Our Esie likes Halloween adventures


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She dresses up in a witch costume and tries to scare people around town.

Tonight's the night!

"Hello there!" you say as you approach her. "H-how are you?"

Esie looks at you strangely.

"Why I'm fine," she says, smiling. "You're looking well today."

"Oh, thanks," you reply. You notice that her eyes have an odd color to them.

They seem very bright.

You continue: "So, what brings you here? It must be something important for you to come all the way out here."

She laughs. "It is! Very much so."

The two of you sit on the bench and chat for a bit. As you talk, you realize how strange it is that Esie has never spoken with anyone before. But she seems so normal... almost like any other girl your age. The only thing unusual about her is that she doesn't seem to want to tell you anything about herself.

Maybe she just isn't used to talking to people. But somewhere in her heart, she desires adventure and this year's Halloween seems like a perfect time for her to experience one.

You suggest that the two of you go trick-or-treating together tonight.

"Yes!" says Esie, clapping her hands. "And I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you so much."

You smile. "Anytime."

As you walk down the street, Esie keeps glancing behind her. A few minutes later, you see her walking quickly away from you.

"Hey wait up!" Esie doesn't seem to trust that this Halloween adventure is the right idea. She is torn between following you and returning to her abode
You explain that she can leave whenever she wants.

"I don't want to intrude on your plans," she says. "But... I really do feel better now that we've talked. So maybe I should stick around for a while..."

The two of you head east towards the streets where most of the houses have been decorated for Halloween. There is jack o' lanterns hung in front of each door, and some of them even glow with a soft light.

While you admire the decorations, Esie continues staring off into space. Her face is a little pale and her eyes seem glassy.

"What's wrong?" you ask.

"Nothing," she replies.

Her voice sounds different somehow. Like she isn't sure what she wants to say.

You ask again: "Is everything alright?"

Esie nods and smiles. "Of course. Everything is great."

You try to get her to tell you more, but she remains tight-lipped.

Still, you can tell that something is bothering her. Maybe she just hasn't gotten over her shock from your first encounter yet.

As you make your way through the town, you feel slightly uneasy. Something about Esie seems wrong. You can't quite put your finger on it.

You decide to give her another opportunity to speak her mind.

"Are you okay?" you say.

Esie turns to look at you. "Yes. Yes, I am."

She looks away again and returns to staring at the ground. You notice that she is trembling.

"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Esie shakes her head. "No, no, that's not necessary," she says. "Really, it's nothing."

Your instincts tell you that something is wrong.

A moment later, Esie cries out suddenly. Then she doubles over and falls to the ground.

"Oh my goodness!"

You rush to Esie and kneel beside her. She is still convulsing.

"Are you hurt?!"

"Just give me a minute..."

More and more tears stream down her cheeks.

You help her lie back and gently stroke her forehead with your hand.

"It's okay," you whisper. "Everything's going to be fine."

It takes several minutes for Esie to stop shaking. When she finally opens her eyes, they seem clear and focused once again.

"Thank you," she whispers.

"You're welcome," you say. "Let's get you home."

No, Esie countered, she wanted to experience a different Halloween this year, and you are her only chance. She didn't want to go home, at least, not yet.
Instead, she would keep you company until she was ready to return home.

Well, you thought, that's certainly different. Still, she seemed so insistent on keeping things secret. And you had no desire to pry into her personal life.
You decide to press further.

"All right," you say, "but if anything is bothering you..."

She nods. "It's okay, I promise."

Then she stands up and walks away from you without saying goodbye.

"Wait!" you yell after her.

Esie stops and turns to look at you.

"Um, yes?" she asks.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did you decide that you wanted to join me for trick or treating tonight?"

"Oh, um, well... I guess I've always kind of wanted to do this sort of thing..."

"That's great!" you exclaim. "And when you were deciding whether to trick or treat with me, what made you choose me?"

Esie blushes and looks away. Then she answers: "It wasn't really a choice. I mean, I knew who you were. Everyone knows who you are."

"Oh, well, that makes sense," you murmur.

"Right?" says Esie.

Her voice is different again.

"Anyway, I'm glad you decided to come with me," says Esie. "We're going to have a lot of fun, aren't we?"

"Definitely," you say.

The two of you continue walking down the street toward the next neighborhood.

Tonight you'll be meeting the family.

You arrive at the house and ring the bell.

As you wait for someone to answer, you gaze out the window. In the distance you can see the lights of other houses, all lit up for Halloween.

After a long silence, the door opens.

Your father steps out onto the porch to greet you. He hugs you and then holds out his hand.

"Come inside," he says.

He leads you to the living room where your mother sits by the fire.

"Hello, sweetheart," she says. "How are you?"

"I'm good," you reply.

"Good. That's what matters."

You sit down on the couch and your parents begin telling you about their day. After a while, you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom.

As you close the door behind you, you hear a loud crash coming from downstairs. You glance around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Before you can investigate, however, there is a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" you wonder aloud.

"Probably the kids," says your father, heading for the front door. "I bet they're excited about trick or treating tonight."

You follow him down the stairs and out into the yard. Almost immediately, you remembered you came with Esie

You turn to look for her, but she is nowhere in sight.

"Have you seen Esie?" you ask your father. "She said she'd come with us for trick or treating, but she's not here."

Your father frowns. "No, I haven't seen her. Did you two come together ?"

"She was at the door with me," you say. " It seems She didn't come in with me. I'm worried that something might have happened to her."

Your dad nods. "It's getting dark outside," he says. "I don't want to leave the door open, though. We'll have to go out and look for her." Far into the dark, Esie is seen pacing back and forth trying to decide whether to come into your home or not.

"Please let me know if you find her," your father says.

You nod and watch as he heads toward the front door.

The two of you cross the threshold.

"Happy Halloween!" Esie startled you both with a jump as she played her first trick on you. Her voice was excited and hopeful. You have a sigh of relief to know that she was fine after all.

"I'm sorry," she says."

"That's alright," you say. "I was starting to worry about you."

"I'm fine," she insists. With your dad leading the way, Esie beam with excitement and expectations.

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I think Esie will remember this Halloween! :)

I think so too. Thanks for visiting.