Trailing the cart behind me, the sound of the wheels turning echoing down the narrow street, I whistled to the cold air that surrounded the night. It was a blanket that protected me from the malevolence of the freezing breeze that rushed by me, the leaves twirling upwards in spiral-like tornados for me to walk through. Everything about the days leading to Halloween felt magical, as though the world was more alive and aware than it used to be.
Leaves of red, amber and gold trailed the ground below trees that stood tall in the front gardens of semi-detached homes that passed by my vision. Everything was inconsequential to the rest of the world that breathed life once more as I handed the pumpkins and the candles to the neighbours that lived upon the street. They would smile and say thank you, some would even toss me a fiver or two for my troubles. After all, I didn't have to do this (but I liked to).
The trek up the hill was the worst because it seemed to grow steeper with every step I took. It was made worse by the flickering streetlights the further up I got. I put it down to faulty electrics in the grid system. It was plausible and had happened on numerous occasions in this town, so it wouldn't have surprised me in the least.
Once I was walking on steadier grounds, I began to make my way through the next few houses despite the flickering of the lights. It didn't take me long until my freshly carved pumpkins were no longer in the cart and were in the gardens I passed on the way back home. I was somewhat glad because the cart was that much easier to pull without the added weight.
Whistling to the dead night, the full moon high above me, I noticed a change to the flickering of the lights. They were now flickering to different colours instead. Though that was different to previous outages in power from the grid, I didn't think too much of it. Or, at least, I tried not to. The flickering colours seemed to be following me, though.
As I continued down the hill until the ground was flat once again, I hastened my pace, not wanting to be around the neighbourhood at this late hour as much as I needed to be. Then the bulbs of the lights began to smash from above me, showering me with glass. I didn't need to be told twice to run all the way home.
Once I was inside, I shut the door, sealing it shut. After my heartbeat had calmed to a steady gallop, I put on the television and the news program was on. It turned out that a mass murder had escaped and was in the neighbourhood. I looked out of my window for a moment, the streetlights all shut off giving way to ominous darkness. Under the cover of night, I felt safer.
Word count = 499 words
Written for the Bullying Prevention prompt for the Halloween Vault 3D