The Halloween Police
Copyright 2023
On the day the Watson family moved into their new house, which had been their dream house since they'd always rented, it had been less than two weeks til Halloween. They'd totally forgotten about how close the autumnal holiday was between being so busy over the last few weeks of summer. But with all the paperwork and closing on the new home, and of course packing and hiring movers, the last month had been a virtual whirlwind, and Halloween was the last thing on their minds.
As they got settled and started unpacking, which would take all weekend, they realized all the houses in their neighborhood had quite the extensive and elaborate spooky Halloween decorations. Michael Watson had never been a huge fan of the holiday except when the kids were little and still enjoyed dressing up and going trick or treating. Now that his son Jamal was 14, and his daughter, Monique, was 12, neither had much of an interest in All Hallows Eve traditions. Last year they told both parents they were "too old for that kid stuff." Mike's wife and their mother, Cheryl, hadn't argued with them, begging for them to dress up for Halloween pictures just one more time. They'd had enough of those photos in the family album, anyway.
So they were excited to just be in their big spacious new house, a four-three, located in a somewhat quaint little town north and east of Orlando. Everyone seemed very friendly and nice. Mike was black and his wife was white, and while he'd been a bit concerned about how an upper middle class neighborhood would react to a mixed race couple, so far so good. And that was a tremendous relief. Mike had received a work promotion recently, which made it possible for the house purchase, and worked from home as an IT specialist for Global Securities. Cheryl was a veteran public school teacher and had taken an assistant principal position at the area elementary school. Their children would be attending the nearby middle school. Both were exceptional students but like most teens, were more interested in things like music and sports, and of course the latest trending videos on Tiktok.
After the moving van departed and they began the arduous task of unboxing and getting things organized, Mike met one of his neighbors from across the street. He'd been lugging out a stack of flattened cardboard boxes into the opened garage when the stocky middle-aged man with thinning brown hair approached him, smiling warmly. He'd introduced himself as Paul and welcomed him to the neighborhood. Cheryl briefly appeared and said hello. After small talk for a few minutes, Paul turned to head back to his house.
"Well, nice to meet you and the missus," Paul told him amicably. "Oh and don't forget about Halloween, too. Around here, we love seeing our neighbors decorate for it!"
Mike nodded and watched him go, waving as Paul glanced back with a grin before he went back inside.
Okay then, he thought. Guess they really love Halloween.
The rest of the day and into Saturday was busy with the rest of unpacking and setting up the house, plus Mike needed to get his home office situated before Monday. The kids pitched in and helped their mother with cleaning the house, even though it was pretty clean to begin with. Then she took the kids with her to help stock up the fridge and pantry at the local Publix. They had takeout pizza last night, but they couldn't rely on delivery dinners for long. A massive grocery shopping trip had been a must!
Saturday evening came and went, everyone exhausted but content by finally being able to relax after an exhausting few days. On Sunday morning, Mike went to go outside to fetch the morning paper. He'd made sure it would be delivered. Ironically given his profession, he was still one of those dinosaurs who enjoyed reading an actual newspaper instead of online. As he opened the front door to see if the plastic wrapped bundle was at the end of his driveway, he noticed an orange envelope sitting on the ground in front of their front door. A Halloween pumpkin had been stamped across the front instead of a name and address.
Frowning, he bent over and picked it up. He opened it and pulled out a simple sheet of unlined paper. A neatly handwritten note read:
"Welcome to the neighborhood! We just wanted to say hello and to remind you not to forget that Halloween is almost a week away! Put up those decorations and get into the spirit of the Spooky Season!
Sincerely,
Your Neighborhood Friends aka The Halloween Police"
Mike shook his head and chuckled to himself. Geez, they really took Halloween seriously, didn't they? He went down the walkway to the driveway, still holding the orange envelope and note. He was pleased to see the morning paper sitting at the end of the driveway and scooped it up. When he went back inside and dropped both onto the eat-in kitchen table, he fetched a mug and poured himself a cup. As he sat down and opened the Sunday paper, Cheryl sauntered in wearing her robe and slippers, yawning. She kissed her husband on the head and went to get her coffee. After she sat down next to him, she spied the orange envelope.
"What's this, hon?" She sipped from her mug and picked up the note.
"Just the neighborhood welcoming committee about Halloween," he said, ruffling pages. "Apparently they're reminding us about decorating."
Cheryl read the note and smirked. "Well, I'm not that surprised because didn't you notice how the whole town is decorated for Halloween? They even have this huge haunted house attraction and one of those haunted hayrides too!" She put the note back in the envelope and drank more of her coffee. Then she got up to pull a carton of eggs, a package of bacon, and jug of orange juice from the fridge.
Mike grunted, hearing what she said but was too absorbed in the Sports page to really care.
The rest of Sunday came and went as they spent more time finishing most of the unpacking and getting ready for Monday. Everyone would be busy with work tomorrow and the kids at their new middle school. So they enjoyed an early Sunday spaghetti and meatballs dinner and turned in early again that evening.
Mike awoke like he did most days right before dawn. He'd always been an early riser. He yawned and got up right as his wife's phone chimed its alarm. She'd get up and shower first, so he climbed out of bed and went to make coffee. Soon, the kids would be up, or he hoped so, getting bowls of cereal and staring raptly at their devices. The Watson family had one rule: no smartphones at the dinner table, but the mornings were okay.
As Mike drank his first cup and perused the work emails on his phone, Cheryl appeared freshly showered and dressed for her first day as AP at the elementary school. The kids came after that, looking less enthusiastic but dutifully poured their cereal and quickly eating. Then, Jamal and Moni finished getting dressed. They'd be leaving shortly.
After Mike kissed her goodbye, and telling Jamal and Moni to have a good day at the new school (and his wife too), Cheryl and the kids left via the garage. Because there were still boxes and things in the garage, there'd only been room for Cheryl's car. Mike's SUV had been parked in the driveway.
He refilled and his cup and was about to get settled and ready for his day. He wore sweatpants and a t-shirt but it hardly mattered working from home. As he started for the hallway that led to his home office, the kitchen door to the garage opened and his wife called out.
Mike saw her holding out an orange envelope with a Jack O' Lantern design stamped on it.
"As I was backing out, I saw this stuck under your windshield wiper," she said as he took it. "Gotta run, love you!"
"Thanks! Love you, babe!" The kitchen door slammed shut, making him wince. Then moments later, he heard the garage door trundle down.
Mike opened the orange envelope and slid out the note. This time it was much more brief than the first one.
"Hello, neighbor! We asked you nicely the first time...
Best regards,
THP"
Mike frowned. Now this kind of pissed him off. He balled up the note along with the envelope and tossed it in the kitchen garbage can. Someone had a really twisted sense of humor and he could take a joke or prank but this was almost over the line. Actually it was over the line.
He took his coffee and went back into his home office. As he sat down and prepared for the day at his company issued laptop, he'd soon forgotten about the second note from The Halloween Police. Or whoever was behind this. It was probably his neighbor Paul or possibly one of his other neighbors. But he'd look into this during his lunch break, maybe there was something about it was in the HOA paperwork, although he didn't recall seeing anything about that.
Or you could just dig through the remaining boxes stored in the garage, Mike told himself. Go find the old Halloween decorations from when Jamal and Monique were little and into trick or treating and put them up outside. And be done with it!
He nodded to himself. Yeah he'd do that later this afternoon, perhaps before Cheryl and the kids got home. Or see if his son and daughter wanted to help (although they'd probably beg off, saying they were too old for that).
Mike started working at his desk, busy with emails, messages on the internal system, and other assorted activities related to his job. His day flew by, taking 30 minutes to have lunch and then using the remainder of his break to locate the old box of Halloween stuff. Mostly just a bunch of small Styrofoam headstones, a few cardboard ghosts and pumpkins, even a witch on a broomstick with a black cat, cheap but kid friendly stuff that could be taped to a front window. There was also package of glow-in-the-dark spider webs. He'd maybe buy a pumpkin to carve a day or two at the store. Putting out a Jack O' Lantern too early in the Florida heat and humidity would result in attracting tiny flies and ants in swarms and a rotting pumpkin on Halloween.
Satisfied, Mike finished up the latter half of his workday. He'd even had enough time to spare and was just putting up those old Halloween decorations when his wife and kids came home. Jamal and Moni barely gave the front of the house a cursory glance before they headed inside to grab a can of soda and start on homework.
Cheryl kissed him and remarked on his All Hallows Eve efforts. "So you gave in, huh?" He didn't want to mention the second note.
"Yeah, I guess so," he replied with a tinge of sarcasm. "Just wanted to be neighborly and all. Get in the Spooky Season mood, so to speak." He chuckled and shook his head.
Cheryl took out some frozen chicken breasts to thaw and a few other things for dinner, which she'd start in a little while. She also grabbed a bottle of wine.
"Yeah well, we may have to up our Halloween game to keep up with the other neighbors, hon," she replied as she fetched an empty wine glass.
Mike agreed but had no real plans to go out and spend money on something he had no true desire for. Their old decorations would have to do. Besides, the rest of the street was filled with enough shambling zombies, pumpkin headed demons, skeletal creatures with horn headed skulls and huge batwings, among other assorted Halloween horrors. It was almost staggering and a bit unsettling how seriously his neighbors, really the whole town, took this. They simply couldn't compete with that.
They rest of the evening was mostly relaxing. Mike hoped his neighbors accepted their contribution outside and let that be enough. He thought about who was leaving those notes and realized their front door came with one of those security systems complete with a camera that recorded everything. He mentally berated himself for not thinking to check this before. As Mike and his wife prepared for bed after a long busy day, he told himself he'd maybe do that in the morning.
He slept pretty well, despite his wife snoring softly beside him. He was a light sleeper but was used to it. He woke up early as usual and got up to make coffee. While the coffee brewed, he went into his office, sat down, and then thought about the front door camera. He picked up his smartphone, accessed the app that was connected to it, and pulled up the latest video feed first. It didn't take him very long to find something.
Three dark figures wearing masks stood at the curb directly in front of their house. Because of the dim streetlights he could see them well enough even though they stood half in shadows. One wore a bright orange Jack O' Lantern mask, the other donning a grinning skull face, and the third had on a green-faced witch mask. They all were dressed in black or dark clothing. Slowly, Pumpkin Face lifted one hand and pointed to the front of their house. Then Skull Head walked up to the driveway, skirted his parked vehicle this time, and dropped another orange envelope on the front walkway. The spooky trio left after that, vanishing into the night.
Mike stopped the feed and tried suppressing the shiver that traced an icy finger up and down his spine. He didn't need to go back and watch the feed from the weekend. He didn't want to.
He got up, left his office, and went to the front door. He spotted the orange envelope laying several feet away and picked it up. Opened it and read the short message.
"Last warning, Mr Watson...
Spookily,
THP"
Mike was seriously pissed off now and also a bit freaked out. This went a little beyond a fun Halloween prank to borderline threatening now. He'd considered calling the local police but nixed that idea. He didn't want to make waves at this point, being so new here. Then he thought he'd go speak to Paul. He'd just wait til after Cheryl and the kids left. He knew he should tell her about this but with her new job and everything, she didn't need one more thing to worry about. He'd handle it himself.
Once they'd left for work and school, Mike slipped on his sneakers and left the house, heading across the street. He hoped it wasn't too early to be knocking on his neighbor's front door.
Paul answered the door a few moments after he'd rung the doorbell, dressed in khaki pants and a navy blue Polo style shirt. He held a steaming mug of coffee.
"Hey Mike, good morning!" he said with a faint smile. "What's up?"
Mike felt under-dressed in his usual work-at-home attire but figured Paul wouldn't much care.
"Do you mind if we chat for a bit?" he asked, forcing a sheepish grin. He held the latest orange envelope. "We've been getting these the past few nights. And I have to ask you..."
"So, you're wondering if that's been me, and no it's not," Paul replied. "But I don't blame you for asking me that. Come on in and let's talk."
He offered Mike a cup of coffee but he politely declined and they sat down at the kitchen table. He told Mike he had about twenty minutes or so before he needed to head into work but this wouldn't take long.
"Not sure how much you know about this town," he began, sipping from his cup. "But it wasn't always called Sowhen." He paused and set down his nearly empty mug. "Back in the late 80s or early 90s, a man named Samuel Hayne moved down here from somewhere in the Midwest. He'd been a fairly successful businessman making those creepy Halloween masks and as he'd gotten older, didn't much care for the harsh winters. So he packed and moved his whole operation here. The town had been dying for a long time and he brought factory jobs and revitalized the entire place until he passed away back in 2007. The town was renamed at some point after he'd moved here and while you may not realize this, it was named after him. His own birth name had been something else but he had it legally changed when he still lived in Ohio or wherever. Samuel Hayne or Sam Hayne, which is really a clever nod to Samhain, the Celtic or pagan holiday that's otherwise known as Halloween. The town became Sowhen, which is the correct pronunciation of Samhain, by the way. It was a way to honor him, and all he did for this place. And to, of course, celebrate All Hallows Eve."
This was totally insane, but in some crazy way it did make sense. But Mike didn't know what to say. He wanted to mention the three ghoulish masked figures leaving notes at his doorstep but also didn't want to take up more of Paul's time. He thanked him and Paul led him to the front door.
"Have a good day, Mike," he said, standing in the doorway. "Let me know if you have any more questions, okay? And have fun putting up more Halloween stuff, too!"
Mike nodded, smiling faintly, and headed back across the street. He went back inside and into his office. He kept thinking about who those three masked Halloween creeps might be but had no idea. He didn't know anyone else around here besides Paul. They did seem vaguely familiar, though, and for some reason he kept thinking he'd seen figures like them in an old 80s horror movie but couldn't recall which one. He was more of an action movie guy, anyway.
The rest of the day, just a few days before Halloween, went by quickly as he'd been on numerous conference calls, among his other usual duties. He'd even cut his lunch break short, and before he knew it, his wife and kids got home and he called it quits for the day. He needed a hot, home-cooked meal and maybe even a glass of whiskey over ice to unwind.
Mike never mentioned the latest note, the video feed, or his conversation with Paul to Cheryl. Maybe he'd mention the latter at a later date but for now, he didn't care to bring it up.
And like the past few nights after such a busy hectic week, the Watson family called it an early evening.
Mike woke up suddenly, pulled immediately from his slumber because of a small furtive noise somewhere in the house. At first he thought it was one the kids heading to the kitchen for a glass of ice water. But no, that wasn't it.
Carefully, he crept from the bed, not waking up his sleeping wife. Cheryl was a deep sleeper and even her smartphone alarm wouldn't drag her awake right away.
Mike opened the bedroom door all the way and stepped out into the hallway. He'd started to turn left, thinking the noise came from the living room but then a movement to his right caught his attention.
He froze in his tracks. Three shadowy figures stood near the doors to the bedrooms belonging to his son and daughter. While the hallway was cloaked with murky darkness, he recognized the masks. Pumpkin Face, Skull Head, and the Witch. They turned to face him. Each one held objects in their hands: a large butcher knife, machete, and short-handled ax.
Mike was stunned. His mouth fell open. Pumpkin Face lifted one hand, showing him the knife's blade, which glistened and dripped with dark, syrupy liquid.
Blood.
His open mouth widened, eyes bulging as the three darkly sinister beings converged on him. Holding up his arms, palms out, he screamed.
And woke up, thrashing his legs, tangled in bedsheets and the comforter, soaked in sweat. He sat up from the crumpled, dampened pillows and scooted to the edge of the bed. Cheryl still slept, snoring away.
Mike got up, relieved his aching bladder and splashed water on his face. Then he went to check on the kids. Naturally, they were just fine. No eerie masked figures toting sharp implements lurked. And they wouldn't be because he'd just had a nightmare. Probably the worst one of his life.
Because he was up three hours before his normal wake up time, Mike made coffee and got an early start to his workday. Which was be good because he'd already planned on a longer than usual lunch break.
Later that morning, Mike didn't tell his wife about the terrible, awful dream. He'd already made up his mind about all this Halloween business.
While his wife and kids were away at work and school, Mike made a trip into town. Of course, Sowhen had one of those big box Halloween stores. Mike spent more than he should have but hopefully this would end the threatening messages and horrifying nightmares.
When his family got home, they were at first surprised and then surprisingly delighted to see how their house had been decorated to match the other houses along the street. Even Paul came out to admire and congratulate him on the array of ghastly displays, much of them of the animatronic variety with blinking red and yellow eyes and ghoulish laughter. Mike had even put up creepy green and orange spotlights and added a small fog machine, too.
"Mike, you went all out!" Paul exclaimed with honest enthusiasm. "I absolutely love it and I'm sure the other neighbors do as well." He patted him on the back and Mike thanked him. Paul smiled and headed back to his house.
Later that night, after dinner and enjoying a small glass of whiskey over ice, Mike went to bed. He didn't have any bad dreams about deadly masked Halloween invaders in his home.
And the next morning, on the day before Halloween, there was no orange envelope stamped with a Jack O' Lantern left on the doorstep.
Happy Halloween 🎃 🎃🎃
