children would never get to know them. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. He grabbed Rose's hand.
"Come on," he said. "Come on out there. Let's go to my room; I'm sure we will find some old bedclothes so that we can dress up as ghosts. Then we will go into the cafeteria, spooking Erin. Let's find out if she has some good treats for us. Or if we need to play her a little trick at first."
Rose's eyes widened. "But... my dad says I must not disturb you. Because you are busy with saving the world," she protested.
"Your dad is smart." Marcus smiled. "But the world can wait until tomorrow. Because today it's Halloween."
Characters: Markus, Rose Smith
Words: 678
finished: 31.10.2015
:::
Lost in thoughts Marcus hurried through the long, cold halls of the Mountain. He had just had a meeting with Lee and Jeremiah; there were problems again with some gangs who troubled the people in Brownsdale. Nothing serious so far, but he knew he should better step in before it got out of control.
Suddenly he noticed her, a little girl, cowering under one of the steel stairs, knees pulled up, her arms tightly around them. He stopped, watching her slightly uneasy about what to do. Even he could head the Mountain, he had never learned to be close to the children. He wished Erin would be here, she knew to reach out to them, and they loved her like they had respect for Marcus. Suddenly, the girl lifted her head; wide, brown-green eyes stared at him. And he recognized her.
"You are Rose," he said. The daughter of Smith. Usually, she did live at a children's home near the Mountain; only now and then she came to visit him.
"Do you know when my Dad will come back?"
Her voice was low and slightly shaking. He shook the head. If he had known that she would come here today, he would have sent someone else on this dangerous mission. "I'm sorry, no. He went to a town some miles away for some transactions." This was all he could tell her; she wouldn't be able to understand the truth anyway.
"Do you think... the ghosts will hurt him?"
Marcus frowned. "Ghosts," he repeated.
"Sister Mary says, today is the night where the ghosts come back. She wants us to stay in the house."
"Oh." Marcus needed a moment to remember what she was talking about. October 31st. Halloween. No one here had thought about this, it was just cold, rainy day like others. Not for Rose, though. The little girl looked so worried and Marcus could feel anger rising up. Why did someone scare children with horror stories when the world around them was already cruel and unpredictable enough?
He bent down and reached out to her. "I get it, you are talking about Halloween. But don't worry, this is just a fairytale from the old times. I'm sure, your dad is safe out there."
She blinked. "There are no ghosts?"
"Well." He was not sure why he was doing this, but suddenly he bent down to her, smiling. "When I was as old as you are now, oh yes, there were a lot at Halloween. Children liked to dress up, as clowns, cowboys, fairies... and ghosts. And we did trick and treating, that was always great fun."
The look in her eyes changed, still a bit mistrusting but curious too. "Trick and treating? What's that," she wanted to know.
"An old tradition. At Halloween, all the houses were decorated with lights and pumpkins, and we knocked at every door, calling: Knock, knock, trick or treat, give me something good to eat. We received many candies." Marcus chuckled at the memory. "And next day, we all had stomach pains.
Almost better than the candies were the pranks. Sometimes we did a little joke although people were giving us treats, just because it was so much fun."
He noticed the shy smile on Rose's face and suddenly thought, how sad it was that the old times and all the wonderful traditions were gone forever. Rose and all the other children would never get to know them. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. He grabbed Rose's hand.
"Come on," he said. "Come on out there. Let's go to my room; I'm sure we will find some old bedclothes so that we can dress up as ghosts. Then we will go into the cafeteria, spooking Erin. Let's find out if she has some good treats for us. Or if we need to play her a little trick at first."
Rose's eyes widened. "But... my dad says I must not disturb you. Because you are busy with saving the world," she protested.
"Your dad is smart." Marcus smiled. "But the world can wait until tomorrow. Because today it's Halloween."