A Halloween trick gone wrong: The tale of John Walkins
It was a cold, rainy night. John Walkins had just returned home after a very long day of running errands. Exhausted, and chilled to the bone, he was looking forwards to climbing into his nice, warm bed.
As John put away his groceries, he wondered where all the time had gone. It seemed like spring had just arrived a few weeks ago and here it was the end of October already. Soon it would be Halloween.
Mr. Walkins hated Halloween with a passion. He hadn't always hated it though. John used to love this special holiday up until two years ago. When Melinda, his wife, had been alive, they had lots of fun celebrating Halloween.
John still remembered the look on John Junior's face the very first time someone gave him candy just for saying "Trick or Treat!" Melinda had made Junior's puppy dog costume herself, and he had worn it for days, pretending to be a real dog. John Junior had been so happy and excited that first Halloween.
As each year passed by, Junior grew even more excited when Halloween came around. He loved helping his mother make costumes for the family, and decorations for the yard and house. John Junior could hardly wait for nightfall to come so he could go trick or treating. He would go for a couple of hours, then come home and hand out candy to other trick or treaters.
But that's all over now, John Walkins thought. Melinda and John Junior will never celebrate Halloween with him again. "I can't believe it's been two years already, " Mr. Walkins said to himself. Then he ardently hoped that the drunk driver who had killed his beloved wife and child would burn in Hell forever.
John didn't want to think about Melinda and John Junior anymore. Remembering them only made him feel lonely and more depressed. He missed them both so much! John wished it had been him killed instead of Melinda and John Junior.
Mr. Walkins finished putting away the groceries, and then changed into some dry clothes. He climbed into his warm, comfortable bed and picked up the book he had been reading. It was a new version of Washington Irving's story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Later that night, as he was drifting off to sleep, the doorbell rang. John jumped up out of bed and went to answer the summons. He flung open the door and looked around, but nobody was in sight. He closed the door and headed back to bed.
Again, the doorbell rang. John once again opened the door merely to find no one there. This time, as he was closing the door, Mr. Walkins caught sight of four teenaged boys hiding in the hedges next to his house. He recognized the neighbor boy, George Dumbbell and his friends.
John was getting tired of these boys playing tricks on him like this. He hadn't minded it so much when they were younger, and when his own family was still alive. Melinda always laughed at the pranks and played tricks on them in return. She would say, "After all, Halloween is all about tricks as well as about treats!" However, John Walkins did not like the pranks now. He didn't like being reminded of Melinda and John Junior. John just wanted to be left all alone with his misery.
Mr. Walkins went back to bed and soon fell sound asleep. While sleeping, he had a dream about the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. When John awoke the next morning, he recalled how scared he had been in his dream. It gave him an idea how he could get those teenagers to leave him alone. John had decided to bring the headless horseman to life for Halloween.
John couldn't think of any reason why his plan wouldn't work. After all, the legend of the Headless Horseman has been scaring people of all ages since 1820. Every child in Pennsylvania has been told the legend, so John figured the teenagers would already know the story. It wouldn't require too much work, since he already had a black horse and most of the Halloween decorations he would need.
The more Mr. Walkins thought about it, the more determined he became to carry out the scare tactic. He went into town to buy the remaining supplies he would need. Then he went to work getting everything ready. He carved out a horrifying face on the pumpkin he had bought. Next, John put red glow in the dark paint on his horse's hooves. Mr. Walkins taught Cocoa, his big stallion, how to rear up on his hind legs upon command. Then John hid the horse in a barn so no one could see him until he played his trick.
John knew George and his friends would come by the house on Halloween night. They came every year. Each year, the pranks the boys played became meaner and nastier. Last year, the lads had egged his front porch and toilet papered all the trees in the yard. Thinking about this, John decided to make his hoax scarier.
By Halloween night, John had turned his home into a creepy haunted house, complete with spine-tingling screams, spider webs, and flickering lights. He had turned his front yard into a terrifying scene of death and decay. John, utilizing a block of dry ice, created a thick, soupy fog. Then as night began to fall, John mounted his trusty steed, and waited for George Dumbbell and his friends to arrive.
Finally, about the time that John was ready to give up this foolish trickery, the annoying teenagers came. Just as the young hoodlums were starting to throw rotten eggs at his house, John spurred Cocoa into action. He galloped straight at the boys, just as the blood red, full moon peeked through the clouds. The teenagers were indeed frightened, as the shadowy figure came nearer.
The moon slipped behind a dark rain cloud, and the boys could barely see the silhouette of the horse and rider that was bearing down upon them. The intimidating thunder of hooves grew louder and louder. All the boys could see were sparks of fire coming from the hooves, and a shadowy figure holding up what looked like a head. The head had an evil face, with bright, burning eyes. It became too much for them. They let out some blood curdling screams and tried to flee.
John was elated as he pulled Cocoa down into a walk. His plan was working! He was certain those young hooligans wouldn't be bother him anymore. However, his elation came to a sudden end. It seems his trusty steed was not so trustworthy after all.
Cocoa couldn't see well in the thick fog, and all the unexpected noises had frightened him. John couldn't see well either, and so he hadn't noticed that George's little Jack Russell puppy had come along with the boys. Cocoa panicked when George Dumbbell and his friends let out their terrified screams. Their screams scared the dog too.
Cocoa reared up high on his hind legs as the puppy ran up close to him, barking, and snapping at his legs. John hit his head on a low-lying tree branch, and then he fell off his horse. The fall knocked the wind out of John Walkins.
As John laid there in the grass, the puppy came over to him and began licking his face. John started talking to the dog. George heard him and recognized John's voice. He stopped running and came over to make sure John was not badly injured.
After George helped John put Cocoa back in the barn, the two men went inside John's house and talked about all the pranks. John explained why he had tried to resurrect the Headless Horseman legend. Then George explained why he and his friends had been playing such mean tricks on John.
As it turned out, the boys missed Melinda and John Junior too. In their anger at the senseless deaths, they had lashed out at the world. They had chosen John as their victim because he had rejected all their gestures of friendship at the time Melinda and John Junior died. By the end of the night, John and George had made plans to celebrate next Halloween together.