Happy Halloween

by fabian cortez

Deafening silence caught

Me as I trod my way

To our hilltop

Autumn leaves

Crunched beneath

My feet, yet comfort

Taken usually from

Welcome warmth

Of my front doors

Invite, left me cold

That day

-

I heard no laughter

No family argument

Over seating or whether

Computer games,

Or Television would be

Viewed, maybe they were

Out, going to surprise me

For Halloween, after

All the season was

Upon us, maybe my

Feeling's this day

Were down to a

Degree of nervous

Excitement

-

I placed my key gently

Into our lock, &

Turned, I could hear

Nothing but clicks

As each notch was

Grabbed into place

By the key's teeth

As it turned

Our door swung open

Easily as it always had

A note lay lonely, but

For rustic doormat's

Company, I retrieved it

Briskly & read

-

"Happy Halloween"

Nothing more, I

Felt suddenly hollow,

A golf ball in my throat

Although I had no real

Reason to be concerned

I raced to our sitting

Room to find a gentle

Glow from the snowy

Television screen

Filled it with an eerie

Ambience, catching my Wife

Hacked apart, yet silent

As I had so often wished

Yet not like this

O God not like this

I squeezed my eyes

Shut in hope

I was dreaming

-

The image remained

Gouged eyes of my

Wife knitting needles

Protruding, O God

From my Son's

Tiny unmoving

Chest

-

My daughters, where

Were they?

"In here Dad" I raced to the

Kitchen calling to them

But a Moment, I was

Silenced abruptly as our

Carving knife found

My jugular, I fell

Clumsily watching

Blood pump jets of

Crimson from my neck

-

"Our project at school today was

A horror story for Halloween,

A child killing their family,

You always said, write

About what you know,

Do you think I'll get

An "A" for this project;

Well do you Dad?"

"No, I will"

Her twin Sister's voice

Came from behind

Her as our garden shears

Cut swiftly through the flesh

Of her psychotic sisters

Neck, a few more

Forceful hacks broke

Her vertebrae, to spill her

Lifeless head to our

Floor with a dull thud

-

I motioned to our phone

Relieved she'd survived

With at least a semblance of

Hope for my own life.

"Yes of course Dad, I know",

She said racing toward it.

Perhaps I could still survive

I thought.

-

Then she unplugged it

From the wall

copyright©2005 fabian cortez