All Hallows Eves

Novel Excerpt

Photo by Sašo Tušar on Unsplash

October 1988. Seven-year-old Gabriella Hall arranged figures in her three foot high doll house. Resting on a plastic child's table, it blended well with her girlie bedroom. She held the mother doll against a miniature artist's easel that stood next to the table and carefully traced the figure. A shout from the living room, this time louder than the previous one, caused her to freeze and turn toward the closed bedroom door .

“Absolutely not!” Mother yelled.

"We're out of options, Evie," Father said.

"You are not mortgaging our house! We agreed! The interest alone-”

Gabriella heard the front screen door slam.

"Eve!" Father pleaded. “Honey, please." Gabriella heard the screen door open, then close.

Gabriella wondered where Mother went and how long she'd be gone this time. What happened if she didn't come back? Who’d finish the Raggedy Ann costume? Who’d take her around the neighborhood? Not Father. He hated going house-to-house "begging," as he called it. Besides, someone had to stay home and hand out candy.

Minutes later, she heard her mother. "And when this business tanks?"

"It won't, Evie. I promise."

"How could you put us in this position, George?”

“Company’s laying off people every week. Nearly everyone hired after me is gone. It's a matter of time before the ax falls.”

“You’re supposed to be secure."

“It’s the recession. I could go in tomorrow and find a pink slip on my desk."

"But this venture?”

"If it takes off, we're golden.”

"If. If. And if it doesn't?"

"It will." Gabriella heard a knock on her bedroom door, then it opened. "Knock knock," Father announced as he stepped into the pink and purple bedroom. "Hey Princess, ready to carve a pumpkin?"

Gabriella returned the doll to its tiny pink bedroom and hopped up. Out in the living room, Mother dabbed at swollen eyes with a washcloth as she stretched out on their paisley couch. “Costume’s done, Gabs,” Mother said. She pointed to the dining table where a fluffy Raggedy Ann costume lay next to a tray of caramel apples they had made.

Dad leaned to kiss Mother’s forehead. “We’re about to carve the pumpkin, Evie. Care to join us?”

“No thanks,” Mother told him. “What’ll we do if it doesn't take off, George?”

"Tell your brother to empty his garage." Father told her.

"And where will you live?" Mother pushed herself up.

"Ha ha," George rubbed his wife’s arm. “Come help us carve. We can use your sense of humor. And your impeccable artist’s eye.” He nudged Gabriella into the kitchen where the hollowed out pumpkin waited on the pressed wood dining table they picked up at the Cooper’s yard sale.

“Take her around tonight, George? Please? I have blisters the size of plums on my feet and can't handle the walk."

"You know how I feel, Eve."

“Ann Marie didn't show and I ended on register all day. I'm in so much pain—”

George hollered into the kitchen. "Gabs! How'd you like to trick or treat solo tonight?"

"She's too young!"

Father yelled again. "What do you say, Sweetheart?" He massaged his wife’s shoulders. Gabriella joined them and he turned to her. "The first group comes by, you just blend in and follow them around the neighborhood. Cool?”

Gabriella was equal parts excited and scared. She didn't know the neighborhood kids well, so it wasn't like she could just say, "Hey so and so, mind if I tag along?” And what if they didn't like the idea of her barging in? Still, the thought of going out at night without a parent was thrilling. "I think so,” she told her father.

Eve was nervous but George was determined that his daughter learn to be independent. That night, Gabriella put on her Raggedy Ann costume and waited on the front steps. When the first group, who looked about her own age, left their house and headed next door to Old Lady Barker’s, she joined them. For two hours she trailed behind the pack of six which grew as the night progressed. Gabriella ended up taking in quite a haul, and it was the best Halloween she could remember. It was also the last one they would spend in the deluxe ranch on Forest Hills Avenue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 1989. The following year Gabriella stared across her uncle’s living room at her nine-year old cousin, Lily, who straddled the love seat in which her mother sat. Lily’s parents sat on either side of her on a couch that seemed so big a dozen people could have joined them. Uncle Doug brought in lemonade; he handed a glass to Mother and another to Father. "Sure we can't get you anything, Gabriella?" Aunt Violet asked. The girl shook her head.

Mother corrected her sister-in-law. “She prefers Gabby. Or Gabs.”

“Gabby. Of course,” Aunt Violet said and stroked the flushed cheek. “Though you’re so quiet I never would have guessed.”

Uncle Doug turned to his daughter. "Lily. Show your cousin her new room while I talk with Auntie Eve and her husband."

"Her room? Hers?” Lily asked, none too kindly.

"Lily," Uncle Doug said and gave his daughter a stern look.

Tight jawed, Lily marched out of the living room followed by Gabriella. They walked down the hall and up to a door with a hand scribbled sign that read, "Lily's Pad. Do Not Enter." Lily shoved open the door and stepped into a blindingly white room, its starkness interrupted with an occasional touch of cornflower blue. The first thing Gabriella noticed was that the glare in her cousin's room nearly burned her eyes. It was a corner room with four windows. Four! All framed by white curtains with tiny blue flowers. The walls were white, the four poster bed white and covered with a white spread sprinkled with blue flowers spouting from long green stems. A gauze canopy—white—shaded the bed and completed the princess picture. Scattered over the white wooden floor were rugs the same blue as the curtain’s flowers. The room was so tidy, it looked as though no one lived there.

The four poster bed stood against one wall; opposite was a cot about half its size. The cot was made up with a brown wool blanket and a pillow with a white case. As she stared at the bed, Gabriella heard someone enter the room behind her. She felt her aunt slide an arm over her shoulder. "I'm sorry the bed is so small, Gabby." Violet leaned to kiss her niece on the head. "It was all we could get on short notice. It was that or share Lily's bed and we felt you'd prefer your own."

Gabriella cleared her throat. "It's fine, Auntie Violet. Thank you."

"What about thanking me," said Lily. "I'm the one has to share my room."

"Thank you, Cousin Lily."

"Lily," said Aunt Violet. "No need for a tone. You keep saying you want a sister, now you have one." She squeezed Gabby's shoulder.

"A cousin isn't a sister. And a sister is a baby."

"Lily!"

"This is the worst Halloween ever!" Lily stomped out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Aunt Violet said. “This isn’t about you. We’ve been battling all week about tonight. She wanted to dress in some wolf girl costume. Clawdeen I think she was called. Absolutely vulgar.”

"Clawdeen’s one of the Monster High dolls."

“It’s that and because I wouldn't let her trick or treat with her friends. The two of you can go together. Or Miss Lily can stay home and hand out treats."

"Please don't keep her from her friends because of me, Auntie Violet. I went trick or treating by myself last year. I can do it again. And really, I don't even need to go this year.”

"Of course you're going, my dear. And it's not because of you that I won't let Little Miss Smarty Pants join them. I promise. Though I do think it would be nice for the two of you to get to know each other. AND a nice way to introduce you to the neighborhood.” She squeezed Gabriella’s shoulder and carried a pink coverlet to the cot. "Help me put this on the bed, Sweetie. I hope you like pink. It's big, but warm and soft. It used to be mine." The two unfolded the spread which turned out to be patchwork squares of every shade of pink.

"It's beautiful! Thank you. Pink's my favorite color. That and purple." Together, they spread out the coverlet. The bed no longer was dreary. And since the coverlet used to belong to her aunt, it looked especially inviting.

"Do you have a costume, Gabby, or should we run to the store to fetch one?"

“I’ve got last year’s and hardly grew. Plus, this is a different place so no one's seen it."

"What a good attitude." Aunt Violet hugged her. "I'm so glad you're here, Gabby. Maybe some of you will rub off on your cousin. I love her dearly, but sometimes she's a grump. I have no clue where she gets that." She looked at the two boxes stacked at the foot of the cot. "I'll let you get to unpacking." She opened the three bottom drawers of a tall dresser; they were empty. "These are yours, as well as half the closet." She opened the closet door and looked in. "I can see Lily didn't do a great job here so you'll need to shove some of her stuff to the side."

"I don’t have a lot."

“For now. I'll let you get to it." She turned back to the doorway. "Holler if you need anything."

Gabby opened the box and began transferring belongings into the dresser. Minutes later, Lily returned, plopped on to her canopy bed and glowered. She crossed to peer into one of Gabby's boxes where she picked up a small plastic doll. "What's this?" Lily asked.

"She's from my dollhouse. The mother."

"Where's your dollhouse?"

"We sold it at our yard sale because there wasn't room to bring it."

"Why'd you swipe the mother?"

"They don't need her. They have their dad."

"That's stupid."

"Well, anyway, she’s mine.”

Lily tossed the doll back into the box. As she left the room she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for her cousin to hear, "Stupid."

An hour later Lily returned wearing a white leotard and carrying her mother-approved Gypsy costume. She dropped a pile of beaded necklaces on to her bed then smoothed out a white peasant top and brightly colored skirt.

Gabriella was stretched atop her aunt’s fluffy comforter reading The Phantom Tollbooth.

“Mother says I can introduce you to my friends tonight.”

Gabriella sat up. “She did?” Gabriella realized she really did want to go trick or treating.

“Yes. It was my idea if you must know.”

“Thank you cousin Lily.”

“And don’t say Cousin Lily. It sounds retarded. You aren’t retarded, are you?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Good. And it wasn’t just so I could Trick or Treat with my friends. If I have to have you around all the time then you need to learn how to be cool.” She sorted beads. “My friends are all very cool. They’re the most popular girls at school. Maybe you can learn something from them.”

“I will.”

“And don’t embarrass me!”

Gabby shook her head and Lily pulled on the peasant blouse.

Photo by Bee Felten-Leidel on Unsplash