Short Story – Rebecca Hait

 Trick o Treat

It was the night of Halloween. Little Dawn was in her room with a frown on her face. Due to the fluctuation in weather, she got a fever and thus failed to go out for trick o Treat with her friends. Halloween is one of her favourite holidays. She could hear the giggles of other children and the bustling of the street from her room.  Her parents are throwing a party and she can’t go downstairs to attend that too. However, Dawn was not left alone for a single moment. Every other relative made sure to come upstairs in her room and make her laugh. Presently her mother was sitting at the edge of her bed and feeding her warm chicken soup. Her mother could see that Dawn was upset. “Now, don’t be so sad Dawn. Health is important. You need to stay fit so that you can attend Trick o Treat next year.” She wiped her face and tucked her in bed under the blankets. She placed a kiss on her forehead, “Goodnight child. Have a sweet dream.”

Dawn sighed and closed her eyes. She was about to be lulled in deep slumber when she heard a tapping sound over the faint music of The Phantom of Opera coming from the party downstairs. At first, she thought it was inside her head but it occurred again.  She rolled over and saw someone was tossing pebbles against her window. Cautiously she woke up and walked towards the window. The pebbles stopped thumping the window. For a few moments, she just stood there comprehending if she should open the window or not. Eventually, she decided to go for it. Dawn deliberately unlocked the latch and the window opened giving a path to a chilly breeze to hit her face. Her whole body shivered. She tiptoed and leaned down to catch a glimpse of who caused the nuisance. At first, she couldn’t see anyone in the darkness. The stars in the sky were all hidden behind the clouds.  There were few to no people around and the weather outside was cold even for the end of October. She remembered her mother’s words of not eating or going near anything cold. She was about to close the windows when she heard a whisper. It was almost musical as if it had laced itself with the air. “Dawn…” it said. The voice was coming from the streets, from the edge of the woods. She narrowed her eyes and strained her vision to find the source. There she saw standing in the silhouettes of the trees a woman as white as porcelain, her hair as golden as the sun wearing a deep coal black gown calling her in the same musical tone. “Dawn, come to me!”

Dawn should have been frightened but she wasn’t. She was hesitant but not scared. “Dawn, come to me. I won’t hurt you. I assure you. Your protection is my first priority.” Dawn stepped back. She took out a fur coat from the wardrobe and wrapped it around her tiny body. With tentative steps, she went downstairs. Her family was in the kitchen having dinner over music and conversation. She could listen to the forks and knives against the plates. Dawn sneaked out of the front door avoiding their eyes successfully. She crossed the road and stood in front of the woman. Dawn had to crane her to look up. The woman’s eyes were a pool of black ink. Her golden hair was adorned with lavenders and other foreign flowers. Her demeanor was serene and she was radiating the energy of a mother. She smiled down at Dawn. “I am glad you came. Thank you for trusting me.” Dawn was in awe with her beauty. She was overwhelmed. The woman snapped her fingers and the trees surrounding her came to life. The trunk of a huge tree came down swiftly and handed her a bronze cup with intricate forest designs. She offered the cup to Dawn. It was filled with a red liquid which had a sweet odour. Dawn with a suspicious eye looked back at the woman, “My mother has strictly advised me not to take any food items from strangers.”

The woman cracked up at her innocence. “Dawn I am no stranger. I am your fairy godmother. You see the road to the Fae Land can not be exposed to any human. We trust you Dawn but this revelation will put you to greater risk. Drink this and you will be lulled to sleep. A human must not know the path to the world of Faes.” Something about the woman made Dawn trust her. She sipped the liquid without further reluctance. Gradually Dawn started feeling dizzy. “Sleep Dawn Sleep…” the voice sounded distant and echoed as if coming from a deep far away valley. Her eyes closed and she fell in the arms of trees.

When little Dawn’s eyes fluttered open, she found herself amidst the gloomy forest. Upon the forest floor laid ashes concealing the green foliage. There was no indication of vitality and energy. As if the wilderness is dead. The woman materialized from behind an old tree.  She spoke with a tint of sadness, “I apologise for the inconvenience Dawn. This is where I live now. I am a wood nymph. This used to be such a beautiful place. But now my home is demolished into mere ashes “

 Dawn stood up. She brushed the back of her pyjamas and mumbled “Why are you telling me this? How can I help?”

“Oh Dawn, you have the purest soul. Your imagination is broader than the horizon. You are the only one who can help.”

Dawn glanced around her surroundings and her heart ached. She could not continue to see the trees and woods so gloomy.  “Okay, I will help.”

The woman beamed with joy. She gave Dawn a map, “You will have to have a brave heart to reach there. You have to open your mind to all possibilities. To reach there your heart should be free of any corruption. You will face a series of obstacles but I have faith in you Dawn. Save my home, save me.” Dawn had a sudden upswing of courage and she bowed to do anything that she could do to save the heart of the forest.

The path to her destination was not easy. It was filled with venomous spiders, foreign flora and fauna, muddy lakes and few bruises, scrapes on our little Dawn’s soft skin. Yet she was determined. She was braver than her age allowed her to be. She was mere ten years old but her heart was filled with compassion and affection for mother nature. When she arrived at the root of the wreckage she was famished and sweaty. The surrounding worsened. There were bones of deceased animals, the plants were stooped down as if they had retired, the air was smokey and fowl. She coughed a few times but never stopped striding forward. On the verge, she saw the terror that was causing it all. There was a beast resting peacefully on a chunk of rock. Its skin was grey and scale. It’s red wings neatly folded around him. There were two curved horns on its head. And the ground around it was glowing green. Dawn was observing the monster tucked behind a tree. She knew she had to find the weakness. There was a break of a twig somewhere and the creature raised its head. Dawn now could see that there was greenstone etched on the chest of the beast where its heart should be. She remembered the words of the wood nymph. “To defeat the beast you have to break the stone, Dawn. It is it’s only weakness.” The stone was pulsating with green colour. She realised that the unearthly beast was sucking all the life out of the forest to stay alive. She pulled out the golden sword that was given to her by the wood nymph. The blade was sharp and the handle was golden with sophisticated art. Dawn appeared in the open and exclaimed in the most powerful voice she could muster. “Mr Beast!” The creature lazily raised its head. It looked down at the fragile figure. “You need to go away. You are killing the animals and trees. You are destroying the forest!”

The monster opened its mouth and Dawn could promise that it somewhat snickered at her words. The beast told in a hissed whisper, ” Aren’t I doing the same thing which you humans do? Destruct and eradicate nature senselessly for your own privilege. You are a human child. You should know what I am talking about. The irony is the wood nymphs had to trust a human child to protect their home. A mortal child against an immortal magical beast.” It stood up in its full glory. It spread the wings and raised its head high above. Dawn was like an ant in front of it. That didn’t discourage her though. “All humans are not the same! I bowed to protect and save this forest and I will do it no matter the cost!”

“Be it then.” The beast blew a fireball at her. Dawn was able to dodge it at the last minute but it brushed the edge of her arm and it flared. Dawn cried out in pain. She was unprepared and unskilled for the battle but her devotion gave her endurance. She could feel the strength of the nymphs inside her. She rushed forward lifting up the sword but with only one wiggle of the beast’s tail Dawn was cast-off against a tree. She winced in pain. At that moment she formulated a plan. In order to break the stone, she had to make the beast come close. She had to act like she was defeated. The creature came closer as if it was in the mood for toying with her. Dawn waited for the precise minute with closed eyes. The beast sniffed her hair and face. When it was distracted Dawn slid down and struck at the stone. The beast growled. Dawn was clutching the handle and she was hanging from the chest. She applied all the strength that wood nymph gifted her with and dragged the sword down the stone. Green energy engulfed the surrounding and the beast wailing exploded to ashes. Dawn was thrown away by the blow and she fell down unconscious.

Dawn saw tiny faces with pointed ears and curious eyes hovering over her face. She gasped and sat up. The wood nymph said, “Dawn you are awake. The Elves wanted to thank you for saving their home…our home.”

The elves laughed and surrounded her in a circle. They chanted “Dawn brought dawn to our home…Dawn brought dawn to our home…”

“Would you like to join our forest festival? We are celebrating your victory.”

 Dawn nodded with smiles. The bonfire was lit. Fruits and various nuts were served on leaves to everyone. Rabbits and other small animals joined. Birds chipped. The forest was bustling with energy once again. The elves danced and sang around the fire. The sun rays entered the forest as if it had missed warming up the greenery. The sky was filled with shades of orange and pink. The flowers bloomed. The wood nymph placed a hand on Dawn’s shoulder. “Time for you to go back home, Dawn. You have shown bravery and compassion for this forest. We would forever be in your debt. I don’t have much to give you but take this.”

She presented her with a locket. It was in the shape of a tree and there was a pumpkin resting at the root of the tree. Dawn wore it around her neck and once again drank the red liquid.

She is on her bed, neatly tucked under the blankets. It was almost dawn. Her fever had gone down and she was feeling fresh. She crouched up and tried to remember what happened. It felt like the events of last night were all a dream and not real. Her head hurt if she tried to recollect the incidents. Dawn was about to conclude that it was all a dream when she felt something dangling from her neck. There it was the necklace. Dawn beamed with happiness and she clutched the pendant in her palms. Her heart and mind realized that the incidents were indeed real. Last night was her best Halloween night.