Chapter Two: Halloween Night and Grandpa's Tale
After a whole day of waiting, Halloween night finally arrived. Throughout the entire city, kids in costumes went from door to door with sacks and plastic baskets collecting candy, and occasionally, performing various tricks on people who refused, or simply did something to annoy the trick-or-treaters. This went on from dusk till around nine that evening.
At around eight-thirty, Arnold and Gerald were walking down the street together, still in their Halloween costumes. Arnold was dressed in black, with a black bandana mask and Zorro hat; Gerald was dressed in a pirate costume, complete with striped socks, torn pants legs, dirty white shirt, eye-patch over his right eye, and a clip-on skull ear ring in his left ear. They'd just come from Gerald's house after dropping off Gerald's four-year-old sister, Timberly.
"Man, Arnold, there are times when having a cute little sister comes in handy," Gerald said, grinning widely and patting the nearly gallon-sized bag full of candy he held in his left hand.
Arnold smiled in his own amused way as he too held a huge bag full of candy. "Thanks for having me along, Gerald."
"No problem, good buddy," Gerald said, then both of them grinned and did their friendship handshake, placing their hands together and then wiggling their thumbs. "I'm glad that I can spend the night at your place, man. Now I can eat all of this candy without having to worry about Jamie-o taking it from me."
Grinning, Arnold looked over just as they turned toward his house. "Well, when we drop off the candy at my house, we have to hide it in my room, or Oscar will try and get it."
They reached the stoop of Arnold's house a moment later, where Arnold's Grandpa Phil stood out on the stoop, dressed in a warlock costume, complete with black robe and hat. He handed out some candy to a pair of younger kids, both of whom were wearing Wally The Dinosaur costumes.
"Hey Grandpa, how's candy duty tonight?" Arnold asked him.
"Oh the usual, same as every year, Shortman. Had to run Oscar off three times. Once he even tried to impersonate a kid in a ghost costume." His grandpa said, then chuckled. Both boys joined him.
"Hey Phil, where's Gertie at?" Gerald asked, looking around.
Phil sighed, "Pookey is out behind the house in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive, crazy old loon."
"Well, at least she isn't out collecting black cats again this year," Arnold added.
"Trick or treat!"
Arnold and Gerald turned to see Helga and Phoebe standing at the bottom of the stoop, holding out some sacks that were almost full of candy. Phoebe was dressed in a full body black cat suit, complete with a tail, and a plastic head band with a pair of fake cat ears on them. Some glue-on whiskers added to the effect. Helga was dressed in the same outfit she wore when she pretended to be the Ghost Bride several months ago, except that the dress was a little more tattered and dirty and Helga had makeup under her eyes to give her a dead looking expression.
Phil laughed a little and said, "Well you two look very scary." He gave them each a handful of the little candy bars and suckers in the bowl since they were friends of Arnold and Gerald.
"Wow, great costumes," Arnold said looking at both of them, especially Helga, who he had to admit did look good in her costume. 'Wait, did I think Helga looked good?' He thought to himself. 'Well she does, I mean in that costume. Um, not that she doesn't look good any other time, but well, um that is . . .' Arnold shook these thoughts out of his mind.
Helga blinked and thought to herself, 'He likes my costume.' She didn't smile, even though she felt like it inside. She briefly admired his own Zorro costume in her own mind. 'He looks so dashing and brave. Oh my beloved Arnold.' Outwardly, she smirked and said, "Yeah, you don't look too much like a geek than normal yourself, football-head."
Arnold didn't get mad, or even very annoyed. Coming from Helga, that was a complement. "Thanks."
Gerald was admiring Phoebe's costume, as well as the person inside it. "You look great tonight, Phoebe." He felt a lot warmer for some reason and smiled brightly.
Phoebe only turned slightly red in the streetlight and smiled back, "You look pretty good yourself, Gerald." She too was admiring him.
Helga frowned and got between them, "Yeah, yeah, now that we're done flirting, why don't we get to the docks before nine o'clock."
Arnold looked at Helga and Phoebe and asked, "You guys wanna keep your candy here with ours before we go out to Wylie's Wharf?"
There was a crash as Arnold's grandpa dropped the plastic candy dish and spilled the rest of the candy down the stoop. He looked at them wide eyed, "Jumping Jehosophat! Your going to Wylie's Wharf on Halloween?!" At that moment, several kids, and Oscar ran out of nowhere and began to greedily pick up the fallen candy, laughing and cheering. Phil didn't even notice because he was too busy staring at Arnold.
"Whoa, you're a really bold kid, to go taking on Wylie's Wharf on Halloween night, Arnold. A bold kid indeed."
"Hey, that my line, Bubba," Gerald said, looking over at Phil and raising his eyebrow.
"Did I ever tell you of the time I went out to Wylie's Wharf on Halloween?"
"Er, well, no you didn't, Grandpa," Arnold admitted, though he didn't look too enthused to hear the story either.
His grandpa looked ahead and his gaze had the same sort-of far-away look Arnold's had when he was daydreaming, and he began his tale.
"It was fifty years ago, I was out on the lake doing a little night fishing. It was a full moon and the fish were biting good. I rowed my little dingy out past the trestle into the foggy part of the lake. I knew I went out too far when I saw the small island where Wylie's Wharf sat. The house stood there, right in the middle of the lake, surrounded by the fog. It stood there, looking like a decaying tooth. Frankly, just looking at it in the daylight is enough to send a chill down your back..
"Suddenly, the line I had out in the water ran and I began reeling in what I though would be the mother of all fish from the strain on the line. Instead, as I pulled it in, I heard this terrible shrieking, like a lost and lonely soul were crying out in pain. The water and the fog carried the sound out a great distance. Needless to say I was really spooked then.
"All of a sudden, a shape rose out of the water and a skeletally thin hand grabbed hold of my boat. I hadn't hooked a fish at all, instead, I'd hooked the body of Old Man Wylie himself. He was in his black raincoat and hat, hook sticking out of his right hand. I never saw his face, only the glow of a single creepy red eye, probably his real one.
"I screamed and then rowed for my life, never looking back, for fear that if I looked over my shoulder, I would see the vengeful spirit of Old Man Wylie standing over me, gleaming hook and all, ready to do me in for trespassing on his domain. Ever since that day, I've never crossed under the trestle again."
Arnold felt bumps rise on his arms and neck, as if cold hearing that story. Gerald looked up at Phil, unblinking and his mouth wide opened, next to him Phoebe held his arm and looked frightened.
Helga was the only one who looked unconvinced, she snorted, "Hooey! What a crock!"
"Oh, it's very true, young lady," Phil said, looking at them. "I remember it all as clear as if it were yesterday." Then he blinked and said, "Or maybe as if it were last week? Or last month? Heck, maybe it just dreamed it all up, I do have quite the imagination." He chuckled a moment, then looked at Arnold seriously. "All I know is, you better be careful tonight, Shortman, lots of weird things have happened out on Wylie's Wharf on Halloween night. It's not a good idea to go messing around with the unknown. It could be dangerous, then again, maybe not. That's why it's called the unknown, I mean, who knows what can happen, or if it will happen. Nobody knows."
"Um, we'll be careful Grandpa, I promise," Arnold said, both assuring the old man. Then he asked him, "Could you look after our candy till we get home?"
"Sure thing, Shortman," Phil said, taking the candy bags from all four kids.
"Hey Arnold, if you and your little friends don't come back tonight, can I have your candy?" Mr. Kokoshka asked them eagerly.
"Oscar you bum, will you just go and buy your own candy!" Grandpa, shouted out at him.
From behind the house, Arnold's grandmother yelled out, "Will you keep it down, the Great Pumpkin won't come if you keep yelling!"
"Thanks Grandpa, we better hurry up and meet the others at the docks," Arnold said, taking it as their cue to leave. The others followed closely behind him.
After a block, Gerald broke the silence. "Hey Arnold, do you think your Grandpa's story is true?" He still looked a bit nervous from it.
"I don't know, Gerald," Arnold said, then added, "I mean, my grandpa has been known to stretch the truth a bit."
"Well Arnold, your grandfather's tale was certain suspenseful," Phoebe said, standing close to Gerald as she walked.
"I think the old man is getting a little senile in his old age, I mean, what is he now, a hundred and forty-five?" Helga said, snorting.
"He's eighty-one, Helga, and he's not senile," Arnold said, looking annoyed now. "He's just, well – he likes to make things up from time to time." Even as he said this, he couldn't help but wonder if this was one of those times.
To Be Continued . . .