Trick-or-Treat
The sun was beginning to set as the three friends headed to their hometown, Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson. They were about an hour away. For two of the occupants, they were anxious to get home and see their families, as well as their boyfriends. But the third was starting to question her decision to return home for the festivities.
“I really think this is going to be the best Halloween ever,” 18-year-old Diana Lynch said from the front passenger seat. “I like the guys’ idea of having our own party at Crabapple Farm.”
“I agree it is a good idea,” 18-year-old Honey Wheeler said from the driver’s seat. “I mean, we’re too old to go trick-or-treating and this party seems perfect.”
“And we’ll actually be spending some time with the guys,” Di added. “I really have missed them these past two months.”
“I know what you mean,” Honey said. “Phone calls just don’t seem to do the job.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Di agreed. She turned in the seat to look at the other passenger. “What do you think, Trixie?”
“Yeah, it’ll be a blast,” Trixie said quietly.
“Are you all right, Trix?” Honey asked, glancing in the rearview mirror. “You’ve been awfully quiet since we left the campus.”
“I’m fine,” Trixie said and closed her eyes.
As Honey and Di chatted happily about the plans for the weekend, Trixie tried to join in to their excitement, but just couldn’t do so. She knew it would be great to see the rest of the Bob-Whites, especially one in particular, but she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling she had.
Trixie didn’t know where the feeling had come from, but the closer she got to home, the more she wished she had stayed on campus. She tried to think of the positives, but she couldn’t. The uneasiness seemed to overwhelm her.
She felt the car pull onto a gravel road and she opened her eyes. She immediately knew they were on Glen Road and she had apparently fallen asleep.
Within a short time, Honey made a turn and pulled into the driveway of Crabapple Farm. There were three cars already in the driveway. She recognized them as belonging to her parents and oldest brother, Brian. As the car came to a halt, the kitchen door opened and several people came toward the car.
Trixie wasn’t surprised to see both of her older brothers, Brian and Mart, as well as her younger brother, Bobby, coming forward. Behind them were their other friends, Jim Frayne and Dan Mangan. But what really surprised her were the two people behind the group of guys. It was her parents, Helen and Peter Belden.
As the car stopped, Trixie jumped out of the back seat and ran toward her parents. She realized she had really missed them while at college. She gave them both a hug. “I’ve missed you both.”
“We’ve missed you too,” Helen said, holding her tight.
Trixie leaned back and looked at her parents’ faces. “It’s so good to see you, but I thought you were going away for the weekend.”
“We are,” Peter said. “But we decided to leave once you got home.”
“We missed you and wanted to see for ourselves that you were doing all right,” Helen said.
“I’m okay,” Trixie said. “But it’s so good to be home.”
“We’re glad you’re home too,” Helen said.
The sounds of greetings forced Trixie to turn around. She saw Honey and Di were receiving hugs from their boyfriends, Brian and Mart, respectively.
Trixie felt a hug from behind and turned to see the top of Bobby’s head. She reached behind herself and hugged Bobby.
“It’s good to see you, Bobby.”
“I’m glad you’re home,” the 11-year-old said.
Trixie looked up and saw Honey and Di were still locked in the embraces of Brian and Mart. She looked at Dan and Jim. “It’s good to see you both.”
“It’s good to see you too,” Jim said, a big smile filling his face.
“How have classes been going?” Dan asked.
“They’ve been going all right,” Trixie admitted. “It’s just a lot more work than in high school.”
“It is a wake up call,” Dan said. “And it just gets worse as you take more classes.”
“Wonderful,” Trixie sighed.
“So, how have you guys been?” Di asked, moving over to them with the Belden boys and Honey.
“Not bad,” Jim said. “But we’re all looking forward to this weekend.”
“Absolutely,” Dan said.
“And speaking of weekend, we need to get going,” Peter said. “We do have dinner reservations.”
“All right,” Helen said. She gave each of the Belden kids a hug. “Have a fun and safe weekend. Watch your brother and we’ll see you on Sunday.”
“Have a good time,” Brian said.
“If you need anything, the number for where we’re staying is by the phone,” Peter said.
“All right,” Mart said.
They watched as Peter and Helen climbed into the car and leave Crabapple Farm. Once they were gone, Mart said, “Let’s get this party started.”
“Let’s help the girls get their gear in first,” Jim said.
“That’s okay,” Trixie said. “We can manage.”
“We’ll help,” Mart said moving to the car.
Brian and Mart grabbed Honey’s and Di’s bags and headed inside with the girls. Dan followed close behind with Bobby.
Trixie reached into the trunk and removed her own bag. As she closed the lid, Trixie sighed. Before she could take a step, Trixie felt her bag get taken from her hand. Turning, Trixie saw Jim was now standing right beside her. She was about to tell Jim she had it, but didn’t get far. Jim leaned down and sealed her lips with a kiss.
When Jim leaned back, Trixie looked up at him with a smile on her face. Jim said, “I’ve missed you, Trix.”
“I’ve missed you too, Jim.”
“Come on. Let’s head inside.”
“All right.”
Jim took Trixie’s hand and they made their way into the house together. Trixie was shocked at Jim’s outward display of affection toward her. She had never expected a kiss like that. The most she had ever gotten from Jim was a simple kiss on the lips.
Upon entering the house, Trixie heard a lot of laughter coming from the living room. Stepping through the doorway, she saw her fellow Bob-Whites were already comfortable on the couches. She could tell Honey and Di were reminiscing about some of their exploits on campus.
Instead of listening to the stories again, since she had lived through most of them, she took her bag from Jim and made her way up to her bedroom. She moved over to her bed and dropped her bag.
Looking about her room, she felt a slight detachment instead of the warm feeling she usually had when she was in her room. Even though everything was just as she left it, she didn’t feel as if she belonged there.
“You all right, Trix?”
She whirled around to see Jim leaning against the doorframe. She let out a breath. “You startled me.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s okay.”
“May I come in?”
“Sure,” Trixie said.
Jim entered the room and moved over to the window seat where he sat down. He looked at her with a critical eye. “Trixie, I have known you for four years and I can tell when something is bugging you, just like you can tell when something is bugging me. So, why don’t you tell me what it is?”
Trixie looked about the room trying to decide what she was going to tell Jim. She knew she could be honest with him because they had been best friends since the day they met. But she wasn’t sure how she could explain it when she wasn’t sure herself.
She finally looked at Jim. “I’m not really sure.”
Jim looked as puzzled as she felt. “I don’t understand.”
Trixie chuckled softly. “Then you are in the same boat as me.”
“Trixie, what’s wrong?” Jim asked. “It’s not like you to be so quiet. What’s on your mind?”
Trixie moved over to the window seat and sank down beside him. “I honestly don’t know. Part of me wishes I didn’t come home, but another part of me is glad that I am here.”
“Is there a reason why part of you doesn’t want to be here? Did something happen at school?”
“Nothing happened at school,” Trixie said. “I mean, I was thrilled when we found out you guys had made plans for the weekend. But the closer the time came for us to leave, I started to get real uneasy.”
“I think I know the reason for the uneasiness.”
Trixie looked up at Jim. “Really?”
Jim reached over and brushed the hair back from her face. “Really.” He looked her in the eye. “That uneasiness comes from not knowing what it’s going to be like at home since you’ve been gone for a couple months. Even though this is home, it doesn’t feel like it because you’re not living here every day.”
Trixie was quiet for a moment, thinking through what Jim had said. She realized what he said was true. That had to be the reason.
“How did you know?”
“That’s the same way I felt when I came home that first weekend. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wanted everything to be as it was, but things had changed. Even though things were different, some things stayed the same, especially the Bob-Whites.”
Trixie felt better than she had in days. She leaned over and kissed Jim. “Thank you.”
“What did I do?” Jim asked, confused once again.
“You made me feel more comfortable about being here.”
“Well, I’m glad to help anyway I can.” Jim looked her in the eye. “You know, if you were feeling that uneasy, you could have called me.”
“I know, but I really wasn’t sure what anyone could have done. But that doesn’t matter now. We’re home and the Bob-Whites are together.”
“Absolutely.”
“And I’m not sure if I said it, but I am glad to see you. I’ve missed you something fierce.”
“I’ve missed you just as much. But I think if we spend a lot of time together this weekend, I might not miss you as much until we’re together again at Thanksgiving.”
“Let’s not think about that right now,” Trixie said, leaning her head against Jim’s shoulder. “I don’t want to think about heading back to school.”
“Then we won’t.” Jim wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll just focus on this weekend.”
Trixie smiled as she closed her eyes. “I like the sound of that.”
They weren’t sure how long they had sat there in silence when they heard someone’s throat being cleared. Looking up, they saw Brian standing in the doorway. He said, “We were wondering where you two disappeared to.”
“We were just taking a few minutes to ourselves,” Jim said. “It’s been a long two months.”
“It sure has,” Brian admitted. “We are going to order pizza for dinner. Do you guys want the usual?”
“That’s fine,” Trixie said.
“All right,” Brian said.
“We’ll be down in a few minutes,” Jim said.
“Okay.”
Brian left and Trixie let out a sigh. “I guess we should head down.”
“You’re probably right.”
Trixie leaned back and looked up at Jim. “I really wish we hadn’t been interrupted.”
“I feel the same way,” Jim said. “But I have an idea.”
“And what’s that?”
“Let’s get up early and go for a sunrise horseback ride tomorrow.”
Trixie smiled. “That sounds like fun.”
“Then it’s a date?”
Trixie’s smile grew bigger. “It’s a date.”
* * * * *
That evening, the Bob-Whites and Bobby were seated in the living room at Crabapple Farm enjoying their dinner. As everyone ate and talked, Trixie felt a familiar sense of comfort from being with the people who meant the most in the world to her.
The conversation seemed to stick around what they were doing instead of the details of the party the guys had planned. None of them wanted to scare Bobby and give him nightmares. He was growing up, but none of the other Belden kids wanted to see him upset.
“Oh, you should have heard what Moms said before they left,” Mart said.
“What’s that?” Trixie asked, setting her now empty plate on the coffee table. She leaned back in her seat on the couch.
“Well, from what Moms said, there have been some strange happenings here on the farm,” Mart answered.
“Like what?” Di asked.
“Moms said that things have been moving about the house, but she doesn’t know how.”
“Mart,” Brian warned, but his brother continued.
“She said she had been in the kitchen cutting up potatoes for dinner earlier this week and had three more to go when the phone rang. She went and answered the call, and when she came back, all the potatoes had been cut and were in the kettle on the stove.”
“There’s a reasonable explanation for that,” Brian said. “She probably thought she needed to finish cutting up the potatoes, but had just finished the task before the phone rang.”
“Sure, Brian,” Mart said. “But she said that the lamps in here have all been moved to the coffee table and turned on in the middle of the night.”
“What are you trying to say, Mart?” Brian asked. “That we have a ghost here at Crabapple Farm?”
“A ghost?” Bobby asked, his eyes going wide.
“Wow, a ghost,” Trixie said.
“Trixie, Bobby, there are no such things as ghosts,” Brian said.
“Then how do you explain the lamps?” Trixie countered.
“Someone may have been sleepwalking and moved them to the coffee table before turning them on.”
“But what if it wasn’t?” Trixie countered. “We could have a ghost living with us.”
“Trixie, knock it off,” Brian snapped. “You know as well as I do that there are no such things as ghosts.” He looked her in the eye. “That is the end of the discussion.”
Trixie stared at her brother for a moment. She couldn’t believe how stubborn he was. And she couldn’t believe he spoke to her that way. Even with their friends there. Deciding she didn’t want to argue with him, Trixie dropped the subject. She reached forward and grabbed the empty plate. “If everyone’s done, I’ll clean this up.”
Trixie quickly gathered the empty plates and pizza boxes and headed into the kitchen. Once everything was tossed in the garbage, she moved over to the kitchen door and stared out into the darkness. She was angry and knew she didn’t need to be around the others until she calmed down. She couldn’t believe her brother talked to her as if she was a little girl.
Trixie knew she could have given her brother a piece of her mind, but she didn’t want to do it in front of their friends.
“Trixie?”
She turned around and saw Bobby standing by the table. She asked gently, “What is it, Bobby?”
“Trixie, I know you have plans with the others, but I was wondering…”
“Wondering what?” Trixie prompted.
“Well, tomorrow night Moms said I could go trick-or-treating with Larry and Terry, but the only way I can do that is if someone goes with us and I was hoping…”
“That I would go with you?” Trixie finished.
“Well, yeah. But after we go trick-or-treating, Moms gave me permission to stay at Larry and Terry’s.”
“Well, I think I can help you out.”
Bobby smiled. “Thanks, Trixie.”
She returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”
“I need to tell Larry and Terry.”
“All right.”
Bobby hurried out of the kitchen and Trixie chuckled. She loved the energy her brother had and was grateful she had come home.
Trixie was about to look back out the kitchen door window, but stopped when she heard footsteps coming into the room. She smiled when she saw it was Jim.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself.”
Jim moved close to her and placed his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? I could tell you were really angry before.”
“I just wish Brian would stop treating me like a little girl. I’ve grown up, but it appears that he doesn’t think so.”
“Brian will always think of you as his little sister, Trixie. That’s the role he has as the big brother. I don’t think that will ever change.”
Trixie sighed. “I know you’re right, but it just gets so annoying at times.”
“But Brian is only doing that because he cares.”
“I know.”
“Come on, what can we do to cheer you up?”
Trixie reached up and wrapped her arms around Jim, a slow smile appearing on her face. “I can think of something.”
Jim grinned. “I know what you’re thinking and as much as I would like to partake in that event, I really don’t think it would be right with your brothers in the other room.”
“We could always go somewhere else,” Trixie suggested.
“Are you two coming back in or what?”
Trixie and Jim turned to see Honey standing in the doorway. Jim said, “We’ll be there in a couple minutes.”
“Okay.” Honey returned to the living room.
“I don’t think we are going to get any alone time,” Trixie said.
“Not this weekend,” Jim agreed. “Especially with the plans we’ve made.”
“Speaking of plans, when do our festivities start?”
“Why? Do you have a hot date?”
“Actually,” Trixie began and immediately saw a hurt look appear on Jim’s face. The look quickly turned to one of anger.
“Who is it?” Jim demanded.
Trixie was slightly pleased at his jealousy and figured she needed to play it up just a bit.
“Well, the person who asked me to go with him was very kind and caring. When he asked, I really couldn’t turn him down.”
“So, you’d rather go out with him instead of joining us for the fun we’ve planned?”
“I think I’ll be able to do both, Jim. It’s not a big deal.”
“Trixie, the reason we’re all together this weekend is because of our plans. Now you won’t be here.”
“Jim, I said I can do both.”
“It won’t be the same.”
At that moment, Bobby hurried into the kitchen. He said, “Thanks again, Trixie. I really appreciate what you’re doing.”
“It’s no problem,” Trixie said.
“What is she doing?” Jim asked at the same time.
“Trixie offered to take Larry, Terry and me trick-or-treating tomorrow night. We needed someone to take us and she said she would.”
Trixie looked at Jim, trying to keep the grin off her face. She raised her eyebrows when he finally caught her eye. “Are you still jealous?”
“You could have come out and told me you were taking Bobby out,” Jim said, sounding slightly hurt.
“You could have been less angry.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” Trixie moved to Jim and gave him a hug and a kiss. “And I was only trying to have a little fun.”
“I know.”
“So, what do you have planned for tomorrow night?” Trixie asked. “I want to plan accordingly so I don’t miss out on any of the festivities.”
“How about I come with you on your adventure with the boys? Another set of eyes wouldn’t hurt.”
“I would love it if you came along, but don’t you have to help the others get ready?”
“My work is already done. I just need to show up.”
“Then it’s a date?”
“It’s a date.”
“Good.”
“Come on, let’s go join the others.”
“All right.”
* * * * *
Hours later after Bobby had gone to bed, the Bob-Whites put in a video in the player. They had turned off all the lights and had gotten comfortable. There was complete silence, except the voices coming from the television, as they intently watched what was on the screen.
As the horror flick played out, Trixie moved closer to Jim. She wasn’t scared of what they were watching, but was enjoying being close to Jim after being apart for so long.
The movie dragged on and Trixie began to lose interest. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the movie, but it just didn’t seem real to her. So, instead, she began watching her friends’ faces in the glow from the television. She could see Honey and Di cringing when there were gruesome scenes. A couple times she saw Honey bury her head against Brian’s chest.
After a little while, Trixie lost interest in watching Honey and Di. As she was about to focus on the movie once again, she looked out the living room window. Some fast movement forced her to keep looking at the window.
Suddenly, a white face appeared in the window.
“Ahhhh!” Trixie screamed.
“What is it?” “What’s wrong?” several voices asked.
Trixie ignored them as she jumped to her feet and exited the living room. She ran through the kitchen and out the back door letting it slam shut. She was determined to find out who was there. She ran around the house and stopped by the window where she had seen the face.
No one was there, but she knew she had seen someone. Turning around, she scanned the darkness for any movement from the stranger. From what she had seen of the person, he seemed suspicious and creepy and she wanted to find whoever it was.
“Trixie? What is going on?” It was Jim.
“Someone was at the window,” Trixie replied. “They were looking at us.”
“Trixie, there is nothing here. You had to be imagining it.”
Trixie glared at Jim. She couldn’t believe he was dismissing what she had seen. She knew it wasn’t her imagination. Someone had been watching them through the window and she was going to find that person.
“Come on, Trix. Let’s go back inside and finish watching the movie. Even if there was someone out here, that person is long gone after hearing you scream.”
Trixie sighed as she looked around the darkness once again. She knew Jim had a point. The person was gone. But that only made her want to figure out who the person was even more. She knew her work would begin when the sun came up the following morning.
Reluctantly, Trixie turned and made her way back inside with Jim. They entered the living room and Trixie saw five expectant faces staring back at her.
“What happened?” Brian asked. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Trixie said, sinking onto the couch.
“What happened then?” Mart asked. “What made you scream?”
“I saw something in the window,” Trixie stated, glancing at Jim, daring him to contradict what she had seen.
“What was it?” Honey asked.
“It looked like a face,” Trixie answered. “It seemed as if it was watching us intently.”
“It was probably just a reflection,” Brian said. “Whatever was on the television screen was probably reflected on the window.”
Trixie bit her tongue fighting the retort she had on the edge of her lips. She couldn’t believe the others wouldn’t accept what she had to say.
“Forget it,” Trixie said, getting to her feet. “Forget I ever said anything.”
As she turned to leave the living room, she felt a hand take hold of her arm. Looking back, she saw it was Jim who had stopped her.
After a moment of no communication, Jim released his hold and she left the room. Upon entering her bedroom, she closed the bedroom door gently, not wanting to wake Bobby.
Trixie tried to take several deep breaths to calm down, but she was too angry. And frustrated. She knew what she had seen and no one was going to get her to change her mind.
Someone was watching us tonight, she thought. But why? We have just come home from college for the weekend. And then some creepy stranger appears. Hopefully this person hasn’t been lurking around for a while. Moms would have freaked out a whole lot more. She would have called the police instead of going after the person. Maybe the person took off and won’t return. But even if he didn’t, it’s not going to stop me from finding out what I can about him, that’s for sure.
* * * * *
Silence filled her ears. Even though everything was quiet around her, she knew someone was in the room with her. Staying perfectly still, she listened as a pair of footsteps creaked on the floor. Slowly opening her eyes, Trixie saw she was facing the window, where a small amount of moonlight was streaming into her room.
The footsteps continued toward her back. Knowing she could catch the person by surprise, she quickly rolled over and asked, “Who is it?”
“Jeez, Trix, you scared me.” It was Jim.
Trixie slid herself up in the bed and asked, softly, “What are you doing?”
“Waking you up,” Jim responded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “We were going on that sunrise horseback ride, remember?”
“Oh yeah,” Trixie said, and tried to stifle a yawn. “I forgot.”
“Do you still want to go?”
“Of course. Just let me get dressed.”
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” Jim got to his feet and left the room, closing the door silently behind him.
Trixie took a couple minutes to wake up. Usually when the alarm went off, she was ready for the day. But this morning it seemed to be taking a lot longer to get a move on.
Trixie climbed out of her bed and slipped on a pair of jeans before putting on a T-shirt and sweatshirt to keep her warm. Once dressed, she slipped on her socks and boots. Making her way downstairs, she tried to be as quiet as possible. She figured the others were still sleeping and they didn’t need to be woken so early.
As Trixie entered the kitchen, Jim handed her a mug. She got a whiff of its contents and knew it was coffee. They left the house and made their way up to the stables at the Manor House in silence.
As they neared the stables, Trixie asked quietly, “Does Regan know we’re doing this? I don’t want him to come down here with his shot gun.”
“I talked to him last night after we decided to do this and he was okay with it as long as we cleaned up the tack when we’re done,” Jim answered.
“I think we can handle that.”
“So do I.” Jim opened the stable door and ushered Trixie in ahead of him.
Within a short amount of time, Trixie and Jim were riding Susie and Jupiter, respectively, along the trail in silence. They made their way to the bluffs, just in time to see the sun rise.
Trixie felt a sense of comfort wash over her at being home with the people she cared about most in the world. The beauty of the sunrise made her forget the events of the previous evening.
After a couple minutes, Trixie looked at Jim. “This was a great idea.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Jim said. “I guess this really was the only way we could spend some time alone together.”
“Even if we can’t be by ourselves, we are together.”
“You’re right.” Jim switched subjects. “So, what time are you going to take Bobby, Larry and Terry trick-or-treating?”
“Probably about six. I can give them about two hours trick-or-treating and then drop them off at the Lynch’s before I head to our festivities.” She looked at Jim. “I won’t miss much, will I?”
“I don’t think the party will start until you arrive.”
Trixie could feel the color rising in her cheeks and knew it wasn’t because of the crisp breeze. “You know, we should probably be heading back. The others will be getting up soon and wanting breakfast. We don’t them to die from starvation because we were out riding.”
“You’re probably right,” Jim said. “Mart would probably be writhing on the floor as if he hadn’t been fed in months.”
“That’s my brother, the ham.”
They turned Susie and Jupiter and started back toward the Manor House. They quietly talked about their classes at college as well as the assignments, trying not to disturb the nature around them.
As they were about to take one of the forks on the path, a fox flew out in front of the horses, spooking them. Susie took off at a fast-paced run, with Trixie hanging on for dear life. She struggled to get Susie to slow down, but she wasn’t responding.
Pulling back on the reins, Trixie thought she was going to fall off. As she leaned forward slightly to adjust her hold on the reins, she was hit in the chest and tumbled backward off Susie. She hit the ground with a thud.
* * * * *
“Trixie? Come on, Trix. Wake up.”
The voice seemed so familiar to her, but she couldn’t open her eyes. Her head hurt so much that she thought her eyes would fall out if she opened them. Her chest also hurt.
“Trixie, please wake up. I can’t leave you out here all alone to get help. You have to wake up.”
Trixie became aware that someone else was holding her hand. She used what strength she had and squeezed the hand.
“Oh, Trixie.”
She realized it was Jim who was holding her hand. She took a breath and forced her eyes open. Everything was a little fuzzy as she tried to focus on Jim’s face.
“Thank goodness you’re awake,” Jim said, when he saw her eyes were open. “I was so worried since you’ve been out cold for 10 minutes. I am angry with myself that I forgot to grab my cell phone, which I could have used to call for help. But since I didn’t have it, I wasn’t going to leave you alone to go find someone.”
Trixie let her eyes slide shut as her head began to swim.
“Trixie, stay with me,” Jim begged.
She squeezed his hand, letting him know she was still conscious.
“Trixie, I need to get you back to the house,” Jim said. “But I’m not sure if I should carry you. When you fell, you could have been seriously hurt and my carrying you could just make it worse.”
Trixie opened her eyes again. She spoke softly, “I think I’m okay.”
“Why don’t you try moving your legs, slightly?”
Trixie moved her left leg, and then her right. Neither of them were broken. She moved her hand that was not holding Jim’s and knew she was all right. She would be bruised, but she was okay.
“Help me up.”
Jim wrapped his free arm around Trixie’s shoulder and assisted her to a sitting position. Trixie closed her eyes once again as she felt the ground tip beneath her. She leaned against Jim.
“Easy,” Jim said. “You’re okay.” He kissed the side of her head.
After a couple minutes, the dizziness faded a little. She opened her eyes and looked about. The sun was creating shadows on the floor of the woods. Turning her head slightly, she saw Jupiter’s reins had been tied to a nearby tree branch. Susie was nowhere to be seen.
“Do you think you can make it back to the house?”
“Yeah.”
Trixie reached up and placed a hand to the back of her head. She could feel a good-sized lump and knew it would be a while before it went away.
Jim helped Trixie to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist. Together they moved over to Jupiter. Jim untied the reins. He helped Trixie into the saddle and then quickly slid in behind her. Settling his feet in the stirrups, he kept his arms tightly around Trixie as they headed back to the stables at a steady pace.
As they made their way through the woods, Trixie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against Jim’s chest. Her head was throbbing incessantly and she wanted nothing more than to silence the band playing inside.
She felt Jim kiss the side of her head. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. I just wish I didn’t fall.”
“That was a nasty fall,” Jim admitted. “I was really worried because it was taking you so long to come to.”
“Did you see what it was that scared them?”
“I think it was a fox. From the colors I saw, that’s what I think it was.”
“Have you seen Susie at all?”
“Not a sign of her,” Jim said, tightening his hold on the reins. “I have a feeling she’s probably back at Manor House by now.”
“You’re probably right. She was moving pretty fast.”
“And I’m proud of you that you held on as long as you did.”
“All I was trying to do was to not break my neck.”
“I’m glad you didn’t break your neck. I love your neck.”
“I like my neck as well.”
They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the Manor House, they headed for the stables. Just as Jim stopped Jupiter, the door to the stables opened and Regan stepped out.
“There you two are,” Regan said, approaching them. “Susie came back a half hour ago. I was just about to come looking for you.”
“Is Susie all right?” Trixie asked.
“She’s fine. She could have lived without running in this cool morning air. But from the looks of you, there is probably a good reason for that.”
“There is,” Jim said, sliding out of the saddle. He handed the reins to Regan. “Let’s just say that the horses don’t like foxes.”
Regan raised an eyebrow and he looked at them both with concern. “Are you two all right?”
“I’m fine,” Jim said as he reached up and helped Trixie down. Once she was on the ground, he kept his arm around her shoulder. “Trixie, on the other hand, took a nasty fall. She was out for several minutes.”
“Trixie, are you all right?” Regan asked.
“I’m feeling better,” Trixie answered, and realized she was telling the truth. “I don’t feel dizzy like I did when I first came to. Although I do have a headache.”
Regan focused on Jim. “You should probably take her to see Doc Ferris. We don’t want it to be something worse than we think it could be.”
“That’s exactly what I was planning to do.”
“Then hop to it, Jim,” Regan said. “I’ll take care of Jupiter and let Doc Ferris know you’re on your way.”
“Thanks,” Jim said.
“Thanks, Regan,” Trixie said.
Regan nodded as they headed toward Jim’s Jeep. They climbed in and headed for
the doctor’s office.
* * * * *
An hour later, Trixie was leaning back in the passenger seat of Jim’s Jeep with her eyes closed heading back to the farm. Dr. Ferris had checked her over for injuries and believed she had a slight concussion. There were no breaks from what he said, but admitted she would probably have a headache for several days. She also had a good-sized bruise forming on her chest from where she had made contact with the tree branch.
She felt the Jeep come to a stop and opened her eyes to see Crabapple Farm in front of them.
“Come on, Trix,” Jim said. “Let’s get you inside.”
“All right.”
By the time Trixie had her seatbelt off and the door open, Jim was by her side. He helped her out, and then closed the door behind her. Together they slowly made their way into the house.
Trixie closed her eyes as her head throbbed at the loud ruckus going on in the kitchen. She couldn’t believe the others were being so loud. Everyone was talking loudly, trying to be heard over the other conversations. Her head seemed to throb more than when she had first woken up.
“Come on,” Jim whispered. He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her through the kitchen to the living room.
As Trixie sank onto the couch, she buried her head in her hands to ease some of the throbbing.
“I’ll make you a cup of tea,” Jim said.
“Okay,” Trixie murmured.
As she listened to his footsteps leave the room, she hoped she would never hit her head again. It hurt so much. Now that she was away from the noise, the throbbing seemed to be easing. Trixie sat up and leaned back against the couch, keeping her eyes closed. She could still hear the conversations in the kitchen, but they were no longer deafening.
After a few minutes, Trixie opened her eyes. She saw the living room had been returned to its original set up since the guys had slept on the floor there the previous evening. Looking about the room, her gaze locked onto the window that overlooked the yard. The events of the previous evening rushed back to her.
I know I saw someone peering in the window last night. Someone was watching us and I’m bound and determined to find out who it is. People just don’t peer into other people’s windows unless they are up to no good. And that person must be planning something. I guess I just need to be ready for whatever happens.
“Here you go, Trix,” Jim said, returning to the living room.
She looked up as he reached the couch. She took the steaming mug from his hand. As she took a sip, she realized it was chamomile and she could feel herself relaxing. She looked at Jim. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He settled on the couch beside her. “How are you feeling now?”
“Better. My head still hurts, but I guess it’s a small price to pay. It could have been a whole lot worse.”
“That’s true.”
“So, how was your ride this morning?” Honey asked, entering the living room. Brian quickly followed her.
“It was all right,” Jim replied, wrapping his arm around Trixie’s shoulder.
“Trixie, are you feeling all right?” Brian asked, looked at her closely. “You’re awfully pale.”
“I’m okay,” Trixie said quietly.
Brian gave her a critical eye. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”
“Brian, it’s not a big deal,” Trixie said harshly.
“She’s telling you the truth,” Jim said. “She fell off Susie, but she’s okay.”
“You fell off Susie!” Honey exclaimed.
Trixie heard four pair of footsteps hurrying toward the living room.
“Who fell off Susie?” Mart demanded as he entered the living room.
“I did,” Trixie said. “But could you keep it down? I have a headache.”
Brian moved over to the couch and sat down on her other side. “Maybe we should take you to see Dr. Ferris. If you hit your head, you might have a concussion.”
“Trixie couldn’t get a concussion,” Mart said. “She’d have to have a brain for it to get hurt.”
“Mart!” Di exclaimed in disbelief.
“That was uncalled for,” Brian said.
“It was a joke,” Mart said defensively.
“It wasn’t funny,” Dan said angrily.
“Sorry,” Mart said guiltily.
Everyone turned their attention back to Trixie. Brian said, “About Dr. Ferris…”
“We already went to see him,” Trixie interrupted. “I have a slight concussion. There didn’t seem to be any breaks, but he said I would probably have a headache for a couple days.”
“So, the loud noise in the kitchen was bothering your head and that’s why you two came right in here,” Dan concluded.
“Exactly,” Trixie said. “So, if we could keep the noise level down a bit, I would appreciate it.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Brian said.
“Are you two hungry?” Honey asked. “I doubt you two had something to eat before you went riding.”
“I am hungry,” Jim admitted.
“Trixie?” Honey asked.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“How about some toast?” Brian suggested. “You could probably use some food in your system, but you don’t need anything heavy to make you sick.”
“I guess that could work,” Trixie said.
“I’ll go make it then,” Honey said and headed for the kitchen.
“I’ll help,” Di said, following her into the other room.
“Come on, guys,” Brian said standing up. “Let’s go finish cleaning up the kitchen.”
Mart, Brian and Dan left the room. Trixie saw Bobby standing by their father’s recliner and he looked worried.
“Bobby, what is it?” Trixie asked.
He moved slowly over to the couch. “Well…”
“Go ahead, Bobby,” she encouraged.
“Well, if you’re not feeling well, you don’t have to take us out trick-or-treating tonight because I don’t want you to feel worse and you are more important than candy.”
Trixie smiled at Bobby, touched that he was thinking about her before candy. She said, “Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s see how I’m feeling this afternoon before we come up with an alternative plan. Okay?”
Bobby gave her a small smile. “Okay.” He turned and hurried out of the living room.
“I think Bobby is afraid he’ll miss out on his sweets,” Jim said.
“I think so too, but he was so sweet to think of me.”
“He sure was.” Jim reached up and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “But do you think you’ll be up to watching three energetic boys tonight?”
“We’ll see. Right now I don’t think I could. But after I rest for a little while, I might be more willing to venture outside tonight.”
“Well, you’ve got me to go along with you, so you won’t have to watch three of them yourself.”
“That’s good.” Trixie leaned her head against Jim’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “Bobby is a handful on his own. But when you add Larry and Terry to the mix, anything can happen.”
“It sure can,” Jim said. “It sure can.”
* * * * *
That evening, Trixie was feeling better. She had napped for a little while in the morning and afternoon. She still had a bit of a headache, but the throbbing had lessened to a dull ache.
As they finished an early dinner, Trixie looked at Bobby and saw he was staring at her anxiously, wondering what her decision was going to be. She figured he had waited long enough.
“Why don’t you go get ready, Bobby, while we get these dishes done?” Trixie suggested.
“Really?” Bobby asked.
Trixie smiled. “Really.”
“Woo-hoo!” Bobby yelled as he jumped to his feet and hurried upstairs.
“Are you sure you want to take them out?” Brian asked.
“I’m sure,” Trixie said. “We’ll go out for a little while and if I get tired, we’ll come back.”
“Absolutely,” Jim said. “And we’ll be back in time for our party.”
“So it’s still on?” Di asked.
“Of course,” Dan said. “It’s going to be a blast with what we have in store for you.”
“Definitely,” Jim said. “Come on, let’s get this place cleaned up.”
A short while later, Trixie and Jim were walking down the sidewalk in the heart of Sleepyside as the boys walked in front of them. All three of the boys were dressed as little monsters. Each one looking more gruesome and hideous than the next. They hurried up and down the sidewalks to the houses getting their treats and threatening tricks.
“This is actually turning into a great day,” Trixie said.
“It sure is,” Jim said. “But you shouldn’t push yourself too much. You’re still a bit pale.”
“I’m okay and I’m doing this for the boys. They like Halloween and they deserve to have a little fun on this night as much as we do.”
“That’s true,” Jim said.
The three boys hurried back to them. Trixie asked, “What did you get?”
“Candy bars,” Bobby replied.
“Your favorite,” Trixie said.
“It is,” Bobby said.
“Come on,” Jim said. “Let’s head to the next house.”
“Let’s go!” Bobby yelled.
The three boys turned and ran to the next house, bumping into a man walking down the street toward them.
“Sorry about that,” Trixie said as they neared the man. “They are just excited it’s Halloween. We are sorry.” She got a closer look at the man and got the feeling that the stranger was creepy looking.
“It’s all right,” the man murmured as he continued past.
Once the man was gone, Trixie said, “I guess he’s been jostled enough tonight.”
“Probably.” Jim wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You know, this night reminds me of when we did that séance with Fay Franklin.”
“I know,” Trixie said. “But at least she no longer believes she’s possessed. That was such a crazy night.”
“It sure was.”
“We have a girl like that at school,” Bobby said as he reached them.
“What?” Trixie and Jim asked simultaneously, looking at Bobby.
“We have a girl like that at school,” Bobby repeated. “Well, sort of.”
“What do you mean?” Jim asked.
“Well, in our class, there’s this girl, Genevieve Simmons. There are times when things just happen around her.”
“What kinds of things?” Trixie asked.
“Well, the other day, she was getting teased by some of the other kids in school,” Larry explained. “They were making fun of her because no one talked to her and she sat all by herself at lunch and at recess.”
“That’s no reason to be teased,” Jim said.
“That’s right,” Trixie agreed. “She’s probably very shy.”
“Anyway,” Bobby continued. “She was being teased and her face started to turn red, as if she was really angry.”
Terry picked up the story. “All of a sudden, a pen one of the kids had been holding exploded, sending ink everywhere.”
“Ink went everywhere?” Trixie asked.
“Each person who had been teasing her had ink on them,” Bobby said. “It was like she wanted to purposely get even with them for the way she was being treated.”
“And what did the teacher say about it?” Jim asked.
“She told the kid who was holding the pen to be more careful in the future so it wouldn’t explode,” Larry said.
“The teacher didn’t say anything to the girl?” Trixie asked.
“Not a word,” Bobby said. He looked at Larry and Terry. “Come on. We’ve got more houses to hit.” The three of them took off at a run to the next house.
Trixie looked at Jim. “What do you think?”
“I’m not even going to try and figure this out,” Jim said. “There is probably a rational explanation for this, but I don’t want to think about it.”
“Me either,” Trixie said. “We have other things that could use our attention.”
“And what other things do you have in mind?” Jim wondered aloud as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Would you like to share?”
“Well, we are here together,” Trixie said as they slowly began walking in the direction the boys had gone.
“True.”
“And we can probably get some alone time following the festivities you guys have planned.”
“Probably.”
“So, there are many things that we can do.”
“And I think we will.” Jim leaned down and gave her a kiss. “Come on. Let’s go find those three before they toilet paper someone’s house.”
Trixie chuckled, knowing Jim was right. “Let’s go.”
* * * * *
An hour and a half later, Trixie and Jim were heading back to Crabapple Farm. They had just dropped the three boys off at the Lynch’s with their bags of candy and they were now headed to their own festivities.
Jim pulled into the driveway at Crabapple Farm and they noticed that most of the lights were off inside. There was a light on in the kitchen.
“Do you think they all left?” Trixie asked as Jim stopped.
“Nah.” Jim turned off the engine. “They’re probably in the kitchen waiting for us.”
“We’d better head inside.” She gave Jim a mischievous look. “I can’t wait to see what you four cooked up to try and scare us.”
“Then we’d better go.”
They climbed out of Jim’s Jeep and made their way to the kitchen. As they stepped inside, they saw Honey and Di sitting at the table with Mart, Brian and Dan standing near the door to the dining room.
“Are we ready for the festivities or do the four of you need more time to set up?” Trixie asked.
“Everything’s ready,” Dan said, a grin filling his face. “Let the Halloween party begin.”
Honey and Di got to their feet and the three of them followed the guys into the other room. As they stepped through the doorway, they saw the room was dark, except for some candles, which were scattered about the room in groups of three or four.
They all moved into the center of the room and sat down on the cushions that had been set up on the floor. A small table was set up in the center of all the cushions with a large white candle on it.
“Are we ready to begin?” Dan asked in a very quiet voice.
“Yeah,” everyone replied softly.
“Tonight, we are going to do something we have never thought of doing before,” Dan said. “It is something that I learned and want to show you all.”
Music suddenly blared through the room. It was The Cure – Lullaby. The music was quickly shut off.
“Sorry,” Dan said.
“That’s all right,” Trixie said.
“Let’s start again.” Dan lifted a chain with a coin off the small table. “I will need a volunteer to assist me.”
“I’ll do it,” Mart said.
“Okay. What I’m going to do is I’m going to hypnotize you.”
“What?” Trixie asked.
Dan looked at her. “Trust me, Trixie. I can do this.”
Trixie remained quiet. She wasn’t too sure about it, but she was going to observe and take in everything that happened.
“Okay, Mart,” Dan began. “I want you to watch the coin with your eyes.” Dan moved the coin back and forth in front of Mart. “Keep a close watch on the coin.” Dan’s voice grew softer. “As you watch the coin, your eyes will become heavy. You will try to keep them open, but they are getting too heavy. Your eyes will slowly close.”
Trixie watched as Mart struggled to keep his eyes open. She wasn’t sure it if was real or her brother was faking. She glanced at Brian and saw he was watching the scene intently. She then looked at Jim who was also focused on what Dan was doing.
“You will focus only on my voice,” Dan said as he stopped swinging the coin. “Nothing else. When I count to three, you will be deeply asleep.” He paused. “One, two…three.”
Mart’s head fell forward so his chin was touching his chest.
Trixie was amazed. She couldn’t wait to see what Dan had planned for her brother.
“When I tell you to, you are going to lift your head and open your eyes,” Dan said. “Do it now.”
Mart lifted his head, his eyes open. He was staring straight ahead, unblinking.
“Mart, please stand up.” Mart stood. “Now, turn around.” He turned around several times until Dan told him to stop. “Now, Mart, go into the kitchen and come back with the tray of snacks that we prepared earlier.”
Mart left the room without a word.
“Dan,” Trixie hissed. “Where did you learn how to do this?”
“Well, one night during our first year at college, we were talking about this and it just happened.”
“You’ve done this to Mart before?” Di asked.
Dan nodded his head. “A couple times. But he has no clue about it when he comes out of it.”
“Can’t you leave him to remember what he’s done?” Brian asked.
“I have,” Dan said. “But afterward when I questioned him, he’s had no clue.”
Mart returned to the living room and set the tray on the table in front of them.
“Is there any thing else you can get him to do?” Trixie asked. “Like something that would go against his nature?”
“What do you have in mind?” Dan asked.
“Well, get him to try and act out of character,” Trixie said. “I mean, I’ve teased him about going to a club and dancing for the ladies, but he always claimed he couldn’t because he couldn’t dance.” She smiled at Dan. “Make him dance. And I mean, really dance.”
“All right,” Dan said. “Mart, you are now in a club full of beautiful women, all of them waiting for you to dance. So dance for them.”
Mart began moving as if there was music filling the room. He strutted about the room as if he were dancing real close to a bunch of women. Mart pulled his sweatshirt off over his head and started twirling it in the air above his head. He threw his sweatshirt onto the couch. Mart then began lifting his T-shirt.
The Bob-Whites were stunned.
“Dan, make him stop!” Di cried out.
“Mart, stop,” Dan said, smiling widely.
Mart stopped moving, dropping his arms to his side.
Trixie said, “I can’t believe you got him to do that. It was so amazing.”
“It sure was,” Honey agreed.
Dan said, “Mart, come back over and sit down.” Mart did as instructed. “Now, Mart, when I snap my fingers, you will wake up and remember everything that has happened tonight.” Dan snapped his fingers.
Mart blinked his eyes and looked at everyone. “See, I knew it wouldn’t work. He’s tried this so many times and nothing has happened.”
“You’re right,” Brian said trying not to smile. “But Dan put forth a good effort.”
“He sure did,” Trixie agreed.
The others nodded and Honey asked, “So, what else do you have planned for us?”
“Well,” Brian began. “We do have a couple more things planned for this evening.”
“Like what?” Di asked.
Trixie looked around the room trying to get a clue as to what was coming next. As her gaze swept the room, it stopped when she noticed the glass vase, a wedding gift to her parents, was floating above the table it usually sat on.
Without taking her eyes off the vase, she reached over and took hold of Jim’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“What?” Jim asked.
“Look,” Trixie said, and pointed at the vase.
“No way,” Jim said.
“What’s going on?” Honey asked.
“Look at the vase,” Jim said.
“That’s not possible,” Brian said.
“It has to be,” Trixie said. “There is a ghost in the house. And I definitely believe it now that I’ve seen this.”
“Trixie, there is no such thing as a ghost,” Brian said.
The vase came flying across the room at them. The vase hit the wall behind Brian, shattering into tiny pieces.
“What happened?” Di asked, looking about the room.
“That was the ghost,” Trixie said staring at Brian, daring him to contradict her. “The ghost didn’t like Brian saying what he did, and so the vase was thrown.”
“Trixie, you know as well as I do…”
Honey put her hand over Brian’s mouth as she stared across the room. Trixie looked in the same direction and saw her mother’s favorite lamp was now floating above the table.
“Maybe we should talk outside?” Trixie suggested. “We don’t need anymore stuff getting broken.”
Brian pulled away from Honey’s hand. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
The lamp flew through the air and Trixie reached up and caught it before it hit the wall. As she lowered the lamp, she felt two strings on it. Looking closely at the strings, she realized it was fishing wire.
Narrowing her eyes, Trixie shifted her gaze to her brothers, Jim and Dan. She focused on Mart and saw his lips twitching. She then knew everything they had seen that evening had been a trick.
“You tricked us!” Trixie squealed. “You planned all this to try and scare us.”
The four guys burst into full-blown laughter. Jim seemed to calm down first. ”Sorry,” Jim said. “We had this planned for fun. Please don’t be angry.”
“Moms’ vase?” Trixie asked.
“It was a fake,” Mart said, wiping his eyes. “We found a replica and brought it home. Moms’ vase is upstairs in their room.”
“So, the hypnotism was a joke as well?” Honey asked.
“Sorry, guys, but it was just a joke,” Dan admitted.
“You really had us going,” Di said. “I really believed you had hypnotized Mart.”
“Same here,” Honey said.
“It was good,” Trixie said. She looked at the lamp, then at the guys. “So, explain how you did all this.”
“Well, we strung the wire from the ceiling and had the end near where I was sitting,” Dan said.
“So, after Dan’s act, he was able to pull on the wires to get the vase and lamp to lift in the air,” Brian explained.
“That was really creative,” Honey said.
“You guys get a lot of credit for this,” Trixie said. “We never expected anything like this.”
“We’re glad you enjoyed it,” Mart said.
“And now that we’ve accomplished our task, let’s do some cleaning up,” Brian said. “That broken glass could be troublesome.”
“You’re right,” Jim said. “We don’t need anyone stepping in it.”
“I’ll grab the broom,” Honey said, getting to her feet.
Trixie got to her feet and started turning on the lights. As the room bathed in light, she heard a scream come from the kitchen.
“Honey?” Brian called out.
“I’m okay,” Honey said. “Sorry about that.” A moment later Honey returned to the living room.
“What made you scream?” Jim asked.
Honey blushed. “I opened the closet where the broom was and got startled. I thought the feather duster was a spider and screamed. Sorry, guys.”
“That’s okay,” Trixie said. “It happens.”
“Well, I didn’t expect to see it and I didn’t mean to scare all of you by screaming.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jim said. “No harm done.”
“Come on,” Mart said. “Let’s get this cleaned up.”
As the seven of them started putting the living room back in order, Trixie looked out the window at the evening sky. Her gaze didn’t get far when she saw a face staring back at her. It was the same face she had seen the night before and she was determined to catch the person.
Turning away from the window, she picked up the tray of snacks and headed for the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, she set the tray on the table and then silently left the house.
Trixie made her way around to the window and saw the figure still standing in the same spot behind the bushes. She knew she was going to catch the person. As she took a cautious step, a branch broke. The person at the window turned to face her. Trixie knew the person was wearing a mask.
The person turned and started to run off, but Trixie was ready. She took off after the person and quickly gained ground. She neared the person and made a diving tackle. As they landed on the ground, Trixie realized the person was smaller than her.
“Get off me!”
Trixie leaned back, recognizing the voice. “Bobby?”
“Get off!”
“What are you doing?” Trixie asked getting to her feet.
Bobby rolled over and she saw he was wearing a mask. He began, “Well…”
“You were trying to scare us,” Trixie concluded.
“Yeah,” Bobby admitted.
“Why?”
“It’s Halloween,” Bobby said. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
“We’re?” Trixie asked.
“Miss?”
Trixie turned and saw the man the boys had run into hours earlier had a hold of Larry and Terry by the collars of their shirts.
“Can I help you?” Trixie asked slowly, unsure if she could trust this person or not.
“I caught these two hooligans running down the road, acting as if they had caused some trouble,” the man said.
Trixie stared at Larry and Terry. “You were involved in this too?”
“Well,” Terry began.
“Get in the house,” Trixie snapped. “Now!”
Larry and Terry broke free of the man’s hold and hightailed it into the house through the kitchen door, with Bobby right on their heels.
Trixie looked at the man. “Thank you for your help.”
“I was glad to be of assistance.” He nodded his head and walked down the driveway into the darkness.
As Trixie watched him go, she realized she didn’t know who the stranger was, but she was grateful. Turning quickly, Trixie returned to the house, anxious to get some answers from the boys.
Entering the kitchen, she saw it was empty and headed straight for the living room. Stepping into the room, she saw the three boys were sitting on the couch, looking at the floor. Bobby no longer wore the mask. It was in his hand. The other Bob-Whites were looking at them curiously.
Moving over to the rest of the Bob-Whites, Brian asked, “What’s going on?”
“Remember last night when I said I saw a face peering through the window?” Trixie asked.
“Yeah,” Mart said.
“Well, the face was our own dear little brother,” Trixie said. She reached forward and grabbed the mask from Booby and showed it to the others. “He was trying to scare us.”
“Why?” Mart asked.
“It was just a Halloween trick,” Bobby said. “We didn’t mean any harm.”
“And what role did you two play in this trick?” Di demanded.
“It was just for fun,” Terry said.
“Honest,” Larry said.
Trixie looked at Bobby. “Did you lie to me about staying at the Lynch’s?”
Bobby looked at the floor and Trixie knew the answer.
“I’m calling home,” Di said, heading for the phone. The rest of the Bob-Whites saw the twins’ faces go pale. They knew they were busted.
“Get up to your room,” Trixie said. “Now.”
Bobby jumped to his feet and hurried upstairs.
“I just can’t believe it,” Brian said. “I never expected Bobby to do such a thing.”
“It is amazing,” Trixie said.
Di returned to the living room eyeing her brothers. Without taking her eyes off them, she asked, “Mart, could you give us a ride back to the house?”
“Sure,” Mart said.
“Get in the car now,” Di said.
Terry and Larry ran out of the living room and out of the house.
“I take it they got permission to stay here,” Trixie said.
“Exactly,” Di said. “And let me just say, I don’t think they will be doing this again.”
“Well, they lied about what they were doing and got caught,” Trixie said. “I agree they’ve learned their lesson and won’t do it again.”
“We better get them home,” Di said. “We’ll be back soon.”
“We’ll be here,” Honey said.
Mart and Di turned and left the living room. A few moments later, they heard a car engine start and then drive away.
“Well, I guess our party is over,” Dan said.
“Seem so,” Jim agreed.
“What are you guys going to do about Bobby?” Honey asked.
“Well, I think we’re going to let him sweat it out for now,” Brian said. “We’ll let Moms and Dad decide what his punishment should be.”
“Since that’s taken care of, we might as well clean up,” Trixie said.
“Yeah,” Honey said. “We don’t want to leave a mess.”
The five of them began blowing out the candles and putting the furniture back in its regular place. Once the living room was organized, Dan, Brian and Honey headed into the kitchen.
Now that they were alone, Jim moved over to Trixie and gave her a hug. “You really did a good job catching Bobby in the act.”
“I think it was luck,” Trixie said. “I just looked at the window at the right time and was able to get outside before he disappeared.”
“Halloween tricks can be fun, but so many things can happen if people don’t know where you are.”
“I think that’s what’s bothering me more than anything else,” Trixie said, sitting down on the couch. Jim settled beside her. “I mean, Bobby lied about where he was going to be. If something had happened to him, we wouldn’t have known about it and neither would the Lynch’s.”
“I understand your concern, but luckily nothing did happen. And I honestly don’t think Bobby will try this again. When you told him to go to his room, he was actually scared.”
“Was I too hard on him?” Trixie asked, wondering if she had pushed the situation too far.
“Nah. I don’t think so. He was testing the water to see how much he could get away with since your parents aren’t home. And now that he’s been busted, he’s going to think twice before he tries another stunt like that.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Jim switched subjects. “So, how are you feeling? Is your head bothering you at all?”
“I’m fine. Just tired.” Trixie leaned her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes. “Today has been a really long day.”
“It sure has.” Jim wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “But it will be a Halloween we won’t soon forget.”
“That’s for sure,” Trixie murmured.
As silence settled on the room, Trixie felt it was one of the best weekends of her life. It wasn’t because she caught the face peering through the window at them, or had lived through the guys’ Halloween trick. It was the best because she was with the people she cared about the most in the world. It was because she was with the Bob-Whites. Her family.
-The End-
HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
Author’s Notes: This is a submission for Halloween 2004 – Sarah Sligo CWC #2. A special thanks goes to Amy and Kaye KL for the editing on this story. Without your help, it wouldn’t be the story that it is. Thanks so much.
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