SAMHAIN

SAMHAIN

The street was flanked on both sides by rows of houses and the lawns were decorated with scarecrows, jack-o'-lanterns and stacks of gourds.

Giggling children scurried past me in ghoulish costumes and scary masks.

I took confident strides towards a house on my left. In my Dracula getup, I was unrecognizable.

The family inside was holding a party and from the squeals, it seemed like some games were well underway.

The rooms were dimly lit. Tables were set for apple bobbing in the next room.

'She' was in a Halloween costume too but it was easy to spot her—a 'witch' playing host.

I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to lead me to the washroom. Taking me to be one of her guests, we passed the apple bobbing table.

Her screams were muffled with other playful shrieks and gory noises amidst the Halloween effects as I dunked her head in the tub of water and held her there until her wild thrashing stopped.

Wasn't this exactly how she had brutally killed my child in a fit of envy because she did well in school, much better than her own son?

On this hallowed day, I've avenged Jade.

( Word Count: 199 excluding the title)

©️ Sangeetha Kamath

SPOOKY

Black hissing cats, witches in pointy hats, vampires in their velveteen cloaks

Withered branches reach out, hoards of bats fly out of hollow oaks

Haunted houses, cobwebbed lampposts glow eerily on every street

Masked as zombies, ghosts, mummies and Frankenstein; children scream trick or treat

Carved out pumpkins adorned as Jack-o'-lantern, decorate lawns and gardens umpteen

It's Hallowe'en, from a creaking coffin emerges a zombie unseen

Quite unaware as I walk the forested paths winding and serpentine

Lost in the fragrance of pine trees, wintergreen and blooms amaranthine.

Footprints on the fresh pristine snow, Inside my house they go

They lead under my bed, but as none come out,

My scream is stifled in my throat and so is my shout

My heart starts hammering

When I hear an incessant thumping

I look at the mirror; It's my reflection staring back at me in horror

She mouths a silent scream "Look behind you" while tapping fervently with her finger

I'm too late when I spot the glint of the dagger

She jumps out of the mirror and becomes my savior

Now I don't have a reflection but two shadows and a guardian---

My twin soul sister!!!

(20 lines)

Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay

Comments

ABERCROMBIE LOCKE MANSION

This post is part of the Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026. CHAPTER 1 ABERCROMBIE LOCKE MANSION The sky bled bruises of plum and cherry over the rolling hills. A full moon hung low against the mauve casting silver shards through the trees. The mansion made of cold greystone loomed large beyond the rusted iron gates. It grated on the gravel, rasping on the hinges and yawned open like a predator's jaw as Goldwynn booted it open with her foot. Her sneakers squished heavily on the mulch of dead leaves. Clutching her backpack, she looked up at the towering, grim structure forebodingly. "Are you sure you want to do this?" her friend Lexi whispered, hesitating by the gate. "This mansion's totally cursed, they say." Lexi's voice was a thin thread. A chill crept up her back and she tight...

Moxie N' Mettle

MOXIE N' METTLE In slivers and fragments as my sleep tiptoes, did I do right or wrong my heart needles… Some skies are born of black holes and tempest wreck, There glitters not a ray of light, nor a speck When curtains turbid hold all light hostage, Sandstorms, hailstorms, dust storms, snowstorms, windstorms assail and ravage Spanning my wings as a raging fire Or as a mellow glow of a fairy light in the distant darkness, quite debonaire I'll ignite my spark from within like a star born into itself spurting lava Or explode leaving trails of cosmic dust like a Supernova I will be the Sun creating galaxies and many a constellation. Or burn like a single flame of the candle to keep my hopes and dreams alive with determination! I will be at my own pace I will be whoever and whatever I want to be—in my own race Collapse, crash and crumble! But I'll...

RUTHLESS REVELATIONS (DAY 16, LETTER R)

CHAPTER 15 RUTHLESS REVELATIONS The Three Little Pigs stood triumphant in the whimsical cottage's living room, surrounded by mismatched furniture and waltzing dust motes. Baconne , Porkinn , and Swinedell grinned at each other, puffing out their chests like gangsters. Baconne swaggered closer to the makeshift bar. "You know," he said, stroking his shoulder, "the Big Bad Wolf wasn't so bad after all, was he?" His grin split wide, showing a gold-capped tooth. The pigs snorted, their belly laughs vibrating the chandeliers above. Swinedell poured three tiny glasses of wild truffle liqueur with a theatrical flourish. "Cheers to us!" he growled, hoisting a glass. "We wanted his posh cottage for ourselves. Wolfie mutt was just defending his pad." His eyes glinted like cheap jewels. Goldwynn's face paled. She stammered as she whispered, " Wha...

THE BIG BAD WOLF( DAY 17, LETTER T)

CHAPTER 16 THE BIG BAD WOLF The pigs snarled like proper rascals, fixing their cold steely eyes on the Wolf's cottage. How dare he refuse to part with his cottage! When the pigs demand, it's given to them---no questions asked! Porkinn limped, Baconne was soggy, Swinedell rubbed a sore bump on his head, but they were far from defeated. Swinedell snorted, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "Wolf thinks 'e's posh, don't 'e? " Baconne sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring. "We want the cottage!” He growled. Porkinn cracked his fingers, his sly glance darting about. The pigs crept towards the back door, their footsteps silent on the soft grass. They spotted the Wolf through the kitchen window, stirring a pot of steaming stew for dinner. They kicked the door in, the wood splintering jaggedly. The latch gave in....

ANAM CARA

The waves are soft and frothy. Laced with gossamer frills tenderly kissing the tips of my toes covered with the grainy sand of the rugged seashore where I'm sitting, wistful. A gust of briny breeze tousles my hair as I gaze as far as my eyes can see. A flock of terns wheel overhead, their sharp, shrill cries punctuating the air as they dive and swoop over the surfs. A lone frigate bird , its crimson belly dazzling like a jewel skims majestically above, its long, slender wings outstretched as it rides the thermals high above the ocean. I absorb the sights and sounds of the late afternoon while absentmindedly scooping seashells beside me. As the afternoon phases, the furthest rim of the ocean is fringed in a gilded hem and the sleepy sun yawns, its dipping glow streaking the sky in a mellow tangerine and warm cherry. As I continue sitting there, the ships and yachts appear --specks of light from the portholes glimmering in the distance, reminding me of the phrase “That ship has sai...

Sangeetha Kamath

Search This Blog