Halloween is the one day out of the year where tricks can turn into treats, and treats into tricks. A person can be sweet or sour, cute or scary. The lines of fiction and reality mix in a seamless blur, giving a surrealistic view of a world that tends to take itself too seriously.
Considerations like these were the inspiration for Harley's costume. She wanted to be something different this time, something that would provoke a sense of wonder yet stir a subconscious fear. And what better figure to portray such opposing emotions than the Batman?
Harley knew her puddin' would get a kick out of the outfit when she arrived at the get-together. It was a shame they couldn't arrive at the party as a couple, but the Joker had to do what the Joker had to do. At least after a long day of work he'd have the chance come out and play.
Ever since she first laid eyes on Gotham, Harley had relished seeing the city at night. There was something special about viewing hundreds of tiny blinking lights from afar, and knowing that there were thousands of people controlling the tiny beams. There was so much potential, so many stories, and so much life hidden between those balls of light and the blanket of darkness they lay upon.
That night, however, Harley's eyes were fixed on her more immediate surroundings. Streets swarmed with adolescents going out to parties, and neighborhoods threatened to overflow with sugar-induced children. It was one of such neighborhoods that Harley had to pass through to get to her destination.
As she made her way through the crowd, Harley became aware that it was times like these she longed to be a part of this crowd, complete with a girl in one hand and a boy in the other. In her mind the paleness vanished from her face, revealing the flesh-colored tone of humanity in both Mommy Harley and Daddy Joker.
This was Harley's dream, but it was not meant to be her reality. She was condemned to wear the color of death until her body was no more, marking her a monster to the people of Gotham. Halloween, of course, was the only exception. Harley could blend in with the others who hid behind makeup and masks, giving her a false sense that somehow she'd found a way to fit in.
Amongst the laughter and jeering, Harley heard a soft cry. At first she paid no mind; sometimes the voices in her head giggled, and other times they screamed. But this seemed too clear to be just another voice without a face.
Harley scanned the streets. At first she only saw crowds of costumed children, but eventually she pinpointed the lone voice, a small girl in an angel outfit standing all by herself.
A sense of pity weighed on Harley's heart. She knew what it felt like to be lost and alone; she'd experienced this with the loss of her family when she was a teenager. But to be without a guardian at such a young age, with all the world passing by in such an uncaring manner…
Side stepping a group of ghosts and witches half her size, Harley made her way over to the girl.
"Hi," Harley said, albeit a little awkwardly, as she knelt down. It had been a few years since she'd talked to a youth; it wasn't like her lifestyle allowed many opportunities. "Is everything okay?"
"I can't find my group," the girl sniffed.
Harley sized the child up. The girl must've been only six or seven years old. Poor thing.
"Where did you last see them?" Harley asked.
"Over there," the girl pointed at one of the many townhouses. "We were trick or treating,"
"Do you know where they were headed?"
The girl, her eyes still glassy from tears, thought for a moment. "Duke Street," she replied, "But I don't know where that is,"
Harley didn't either, but she had upmost faith that her GPS did. Pulling out her phone, Harley tapped a few buttons to retrieve the local coordinates.
"Looks like it's a few blocks over," Harley said, "Past that street down there, then a right on the next,"
The girl looked totally confused by Harley's instructions. Harley tried her best not to let out an audible sigh. This kid was probably lucky if she could correctly count to twenty; perhaps expecting such a young child to follow geographical directions was too much to ask.
"Would you like me to show you?" Harley asked. She was well aware of how youngsters were taught about "stranger danger", but she couldn't leave this kid behind to fend for herself, particularly in a city such as Gotham. But the girl nodded, and with her GPS guiding the way Harley was able to locate Duke Street.
"Stella!" a voice called out when they arrived at the location. A big happy smile appeared on the girls face as she ran over to join the group she'd temporarily detached from. A few words were exchanged between an adult female and the child, and then the girl, Stella, pointed at Harley.
"Thank you so much for finding her," the woman said. "We'd begun to worry,"
"It's no trouble," Harley said, putting on the sanest smile she could muster.
Stella walked up to Harley. The girl looked more confident now that she'd reestablished her connection.
"Here," the girl reached into her plastic pumpkin and pulled out three pieces of hard candy. "These are for you as a thank you,"
Harley watched, dumbfounded, as Stella carefully placed the candy in her pale hand. Granted, Harley had a nagging suspicion that these were pieces the girl did not want, but the motivation behind this action was felt all the same. To selflessly give to someone who you'd only known for a couple minutes…it was a tender concept Harley had not thought about in a long time.
"Thank you," Harley said as she placed the purple candy in her purse. "Believe it or not, grape is my favorite flavor,"
As the group began to leave, the girl turned back one more time. "By the way," the girl said, "I love your Batman clown costume,"
Somewhere between Duke Street and the exit of the neighborhood Harley began to lose her drive to go to the Halloween party. What was the point of going to another party that would inevitably end with a drunken brawl amongst Gotham's finest thugs? While Harley was an extrovert through and through, she found herself longing to be at home that night alone with the Joker. Not everything in life had to be loud and obnoxious. Sometimes sitting quietly with the one you loved while watching the blinking city lights of the city was all you needed, knowing that behind one of those lights you had made somebody happy.
"So," Harleen pressed as she strode side by side with Harley, "How did it feel to be somebody's hero for a change?"
"I'm no hero," Harley said defensively. "Don't you ever call me that,"
Harleen shrugged. "Okay," she said, "But you have to admit it felt good to help someone in need,"
"I'm a bad guy," Harley mumbled. "I'm not evil. I couldn't leave that girl alone without somehow trying to help,"
"Either way, I'd say it's a bit of a breakthrough for someone like you. You caught a glimpse of humanity in that girl, and for once you chose to help," Harleen gave a sardonic smile. "You're not the worst patient I've ever had; there's still hope for you yet,"
[To be continued in "Where You Belong"...]