Page 35 of Haunted Horror on Halloween

“Always. And, sadly, Manderley did commit murders. But Jackson! These people, those we’ve found already, those here . . . they’ll have a chance! With luck, prayers, and great medical attention, they’ll live.”

“True.” he said softly. “And we’re so close to home here—”

“Uh, not really,” she reminded him.

“But—”

She laughed.

“What?”

“Paperwork,” she reminded.

He groaned. But then they both smiled because someone had come up beside them.

“I wish I could hug you.” Angela told Trent.

“Well, I’ll hug you. It will be a little cold, maybe, but—”

“The best hug I could get.” Angela assured him.

And it was. She smiled. Carefully, of course. They were surrounded by Krewe members, but others as well.

And eventually, they were able to get home.

And once home . . .

Angela knew they might still have a wonderful Halloween. They faced a great deal, but they came home to be a family and that . . .

That was everything!

Epilogue

Victoria, naturally, was adorable. She had chosen a princess outfit, something it seemed many little girls her age chose to be.

Corby, now in his teen years, had been going for something more diabolical.

But he changed his mind. He decided he was going to dress as a cowboy and Jackson was pretty darned sure he had done so because he knew what his parents had been dealing with the day just preceding.

But their son was wise, naturally wise beyond his years, he was also ‘gifted’ or ‘cursed’ with the ability to see those souls who had remained on earth for whatever reason they had seen as necessary.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” he told Jackson, shortly before they headed out to a local mall where the organizers had arranged for a “safe streets” Halloween. “But I did some research and in certain areas there is an uptake in crime—some of it minor, some of it not so minor. But, hey, you have parties, and drunks who might do things they wouldn’t do if they weren’t—well drunk. Then, because everyone is in a costume, the diabolical might figure they can get away with robberies or even abductions or even murders because no one will be able to identify them. Oh, and by the way! I was thinking that Pope Gregory III was truly brilliant. Did you know this? Pope Boniface IV had established May 13th as All Saints Day in the 7th century, but because of Samhain, so they say, and to try to get all the people together on the concept, Gregory III changed All Saints Day to November 1st during the 8th century. That’s why October 31st became Hallows Eve! Eventually turned into Halloween!”

Jackson smiled, tipping his son’s cowboy hat.

“Yeah, your mom and I investigated all kinds of information through the years—we always wind up with something going on at Halloween. The crazies do come out. The thing is, when Samhain began, it marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and winter then tended to be associated with death. It was begun by the Celts, tribes in Ireland, what is now the U.K, and northern France. And to the Celts, it marked a time when the spirits of the dead might be allowed to return to earth. People extinguished their fires at home and relit them from a communal bonfire, and, yes, animals were brought in to be slaughtered—but for food. Sometimes, kings or chieftains were inaugurated, and local troops were organized and anointed . . . and mumming and guising came about. It’s true that the poor could go house to house, asking for food, and the people knew it was time to give. And of course there was ‘guising,’ wearing costumes as they went from place to place and danced before the bonfire. Samhain itself was never evil, but as we know, in every decade there are those who use such occasions for good—and those who will twist them into something else.”

“Ah ha!” Corby said. “But those traditions—turned into our traditions--came to the United States along with all the Scottish and Irish immigrants who arrived on these shores long ago!”

“Yep!”

The sudden agreement startled them both.

Angela had popped out to the parlor from the bedroom doorway.

“Wow!” Jackson said. “I—I didn’t know we were dressing up, too!”

She grinned. And he smiled again because in all that they faced, they always came home together, and somehow, they were blessed with each other—and fantastic kids.