R/Nosleep (Get Spooked)

No Town Does Halloween Quite Like Blessed (Suburbia Part 3)

By u/firesidechats451

I hate Halloween. I never sleep well.

*

I never really feel awake until I've had my coffee. That goes double for Sundays.

The scent of a fresh brew filled the kitchen as I puttered around, tidying up before Frances arrived. Failing to stifle a jaw-cracking yawn, I rinsed last night's dishes and tossed them in the dishwasher. Frances never says anything, but I hate the thought of her witnessing my clutter. I'm not complete slob, but it's just nice to clean up for company, you know?

I opened up the blinds to let in some light. The sky was overcast, the sunlight anemic. I sighed and moved to grab two mugs from the cupboard when something caught my eye.

My backyard is spacious, with a modest porch and a few decorative bushes along the perimeter. The only thing of note is an oak tree, set right at the back, with a rustic tree swing. It'd sat unused since the day I moved in.

Until now.

A little girl sat on the swing, lazily drifting back and forth. A little boy stood behind her, pushing.

My breath caught in my throat. I stared, unable to look away. My hand trembled against the curtain.

As one, the children turned to look at me, their faces expressionless.

I jerked away, letting the curtain fall as I pressed myself flat against the cabinets. My heart pounded so hard it hurt, my nails digging into the counter without meaning to.

So tired. My eyes kept drifting shut, only to snap open as I realized I was dozing. The clock blurred red on the dashboard, but I could make out the numbers by squinting: 3:32.

The doorbell rang, startling me out of my revery and nearly giving me a heart attack. Peeling myself away from the counter, I hesitated. What if the children were still there, waiting for me to let my guard down? I reached out a shaky hand for the curtain.

You need to know, I told myself, hyper-aware of the rough fabric against my fingers. On the count of three.

One.

Two.

Three!

I yanked the curtain back, frantically scanning. The tree swing was empty, drifting gently back and forth. I peered around rest of the yard, but saw no sign of the kids.

The doorbell rang again. Sighing with relief, I headed to answer it.

*

"Morning, sleepyhead!" France's smile was much too bright for nine in the morning, but I was happy to see it. I greeted her with an extra-long hug, then welcomed her in.

"What'd you bring me today?" I asked as got out the mugs.

"Chocolate croissants!" she said, setting her bag on the kitchen table. The scent of fresh-baked pastries filled the air. "They're your favorite right?"

"How'd you know?" I added sugar and creamer to my coffee, but left France's black. She grinned as she took the proffered mug.

"Just a feeling," she said. "You seem like the chocolate type."

"Only on special occasions," I said, but sat and reached for a croissant anyway. The crust flaked as I broke it in two.

"It's Halloween, isn't it?" Frances said, taking her own pastry. "What's more special than that?"

I forced a laugh, but it sounded hollow. "Well, how are you doing?" I said quickly, hoping she wouldn't notice. "Busy at the salon this week?"

"You know it," she said, smiling. "But what about you? Did you post that story?"