All right, I know it's too early for Halloween...but who cares? You're never too old to love holidays like that, right? This story was inspired by 'The Halloween Tree' so it might have some resemblance to the plot.
Second, the characters are all going to be portrayed a bit differently than usual. I'm sorry, but it's sort of necessary.
And last, the characters do not belong to me, but they belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and the story basing this belongs to Ray Bradbury...I'm just doing my own interpretation of this project.
Okay, now we can begin!
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The Halloween Tree
by Green Phantom Queen
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chapter 1: The Surprise
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In a small town clustered in wilderness, yet still seen amongst the trees and lake surrounding it, it was Halloween. That special holiday—better than Easter, even better than Christmas—was foretold by laughter, sweets and pumpkin spirits floating in the air.
However, every town has its own secrets. And it just so happens that once every year on All Hallow's Eve, a warlock appears in the deepest and darkest part of town, calling and beckoning children to enter his domain. Anyone who enters never escapes...and even if they did, they never were the same.
On one particular Halloween, three best friends were out trick-or-treating as they always did. But on that particular night, their lives were changed forever.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Mom?" cried a voice down in the basement. "Where's my helmet?"
"It's next to your bike, sweetie." replied the mother from the kitchen. "But Alister dear, I thought you were walking."
"I meant my Dyna Dude-Torrent Guy helmet, Mom!" Alister replied with some panic in his voice. The ten-year-old couldn't believe it; he was going to be late for this year's Trick or Treating with Valon and Raphael if he didn't get his costume ready. He grimaced at the thought of Valon rubbing it into his face that he was late—whomever was late was punished by their tradition of wet willies with the two attackers screaming 'Wet Willy, Silly Willy. Never ever late again!'
The young red haired boy was dressed in a white Gundam-like armor with lightning bolts on the back of his gloves and shoes, along with a black chest-plate with silver lightning bolts zigzagging back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair, grey eyes scanning the basement for any sign of the helmet. How could he lose it at a time like this?
"Ahhh..." Alister growled. "I'm doomed! It's wet willies tonight, I swear!"
"Big brother?" whispered a young voice. "Are you looking for this?"
Alister turned around, seeing his younger brother Mikey with his helmet in his hand—a silver motorcycle helmet with a yellow lightning bolt going down the forehead. Mikey himself was dressed in a costume similar to his brother's, except it was blue on the shoulders and feet, but red at the knee-pads and chest-plate. His face was covered by a white helmet while a yellow paper bag was dangling down his left wrist.
"I found this in your room, big brother." Mikey explained. "You must've left it there as you were getting your costume ready."
"Thank you so much, Mikey!" Alister exclaimed, running up to hug his brother. "I owe you big time!"
"Then...can we go see that new Dyna Dude movie on my birthday?"
"Sure! Now come on, let's get going!"
"Yeah! This'll be my first time trick-or-treating, you know."
"All right." said Alister, taking the helmet into his hands and placing it on his head. "Just make sure you stay close by; I don't wanna lose you on a night like this."
"Promise!" said Mikey, crossing his heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die!"
Alister just laughed as he brought an old pillow case in his hand. Tonight was going to be a fun night.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Oh, come on Raph!" said the young boy to his brother. "You definitely have to wear the mask."
"You'll look just like a knight in shining armor with it!" the young girl added.
"I don't know guys." said Raphael, staring at himself in the mirror. "It looks...kinda cheesy."
The eleven-year-old looked at his costume; a tuxedo along with a top hat, cape and cane. His hands were covered with white gloves and in one of his hands was a white eye-mask that Julien and Sonia—his younger brother and sister—picked out for him. He placed the mask on his face and stared at his reflections once more.
"Well...a masked magician is still a magician either way." Raphael said to himself. "I guess I can wear it."
"That's the spirit!" said Sonia, dressed in a pink dress with a golden crown on top of her blonde hair. "And he'll sweep all of the girls off of his feet before they know it!"
"And with his hocus pocus powers, he'll defeat anyone who tries to stand in his way!" Julien added, dressed like a vampire with a white blouse, black pants, boots and a cape. When he smiled, it showed the fake fangs that was placed in his mouth. "But Raph, it took you at least five minutes to decide on the mask. It's almost 8!"
"Almost 8?" Raphael exclaimed, turning to see the clock. "Oh no! Bye guys; I have to get going before Val and Alister get there...or else it's wet willies for me!"
"Wet Willy, Silly Nilly! Never ever late again!" Sonia and Julien chanted as their older brother grasped onto his trick or treat bag. "Wet Willy, Silly Nilly! Never ever late again!"
Raphael groaned as his brother and sister continued to chant that rhyme; he was the victim last year because of his decision on bringing a jacket or not. He couldn't let that happen again.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Be careful, dear!" said the nun, seeing Valon leaving the chapel. "And please return by dawn!"
"I promise!" said Valon, waving goodbye to his caretaker. Dressed in silver and blue futuristic armor similar to Alister's, he began to race down the street to the meeting place; Clock Tower Square, noted by the tall silver clock surrounded by flowers and shrubs. He laughed as he knew what was happening; it was Halloween, the greatest day of the year. For one day only, he was allowed to roam free and snack on all of the sweets and goodies he would get that evening. Plus, he was hanging out with his best friends and it made it even better.
The three first met when Raphael moved into town about four years ago. Raphael's family was rich and it felt as both Raphael and Valon would not get along due to their upcoming (while Raphael was rich, Valon was an orphan and mostly known for duking it out with bullies on a daily basis.) But the two eventually became close friends, spending time exploring the town and wrestling.
Alister came into town on Halloween a year later. His mother was divorced and wanted to make a fresh start so he and Mikey were taken in. It was there that Valon instigated the infamous 'Wet Willy' attack that made him and Alister slowly become friends, the same incident that they repeated to each other whenever one would arrive late. The two were inseparable, with Alister sent by his mother to give him some baked goodies for him to snack on, and Valon being paid every now and then to babysit Mikey when Alister was off doing some strange errand. All in all, life was good.
Valon rushed toward the square, panting for breath as he sat at one of the benches. Surrounding him were young kids dressed in costumes and masks, talking and laughing away. The wind was blowing gently, swaying the trees whose autumn leaves began raining down upon the town. Pumpkins and witches and ghosts...tonight this air was filled something magical.
"Phew!" he cried, lifting his helmet to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "I made it...and that means both Alister and Raphael..."
"Right here!" said Alister, from behind, looking down at Valon. Valon screamed as he saw Alister grin at him. "And you're late."
"No I'm not." said Valon. "Raph's not here either!"
"I'm here, alright." said Raphael to the right of the spiky brunette boy. "And you know what that means..."
Alister grinned, sticking a finger in his mouth before pulling it out. Likewise, Raphael did the same thing (but only after he pulled the glove off). Valon gulped as he felt wet fingers in his ears.
"Wet Willy, Silly Nilly! Never ever late again!" Alister and Raphael chanted before bursting into a fit of laughter. Valon snarled, but couldn't help but smile a bit.
"Fine, you got me." said Valon, standing up. "Guess that means that we've already been Wet Willied once."
"Coincidence, don't you think?" said Raphael, slipping his glove back into his hand once more "But then again, you were the one who brought out the idea."
"Speaking of ideas." said Alister, noticing Valon's outfit. "You stole my costume!"
"No I didn't!" Valon rebutted. "I'm Silver Guard from Masked Biker! And you're a Lightning Lord ripoff!"
"I'm not Lightning Lord! I'm Dyna Dude-Torrent Guy from Dyna Dude-Storm Rangers! And he can totally defeat Silver Guard in one-on-one match!"
"No he can't! Torrent Guy has to rely on Sonic Shooter to back him up; without him, he's useless!"
"Take that back!" Alister growled.
"Make me." Valon replied with a grin.
"Guys, knock it off." Raphael exclaimed, getting in-between his friends. "We're wasting time here; if we don't get a move on it, we're not going to get any candy."
"He's right, big brother!" said Mikey, who was standing behind Alister the whole time. "And I have to meet up with my friends."
"Then it looks like we're going to the upper part of the neighborhood as our first stop." said Valon. "And it's about time too; I'll be the first to get one of those Duel Monster card packets out of all of us!"
"Still trying to complete that Armor collection?" asked Alister.
"Of course!" Valon answered back, pulling out a deck of cards from a plastic bag. "My Armor Deck is missing that final card; Psychic Armor Head! Without it, my armor would fall apart."
"Because it needs a brain, right?" Alister asked sarcastically.
"Yeah! It needs a—hey!"
Alister just snickered before running off.
"Last one to the Game Shop is a Kuriboh!" He cried.
"Come back here, big brother!" said Mikey as the rest began to head off for their night of sweets.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The upper part of the neighborhood was already dressed in Halloween decorations. Orange and black paper lanterns swayed amongst the glow of the shining lamp posts while porches had grinning jack-o-lanterns greet the younger kids. Running around from house to house were boys and girls dressed in costumes and masks while carrying bags of sweets. Some of the houses were swathed in darkness, but if they were it was because the family inside them were out trick-or-treating.
The four boys soon made it to the Game Shop, eagerly waiting for their first treats for the evening. The Game Shop, run by old Solomon Muto, was already having its share of 'first come, first serve' as children were lining up to get sweets and booster packs for their decks. Valon was waiting in anticipation behind a smaller group of boys, eager to finally get his deck completed. In a few seconds, it was their turn for treats.
"Mr. Muto! Mr. Muto!" Valon cried, jumping into the air. "I'm here!"
"Why, if it isn't young Valon?" said Solomon, chuckling to see the young spiky brunette approaching him. "How's that deck of yours going?"
"Almost complete!" Valon answered. "All I need now is that elusive Psychic Armor Head and that'll be it."
"If he even gets one, I'll hand him all of my Cherry Bombers before we leave for home." Alister whispered to Raphael. "Psychic Armor Heads are hard to come by."
"I heard that!" said Valon, turning to his friend. "And let's sweeten the deal; I'll give up my Lemon Smashers if I don't get a single Psychic Armor Head tonight."
"Deal!" said Alister, the two boys shaking on it. Raphael just sighed as Mikey looked on in confusion.
"Does my brother always do something like this?" asked the younger boy.
"Lots and lots of times." Raphael answered in reply.
Solomon gave the four a beaming smile as he placed a goodie bag into each of their baskets. Valon immediately dove into his, seeing a few pierces of candy and a booster pack inside.
"The moment of truth." He whispered, untying the ribbon that kept all of the contents inside the bag together. "Here it comes..."
Placing the candy back inside his bag, Valon took the booster pack into his hands and tore it open. Inside were five Duel Monster cards...one of them had to be the card he was searching for.
"Well?" asked Alister, silently praying that he didn't have to give his favorite candy to Valon. "What'd you get?"
Valon's eyes widened in surprise as he let out a happy cry, jumping up and down. In his hand was a Psychic Armor Head card.
"I did it!" He cried. "I finally got the elusive card! And now your Cherry Bombers are mine, Alister!"
Alister moaned, knowing he wasn't going to hear the end of it this for the rest of the evening. Raphael just placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Look at it this way." He stated. "At least you weren't betting those Exploding Pebbles you like so much."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Alister said in reply, seeing Valon jumping up and down with delight. "The guy's been through so much, it's the least I can do."
Raphael nodded his head, recalling the stories Valon told him about his childhood. Orphaned at the age of three, he was staying with a kind nun in the church where he helped out with the other kids. Unfortunately, Valon was also a fighter and would often get into a lot of scuffles to prove his point. He didn't have a lot of friends, but if he could find one, then Valon would do anything he could to protect them.
The three boys had a bond that couldn't be broken—if it wasn't for Valon bringing them together, who knows what would've happened to them all. And yet...and yet they wanted to help their friend. For the past couple of days, Valon was having nausea and vomiting. The nun back at the old church was trying her hardest to help the poor boy...but it looked like he was gravely ill.
"I did it! I did it!" Valon cried. "I-"
Suddenly, he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and was moaning in pain. Slowly, he tried to stand up, but had a hand on his forehead.
"I don't feel so good..." Valon muttered. "I feel like I'm gonna...like I'm gonna..."
He threw up. The sounds of retching was heard as bile and vomit escaped his throat. Alister and Raphael looked away—Alister placing a hand in front of his brother's face.
"Eww..." Alister moaned. "What did you eat?"
"I don't know..." Valon gasped out, once he stopped throwing up. "I feel like I'm gonna die."
Solomon immediately raced to phone, dialing 911. He knew things were going to turn out bad.
"Hello operator?" The old man said in the receiver. "Please come to my address; a poor kid is suffering through something bad."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ten minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Valon was already taken in, moaning in pain as Alister, Raphael and Mikey looked on.
"Get well soon, Valon!" said Mikey, waving a hand goodbye. "After all, big brother owes you candy!"
"I'll try..." Valon replied with a cough. "And besides, I promised to duel Alister once my Armor deck was complete and I'm not breaking my promise."
"Good luck." said Alister, placing Valon's trick-or-treat bag onto the boy's stomach. "Enjoy your reward."
"Thanks, mate." Valon whispered. "Just go on with your trick-or-treating without me. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"asked Raphael. "We've never went trick-or-treating without you, you know."
"If you keep on worrying about little ol' me, then you won't be going out bobbing for apples or getting lollipops and Vanilla Clusters. Besides, I'll be fine. There'll be other Halloweens after this one."
That was the last Valon said as the doors to the back of the ambulance closed and its siren began to wail. Then, it sped off to the hospital, leaving everyone to return to their business of candy and Halloween festivities.
"So..." said Mikey. "What do we do now?"
"Do what we always do whenever Valon can't make it to something." Alister answered. "We...go on without him."
Raphael slightly nodded his head to reply. Still, even with Alister's answer...he could feel the red head also worried about Valon's condition. Was Valon going to survive whatever was ailing him? He hoped so.
"Come on!" said Mikey, pointing to a house across the street. "Let's go to Téa's house and see if she's got those yummy cookies to give out!"
"I don't know," said Alister. "Téa really doesn't like me all that much."
"Was it because of that time-"
"Don't ever mention that again." said Alister, interrupting his brother. "Just never mention it again, okay?"
"Oh." said Mikey, nodding his head. "Okay."
"You heard what Valon said." said Raphael, his lips turning into a smile. "Onward to trick-or-treating."
"Yeah." Alister whispered, still feeling as if something bad was going to happen. "Let's...go."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Three hours had passed since the ambulance took Valon away. Alister, Mikey and Raphael were already down at their neighborhood for treats, stopping once at Alister's house for a small snack.
"My bag's getting heavy." said Mikey, catching up with his brother. "We got so much candy!"
"I know." Alister replied, biting into his candy apple. "It amazes me how people love Halloween here."
"Everyone loves Halloween." Raphael added. "Valon loves it the most though; only because he gets to be free and not be cooped up at the church from dusk till dawn.."
"But there has to be a way that Valon can be free like that all the time!" said Mikey. "Is there a way?"
"Not unless someone adopts him." Alister replied. "According to the nun, she stated that no one wants Valon because of his 'rough-housing and tendency to get into fights'. But if those people can just get through his dirt-stained face, they'll see someone who just wants a mother and father. It's kind of sad when you think about it."
"Hey! You three!"
The three boys turned around, seeing a young girl in a violet cloak and witch hat riding to them on her bicycle. She also had long blonde hair and orchid eyes that were staring at them with intense fury. Attached to the sides of her bike were two broomsticks.
"Oh great." said Alister with some annoyance. "It's Mai."
Mai pressed the brakes of her bike, stopping a few inches from the three. In one of her hands was a piece of paper.
"Tell that spiky friend of yours to stop playing pranks on me!" Mai snarled, shoving the piece of paper into Raphael's chest. "That little creep thinks he can tape this to my back while I'm getting candy. The nerve!"
"But Miss Mai." said Mikey, hiding behind his older brother. "Valon was sent to the hospital a couple of hours ago. He couldn't have been with you."
"Huh?" asked Mai, blinking a bit. "What did you say?"
"My brother's speaking the truth." said Alister. "Valon started throwing up and had stomach pains, so Mr. Muto called an ambulance and it picked him up."
"But he was right there!" Mai exclaimed. "He looked as pale as a ghost, and then he ran off. Then I noticed the letter."
"Are you sure it was Valon?" asked Alister. "What was his costume?"
"It looked similar to yours, actually." Mai answered, pointing to the red haired boy's costume. "It was silver and blue, sort of like something from that action show."
"You mean Masked Biker!" Mikey exclaimed. "Then that had to be Valon! He was the only person who was dressed like that in the whole neighborhood!"
"Take a look at this, Alister." said Raphael, reading the letter out loud. "'Dear Al and Raph, sorry for spoiling your fun.'"
"'I'm at the hospital, something about 'appendicitis'.'" Alister continued, taking the letter into his hands.
"'Don't worry about me. Signed, Valon'." Mikey ended. "Alister, what's appendicitis?"
"I don't know." said Alister. "But I heard you could die from that."
"'P.S.'" said Mai, reading the last part of the letter. "'Go ahead without me. I'll catch up. Ready, set, go?'"
"But this can't be right." said Raphael. "He's been at the hospital for three hours, and even if he was well, he'd be kept there until morning."
"...There's a shortcut to the hospital." said Alister, slipping the letter into his bag. "Come on."
"But Alister," Mikey gulped. "Mom said not to go that way. You know...because of the warlock."
"That superstition?" said Mai. "As long as you stay with me, nothing can harm you."
"Except her probably." Raphael whispered to Alister.
"And besides, you heard what Valon said." Mai added, ignoring Raphael's comment about her. "Ready...set...go!"
With that cry, the four soon ventured toward the short cut, in hopes of making sure their friend was alright.