Daria Ravenclaw Highland Years Halloween Is Still On

Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years. Halloween Is Still On!

DISCLAIMER: Daria and its characters are the creations of Glen Eichler and are the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK rowling, Warner Brothers, and Wizarding World. I own neither franchise. Also, I neither expect nor deserve financial compensation for this work of fiction. I am writing for my own amusement and ego gratification.

Incidentally, the author finds positive reviews highly gratifying. Please consider writing one.

Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years*Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Year*Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years.

Daria's suspicions about the new boys proved correct. The three boys banded together and started making trouble for their classmates. To Daria's disgust, they first started picking on Highland's Latinos and Afro-American kids, shaking down the smaller and weaker kids for their lunch money. They quickly learned that they were in dangerous waters; Principal Strong did not like bullies, especially after the recent gang war. They quickly found themselves first referred to Principal Strong's office, then to Saturday morning detention. Things got even worse for the Three Stooges, as Bradley Thiel nicknamed them: they learned that some of the boys and girls had older brothers. First, Track met up with Guillermo Mendoza's older brother Angel and his friends, then Casey met up with a pair of older Martinezes, after that the Stooges realized that they'd have to lay low for a while.

Daria didn't think that the peace would last very long. She didn't think they'd learned their lesson: being a primary school bully in Highland could sometimes be a dangerous past-time. They'd try to pull their stuff again when the principal got distracted.

-(((O-O)))—

September ended, but not before there was a nod to Highland's Mexican-American population, with one of the teachers giving a brief presentation on the meaning of Diez y Seis, that day in mid-September when Mexico declared its independence from Spain. By that time, though, the stores had started stocking costumes and Halloween decorations. Daria had already looked over a few of the costumes and rejected them. If they didn't look too commercial, they looked too demeaning. I am not a sexpot, she thought grimly.

The first notice of Halloween for Daria's circle came during the last week of September when Farrah asked everyone around the table if they'd decided what you're going to dress as for Halloween. Farah, Gail, and Julie already knew what they would be wearing; Daria was still unsure.

"You need to get on the ball, Morgendorffer," said Farah. "Halloween will be here sooner than you think."

By the start of the second week of October, Daria found that there were other things to concern herself with besides Halloween costumes. The Townes family was late with their October rent payment—and they still hadn't paid what they owed for their September rent.

Despite their move to better digs, the Morgendorffers still hadn't managed to sell the house on Whirlwind Drive. For a while it looked like Helen and Jake could do the same thing with the property that previous owners had done and rent it out. An agency provided them with tenants, Skip Townes and his family looked nice and said that they'd take care of the property and looked forward to living on Whirlwind Drive. Daria thought there was something shifty in Skip's eyes but deferred to her dad's judgement. Skip and his wife signed for a year's lease. Everything appeared ducky.

After a discussion with Jake, Helen decided to up the pressure on their delinquent tenants. Since the Townes family had been late, Helen had first given them a phone call, then mailed them a letter warning of possible legal action. Jake gave them a call and the Townes said that they'd had a financial emergency and would get them the money the following Tuesday. A week after talking to Skip, Jake and Helen got a call from Mr. Hawley, their old next-door neighbor.

"Jake, you might want to come over to your place," he said. "I think your tenants did a midnight flit."

Daria had been watching and listening as her Dad talked on the phone and then hung up.

"That was Mr. Hawley," said Jake. "He said there was something with the tenants. I don't think it's anything to worry about, but do you want to come along?"

"Sure, Dad," said Daria.

Daria and Jake got into his truck and drove over to Whirlwind Drive. The drive to Whirlwind Drive only took a couple of minutes and they parked in their old driveway. Ominously, the Townes' cars were both gone. Jake went over to Mr. Hawley's house to thank him again for the heads-up. Mr. Hawley said that it was good to see them, asked about the rest of the family and observed that Daria was certainly growing.

Both Daria and Jake walked back to their old home. Jake's key still worked and he opened the front door. The Townes had indeed flitted away, taking most of their belongings with them, leaving behind old clothing and bedding and battered, broken furniture behind them. They walked through the house looking around the once-familiar rooms, trying to see what the Townes had taken with them and what they'd left behind. They got a nasty surprise in the kitchen: their tenants had removed and presumably sold their dishwasher and refrigerator. Daria watched as her Dad struggled for control, then told him that she needed to check out the back yard. She closed the door to let him rant in peace. Daria and Quinn did not have time to work on their costumes the following weekends. Instead, they spent them at the old house, helping to clean it up for the next set of renters.

-(((O-O)))—

Daria didn't admit it to anyone else until much later, but one of the highlights of October at James Ferguson Elementary school was Halloween. On that day, students and some faculty could dress up in costume and the school held a small party the last Friday before October 31st. The school had had one every year since Daria had started attending there and as far as she was concerned, it was a tradition. Even though not everybody dressed up for Halloween, most kids went along with it, except for a handful of children. By serendipity, Daria found a dark robe, white collar, and a wig and cobbled together a British barrister's costume.

Most kids either got into costume or went along with it. Some didn't, notably her old neighbor Nancy Carrew and her friend Jenny Monk. Daria and her friends could live with that, but there were rumors that some of the grown-ups were trying to stop the celebrations. There had been rumors that some of the local preachers, notably the Evangelicals, had asked Principal Strong to cancel the Halloween party because it promoted devil worship.

Daria had been inclined to roll her eyes and blow it off, as did Gail, Gail's friend Julie, and Farrah. The Halloween-haters hadn't done anything except grumble last year. She and her friends realized that the opposition was more vocal this time around. A week before the party, Preacher Babcock and a group of picketers were outside waving placards and shouting against Halloween and its ties to devil worship.

Daria spotted the protestors picketing and shouting from across the street one morning after bicycling to school

"What's their problem?" she said.

"I don't know," said Farrah. She squinted to read their signs. Daria was just a little jealous: Farrah didn't need glasses, but her eyesight was even better than average. "It looks like they don't like Halloween," she said.

The gesturing, shouting protestors were trying to get the children's attention. "Halloween is sinful!" one protestor shouted. "Halloween is a tool of the Devil."

"Ban Halloween!" said one sign. "Halloween: A Satanic Holiday!" read another. "Repent And Return To Jesus!" read another.

"Can't the police make them go away?" said Julie.

"Not if they stay on the other side of the street," said Daria. She'd asked the same question about some of the religious types who'd picketed a Highland strip mall's short-lived store called Tabitha's Trading Post, a store that attempted to cater to New Age and would-be pagans. Her Mom had told them that the Evangelicals had every right to protest, as long as they didn't cross onto the strip mall's property. The store had closed, less due to religious opposition than to the fact that there never had been much of a New Age community in Howard County and because life was still tough in the Oil Patch.

Preacher Babcock chose that moment to test the limits of free speech. He and a couple of followers crossed the street.

Nancy Carrew had sidled up to Daria from somewhere. "This is where you sinners get yours!" she said nastily.

Preacher Babcock resumed his rant, this time on the grass in front of the school's main entrance.

"You are all sinners and living in sin!" he shouted. "Halloween is evil and is a creation of the devil! The road to Hell is paved with sugar-coated holidays like Halloween! If you celebrate Halloween, you are going to Hell!" One of his followers started handing out religious pamphlets and thrust one into Daria's hand.

Daria wondered if Preacher Babcock had given any thought as to his audience's reaction. Most of the children overhearing his rant turned away in fright and scurried towards the safety of the school building. Those walking their children to school looked daggers at the preacher, one or two muttering low-voiced obscenities and suggestions as to what Preacher Babcock could go do with himself.

Preacher Babcock continued his ranting. Principal Strong and his aide came out of the school building and asked him to go back across the street; he'd been upsetting the children. Preacher Babcock refused. Principal Strong turned to his aide and said "Yes, call them." He remained outside, again telling Preacher Babcock that he was upsetting the children and that he should go back across the street.

A Highland police car drove up a couple of minutes later, its overhead red and blue lights blinking.

"C'mon," said Gail to Daria, "it's time to go inside." Fascinated by the drama on the sidewalk, Daria ignored her and stayed put.

The Highland cop, whose name badge read Thorpe, asked Preacher Babcock to go back across the street. Preacher Babcock refused, telling Officer Thorpe that he not only wouldn't leave, but that Officer Thorpe and the entire Highland Police Department was in league with Satan and plotting to drag its children to eternal damnation.

Officer Thorpe took the handcuffs from his belt and repeated his warning one last time. Preacher Babcock turned around and started back across the street, shouting that he was being persecuted.

That's the end of it, thought Daria. She turned away and walked inside the school.

-(((O-O)))—

At least she thought that was the end of it. She'd put the religious pamphlet she'd been given in her pocket and forgot about it until a study period. She took it out, opened it, and discovered that it was a tract in comic-book form by someone named Jock Chickle. She scowled as she read the lurid title: "Are You Trick-Or-Treating To Hell?" The tract was typical of the stupid texts that the Bible-bangers occasionally handed out to unwary kids her age: badly-written, condescending, and mean-spirited. The author tried to draw a straight line from Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating to apple-bobbing to a full blown Black Mass. Daria decided that both the author and the editor had issues; even if she'd agreed with the author's viewpoint (which she didn't), she would have used better judgement in editing their pamphlet for publication. She would not have included the depiction of the naked lady on the Satanic altar on tracts aimed at kids her age. She was sufficiently angry that she tore her copy to pieces and threw it away. Other children weren't quite so disgusted. Not only did some of the boys keep their pamphlets, but they clustered together to enjoy Chickle's lurid artwork and snicker.

Despite Preacher Babcock's retreat, rumors still flew that the Halloween party would still be canceled. Those rumors had more merit than most. Several parent associated with a couple of Highland's Evangelical Protestant churches had called for an emergency school board meeting to discuss possible Satanic influence in Highland's public schools. The meeting was set the night before the Halloween party and none of the children knew the answer.

The atmosphere the next morning was thick with apprehension and gloom. Many of the children came dressed in their costumes, but nobody knew whether the party was still on or if it had been cancelled. Daria was not optimistic; the Bible-bangers' campaign had successfully banished Halloween from the schools in some of the other towns near Highland, and Daria suspected that they'd succeed in banishing Halloween from Highland, too.

She entered the classroom, sat down, and waited. Mr. Strong's voice came over the PA system. He read through the morning announcements much as if he was reading a typical Friday morning's announcements, leaving the students in suspense until the very end. He said that Halloween would not be cancelled this year. The school would be holding its Halloween Party starting at 7:00 PM, just as it did last year.

Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years*Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Year*Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years.

Author's notes:

A word about the lurid religious tracts: many of us living north of the US—Mexican border less-than-fondly remember those Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian tracts drawn by Jack What's-his-name. Readers living outside North America might think that Preacher Babcock's activities are an exaggeration and they'd be wrong. They aren't.