Ashes, Ashes... (Halloween Special)

I furrowed my brow as I tried to understand the question, but I couldn't get the answer, no matter what I did. How has the Black Death affected today's culture? I read it over and over again, but I couldn't figure it out. I groaned and put my head in my hands.

Damn Mrs. Bakersfield and her Black Death! I thought. Why did she have to give us homework on Halloween? I'm never going to pass World History!

Yep, it was Halloween night, where kids are supposed to go out and have fun. But here I was, stuck doing homework. I couldn't wait to go to my best friend's, Julia, Halloween party. Ugh, I thought. Could three hours go any slower?

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, Maria, do you want to come play with us?"

I looked and saw my five-year-old little sister, Anita, who was dressed like a cat. I was babysitting her and her friends until my mom got home, who would then take all of them trick-or-treating. I smiled. "Sorry, Anita, but I need to finish my homework."

Anita pouted. "Come on, Maria! Play with us! You can finish your homework later!" She practically dragged me out of my chair. "Come on, come on!"

"Alright, alright, I'll play," I said with a smile on my face. I did need a break, and I loved spending time with Anita and her friends. I don't know why, but I find little kids like Anita and her friends so cute and adorable.

"Yay!" Anita screamed, running back to her playmates. I jogged over to them as well. "Hey, guys, what do you want to play?"

The children all started talking at once, making it impossible to understand any of them. "Okay, okay, hold on for a second," I yelled, rendering them all quiet. "Let's take a vote. Anita, what do you want to play?"

"Ring Around The Rosie!" Anita shouted.

"Alright, one vote for Ring Around the Rosie. Marcus, what do you want to play?"

"Freeze Tag!"

I went down the line, asking each child what game they wanted to play.

"Wing Awound The Wosie." (Ring Around The Rosie.)

"Tag."

"Ring Around the Rosie."

"Freeze Tag."

"Wacing!" (Racing.)

"Ring Around The Rosie!"

"Ring Around The Rosie, please."

The last girl cracked me up. Her name was Alice. Everyone called her Alice, but she insisted on being called 'Princess Alice', which was her Halloween costume. She acted like a princess, too, always saying 'please' and 'thank you' in the cutest formal voice. She also called everyone 'sir' and 'ma'am', which I found hysterical.

"Okay, I guess Ring Around The Rosie is the winner!" I said. The kids cheered. "Everyone hold hands and start jumping in a circle!" I called out.

Everyone started jumping and spinning. Anita yelled out, "Come on, everyone, let's sing!"

We sang:

Ring around the rosie,
Pockets full of posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down!

At "We all fall down", we all swung our legs out and landed on our butts. Most of the children were laughing, but I could also make out the sound of a child crying. I quickly located the source of the sound and rushed over.

It was Alice, the princess. When she had fallen, a stick had stabbed her in the arm. It was bleeding quite heavily, flowing like a river from her arm and painting the grass a rich, dark ruby red.

"Oh, no! Alice, what happened?" Anita screamed. she came running over.

"Anita, make sure the other kids behave!" I told her. "I need to take care of Alice. Come on, let's go." I took Alice's hand and hurried to the house.

When we got to the back door, I quickly stepped inside and grabbed a cloth from the kitchen. "Here, hold this against the cut for now," I told Alice, handing her the cloth. I didn't want her to drip blood on my mom's floor. If she saw that, I would be grounded from my phone for a month.

I rushed to the medicine cabinet in search for the first-aid kit. I found it, but when I opened it up, I saw that there are no bandages in it. "Crap!" I said as I ran to the linen closet. I dropped to my knees and started rifling through the bucket at the bottom. "Bandages, bandages... Ah, here!" I found the bandages and stuffed them in the first aid kit.

As I double-checked that I had everything, I could hear the kids screaming outside. Ugh, I thought as I closed up the kit. I should have never left those kids alone.

Suddenly, the screaming abruptly stopped.


Hmm, I mused. That was odd. I headed back outside to check on the kids and fix Alice was there.

The problem with that, however, was that none of the kids were there.

"Hello?" I called out, a bit on edge.

No response.

How could of this happened? I thought to myself. A few minutes ago, nine kids were on this lawn. Where could they all of gone in three minutes?

"Come on, guys," I said, worried. "This isn't funny. Stop hiding."

I wandered into the grass. I didn't see anyone at all, not a sign of anyone except for Alice's spilled blood. I walked over to the blood and wondered where they could have gone.

Then I spotted something in the grass. It seemed to be small footprints leading towards the shed. I followed the footprints cautiously, for I was still feeling a bit odd. I didn't want to take any chances.

As I followed the footprints, I noticed something. The footprints were accompanied by the occasional drop of blood. I frowned. Had one of the children cut themselves, or was this Alice's blood?

I reached the shed. I paused, a bit hesitant. Where the children inside the shed? I asked myself. Were they alive? Were they dead? Were the children even inside the shed? Or worse, was what took the children inside the shed?

Stop that, I told myself. Nothing took the children. They probably are just playing hide-and-seek. Yes, that's it, there playing hide-and-go-seek.

I'll be able to find them, I kept reassuring myself. I'll be able to find them.

I took a look behin the shed. Inside was Alice, huddled up against the back wall, her knees to her chest. Her cut was still bleeding, and she was letting out terrified heart-wrenching sobs.

"Alice!" I cried, rushing over to her. I opened the first-aid kit and took out the rubbing alcohol and the cotton balls. "This may hurt a bit," I told Alice as I rubbed the alcohol into the cut. Alice cried out as the stoning alcohol touched her wound. "Don't worry, don't worry, " I cooed, but whether it was her I was reassuring or me, I wasn't sure.

I bandaged the cut and looked at Alice. She had stopped crying, but she still looked rattled. Her princess dress was muddy and torn. "Alice, what happened? Where are all the other kids?" I asked her.

Alice pointed at the shed.

"They're in there?" I asked.

Alice nodded.

"Okay," I said. I took a deep breath. "Stay here, Alice, you hear me? Don't run off on me again." Alice nodded.

I started towards the front of the shed. On my way there, I spotted a shovel lying against the side of the shed. I grabbed it and hefted it in my hands. I might need it, I told myself. God knows what might be in there. Monsters, demons, terrorists, or all three.

It was worse.

When I opened the shed, I immediately vomited. The stench was overwhelming, yes, but I was traumatized by what I saw.

All of the children were dead, their eyes glassed over. They were beginning to rot, with black spots all over their dead corpses. Blood, pus, and other stuff were leaking out of them. It was truly disgusting and horrifying.

Then, in the middle of all that death, I saw my sister, Anita. Her eyes stared right back at me, accusing me and blaming me for her death. I began to sob and fell to my knees. No, no, this couldn't be happening! I thought. Who did this? What happened?!

Suddenly, I was pushed from behind and into the shed. I turned around and saw Alice, with a long knife in her hand. "Gotcha," she said as she took a step closer to me.

"NOOO! Please, Alice, no! What are you doing?! What have you done?!" I screamed. I scrambled backward and fell into the pile of bodies. I braced myself, expecting Alice to stab me with the knife.

Instead, Alice bent down and picked at one of the black spots on one of the kids. Pus oozed out of it, which she scraped up with the knife. Then she went over to me and wiped the pus on me.

"EWWWW! What the hell are you doing, Alice?!" I yelled. I tried to get away from her but my back was against the wall.

Alice gave me a cold smile. "It's the Black Death. That's what you were studying, right?" She turned and walked out of the shed.

I got up and tried to run after her, but it was too late. Alice slammed the shed doors, and I could hear the click of the lock. "ALICE! PLEASE, NOOO! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" I screamed. I pounded on the door.

I coughed. With the help of the little sunlight coming through the crack in the door, I could see that I was developing the black spots as well. Boils, I thought as I collapsed to the ground, suddenly weak. The black spots are boils. I closed my eyes, and for the last time, too.

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Alice walked in the field, humming as she skipped. She paused and looked back at the shed. She snorted and continued skipping. Stupid girl, she thought to herself. She didn't know about the plague.

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Happy Halloween, everyone!

~sjd_write

P.S. And happy birthday to me! :)