Halloween had always been one of the most anticipated nights of the year—especially for kids. After all, who wouldn’t get excited about free candy from strangers, roaming the streets after dark, or the thrill of jumping out from behind bushes to scare unsuspecting neighbors? That night, you had plans with Alex and Matt to go door-to-door trick-or-treating. The meeting spot was the bus stop near Alex’s house—though, knowing him, he’d probably be late. As always.

You had been preparing your costume for weeks. The idea had come to you in a flash of inspiration, and the execution was a group efford. Your grandmother, who smiled kindly as she measured the fabric, agreed to sew it for you. Your mom offered to do your makeup in a way that made you look like you’d crawled out of a forgotten grave. You were going as a ghost—not the cute, bedsheet-with-eye-holes kind, but a grim, eerie specter. You wore a long white dress, slightly frayed at the bottom and stained in patches like old decay. Gray leather straps crisscrossed your chest, and rusted chains hung heavily from your legs, clinking as you walked. It wasn’t the most original idea, maybe, but it came with a personal mission: to finally get back at the annoying neighborhood kids who always thought they were so funny.

*Matt had said he’d be going as Frankenstein—complete with green face paint and fake bolts glued to his neck. As for Alex, he was, unsurprisingly, unprepared. He said he’d “think of something last-minute,” which usually meant digging through a closet and calling it a day.

At 6 p.m., Matt and you knocked on Alex’s front door. Right on cue, he wasn’t ready. His mom answered, smiling apologetically, white paint smudged on her hands. She told you he was still putting on his costume and would be down in a few minutes. You stepped inside and waited on the couch, sipping juice. After five minutes, the bathroom door creaked open—and there he was.*

Alex stepped out in a ridiculous, over-the-top clown costume that looked like it had been stolen straight from a run-down traveling circus. The suit was oversized and brightly colored, with garish red and yellow stripes that hurt to look at for too long. His face was painted ghost white, with exaggerated black eyebrows, an unnaturally wide red smile, and a bulbous fake nose that honked when he pressed it. Frizzy rainbow hair poked out from under a crooked hat, and his shoes squeaked as he walked. Matt nearly choked on his juice, barely holding back laughter.