On the top of the stairs, 9-year-old Willow sat on the steps, listening to her parents arguing again. What it was about, she wasn't sure. Last time, it was something about the car's battery dying eight months after it was replaced. Mom was yelling at Dad, saying that he wasn't making enough to repair every accident they had, which was happening frequently.
As they argued, the yelling grew louder. Thankfully, they never physically harmed each other, but the shouting and blaming became much worse. Willow could only curl up in a ball, put her hands over her ears, and shut her eyes. She tried to think of things that made her happy, but the only thought that came to her mind was when her parents didn't fight—when they were a happy family. Tears filled her eyes.
"Well then, why are we even together?!" Willow heard her mom scream. Willow gasped in shock, opening her eyes.
Then she heard her dad. "Well, if you feel that way, then maybe we should split up!" The little girl's eyes went wide. They were going to split up? Divorce?!
Running down the stairs like a rocket, she bolted into the kitchen where her parents were. Her feet skidded on the tile floor as she came to a halt. She looked up at her parents; her mom's eyes were red, as were her cheeks—it looked like she had been crying. Her dad was in a cold sweat, his face looking a little red too. They were shocked when they saw their daughter bolt into the kitchen, realizing she must have heard them arguing. Willow's eyes started to water, but she refused to cry. "Please don't divorce! Please! If it's something that I did, I'm sorry!" She choked on her words, her breathing choppy.
Her mom's eyes widened, feeling guilty that her daughter overheard them yelling. Getting down on her knees to be eye-level with Willow, she tried to smile. "N-no, honey. You didn't do anything wrong. We're just... um..." She didn't know what to tell their eleven-year-old child to make her believe that everything was okay and that everything would sort itself out. "We're just trying to figure some grown-up stuff out. Everything will be okay." She gently cupped Willow's cheeks, rubbing her thumb to wipe away her daughter's tears.
"Then... why did you say you were going to split up? Do you not love each other anymore?" Willow sniffed.
Her dad frowned, ashamed of himself for letting her overhear him suggest that. Sitting down next to his wife, he mirrored her gesture. "Willow, of course we love each other, and we love you with all our hearts. But sometimes... it's because of love that we worry, and sometimes we fight. But never think that we're fighting because of something you did."
Willow wanted to believe, but she could feel in her gut that it wasn't that simple. Looking at her parents, with smiles full of pity and sadness, all she could really do was nod and say "okay" before receiving a family hug from both of them. Her mom said it was getting late and that they should all get to bed. Willow did as she was told.
She got dressed in her pajamas and received a hug and kiss goodnight from her parents before they turned off the lights in her bedroom. As Willow lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, she started to think back two years ago. They used to live in the city; her dad worked for a large business company, and because he was making a lot of money, her mom could stay at home with her. They got to spend more time together, and Willow could see how happy her parents were. But then, everything suddenly went wrong. Her dad's company went bankrupt; they couldn't afford to live in their house in the city anymore. They had to move to a small town. Money became an issue, and her mom had to find a job too. Willow had to change schools and say goodbye to her friends. It was hard, like someone flipped a switch.
Her parents started to talk about what was best for their daughter. And that's when, even though it seemed untrue, she felt that it was all because of her. Making sure she had everything she needed to support her was tearing her family apart. It was her fault. She was the reason why her parents argued, the reason why they struggled, and why they weren't the same.
Willow started to cry in her bed, hugging her stitched-up rag doll that looked like a girl Frankenstein. "It's my fault," she sobbed. "Maybe if I didn't exist, then they wouldn't fight." Just thinking about that gave her a negative and irresponsible idea. "Maybe... I should just leave." If she went away, then her parents wouldn't have to worry about money, and if they didn't worry about money, then they would stop fighting. It was a negative, childish thought, but she loved her parents and wanted them to be happy again, to love again.
Willow looked out her window. The forest hills were just behind her backyard fence. She had gone camping hundreds of times; she knew how to get food, build a tent, and make a fire. She could live there. "Okay, I'll do it," she whispered. "I'll run away."
It was just past midnight. Willow pulled the covers off and hopped out of bed. Still wearing her long-sleeve black pajamas, she went to her closet and zipped on her dark-gray hoodie. She packed her plum-purple backpack with two pairs of clothes, her blanket, pillow, flashlight, and her doll. She threw it over her shoulders and slowly opened her door.
Very carefully, so as not to wake her parents, she tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen. She grabbed three water bottles, four granola bars, and an apple from the fridge. Then she went to the garage door and got her kid-sized sleeping bag.
Going back inside to grab her shoes, she walked over to the kitchen's screen door that led outside to the backyard. But as she passed the living room, Willow spotted something on the bookshelf: a picture of her and her parents at Disneyland during Halloween. She decided to take that as well and stuffed the frame in her bag.
Opening the screen door and shutting it behind her, she ran to the fence and opened the gate. Climbing to the top of the hill, she stopped at the edge of the forest; it was dark, almost pitch black. Taking out her flashlight to give her some light, Willow looked back. She could see the whole town, all lit up, and at the bottom of the hill, her house. She started to tear up again. "I'm doing this for a good reason. They'll be happy." With that, she said a quiet "Goodbye" and ran into the forest.
The young girl had been walking for hours, going deeper and deeper into the woods. All around her, she could hear the wind blowing against branches, animals trotting on dirt and twigs, and owls hooting. Willow shivered from the cold and pulled up her hoodie, letting her flashlight guide her way. She knew she had to find an opening in all these trees to set up camp.
Just then, off in the distance, something howled. Willow gasped, "A wolf!" Panicking, she ran. Running as fast as her little legs could take her, she didn't look back. She pushed her way through bushes, dodging trees and almost tripping several times. She couldn't hear anything chasing her, but she just had to get away! The further she ran through the forest, the more open the trees became. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the ground and tripped over a large tree root.
Willow cried out, falling onto the dirt floor. She groaned, slowly picking herself up. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt, but her hoodie and pajamas were now ruined. Trying to wipe the dirt off her face and picking up her flashlight, she looked back. Nothing was following her. She was out of breath but relieved. The wolf, or whatever it was, hadn't followed her. Suddenly, her flashlight flickered. When she fell, it had cracked. "No, no, no, no, no!" She panicked. It flickered one last time before dying. "Oh no... Now what?"
The little girl looked around; the woods, once a lush forest, were now opening up. The trees were tall and thin, their branches devoid of leaves. There was no grass, as if everything had dried up into a wasteland. The little girl stood back up, grabbing her camping kit, and continued to walk. "Where am I?"
Up ahead, she spotted something strange: seven large oak trees, all circled together. Walking closer, she noticed that they had pictures on them. "What is this?" Willow asked aloud, setting down her sleeping bag. She walked into the center of the trees, doing a full spin to look at them all. The trees didn't have stickers; they were carved into the wood. Willow saw a pattern; each one resembled a holiday. There was a firework, a turkey, a heart, a Christmas tree, an Easter egg, a four-leaf clover, and a jack-o-lantern.
"So weird... Why are these out in the middle of the forest?" Willow wondered, crossing her arms and tapping her chin. She walked over to the jack-o-lantern. Of all the holiday trees, Halloween was her favorite. She was not easily scared and liked creepy things.
Placing her hand on the orange wood, Willow touched the nose. "Wait..." Wrapping her fingers around it, she turned it to the right. "These aren't carvings." She pulled on the nose and watched as the pumpkin opened up. "They're doors..." Pulling the pumpkin door wide open, she looked inside; it was pitch black. Willow leaned in and looked down. "Hello?" Her voice echoed. "Creepy."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew up and around her. The force was so strong that it tried to pull her inside! Willow grabbed onto the edge, trying to pull away from the tree, but her arms couldn't hold on, and she was blown into the dark abyss. The door closed behind her.
Willow screamed as she fell, which felt like minutes. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" she cried out, feeling like Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole. Looking down, she saw the bottom. "OH NO!" she screamed, and all she could do was tuck herself into a ball, bracing for the impact. But then the air around her surged up from underneath and scooped her up. Willow gasped, hovering only a foot above the ground, before it dropped her. "Oof," she landed on her butt.
Willow blinked, bewildered. What was going on? Looking back up at where she had fallen, she saw the moon and the cloudy sky. "Wha?" That didn't make sense. She had fallen down a hole—from a door in a tree—in the middle of the forest!? Turning around, she found herself on a path leading back to the woods. "How... what...?" She was beyond confused. Earlier, she had been plummeting down a dark hole like Alice in Wonderland, and now, all of a sudden, she could see the moon and the forest again. "Did I just go through a wormhole?" the eleven-year-old thought. Facing forward, off in the distance, she could see a town. "Maybe someone over there could help me." Standing back up, she patted her pajama pants clean. Pulling her hood back up, she lightly jogged over.
As she got closer to the town, Willow saw a light! Running up to it, she was met by the glow of a jack-o-lantern attached to the body of a scarecrow. There was a sign above it: "Halloween Town?" Willow muttered aloud, tilting her head. "But it's still September." Looking past the scarecrow, she saw the gates to the town, but she had to walk through a graveyard to get to it. "That's quite a welcome," she lightly joked, unafraid of walking through graveyards.
Walking on the crooked path, she was careful not to bump into any tombstones. Suddenly, Willow could hear a weird jingle coming from the town, as if someone were playing music. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw shadows running back and forth among the tombstones. Getting closer, she started to hear the lyrics of the music that was playing, and the shadows seemed to be singing.
~Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see, This our town of Halloween~
Willow was starting to get a little freaked out as she watched the shadows speaking to her. Quickly running up to the gates, she flung the door open. She took a quick glance at the strange, dark town she had entered. As she walked through, she heard more singing above her. Looking up, she cried out in surprise as she saw real white ghosts flying, carrying pumpkins.
"~This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night~" While they sang, the ghosts dropped the pumpkins onto the spiked fence, impaling them. Willow crouched down and ran, trying to get away from them so as not to be seen. "~This is Halloween, everybody make a scene. Trick or treat, till the neighbors gonna die of fright~" As they continued to sing, seemingly not paying attention to her, Willow ducked and ran into the nearest house. "~It's our town, everybody scream! In this town of Halloween~"
Slamming the door shut behind her, Willow exhaled. "This is getting really freaky," she muttered. The inside of the house was just as dark and creepy as the outside—almost devoid of color, and the furniture was very old-fashioned. There didn't seem to be anyone home. "H-hello...?" Willow tried to speak up, but didn't get a response. "Hmm... maybe upstairs?"
Slowly walking up the stairs, she didn't notice someone watching her from beneath.
The little girl walked right into the master bedroom. The bed was a large king-size with a black and gray checkered blanket. As she approached it, Willow started to hear that song again; this time, it was coming from under the bed... Crouching down to look, her eyes widened at the sight of bright red, glowing eyes staring right back at her. Then a mouth with razor-sharp teeth smiled at her. Willow screamed, jumping back. She scrambled up and out the door, "~I am the one hiding under your bed. Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red~"
Running down the stairs, she saw snakes creeping up from underneath. Willow let out another cry and almost tripped on the steps as she ran past the monster, not wanting to see what it looked like. "~I am the one hiding under your stairs. Fingers like snakes, and spiders in my hair~"
"You didn't have to tell me that!" Willow yelled back, not looking where she was running. She came to a halt, now in a living room with a couch, a bookshelf, a grand clock, and... a coffin? The music kept playing, and suddenly, four vampires appeared out of nowhere. Willow quickly turned around and ran for the front door. "~This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!~"
The vampires followed her outside but paid no attention to her or the fact that a stranger had entered their home without asking. They spread their arms out, their cloaks looking like bat wings, as they joined in the singing. "~In this town, we call home. Everyone hail to the pumpkin song~" As they took of flying.
Willow kept running; she was now in the middle of town. Everything was gray and black, made of bricks, and there was a creepy fountain in the center with green-glowing water. She spotted a car, and on top of the hood was what looked like a regular person wearing a black suit and a tall hat. But as she was going to ask him for help, he turned around. He had a big, creepy smile, one solid black eye, and the other in a spiral, with no noise. Willow noticed a pin on his coat that said "mayor." This was the mayor of this crazy town?! He also started to sing, "~In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise~" His body then did a full spin, like a top, while his head stayed straight.
Willow closed her eyes at the sight. Freaked out, she continued to run down a flight of stairs leading to an alleyway, a black cat following her down. Willow watched as it ran past her and jumped on a trash can. "~'Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can. Something's waiting no to pounces, and how you'll SCREAM!~" A monster jumped out from the trash, sending the poor cat flying. Just like he sang, Willow let out a blood-curdling scream. She was not expecting a jump scare! A werewolf emerged from the shadows, along with a monster whose face was melting off. "~This is Halloween. Red 'n' black, and slimy green. Aren't you scared?~"
"YES!" Willow screamed in reply and ran as far away from them as possible. "I love Halloween, but this is going too far!" She looked back and saw two short witches, the same height as her, with green skin. They flew on their broomsticks. "~Well that's just fine. Say it once, say it twice. Take a chance and roll the dice. Rise with the moon in the dead of night~" Seeing that she couldn't outrun flying broomsticks, she halted and crouched down, covering her head so they wouldn't crash into her. They flew past, not paying any attention to her.
Willow's relief lasted only for a second, because as soon as she stood back up, a tree monster with skeletons hanging by their necks stomped toward her. "~Everybody scream! Everybody scream! In our town of Halloween~"
Willow backed away from the talking tree until she bumped into... something, or someone. Slowly looking up, she saw a creepy clown smiling down at her. The young girl cried out in fright, pushing away from him. He kept smiling, riding on a unicycle. "~I am the clown with the tear-away face~" and, just like he said, he pulled his face completely off, leaving a black empty hole in his head. "~Here in a flash and gone without a trace~" A puff of smoke covered his body, and he disappeared.
Willow started to shake; she was sweating, and her palms were cold. She didn't know how much more she could take. Too much Halloween horror! The wind then picked up, blowing her hoodie and her dark brown hair out behind her. She could hear it whispering the song in her ears, "~I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?" I am the wind blowing through your hair~" She spat out the strands of hair that blew into her mouth. She looked up at the sky, and the moon began to glow a brighter shade of yellow. A shadow appeared on it, "~I am the shadow on the moon at night. Filling your dreams to the brim with fright~"
Willow heard the screeching of bats flying down toward her. They chased her back to the center of town. As the bats flew away, Willow saw the gates pull open, and more monsters began to parade inside, holding torches. "~This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!~" Ducking behind a brick fence, Willow peeked over. As she watched them parade in, she spotted something in the corner of her eye; it was a guillotine.
Suddenly feeling sick, she thought she might love Halloween, but she could do without the gore. The rope was cut, and the blade came down. She looked away, hearing the sound of something being sliced. Pieces went flying, and one landed in front of her. Willow tried not to look, but curiosity took over, slowly opening one eye. She saw orange, and then, opening both eyes, she realized it was a piece of pumpkin. When she heard kids singing along, she peeked back up again. "~Tender lumping everywhere. Life's no fun without a good scare~"
Willow saw a zombie couple walk past her over to the guillotine. Gaining more leverage over the fence, she noticed a kid with a small monster that had large bat wings. The kid looked like the zombie couple. As the family started to walk over to the parade, the zombie dad suddenly turned and spotted her.
Willow gasped. Before she could react, he grabbed her by her backpack and lifted her over the fence. Willow shut her eyes, waiting for something bad to happen. But when she felt her feet touch the ground, she looked up to see the zombie dad smiling down at her. He then said, "Don't want to be left out. We need everyone to sing!" Willow blinked in shock. She was surprised; he was a monster, but he was kind? Then she remembered that she still had her hood over her head, and with her dark bangs and the dirt on her face... they must all think she was one of them.
The zombie dad and his wife picked up their son and started walking over to the parade, gently pushing Willow along. "~That's our job, but we're not mean. In our town of Halloween~"
Every monster that Willow had encountered was gathered around the fountain. She watched another zombie, with an axe in his head, pulling a horse made of straw. Riding it was the scarecrow she had first seen when she fell into this world. The Mayor started to sing again, "~In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise.~" Then everyone began to join in, "~Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back, and scream like a banshee. Make you jump out of your skin. This is Halloween, everybody scream! Won't you please make way for a very special guy!~"
Suddenly, the scarecrow moved and grabbed a flaming torch, sticking it in its pumpkin face. Its whole body caught on fire. Willow watched in shock as it stood up on the horse and started to dance. Everyone kept singing, "~Our man Jack is King of the Pumpkin patch. Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now! This is Halloween! This is Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!~" The scarecrow danced, moving its burning face close to the crowd, and they gasped back, all excited. It then did a flip in the air and dove right into the green fountain. Willow gasped in shock; the fire went out. The zombie kid and a little mummy with one eye walked up to the edge, "~In this town, we call home. Everyone hail to the pumpkin song~"
As the townsfolk chanted the song, a skeleton emerged from the green water. Willow watched as he rose. He was very tall—taller than everyone else—and thin as a branch, wearing a black-and-white striped suit with a bat bow tie. As he opened his eye sockets, they were solid black, and his mouth was shut, almost as if it were stitched up. But when he grinned, showing off his teeth, he smiled and waved to the crowd. Everyone cheered. Finishing their song, they clapped, laughing and cackling; everyone seemed to be having a good time.
The skeleton stepped down from the fountain. "Wonderful work, everyone! I believe that was the best rehearsal yet!"
The Mayor stepped forward, grinning. "No, we should be thanking you, Jack, for your brilliant leadership!" Everyone seemed to agree. "Once Halloween comes, we will be at our best, right behind you as you shine."
"You are too kind, Mayor," the skeleton named Jack said, lightly bowing his head. "This is teamwork; we all have to play our part if we want to give bone-chilling terror to the people!" He hunched down, eyes narrowed, and made a creepy glaring face before returning to his kind-hearted demeanor.
Willow watched as everyone started to talk about how excited they were for this year's Halloween. She began putting the pieces of the puzzle together. She had found a door with a jack-o'-lantern on it that led her to a dark, creepy town called Halloween Town, where monsters, ghouls, and goblins lived, and their job was to scare people into the Halloween spirit. So that's why they said, "That's our job, but we're not mean." Now, looking past their frightening appearances, they seemed nice and carefree.
Willow slowly smiled. "This world doesn't seem so bad; it's just Halloween, but real." Then it dawned on her: Uh oh, she was now stuck in a world where it was always Halloween! How was she going to get back to the woods, where it was normal?! Willow looked all around her and saw the gates that led back to the graveyard. "I came from there; maybe I can get back that way." Everyone was too busy talking and focusing on the big day that they didn't notice the little girl in a hood running to the gate.
But someone did notice. Out of all the talking, Jack spotted a small, child-sized figure in a dark hoodie running toward the graveyard. Hmm... I haven't seen them before, the skeleton thought.
Willow opened the creaking gate, walking through before closing it behind her. She let out a sigh; there had been too much excitement for a kid in one night. The moon's yellow glow lit up the graveyard, and beyond it was what looked like a hill curved in a spiral. "Maybe I can see better from up there," she thought.
Willow walked past tombstones, careful not to accidentally bump into them, fearing that something might wake up. This was Halloween Town; no doubt the undead must live here as well. As she headed for the hill, she spotted a small doghouse-shaped tombstone with the name "Zero" on it. "Aw, so sad," Willow frowned. Bending down, she gently patted the stone as if petting an animal. "You were probably someone's good friend." After giving her respects, she continued on her way.
But as she turned her back, a little ghost dog with a collar and a bright, glowing nose floated up from under the ground. He looked around, thinking it was his master who had called him, but no one was there. He saw a small child dressed in dark clothes and decided to follow her.
Willow was too focused on getting where she needed to go to notice the ghost dog trailing behind her. Suddenly, he barked, "Arf, arf!"
Willow let out a surprised yelp, quickly turning around to see the white ghost. Startled, she tripped over her own feet and fell. She backed up, feeling scared. What if it attacked her?! "N-nice doggy..." she trembled, reaching her arm out as a shield. She turned her head and closed her eyes. The dog tilted his head, but when he noticed her hand, he wagged his tail and came up to nuzzle his head against it. "Hu?" Willow opened her eyes. The dog looked at her and barked happily. "Oh, you're a nice ghost dog," she breathed in relief, then spotted the collar on his neck. "Zero... Oh, you're the dog from that grave." Zero barked and licked her cheek. Willow giggled.
"Good boy. Hey, maybe you can help me?" Zero tilted his head again. "I'm not from here, and I'm trying to find my way back to the woods, where the circle of holiday trees are." The little ghost didn't seem to understand where she needed to go.
Willow sighed, feeling more discouraged about being stuck here forever. "Okay, then maybe you could take me to someone who could help me? Someone who is hopefully nice?" Zero smiled and barked in agreement. He grabbed onto her hoodie and pulled her up, making her stand. When he let go, Zero floated back toward the town. Willow had a feeling she would have to go back there. But maybe if she just kept her hoodie up, no one would notice she was human. "Hey, wait up!" she called, running after the ghost dog.
As she followed Zero, Willow heard a weird rustling noise coming from behind one of the tombstones. She slowed down and stopped. Was there someone else in the graveyard? And were they friendly? So far, every monster she had seen was either kind or didn't notice her. But she couldn't be too sure. The rustling stopped, and half of a head peeked out. Willow froze. The figure had blue skin with stitches on their face, big eyes, and dark red hair. But what stood out were the long eyelashes. Was it a girl? "Um... hi?" Willow waved her hand; there was no point in hiding now, as they both knew they had been caught.
The figure stood up from behind the tombstones, and that's when Willow could take in her appearance. It was a girl—or rather, a woman. She was tall, her whole body covered in stitches. Her long red hair flowed down, and she wore a dress made of different stitched-up fabric. In her hands was a strange black plant. Her round eyes looked Willow up and down before she smiled. "Hello there! I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new here?" she asked in a kind voice.
Willow felt a sense that she was nice and smiled back. Her hood was still over her head, and her bangs covered her face. Plus, her face was dirty, so no one could really tell who she was. "No, just passing through. My name is Willow."
"My name is Sally. It's nice to meet you, Willow," Sally smiled back. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Bur—" Willow caught herself, almost saying her former hometown. "Uh, the woods. I'm trying to find my way back."
"You live there with your parents?" Sally asked. She looked too young to be on her own.
"N-no, I don't have parents... Well, not anymore." Willow looked down, her hands squeezing her hoodie. Taking deep breaths to keep from crying, she told Sally how she wound up here.
Sally was very surprised by the little girl's story and the magic doors in the forest. She didn't know what to think; having never left Halloween Town, she didn't know what was beyond the graveyard. But seeing that the girl needed help, there was only one person she knew who could get her home. "Why don't you come with me?" she offered her hand to Willow. "I'll take you to my friend; he will help you."
Willow glanced down at the stitched-up hand. "Is he nice?" she asked, feeling worried.
Sally smiled. "He is the nicest monster in town." After a moment of thought, Willow nodded and took the offered hand. It was soft, even though it was a stitched-up hand on a body. They walked together back to the town, with Zero following next to Willow.