Sara was on her way to visit her mom. Another Halloween, and she wanted her mom to come to her place for the evening. Sara worried about her mother. She lived alone by choice.Sara was her only child and when her father died she tried to get her mom to sell her house and move in with her and her partner Alan.

Her mom liked Alan, but she didn't approve of their living together. Sally knew but made out like she didn't because she chose not to discuss it with her mom who was an old fashioned dear, that was a victim of her own victorian style upbringing.

Now at the house an old seven room two story, much too big for one 67 yr old woman to handle, but her mom wouldn't budge. "Sara dear, I'm staying home as I always do, this is a good neighborhood, I know everyone and I have the same people come every halloween. The kids all know I stop answering the Door after 9:00 p.m." Sara was frustrated "Mom, I know that, but times are different now, there was rumor of a break in, right around the corner" .... "Please Sara, don't keep going over that, no one knows for sure, what happened

"Well mom, I have to go I can't stay and argue, I can never get you to do anything anyway." Julia looked at her lovely daughter and said,"Give me a hug, and don't worry my dear I'll be fine." Sara nodded" make sure you keep your cell phone handy and just press the #2 button if anything looks suspicious."

After Sara left, Julia went into the kitchen to make sure all the small baggies were filled with homemade cookies and fudge for the kids that would come trick or treating. She had finished supper and was sitting at the kitchen table reading her favorite book of poems when she heard a noise upstairs.

It sounded like something was dropped, followed by quick moving footsteps. At the same time the bell rang, and Julia went to the door, there was a batman, a fairy, and a ghost, they yelled the usual "Trick or Treat' and she said "Okay now if you promise not to capture me, here's your treat" they all laughed and said thank you Mrs Barton" in their sing song voices.

They were only little ones, if they had been older she would have asked them to go upstairs with her to look around. She stayed there with the door open hoping someone older came along. She heard more noise and felt certain someone was upstairs. She became a bit frightened, having never had this experience before. The sounds were distinct, she couldn't be mistaken. It seemed no one else was coming, so she went back into the kitchen, but left the front door partly opened.

She had her cell phone in her sweater pocket, and almost pushed the #2 button when she heard what sounded like something being dragged across the floor above her. Then it stopped and another banging at the door. This time it was two older boys she recognized as her neighbors sons. One dressed as a bum and one like Elvis. she said "Boys before I give you your treat, you have to come upstairs with me, I heard noises up there and want to make sure no one is there." They laughed and one said "Are you kidding, is this a halloween prank?

She hurriedly said "No no I'm serious, c'mon boys help me look, I have my phone and will call the police right away if we find anyone." One boy said" I think you should call someone now. " Julia answered,"I don't want to be called an old fool, I'm not sure anyone is there,please have a look with me first." So the three of them trudged up the stairs. There were three bedrooms and a bath to search they went through the rooms and closets too and found nothing.

Then she said, there's the attic too, but no one can get up there without the key. She went to make sure the door was locked, but found that it was opened and had been jimmied. She put her finger to her mouth and motioned for the boys to go downstairs, she went too. then she dialed the police. She went outside with the boys and they waited there with her for them to arrive.

When the police came, they went on a thorough search of the house. From basement to attic, garage and all the grounds. They found nothing. Julia was flustered and chagrined. The police had told her it was Halloween and many scary sounds and things happen not to be embarrassed. They put a temporary lock on the attic door, there was no way for anyone to get in from outside without a huge ladder. They made her promise to call her daughter to come get her. She had said she would.

After they left, Julia went in the house, locked the doors and made some hot chocolate. It was close to 10:00 P.M. She thought she'd sit in her recliner for awhile before going upstairs to bed. She still felt unsettled.She was sitting in her recliner watching the news, when she heard the noise again upstairs as if someone was dragging something across the floor.

She was puzzled trying to figure out what the sound could be. If everything hadn't just been searched she would be worrying, but everything was now locked, no one could get in. Then there was a faint sound of someone humming, she began to shiver, this is getting ridiculous. Finally her pride be damned she dialed her daughter.

The phone didn't respond. She tried again there was no dial tone. She went into the kitchen to use the wall phone, it was dead. Now her insides were turning to mush, "oh god don't let anything bad happen please" she headed for the front door to run outside and just as she got to the door, an arm went around her waist and one hand over her face and she was dragged into the living room.

The next day her daughter came to see why she wasn't answering her phone. Her mother was sitting in her recliner chair, the TV was on, her mother was dead. They said she died of a heart attack right in the chair, so quick she probably couldn't dial fast enough. Her cell phone was in her sweater pocket, the daughter tried it and it worked fine.

The police came to search again since they had been there before and it seemed strange, how it happened. But they found nothing out of place. They concluded that she had been frightened hearing noises and at her age, having a weak heart ,it being Halloween,her fright made her agitated and prompted an attack,her heart just gave out. They found no suspicious circumstances.

THE END

  A Halloween Mystery written by: By E T Waldron




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