Audio Podcast 8 minutes

It was the last house on the block. The one no one ever trick-or-treated at. Not because it was abandoned—it wasn’t. Lights flickered inside, casting eerie shadows that danced across the walls. Shadows moved past the windows, almost as if they were keeping an eye on the world outside. But every kid in town knew the stories: the house watched you, its windows like eyes peering into your very soul. It waited for you, whispering secrets in the night as the wind rustled through the overgrown yard, filled with twisted trees and unkempt bushes that seemed to reach out like skeletal hands. They said the air was thick with the echoes of laughter that once filled its halls, now replaced by an unsettling silence that wrapped around the house like a shroud, daring you to come closer. 

Gary and his little sister Gail didn’t believe in ghost stories, no matter how creepy the tales sounded when shared by their new friends at school. Their parents had just moved to town, and they were determined to hit every house on the street, brimming with excitement about the prospect of gathering a colorful array of candy. With each door they knocked on, their hearts raced with anticipation, and the thought of ghouls and spirits lurking in the shadows was far from their minds. Candy was candy, and superstition wasn’t going to stop them; they were on a mission, ready to fill their bags with treats until they brimmed over with sugary goodness, giggling all the way home as they swapped stories and compared their loot. 

“Just one more,” Gary said, pointing to the looming Victorian at the end of the cul-de-sac, its silhouette casting intricate shadows in the pale moonlight. Its porch light flickered on, illuminating the intricate details of the house’s architecture—tall windows adorned with lace curtains and a weathered door that had seen countless seasons. A carved pumpkin sat grinning on the steps, its eyes oddly deep, like they were looking back, as if holding secrets of the past. The air was thick with the scent of fallen leaves and the distant laughter of children, weaving a tapestry of Halloween night that felt both nostalgic and eerie. 

Gail hesitated. “I don’t like it.” 

“Come on. It’s just a house.” 

They climbed the creaking steps, each one groaning under their weight as if protesting their ascent. The air grew colder, an unsettling chill that seemed to seep into their very bones, causing them to shiver involuntarily. Gary knocked once, then twice, each rap echoing through the silence that enveloped them. The door opened slowly, creaking on its hinges to reveal a tall man in a tattered suit that seemed to hang from his gaunt frame like a mere shadow of what it once was. His face was pale, stretched too tightly over his bones, contouring an unsettling skull-like visage that sent a ripple of unease down their spines. His eyes were… wrong. Too dark, as if the light within them had been snuffed out long ago, and too deep, drawing one in with an almost magnetic force that made it difficult to look away, leaving them with an eerie sense of foreboding. 

“Trick or treat,” Gary said, voice cracking. 

The man smiled. “Oh, I have a treat for you.” 

In the flickering glow of the streetlamp, the old man extended a weathered wooden bowl toward Gail, his gnarled fingers trembling slightly as if the weight of the offering carried a hidden burden. Nestled inside were candies, their wrappers dulled by time, the once-vibrant paper now faded to a ghostly pallor, each piece adorned with an eerie symbol—a spiral that seemed to writhe upon closer inspection, its jagged edges resembling rows of tiny, gnashing teeth. Gail’s curiosity stirred, her hand inching forward to pluck one from the pile, her fingertips brushing the crinkled edge of a wrapper, when the man’s hand darted out, his grip gentle yet firm, closing around her wrist with a quiet urgency that sent a chill racing up her spine. 

“No. You must choose carefully.” 

Gary frowned. “What does that mean?” 

The man leaned closer, his eyes glinting with a mixture of mischief and warning. “Some sweets are sweet, enticingly delicious, bursting with flavor and temptation. Some… are cursed, hiding dark secrets beneath their sugary exteriors, capable of drawing unsuspecting souls into an abyss of despair and regret.” 

Gail pulled her hand back. “We’re leaving.” 

But the door slammed shut behind them. 

The hallway stretched impossibly long, an endless corridor of shadows and whispers. The wallpaper pulsed like it was breathing, as if imbued with a life of its own. The lights flickered sporadically, casting eerie glows that revealed glimpses of things that shouldn’t be—faces contorted in silent screams within the walls, hands reaching from the floorboards, desperate and ghostly, as if pleading to be freed from their eternal prison. The air was thick with an unsettling energy, each step echoing with a weight of dread, as if the very space around me was alive, watching, waiting. 

“Run!” Gary shouted, grabbing Gail’s hand. 

They bolted down the hall, but it twisted, turned, and changed with each frantic step they took. Doors appeared and vanished like fleeting shadows, some leading to tantalizing glimpses of rooms filled with memories, while others opened to nothingness, swallowing their hopes whole. The air crackled with an electric energy, as if the very walls were breathing, pulsating with a life of their own. Whispers echoed around them, urging them forward deeper into the maze of the house, which felt more like a living entity than a mere structure, alive with mysteries waiting to be uncovered. 

They burst into a room filled with mirrors. Each one showed a different version of themselves—older, younger, twisted, crying, screaming, laughing with maniacal joy. The reflections danced mockingly, their faces a distorted gallery of emotions and time. One mirror, larger than the rest, showed Gail alone, holding the candy with a bite taken out, the bright colors stark against her pale skin. Her eyes were black, voids that seemed to swallow light, while her mouth stretched into a grin too wide, stretching almost unnaturally across her face. It was as if the mirror was revealing not just a reflection, but an embodiment of secrets and fears, whispering chilling truths only she could hear. The air around her crackled with tension, as though the very fabric of reality was fraying at the edges, inviting them all to step through into the myriad versions of their own souls. 

Gary smashed the mirror. The room shattered. 

They were back at the front door, their hearts pounding with a mix of excitement and apprehension. The man stood there, smiling, his demeanor warm and inviting, as if he held the key to a long-awaited reunion. The soft glow of the porch light illuminated his features, accentuating the kindness in his eyes and the promise of stories yet to be told. The cool evening breeze rustled the leaves nearby, adding an air of mystery to the moment, and they couldn’t help but wonder what lay ahead beyond that familiar threshold. 

“You chose wisely,” he said. “Most don’t.” 

He opened the door. Outside, the street was quiet. Normal. 

Gary and Gail ran, never looking back. 

But that night, as Gail sat on her bed, her mind swirling with thoughts, she found the candy in her pocket. The bright wrappers gleamed under the soft glow of her bedside lamp, and a frown creased her brow She hadn’t taken one… had she? Confusion danced in her mind alongside the sweet scent of the candy, and she wondered if perhaps she had absentmindedly snatched a piece, enchanted by the colorful display, or if it had somehow slipped into her pocket when she wasn’t looking, a small mystery waiting to be unraveled. 

She unwrapped it carefully, feeling the textured paper crinkle beneath her fingers. The spiral symbol pulsed faintly, glowing with a mysterious energy that seemed to beckon her closer. Against her better judgment, she took a bite, the flavor exploding in her mouth with an unexpected sweetness that both intrigued and frightened her. As she chewed, a strange warmth spread through her body, intensifying her senses and urging her to delve deeper into whatever secrets this enigmatic object held. 

The following morning, Gail remained silent, her thoughts swirling in a tempest of emotions and unspoken words. Her eyes appeared more intense, reflecting a depth of contemplation that seemed almost otherworldly, and her smile broadened unnervingly, as if concealing secrets that danced just beneath the surface. Each glance she cast carried a weight that hung heavy in the air.

Gary swore the wallpaper in their house had started to breathe with strange voices and eerie sounds coming from the cracks in the floor. Will they pay for that piece of candy Gail ate the night before?