My Halloween Nightmare: Was it Real or Just Imagined

The ability to see into the future has been in my family for generations so I should have paid attention to the cold chill that ran down my spine as I picked up the plain, white envelope left on my doorstep three days before Halloween. At the time, I passed it off as my body's reaction to the cold fall weather. I should've known better but as it was, I was totally unaware of the terrifying events that were about to unfold.

I was rushing out the door that morning, just like every other morning for the past month, when I saw the envelope on my porch. When I picked it up, I thought to myself "How strange" as I noticed that the only marking on the envelope was my name, scrawled in crimson-colored ink across the front. I was in a hurry so I just threw the letter in the car and forgot about it until Halloween morning when I noticed it once again. I opened up the envelope and inside was an invitation to the Grand Opening of "Ye Old Costume and Potion Shop." It advertised deep discounts on life-like costumes. I couldn't believe my luck. I had been so busy that I had forgotten to pick up a costume for my boss' Halloween party. After work, I stopped by the shop. As soon as I walked in, I felt the same cold chill that I felt when I first picked up the envelope, but again, I ignored it.

True to the advertisement, the costumes were life-like. I could almost feel them staring at me. The clerk at the desk was just as creepy. He was bald, and appeared to be very old. His spine was so distorted that he looked like he was frozen in a bent-over position. When he smiled, I could see the few teeth that he had left. They were just pointed nibs. The light in the store cast a shadow upon his pure, white skin so it looked like he was glowing green. I cringed when he asked me if I needed help because his voice had the same squeaky tone as fingernails running over a chalkboard. I thought to myself "Get out of here now" but it was too late. When I turned to walk out of the door, I noticed the door was no longer there. When I turned around again, the shop had morphed into a cave. I started to run down a long, dark passageway. Behind me, I could hear the groans of the "undead" and the heavy footsteps of my pursuers. Up ahead, I could hear some strange chanting. I kept running but there didn't seem to be any escape. I ran further down the long passageway looking everywhere for a way out. Finally, I noticed a heavy door on the right. I opened it and ran inside. I could hear the heavy footsteps pass by. I thought that I was finally safe when something touched me from behind. I started to scream but I was so frightened that no sound escaped from my mouth. I turned around…..

I don't remember what happened next. I vaguely recall a clock in the distance striking midnight. I found myself in my own bed the next morning thinking it was just a nightmare but I noticed a scrap of what appeared to be a black shroud clenched in my hand.