The Hallowe'en Bet

It was a beautiful, sunny Friday morning and Miss Tremble was eager to start her grade six class. Her pleasant greeting was met with enthusiasm, and the roll was called.

Every Friday morning Miss Tremble and her students participated in "Show-and-Tell." The local news from their little town was preferred. The first hand up was Andrew's.
"Miss Tremble, I have a picture to show from my Dad's farm magazine. It's a picture of the tractor that my Dad bought last week." Andrew proudly passed it around the class.

"That's very good Andrew, does any one else have something to tell?" Up jumped Nettie.
"I have no picture, but Mom told me we all have a new neighbour. She delivered his first mail yesterday."
"What is his name, Nettie?" Miss Tremble asked.
"Mr. Sam Hain." Then Nettie added that he had moved into the old house way off the road just past Jakes store.
"Mother said she didn't know how anyone could live in that old wreck of a house. Nobody's lived in it for years!"
"Well class, if we should chance to meet Mr. Hain, we must all make him feel welcome. Thank you Andrew and Nettie, now we must get on with our lesson."

Miss Tremble asked the class what event was going to happen very soon? Her class chattered and giggled excitedly and explained...Hallowe'en!
"That's right children, she exclaimed." "Now let me read to you some of the origins of Hallowe'en."

She began. Over 2000 years ago the Celtics occupied what is now known as Great Britain, Ireland and northern France. Their festivals are believed to be the beginning roots of our present day Hallowe'en. November 1 st. was the beginning of their new year, but the festivities began the night before, this marking the season.

The festival of the Celtics was usually celebrated on October 31st. This was their new year and a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual world was very thin. It was a time to commune with the dead. Samhain was the spirit who opened the dark half of the year.

Sparky and Pete looked wide eyed at each other both thinking, Samhain? Sam Hain! Miss Tremble read on: ' The fearful Celtic folk built enormous bonfires on the hillsides to dismay the spirits of evil who revisited their homes at this time. On the night of October 31 ghosts and witches, hobgoblins and black cats, fairies and demons all roamed freely. The Irish Celts formed a parade and begged for food for the evil spirit's god, Musk Olla. The Irish legend tells of a man named Jack who was not permitted to enter Heaven because he was a miser, nor could he go to hell for he had played jokes on the devil. As a result of Jack's ways, he was forced to walk the earth til judgment, swinging his lantern to and fro; thus originated our Jack-O-Lantern. In medieval times, the same festivities were called All Hallow's Eve.

Miss Tremble added that the newest addition to our Hallowe'en was in 1965. At this time the United Nations incorporated into the Hallowe'en observance the collection of money for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.

The bell rang and out ran the children for recess, except Sparky and Pete. They lagged behind in serious conversation.
"Sparky, did you catch the name of the old man that has just moved in here and the name of that Celtic god?"
"Yeah!" said Sparky.
"Do you suppose that old man, Sam Hain, has moved into the old house just in time for Hallowe'en?"
Sparky pondered a few minutes, for things like this spooked him badly.
"Nah, it's just a coincidence!"
"I bet it's not. And I bet something terrible is going to happen on Hallowe'en night!" said Pete. Pete was braver than his friend Sparky, and thought this quite an adventure.
"Well, how are we going to know what will happen," said Sparky.
"We'll stake out the old house on Hallowe'en night, that's how," said Pete.

Sparky wasn't sure he wanted any part of this.
"I don't know Pete."
"Come on Sparky, don't be such a scardey cat, I bet you my bag of marbles."
Sparky had always admired Pete's great collection of marbles, he made a great gulp and said,
"O.K."

Later that day Pete asked his Mom if Sparky could come over for the weekend. His mother checked it out with Sparky's Mom and it was fine with her. All that weekend they planned for the great Hallowe'en bet. Sparky suggested they bring some matches to build a fire incase things got dangerous.
"No," said Pete, "I'll get the big flashlight that Dad keeps in the cellar. We have to be careful, for any light will scare away ghosts.
"Well isn't that the plan?" said Sparky.
"No Sparky, we'll just turn on the light if we really have to! We want to see all that is going to happen." Sparky just shook his head and wondered if the marbles were worth it.

Hallowe'en night finally arrived. Pete knocked loudly on Sparky's door. Sparky nearly jumped out of his suit with fright.
"Come on Sparky, let's get going!"
"You got the light Pete?"
"Yeah, but we can't turn it on now, we don't want anybody to know where we're going or coming."

Down the road they started. The night was cool and the clouds were taking over the sky. The boys walked along in silence. Finally they came to the long lane, rounded the bend and there stood the old house, all in darkness except for one room. Just them a big cloud rolled across the moon.
"Maybe we should go home," stammered Sparky. Then he thought about Pete's marble collection and slowly continued on.

The boys crouched as low as they could as they got closer to the window. There was an old wood pile near by and they hid behind it. They strained their ears to hear any sound and stared at the window to see if anything was happening inside the old house.

It seemed like a long time had passed and Pete was thinking he was going to loose his bag of marbles to Sparky. Then, suddenly, there came a great crashing sound from within the old house. A silhouette of a large figure rushed by the window. Loud howls and screaming sounds pierced the boys ears. Another light came on, then another, and another. Something seemed to jump from place to place inside the house, and that same dark figure rushed from window to window.

The boys were shaking uncontrollably.
"Let's get out of here!" they both screamed. They no sooner got the words out of their mouth when the house door flew open. Something was coming straight for the boys making a swooshing sound. It brushed Sparky's arm. Sparky screamed,
"The light, Pete, turn on the light!" Pete couldn't get control of his shaking hands. Sparky grabbed the flashlight. He flicked and flicked the switch, nothing happened. The batteries were dead.

The big figure now loomed in the doorway roaring loudly.
"Come back! Come back! They're coming for you soon!" The figure rushed out of the doorway making it's way to the wood pile. As it came running it kept saying,
"Come here you little devil, come here!"

The boys heard a terrible thud then a moaning sound.
"Come on Pete, now's our chance, let's get out of here!" Sparky grabbed Pete's trembling hand and pulled him down the long lane way toward home.

The boys were still out of breath when they reached Sparky's house. His mother met them at the door thinking they were trick-er-treaters.
"My, you boys look like you've seen a ghost, and where are your treats?" Just then some more kids came to the door and Sparky quickly went to his room and Pete continued on home.

The next morning Sparky had to deliver a letter for his mother to the post office. There he met Pete.
"Are you O.K.? Come on in while I mail this letter for Mom." As the boys approached the counter, someone came in behind them. The postmaster, Mr. Baker, looked up from behind the counter,
"Good morning Mr. Hain." The boys froze in their tracks.
"You have a limp, did you have an accident?" asked Mr. Baker.
"Why yes!" Mr. Hains exclaimed.
"My son and his family are coming to live with me and help me restore the old house. I'm looking after my grandson's little dog until they get here. The dog got to chasing my cat and when I went to let the cat out the little mut got out too. I had a terrible time trying to catch him, ran into the wood pile and hurt my leg."
Mr. Baker asked if he caught the little dog and asked if he was going to be O.K..

"Oh yes, I'll be fine. Oh, and by the way, there has been an error in the spelling of my name. My last name is Kain, not Hain. Would you mind correcting that for me?"
"I'll fix that for you right away." The postmaster then turned his attention to the sheepish duo.
"Yes boys, how can I help you today?" Neither uttered a word, just handed him the letter and turned and left the post office.

They headed down the road toward school. Sparky spoke first.
"I guess you can keep your marble collection, I didn't really want it. I wasn't really afraid either, were you?"
"Nah, but let's not tell anyone about last night okay?"
"That's okay by me," replied Sparky.