Nightmare Ball

Phil watched as the autumn sky turned from an orange glow to a hazy gray as he finished cleaning the remnants of the vampire spray off the kitchen cabinets. The twins of terror, Phil’s younger brothers’ John and Alex decided they needed to make a garlic spray to keep vampires out of the house. Normally Phil would ignore the twins’ misdeeds but tonight Phil was in charge. His mother promised him $50.00 for watching the terrors until tomorrow afternoon. Mother also told Phil that she wanted her children and her house returned in the same condition she left them, or he would be paid nothing. He had been saving his money for six months to buy an X Box 360. The $50.00 promised by his mother meant he would be playing Bionic Commando by this time tomorrow.

Phil grabbed his Tony Hawk Pro skateboard and called to the twins to turn off the TV and get their bike helmets. He had promised John and Alex he would take them to Mr. Macaber’s Halloween Store if they would watch a movie and be quiet while he cleaned up the kitchen. John and Alex had been given their allowance and wanted to spend it on joke items at the Halloween store. It was only 7:30 PM and the twins didn’t go to bed until 10:30 PM on weekends. Phil knew he could not take three more hours of cleaning up booby traps for ghouls. The Halloween store was only two blocks from their house but the boys always took a long time arguing about the perfect item to add to their joke collection. Besides Phil would like to get a sneak peek at the decorations Mr. Macaber might be using at his annual Nightmare Ball.

The Nightmare Ball was the biggest Halloween event in town for teenagers and adults. It started with a haunted house and ended in the ballroom at the back of Mr. Macaber’s store. Even the adults agree the haunted house is extremely scary. A few years ago Mr. Macaber had to soundproof the building because the little kids in the neighborhood heard all the moans, howls and screams and became too frightened to go Trick or Treating.

The ballroom is where the real party happens. Everyone looks forward to the band, contests and food but the decorations are the cause of the excitement leading up to the ball. Throughout the month of October everyone in town talks about last year’s decorations and wonders how they could possibly be better this year. Last year Mr. Macaber decorated everything with a werewolf theme. Two dozen werewolves were scattered around the ballroom. Each had a unique physical appearance and moved their arms and heads in lifelike motions. Most of them were howling, grunting and snarling.

Phil’s dad had pointed out how the werewolf wearing the tattered pink bow and growling at everyone walking by reminded him of Fifi. Ms. Winter’s poodle, Fifi, was known around town as an ankle biter. Everyone crossed the street rather than pass by in front of Ms. Winter’s house in case the poodle was in the yard. Fifi had been missing around two weeks before the Nightmare Ball began. Phil thought his father was right about the werewolf having the same demeanor as the snippy little dog. Three days after Halloween Ms. Winters found her hiding under the deck. Fifi was rarely observed outside and she stopped barking in the window when Phil and his friends skateboarded on Ms. Winter’s stair railing.  Phil couldn’t wait for this year’s Nightmare Ball. He had heard a rumor that the theme this year was going to be mythical monsters.

John and Alex rushed past Phil into the garage where they began fighting over who was going to ride which bike. Alex had won a Mongoose in a raffle at the summer festival. Because he helped Alex fill out the whole stack of entry slips John argued  they should share the bike. Phil ended the argument by telling Alex he could ride the Mongoose to the store and John could ride it on the return trip. The weather was warm for late October but Phil thought it might be cool on their way home so he ran into the house to grab jackets for the twins. When he returned to an empty garage he knew the boys left without him. After locking the door he pulled on his skateboarding helmet and set off at a fast pace to catch up with the terrors. However Phil did not see the twins on the two-block ride to the store. He reminded himself to lecture the boys for crossing the street without him.

It was 7:55 PM when he arrived at Mr. Macaber’s Halloween Store. John and Alex’s bikes were at the bike rack to the left of the front door. Phil groaned as he noticed the sign that stated the store was closing at 8:00 PM in order to get ready for the Nightmare Ball next weekend. When Phil reached the door he could hear John yelling at Alex to buy the deluxe joke kit because it contained a new and improved fake vomit. Alex was yelling back that he wanted to buy the gag bag instead because he needed a new hand buzzer. Phil entered the store and was disappointed to see the same sparkling ghost hanging over the door as last year. Most of the year the store contained the usual joke stuff, horror books and even a large assortment of mysterious items that could not be identified by any of his friends. During October the store was transformed into a magical haven of the spooky and sometimes terrifying. Phil thought the trip to Mr. Macaber’s store in October was better than going to the wax museum. 

Phil made his way through the maze of bloody swords, scary masks and funny hats to the joke section of the store. He noticed the fake blood display had been opened and the crimson colored liquid was dripping down the container and making a sticky puddle on the floor. Even if he did not see Alex or John he knew they had been here. He moved to the next aisle and saw two rubber chickens had been tossed to the floor. Previous shopping excursions told Phil the terrors had been sword fighting with the chickens. Further down the aisle he noticed the shock pen had been torn from its packaging and was also on the floor. Phil was becoming angrier by the second. Mr. Macaber was known to charge people for opening the merchandise. Phil was sure he would not have enough money to buy the X Box 360 if he had to purchase the items the terrors opened. He seriously thought about leaving the store and waiting outside for them but decided to find the boys and make them leave the store before they had a chance to ruin anything else.

Phil thought he saw John entering the hallway to the ballroom. If Mr. Macaber saw John back there Phil could be banned from the Nightmare Ball. Two years ago that happened to Billy Powers. It was rumored that Billy tried to get into the ballroom the night before Halloween and Mr. Macaber caught and banned him from the ball forever. He was not at the ball that year. Billy won’t talk about it, probably because he doesn’t want his parents to find out, but he hasn’t attended the ball since.

As he neared the hallway a giant robotic werewolf howled loudly and made Phil jump right out of his shoes. His left shoe had flown off his foot and into the automated monster section of the store. An intense flash of bright green light blinded Phil, causing him to bump into the moaning mummy as he entered the monster section. He grabbed the mummy before it knocked over its sarcophagus. After straightening it Phil noticed Mr. Macaber scowling at him. The shopkeeper was wearing his usual purple cloak with the silver hieroglyphics embossed on the back. Tonight however his short snow white hair was black and almost reached his bottom. Phil thought it must be one of the wigs. The cane in his hand looked like twisted bones and Phil noticed the strict hooked nosed man was holding an ancient looking book with the same symbols on its cover as the ones imprinted on his cloak.

The cloaked man informed him the store was now closed and he should bring his purchases to the register or exit the store. Phil was surprised to hear Mr. Macaber speaking in an excited high-pitched singsong voice rather than the expected harsh authoritative tone. Phil concluded Mr. Macaber must have found the perfect decorations for the ball and was eager to close the store so he could set them up. With an apologetic smile Phil asked about his brothers. The shopkeeper suggested he wait for them outside.

He walked slowly toward the door as he looked all around for John and Alex, who were being unusually quiet since he entered the shop. This could only mean they were doing something that would get Phil into a lot of trouble. He lingered by the doorway until the shopkeeper appeared by his side. Mr. Macaber pointed his cane at the door, and Phil could clearly see the bony fingers making up the handle. The singsong voice informed Phil everyone had exited the store already. He had not seen John or Alex leave but he did not want to argue with Mr. Macaber.

Phil exited the store and walked toward the bike rack. John and Alex’s bikes were missing. He was furious that the terrors had ridden home alone, in the dark. The streetlights were on making it appear lighter than it actually was. He knew the dense tree covered streets would be darker and the boys had never been out alone at this time of night. He grabbed his skateboard and headed home. He knew the doors were locked so the boys would probably be waiting in the bushes to scare him.

When he reached his house Phil did not see the bikes in the driveway or by the front steps. He called for John and Alex but there was no answer. After he checked the bushes, the back yard and the tree house with discouraging results he rode around the block a few times calling for them. Phil was sure the boys would not pretend to be lost at this time of night. He was panic stricken at the idea that the twins were missing.  Annoyed with himself for not watching them closer Phil decided the terrors got lost in the dark and ended up back at the Halloween store. He made the trip at record speed while calling out for his lost charges.

In front of the now darkened storefront there was still no sign of either John or Alex. Pushing bone-chilling scenarios from his mind Phil moved to the back of the building. The abandoned alley did little to alleviate the tension in his chest. The night air was chilly but beads of sweat trickled down Phil’s forehead as he moved toward the overflowing dumpster. Before peering inside he noticed something silver poking out from behind the cold steel box. He discovered the Mongoose bike and John’s old blue bike hidden under some cardboard. Where could the terrors be? Even they knew being out after dark was dangerous.

Dangerous scenarios swirled through Phil’s mind causing his heart to race while he tried to draw breath into lungs that were no longer functioning. The bright green light in the second story window pulled his attention back to the Halloween store. Suddenly Phil realized that his brothers probably never left the store. It would be just like the terrors to want to be locked in the shop. While he was deciding what he should do next he saw another flash of bright green light through the second story window to the ballroom. Phil decided he should ask Mr. Macaber to look in the closed store for his brothers.

Phil walked up the broken cement steps that lead to the ballroom’s back entrance. When he knocked on the big wooden door it opened with a lazy creaking sound. Phil’s voice was shaky as he called to Mr. Macaber. He could hear strange music or humming noises drifting down from the ballroom but there was no sign of the purple clad man.  Desperate to find his brothers his mind settled on the possibility that John and Alex were sneaking a peek at the ballroom. Getting into that ballroom became his only option. He knew if the shopkeeper spotted any of them it would mean being banned from the ball forever.

The back entrance opened into a small coatroom that smelled like mothballs and dad’s stinky feet. Only the light streaming through the open door from the lamp near the dumpster lighted the room. Phil had never been in this room before but he knew the main ballroom was down the hallway and up the stairs. As he took his first tentative steps toward the hallway he heard the thump, thump, thump of Mr. Macaber’s skeletal cane. Phil ducked behind a coat rack containing so many coats it barely stood upright. He peeked through the bottom of the rack and saw Mr. Macaber open a door to a room on the left side of the hallway. In a few seconds a tall skinny man wearing a brown suit also entered the room. The door closed and Mr. Macaber was heard speaking to the other man. Phil decided to make a run for the stairs. The strange green light spilled from the door on the left side of the hallway as he reached the staircase.

Suddenly the door swung open and Phil could hear Mr. Macaber’s high-pitched voice chanting words that made no sense. Quickly Phil ran up the stairs towards the ballroom and hopefully to his brothers. Once he reached the top he looked over the railing and saw the shopkeeper was at the bottom. The chanting was getting louder and Phil noticed a faint red glow behind Mr. Macaber. He watched in horror as the red glow moved forward and became a very tall skinny figure floating up the stairs. By the time the figure was halfway up the stairs Phil could see it was the tall skinny man. Or what used to be the skinny man. He was at least nine feet tall now and even skinnier than before. Phil couldn’t tell if the man’s skin was red or if it just appeared that way from the red glowing light around him. Phil could definitely see the yellow boils covering the man’s face and the pulsing spikes growing from the man’s ears.

Phil stood frozen as the figure moved to the top of the stairs and the chanting became louder. Mr. Macaber reached the top step just as Phil crawled under a table covered with long red cloths. Phil’s hands were shaking so badly that he had trouble pulling a big box in front of himself. He was sure his heart was beating so fast it would jump out of his chest or at the very least the shopkeeper and his floating creature would hear it. To Phil’s relief Mr. Macaber kept walking to the middle of the room.

Phil’s eyes grew large as he witnessed the shopkeeper point his cane at the glowing creature and a white stone box appeared under the creature’s feet. The creature was now standing on the box with its arms bent in awkward angles. The glowing red light disappeared and Phil saw the transformation of the skinny man was complete. His skin was a blood red color with yellow boils on his face and black spikes that curled toward the ground had replaced his ears. A long black robe with a red hood covered the brown suit the man was wearing.

Phil no longer cared about being banned from the Nightmare Ball; as a matter of fact, he didn’t think he would ever go to another Nightmare Ball now he knew the truth. Mr. Macaber was turning real people into the automated monster decorations that made the ball so popular. How was he going to get down the stairs without being turned into a monster? Phil was thinking about running as fast as he could down the steps and to the police station when he remembered John and Alex. He was now sure he had seen John entering the hallway to the ballroom from the store earlier. Was it possible that John and Alex were in here hiding like he was? Phil couldn’t even think about the possibility that they had been turned into monsters like the skinny man.

He could not leave here without finding his brothers. He was certain the boys were in this building. Phil took a deep breath and looked around the room. Even though candles were lit in the overhead chandelier the room was rather dark. The only bright light was the glow from the skeletal cane now pointing at the wall on the far side of the room where the words NIGHTMARE BALL appeared in glow in the dark script.

Phil crawled out from under the table as quietly as he could. He made his way slowly to the wall on the far right side of the room. It was darker over there and Phil could see about four or five creatures suspended in mid air waiting for Mr. Macaber to place them. Trying to steady his shaking hands and slow his ragged breathing, Phil looked up at the first creature. This one was a fat lady with snakes for hair and glowing yellow eyes. As Phil crawled in front of her the snakes on her head began to hiss wildly. Phil flew behind the next creature and lay flat, sure his heart would beat a hole through the floor.

Mr. Macaber chanted the odd words as he pointed his cane at the hissing snakes and the creature floated through the air to the top of the steps. A stone box appeared at its feet and now the creature was ready to greet unsuspecting partygoers. Mr. Macaber was still chanting as he pointed his cane at the steps when a big bucket of water suddenly appeared. The bucket began floating toward Mr. Macaber but one of the creatures’ snakes suddenly lashed out striking the bucket. The bucket emptied its contents all over the creature.

Phil watched as the creature was soaked with the water. The creature instantly transformed to an almost pretty girl with pudgy cheeks. The girl let out a scream and tried to get off the stone box but her feet were still stuck. The girl screamed she was sorry she stole the Halloween mask from his store. Mr. Macaber laughed at the girl and told her she would learn her lesson just like everyone else. He pointed at the tall creature and told the girl this man had given him counterfeit money. Mr. Macaber pointed to the creature Phil was laying behind and stated this cat killed a fish from my pond. You will all learn your lesson by Halloween. Phil moved further into the shadows as Mr. Macaber began chanting again. He closed his eyes tight because he knew the blinding green light would transform the girl back to the creature with snakes for hair.

When Mr. Macaber stopped chanting Phil dared to open his eyes and scan the room. Phil did not see the old man wearing the strange purple cloak but he could hear the thump of his cane on the steps. As fast as he could Phil grabbed a candle from a nearby table and began running from creature to creature to find John and Alex. Phil hoped he would not find them, that this was just one of the tricks they liked to play on him. Although Phil knew the truth before he reached the creature in the corner.

This creature had two heads, four arms, and was much smaller than the others. Phil almost dropped the candle before he got a look at the creatures’ face. The creature did not have eyes or ears. Its face contained a big beak in the middle but the rest of it was just covered in orange feathers. In fact the whole creature was covered in orange feathers and was not wearing any clothing.  Phil’s heart sank as he noticed the creature’s right hand was wearing a joy buzzer.

Phil grabbed the creatures’ hands and whispered, “John and Alex can you hear me?”  At that moment Phil heard the familiar high pitched voice right behind him. He could feel the warmth of its breath on his neck as the voice said, “They can’t hear you but I can.”  Phil turned around and was face to face with the end of the skeletal cane. As fast as he could Phil dropped to the floor and rolled like he was on fire. Mr. Macaber’s laugh pierced Phil’s eardrums sending a shiver up his spine.

Phil had rolled back to the darkened side of the room and behind some big boxes. Phil’s ragged breath caught in his chest as he heard the thump of the skeletal cane drawing closer. Phil was frozen with fear. His heart was now beating so loudly it sounded like a snare drum inside his head. Mr. Macaber’s high-pitched laughter added to the symphony of sounds that were making Phil’s dizzying thoughts swirl together. With his eyes shut tight Phil prayed for a moment of inspiration.

The box next to Phil moved into him pinning him in between two boxes and the wall behind. Phil could tell Mr. Macaber was standing over him now. Phil could feel the end of the twisted bones of the cane tip flattening his nose. He knew this would be his last Nightmare Ball and he would be one of the main attractions. The box on his left side was poking his rib cage so hard Phil couldn’t draw a full breath.

Phil slowly moved his hand to push the box away but instead stuck his hand into something cold and wet. Water. Phil remembered the bucket of water landing on the girl. Without thinking about what he was doing Phil grabbed the end of the skeletal cane and with all his might pulled it into the puddle of water on the floor. Red and green sparks shot out of the cane and bounced off the boxes surrounding Phil. Mr. Macaber was knocked off balance and pulled his cane towards himself as he fell backwards. Phil saw the green sparks hit Mr. Macaber in the chest as his body sprawled onto the wooden floor. The cane fell to the floor beside the stiff figure that was Mr. Macaber.

Phil pushed the boxes out of his way and quickly kicked the cane away from the figure. Phil saw Mr. Macaber’s face was now swelled to the size of a watermelon and brown splotches were covering it. The black wig he had been wearing had turned an ash gray color and hair was sticking up all over his head. His hands were swollen and his fingernails had grown long enough to curl over the tips of his fingers. Mr. Macaber was no longer a stern looking man but an ugly looking ogre.

Phil grabbed a heavy rock decoration and threw it onto the twisted bone cane. As the cane snapped in half the room was bathed in a green light so bright Phil was nearly blinded. He grabbed another rock and smashed the bigger of the cane pieces, but there was no light this time. Phil found the bucket and filled it with water from the bathroom. His hands were badly shaking causing the cold water to slosh out of the bucket as he walked toward the twin headed creature in the corner.

When the water reached its target the orange feathers of the creature melted to revel John and Alex, looking pale and terrified. Both brothers hugged Phil as they began telling him how sorry they were. Phil hugged them back very tightly and told them he was sorry for not watching out for them better. After pouring water on all the creatures, except Mr. Macaber, Phil told them all to go home because the ball had been canceled. The twins put the foul ogre creature into a huge box with a mailing label addressed to the Sahara Desert and no return address was enclosed.

Phil, John and Alex returned home around 10:30 PM. John and Alex put on their pajamas and brushed their teeth without being asked. As Phil tucked John into bed he noticed the twins joke collection was in the trash can. He asked the boys if they wanted him to take out the trash and they both nodded their heads in agreement.