Hockey Imagines

Mitch Marner

Halloween is my favourite holiday and this is inspired by personal experiences.

-
*some number of years in the future*

"Happy Halloween!" You watched as children ran by you after receiving candy from your oldest.

"One bowl of candy down, we've had 100 kids!" Your son, Gabriel, yelled. Your goal was to have over 300 kids.

After all you lived in a fantastic spot, in a very populated area. You believed 300 kids was a possibility. Your neighbourhood had plenty of children, plus many people travelled to see your house.

Halloween was your favourite holiday, and because of that your husband Mitchell learned to love it as much as you did.

Your front lawn was arranged in a cemetery, with gravestones placed to make a pathway and a tree that looked dead in the center. The tree was real, just had no leaves because Canadian Octobers were cold and a little snowy usually.

This year the weather turned out to be perfect.

Your lawn was encased by a fence with homemade pillars on the corners of your lawn. Heck your neighbours didn't even mind at this point if some of the graveyard stretched onto their lawn.

The sun had just started to set, making most of the parents with young children turn in for the night. You knew the fun would finally begin in the walled area of the "cemetery".

Mitch was there to guide people towards the makeshift church. You had fake church pews and a bowl with holy water. This section had tons of 'spider webs'.

This year, for the first time in your family's 5 year tradition of doing this, your youngest child suggested the idea of being a jump scare.

A group of older kids approached your house, amazed at the dedication and work put into the decorations.

Everything you had was homemade, except the store bought fake bones and skeletons. Yet even those you had your children repaint to make them look dirtier and older.

A few of your daughters friends had volunteered to help out this year. After all once something becomes this elaborate people may need guides to reach the end.

The teenagers appeared unfazed as they walked through the graveyard, laughing and making jokes. You heard Mitch groan for them to enter the area with the jump scare.

A couple of them seemed hesitant, you weren't sure if it would even scare them. Your son hadn't been doing the best job of scaring them.

He was covered with a sheet and placed next to a fake skeleton that was similar in size and shape.

You jumped a little hearing the scream of your son followed by several other screeches and screams. One person even yelled 'Holy Shit!'

The smirk that appeared on your face was a delight. Your son managed to find a way to start scaring people. This continued as things got darker.

At times throughout the night you stood next to Mitch, silently pointing to the 'churches' entrance. The unmissable laughter that you'd have after your son achieved scare and scream almost each time.

He easily became people's favourite part of the maze.

Mitch smiled towards you, taking a moment when no children were around. "When did all of this become so big?"

"I always wanted to be able to accomplish something like this," You responded with, "I think it was just over time- I had all this extra time the past few years with the kids all older and able to take care of themselves."

Mitch nodded and sighed softly, "I miss you all so much when I go away- I can't stand it because I know I'm missing things like this."

It was a true point, he missed last Halloween because there was a 2 week long road trip with your favourite holiday right in the middle.

Your husband missed a lot, but he happened to be around for all the right moments. He heard all his children's first words, saw them all learn to walk, he taught them the alphabet and took them to school on their first day of kindergarten. He was a great dad, despite always needed to travel.

"Mitch, the kids and I are just happy to have you around this year. We all get you're busy- hockey is your job after all." You comforted him, "Besides maybe you'll be around more often in years to come." You nudged his side.

"I am getting old. I'm 41, surprised Toronto signed me to this one year deal in the first place- but you're probably right, I want to be able to see Gabriel graduate next year. I've had a long enough career, time to allow some other rookie to take my place.

You kissed him quickly as the sounds of more children were heard down the street. It definitely wasn't going to be hard to hit 300 this year, the flipping news even broadcasted your house earlier. People had been driving by and stopping all night.

"Should I run out and get more candy from the store?" Mitch asked you quietly as kids screamed due to your son.

You hummed for a moment, "If you want too sure."

A smaller child hesitantly made their way through the cemetery. You watched Mitch walk over and guide the 6, maybe 7, year old child through. She stopped to look at everything.

He even warned your son not to jump too much, "Hi friendly ghost-" He looked at the girl, "wave to him."

Your son waved back and the girl laughed as she received her candy.

The simple things was what you loved most about Mitch. He cared more than anyone, loved more than anyone.

You couldn't imagine your Halloween nights without him being apart of your life. He made them better than you ever could have imagined them to be when you were a kid who aspired to have something like this.

Spending your favourite time of the year with your family was all you could have ever asked for. To have Mitch as part of your family- and as your soul mate was something you never even dreamed of until you met him.