Halloween Horrors by Rosanne Catalano (aka Rckayla)

Every year for Halloween I loved dressing up in different costumes and going trick or treating with my sister and brother. One year I dressed as Cinderella, then another year as Snow White, an Angel, Jack -n-Jill (where my sister was Jack because she was the tomboy, and I was Jill lol!), and other fun outfits that either my mom or grandmother sewed, or they store-bought.

But I was beyond costumes at thirteen years of age when my friends, Carina, Katelyn and I had decided to go trick or treating by our school. It was a suburban community in Long Island, New York like the neighborhood where I lived with my parents, older brother and younger sister; peaceful and relatively safe thirty-five years ago.

Although none of us had ever done that in a strange neighborhood, we were up for trick or treating near the school we attended. Carina, Katelyn and I went during our hour-lunch break. Some of the homeowners commented about us being kind of old to be trick or treating; especially since we had no costumes on. We didn't care though. As far as we were concerned, we were still young enough to trick or treat. Plus, we had seen a lot of older teens also trick or treating!

Everything went well. My friends and I went back to school with our Halloween bags filled with lots of candy, some money and an apple. When school let out at 3:30 pm, we went home to our own houses thinking nothing of an apple being amongst our candy. At least I didn't. That could be because I loved apples, and figured one of those homeowners couldn't afford candy and put an apple in our bags instead.

After hopping off the school bus, I walked into my parent's home with the bag of Halloween goodies. Happily dumping the candy, money (pennies actually, for UNICEF) and apple on my mother's kitchen table, my younger sister (who had been on the school bus with me) and I went through the candy. I picked up the apple, and turned it all ways looking for anything suspicious-looking. It looked fine so, for sanitary reasons, I ran it under cold water. Since I didn't see anything I bit into the apple.

Then I saw a flash of metal, and pulled the apple out of my mouth. Looking at what was a razor blade stuck inside the apple, I dropped the apple in the garbage pail. My eyes went wide with horror as I looked at my sister. Her mouth was open in horror as she said "OH MY GOD!"

"Oh my God I know ... that could have sliced my mouth in half if I had bitten down directly on that blade," I remember whispering.

"Just because it was by your school doesn't mean it wasn't a strange neighborhood, sis. You shouldn't have trick or treated in a neighborhood you know nothing about!"

"You're right. I definitely won't anymore! Oh my God... let's not tell mom or dad, ok?"

I never did tell my parents about finding the razor blade in the apple; I thought they would ground me. And especially at 13...I felt if those homeowners thought we were too old to be trick or treating, so would my parents think so too.

Once I threw the apple in the garbage pail, I tried to forget my close call ever happened... something I became adept at when bad things did occur in my life. But this year I was talking with a dear friend about why I was a little turned off to Halloween, and she told me I should write about what happened to me. I decided I would so that it may help another child never go through what I did on my last Halloween.

Now I ask myself, "why did I trick or treat in a different area than my own neighborhood; was it to fit in with my two friends?Was I looking for approval, and that is why I thought that I, too, was up for trick or treating in a different neighborhood than my own?" I'm not sure why; I was thirteen then, I'm now forty-eight and it's hard to remember my motive for doing Halloween in the area by my school (an unknown neighborhood!) since I knew better.

This is a true story of what happened to me one Halloween. The year was 1971, thirty-five years ago. Things have gotten scarier for our children since so please do be very careful this Halloween! Stick with the known. Your children and you will be safer for it.

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Copyright © October 2006 Rosanne Catalano

Written by Rosanne Catalano, (aka R.C.Kayla) ctrosanne@verizon.net

Publisher: The Cat's Meow for Writers & Readers, an Internet literary magazine

Author: Mirrored Images (2007), Touch of Tomorrow (2002) and numerous short stories, poetry and articles published in print & online

Website: www.rosannecatalano.net

Blog: http://thecatsmeowforwritersreaders.blogspot.com

MySpace: www.myspace.com/rcatalano

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rosanne.catalano

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rosannecatalano

Associated Content: www.associatedcontent.com/user/9206/rckayla.html