A/N: Guys, I really, and I mean REALLY love Halloween. Prepare yourselves. Lol. So, every year, my 3 kids and I plan a SUPER elaborate family Halloween costume. We start making it months in advance. My middle kid is the queen of villains/all things creepy, and we have such a blast with it. We keep it TOP secret what our costume theme is, but do clues on social media leading up to our reveal, and we track everyone's guess with a list on our fridge. It's such a fun family experience, and even my eldest who Is nearly 17 is still all in, and says she's going to college locally so she can still be part of family Halloween.
Do you have any fun Halloween traditions?
Alright. Enjoy!
Xoxo
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Walter leaned back in his worn leather armchair in what was now their condo, flipping through the pages of a physics journal. His brows were furrowed in deep concentration, analyzing some complicated theory on quantum mechanics.
"Ghosts," he scoffed to himself, shaking his head. "The human mind always tries to explain the unexplainable with nonsense."
Paige, his girlfriend of three years now, had been on a mission all week to prove him wrong. She was convinced that the world was filled with things beyond Walter's logic. Ghosts, demons, spirits, they all existed in her eyes. Walter, ever the skeptic, shot her down each time she brought up the subject, often dismissing her beliefs with his trademark condescending tone.
"You realize," he would say, "there's no scientific evidence of any of that, right? It's all in people's heads."
Paige had had enough. Tonight, she was going to teach Walter that not everything could be explained by equations and formulas.
It was Halloween night, and the chill in the air carried an extra bite of eeriness. Paige had prepared a series of pranks, subtle enough to make Walter question things but eerie enough to shake his smug confidence.
The first prank was simple. As Walter buried his nose deeper in his journal, Paige subtly pulled at the large painting from the wall, hanging it at a slight tilt, using some clear fishing line she'd rigged earlier. Pulling it just so, not enough to be obvious, just enough to catch his eye. She tiptoed behind him, leaning over his shoulder.
"Don't you ever wonder," she said softly, "if the things you can't explain could be real? Like, maybe ghosts have their own way of communicating?"
Walter didn't even look up.
"No, because they don't exist."
Paige pouted, but then she noticed him glance up at the tilted painting. His brows furrowed, but he said nothing. She stifled a giggle.
Next, Paige turned to her second prank. She had placed a small speaker under the couch earlier in the day. Now, with the flick of her phone, she played a soft, ghostly whisper. The sound of faint voices seemed to waft through the room.
Walter paused mid-sentence in his journal. His head snapped up, glancing around the room.
"Paige, do you hear that?"
Paige feigned confusion, staring blankly. "Hear what?"
"That whispering." Walter narrowed his eyes. He stood, looking behind the furniture as if trying to catch the source.
Paige barely held it together, her lips trembling with suppressed laughter. "Are you sure you're not imagining things?" she teased. "You know, science says the mind can play tricks on you when you're too rigid in your thinking."
Walter glared at her, but before he could argue, Paige activated her final and most devious prank. In the hallway leading to their bedroom, she'd set up a hidden projector that would cast the shadow of a ghostly figure. The figure was draped in a tattered gown, its arms outstretched like it was reaching for someone. Paige carefully dimmed the lights, leaving just enough of a glow for Walter to notice it.
As Walter crossed into the hallway, he stopped dead in his tracks. There, at the far end, stood the shadowy figure. His rational mind raced to explain it—maybe a trick of the light, a reflection—but the shadow moved. It swayed, slowly advancing toward him.
Paige crept behind him, barely containing her glee. She could see him freeze in place, his mind battling between logic and fear.
"Paige, come here," he called, his voice sounding uncharacteristically unsure.
"What is it, Walter?" she asked innocently, peeking around his shoulder. She gasped, pretending to be just as terrified. "Oh my God, Walter! Do you see that?"
Walter squinted. "No, no, it has to be some kind of—some trick of the light!" He marched forward, determined to debunk whatever it was. But as he did, the ghostly figure disappeared.
Now Paige burst out laughing, unable to keep up the act. Walter spun around, looking more annoyed than scared.
"This is ridiculous, Paige!" he snapped. "You're playing tricks!"
Paige wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, come on, you should've seen your face! For a second there, you actually believed in ghosts!"
Walter scowled, but a reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I wasn't scared. I was trying to figure out what you were doing."
Paige smirked, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Sure, Walter. Whatever helps you sleep tonight."
As the laughter faded, Paige turned to head back into the living room. Suddenly, a cold draft swept through the hallway, and the lights flickered. Both of them froze. Walter's logical mind raced to explain it, but this time, even he couldn't deny the creeping sensation of unease.
Paige glanced at him, wide-eyed. "Uh... that wasn't me."
Walter looked down the hallway, his jaw clenched. "Probably just an electrical issue. Old wiring."
But as they both stood there, unmoving, a soft whisper echoed through the hallway. This time, it wasn't coming from any speaker Paige had set up. Walter and Paige exchanged glances, their playful rivalry momentarily forgotten.
"Did you—?" Paige whispered.
Walter, for once, didn't have an answer.