The Witch, The Demon, and The Pumpkin

My white-gloved fingers smoothed the huge stack of blonde curls sitting atop my dark hair. “Cinder-freak-ing-ella,” I mumbled to myself, and tugged at the flowing, hooped yellow dress. For Halloween, my six-year-old autistic daughter decided I should dress like her, and she like me.

My nickname for her is Princess and if Momma says it, she believes it. Unless I tell her to brush her teeth or they will rot out, or veggies make you strong, or some people are very bad and want to hurt her.

Clapping erupted behind me and I turned. It was Gracie’s way of announcing herself. She rarely talked, instead choosing to communicate with actions rather than words.

“Kid Vamp,” I said and smiled.

Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. Her lips parted and her mouth opened wide for me to see her toy fangs. I nodded back. Her innocence beamed bright against my damned soul.

I take no pride, nor pleasure, in being a half-breed vampire. Yet, I would not go back to being only human if given the choice. Six months ago, in my turning, I discovered my daughter was fated to rule the Earth and bring unknown peace. There are forces seeking to stop her power. My sole duty is to protect her till my last death.

I despised who I had become, but my turning afforded me the means to keep her safe. Blessed and cursed.

“Let’s go,” I said, picking up her orange, plastic pumpkin. I tried to give her as normal a childhood as I could for a six-year-old whose mother is a bloodsucking creature of the night.

Her arms went up in an arc, making a circle. She grinned wide, bunching up the freckles dotting her face amidst her blonde curls.

“Yes, we are going to find the Big Pumpkin,” I laughed. For a week, she had obsessed over finding the Big Pumpkin, drawing pictures of its lopsided grin.

She was clapping her pleasure as we rushed out the door to start trick-or-treating.

***

An hour and a half later, I sniffed the crisp air.

No evil filled my nostrils, just the torment of chocolate bars and candy corn calling out sweet temptations as trick-or-treaters darted by. When Gracie was around, her innocence masked most evil scents. I knew my sense of smell would be useless, but habits that keep you alive die hard.

I stepped closer to Gracie as she started walking up the stone drive to the last house on our route for the night. My toes curled up, cramping from being shoved into the six-inch-high glass slippers. I would need a whole bottle of aspirin if this torture continued.

I sighed. Unlike Cinderella, a prince would not be waiting to sweep me off my swollen, throbbing feet when I got home. The only thing waiting for me was a foot high stack of paperwork. Who knew being the Mistress of the Vampires would create such a paper-pushing log jam? I was stuck in bureaucratic hell trying to run the clan.

Gracie’s fingers reached up and pressed the door bell. The door slowly creaked open. My nose turned at the escaping scent of fresh Gingerbread Cookies. Jackpot!

“Well, hello little vamp,” the woman said and laughed. Her witch’s hat swayed to the rhythm of her shrill chuckle.

I frowned as the faint scent of danger hit me.

Gracie’s index finger pointed to her overflowing pumpkin and smiled.

“Not until you say the magic words.” The smile on the woman’s face vanished. She moved closer to Gracie. Her green painted face, inches away from my daughter.

I stepped forward and whispered,“She does not talk much.” I peeked past her slender neck and saw a whole tray of gingerbread men.

“If she wants my treats, she will ask,” she snapped. “No treat for you.” She bolted back into her house and slammed the door.

It took all my power not to kick the door in, kick her rude butt, and force her to watch as I devoured all the arms and legs off her men.

Gracie grabbed my arm and pointed to the house across the street.

Huge limbs drooped over the small, dark house sitting amidst a bunch of towering oaks. There sitting on its small porch was a large pumpkin with the lopsided grin Gracie had drawn.

Gracie made a circle. A big smile spread across her face.

I sniffed the air, frowning. The scent of danger was growing stronger. I knew it had to be demon blood for it to bleed this strong through Gracie’s purity.

I reached for Gracie’s hand to pull her away as a little boy ran out of the dark house and onto the porch across the street. He stopped by the big pumpkin and waved at us.

Gracie bolted towards him. I took off after her. The smell grew stronger. Gracie was running towards the demon scent. The hairs on my neck stood up. I kicked my slippers off. The soft, fall earth squished between my toes as I ran towards my child.

My body ached with the vamp juices flowing through my veins. Flight was no longer an option. Fight was my only choice and I was ready. My fangs slid out.

“What the …” I muttered, watching Gracie kick it to super speed. I knew she was special, but she was human. I had never seen her use any powers.

She leaped over the last five feet, landing on the old rickety porch. The door flew open. A white mist rolled out in waves, covering our feet. The white cloud filled with demon scent.

“Hello, my dear. I have been cooking all day for you,” the witch said as she hobbled out, offering Gracie a green cupcake. I slapped it away before my daughter could touch it.

I coughed, almost choking on the danger filling my nostrils, setting my body on fire as the mist rolled around my ankles.

“Is she the one?” the little boy asked his mother. He ran in excited circles around Gracie and me. A star was tattooed on his forehead.

“Yes, Charles.” The witch grinned. She clasped her hands together in glee. The witch snatched up the big pumpkin, laying it at Gracie’s feet.

“Will she save me?” Charles asked, and then turned to Gracie. “Can you kill the demon?”

“Yes.” Gracie spoke loud and clear. My mouth flew open.

The witch fell to her knees sobbing, “Bless you child."

Gracie held out her hand for Charles to stop. He halted. The star began to glow.

Gracie’s two longest fingers reached out, touching it. She closed her eyes, gasping.

I started for her. No way in hell was I letting my six-year-old extract a demon. Gracie raised her other hand towards me. My body stopped. I was frozen in place by some invisible force.

The leaves started rustling and the ground trembled. A wind blew stronger and stronger, sending the mist in greater waves around us. The demon scent reeked of childhoods stolen.

Gracie continued to touch Charles, her breathing heavier with each inhale and exhale of air.

A black puff of air rose out of Charles’ nose, forming the outline of a person.

“Damned to hell,"I cursed. Demons were bad, bad, bad, and I only had a silver tipped dagger strapped to my thigh, which was useless, and I was freaking frozen!

I struggled against the force, but it pinned me in place.

The demon roared a deep throaty growl, shaking the earth.

“Are you doing drugs?” The rude woman across the street screamed from the bottom of her driveway, “ I am calling the police.” She started inching, closer and closer, to see what was going on. Her cell phone clutched to her.

Gracie’s hand continued to touch Charles' forehead. The demon screamed in pain as she pulled him out, touching the black mass of evil with her index finger. Her body trembled as she slowly moved it towards the pumpkin, bit by bit, as the demon roared in anger.

I yelled in frustration. I wanted out of this frozen hell! My child was facing a demon and I was in limbo. It was my duty to die for her and here I stood like a statue.

The witch lifted the lid on the pumpkin, nodding her head to Gracie.

Gracie started lowering her two fingers, lower and lower, into the deep bowels of the pumpkin causing the demon to slither inside. The witch slammed the lid shut. She clapped her hands and laughed

Gracie’s body fell to the floor, limp and used up. The force dropped. I ran for her.

The demon roared inside the pumpkin as it started to rise and spin. Faster, the pumpkin spun, moving towards Gracie. I lunged for it, wrapping my arms around it. My legs started lifting off the ground. With the last bit of momentum I had before my toes left the ground, I hurled the pumpkin as far as I could.

It sailed across the yard. Its orange glow lighting a path, spinning until it smashed into the rude woman’s head.

She howled as orange bits of slime rolled down her face, mixing with the green paint. “You will pay for this!”

As the pumpkin remains slid down, the demon appeared before her. She fell in the slimy heap as she fainted, dead away.

The demon turned, facing me. He grinned before he vanished into the night.

The scent left.

I ran over, scooping Gracie in my arms. She looked up and smiled, crossing her heart.

“I love you too, baby,” I said, rocking her back and forth, “but you are still in big trouble for freezing your momma!”

My eyes darted over to where the demon had stood, taunting me. I knew he would be back very soon to claim my child, and I would be ready for the war.