Trick-or-Treat

Artwork by 斎川

“Are you ready yet?” Miguel’s younger brother called from outside the bathroom.

“Nearly Milo!” Miguel called back. He drew the last stitches onto his forehead using an eyeliner and took a step back to look at his own masterpiece.

Miguel had recently picked up a few makeup tips from Conrad and covered the corner of his face with an army green face paint, which he finished off with the edges with stitches to give it a Frankenstein look. Below his right eye, he had placed a temporary tattoo of a ghost that his brother insisted he use for tonight. 

“Hurry up or all the good candy will be gone!” Milo’s voice was slowly rising into a higher pitch to match his urgency.

“Okay, okay!” Miguel grabbed the white cloth that his abuelita had dyed with ghoulish green patches and draped it over his head. “Tada!” He revealed himself with a flourish as he opened the bathroom door.

His brother appraised his costume through his hockey mask, painted with red streaks to simulate blood. “What monster are you supposed to be?” he questioned in an accusing tone.

“Uh…I’m a mix between a Frankenstein and a ghost,” he replied in a tone that was more question than statement.

“Why are there so many zippers on your jacket?”

It was a jacket that Clian had made several months earlier, but he could not visualize it paired with any other pieces of clothing. When the opportunity to showcase it during a Halloween fashion lineup came up, Clian was more than excited about the prospects.

“That’s like the stitches on my zombie skin, see, look,” Miguel said while unzipping the length of fabric around his arm. “Now it looks like my skin is falling off. Aaurrgh,” he said, sticking his hands out imitating a zombie.

“So now you're a Frankenstein, a ghost and a zombie?”

“Okay, smartie pants, are we going to stand around debating what I am all night, or are we going to get some candy?”

“Ah man! If all the king-sized bars are gone, it's your fault!” he said, leaping towards the front door with his oversized denim vest, covered in fake blood, waving out behind him. In his rush, Milo waved his fake plastic cleaver through the air and fumbled to open the doorknob because he carried an empty basket in his other hand.

“Milo, Miguel, make sure you stay together, okay!” their mother called out from the kitchen. “The weather is also getting colder now, so come home if it gets too chilly!” 

“Yes, Mami! Don’t worry!”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, Mami, don’t worry.”

“Remember, only visit houses that have decorations! And don’t forget, be home before dinner!”

“Okay, Mami, we’ll see you later,” Miguel said, chasing after his younger brother, who had finally broken his way through the front door.

The afternoon was still yellow from the setting autumn sun, but the streets were filled with younger children and their older siblings and parents. Houses along their street were embellished with carved pumpkins, hay bales, cotton cobwebs and fake skeletons. Anyone who didn’t celebrate Halloween would've thought there was a festival taking place in the neighborhood.

Milo turned around the first corner into their neighbor's driveway and knocked eagerly at the door while rocking on the heels of his feet. Miguel stepped up behind him, a small plastic jack-o-lantern flickering on the window ledge behind him.

 Ms Dias opened the door with a smile framed by every wrinkle on her face. “Milo! Miguel! How are you two?” Her wispy and grey hair was twisted around curlers on her hair. She wore a thick and flowery robe that was secured tightly around her wide waist.

“Trick or treat!” Milo said, raising his empty bucket with an excited expectation. The eagerness could be heard in his voice despite his expression hidden behind the mask.

“Milo, that’s a very scary costume! The blood isn’t real, is it?” she gasped, feigning fear by bringing her hand up to her chest.

“Of course not, I painted it on the mask myself. Do you have any big candy bars?”

“I saved one especially for you. Because you boys are always helping an old lady like me. If it weren't for you, I don’t know what I would do.” She reached behind her door and pulled forth two king-sized bars of chocolate to place into Milo’s basket.

“Can I get a hug from my favourite neighbor?” she said, spreading her arms wide.

Milo said a quick thanks, arms barely wrapped around her shoulder, and voice muffled in her ample chest.

“One bar is for your brother, alright. He doesn’t seem to have a basket.”

“I forgot mine at home because I was rushing after Milo, who didn’t want to miss out on the candy,” Miguel laughed, also reaching forward for a hug. “I guess he’s just going to have to share half his hoard with me at the end of the night,” he smirked at his brother.

Milo looked at Miguel with calculating eyes. “You can have half, but not including the large candy bars.”

“Milo, be nice to your brother,” Ms Dias chided.

There was a pause, and then “...okay,” was said with measured defeat, but Miguel knew his younger brother was cheeky and likely had his toes crossed when he said it.

“That’s my sweet boy,” she said, ruffling the soft spikes on the top of Milo’s head. “Enjoy the rest of the night,” she said, “and stay close to Miguel.” She watched the brothers walk off her driveway and before returning into her home.

They made it down several blocks along the road before Miguel decided it was time to turn around and make their way down the other side. Milo’s basket was just over half full, and he had recognized several of his classmates along the way.

“Hi Zac! I like your pirate costume!”

“Emery! How come your basket is so full of lollies already?”

“Hey Cameron, I’ll trade you four peppermint chocolates for one king-sized Snickers.”

Despite the hour reaching twilight, and the houses, roads and decorations turning a transcendent orangy-blue, it must have still been too early for the high schoolers to be out because Miguel still had not seen any of his classmates.

It wasn’t until the brothers were back on their home block that Miguel heard his name called out by someone across the street.

“Hey Miguel!” the voice chimed again.

A quick look towards the voice, and Miguel saw River running across the street with a shirt with the number 4 printed on his chest, shorts above the knee and socks pulled high up his calves. It was unmistakably his full soccer gear.

“When I saw you from across the street, I just knew it was you! I could tell from the way your hips sway when you walk.” River laughed.

“What? My hips don’t sway,” Miguel objected, too stunned by the statement to say anything else.

“Yeah, they do. It looks like this,” River said, moving his hips with an exaggerated wobble to each side.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you live on the other side of town?” Miguel asked, refusing to further entertain River and his antics.

“I do, but one of my soccer friends is staying with his mother this weekend, and he invited the team over. His house is a few blocks away from here. Speaking of which. Do you like my costume?” River said while stretching out the bottom of his jersey.

“Isn’t that just your soccer jersey?”

“Yep. I didn’t have time to actually make a costume, so I just ‘used what I got,’ as my brother said. What do you think?”

“I see you in that every other day…”

“Miguel, this person also only gave me mint lollies!” Milo called out as he stomped down the driveway and away from the offending house.

“Milo! I can barely recognize you in that costume!” River said, peering over Miguel's shoulder. “That mask looks amazing, and the blood on your shirt looks so real!”

“River! Hi! Why are you here? Are you going to join us for treat-or-treating?”

“Not tonight, I’m heading to my friend's place. He said we might go trick-or-treating later, but it’ll depend on what the other guys wanna do.”

The conversation faded into the background while the realization crept up upon Miguel that River had the same energy level as his nine-year-old brother. This was quickly followed by the recognition that River’s personality, which mirrored Milos’, was possibly a reason why he was always able to paint a smile on his face.

“Why do you have a dumb smile on your face?” River teased with a friendly smirk.

“Come on, Miguel, we have to finish trick-or-treating,” Milo said, pulling on the loose sleeve of Miguel’s shirt, “River won’t even join us if I give him a king-sized chocolate bar.”

“You’re not coming?” Miguel asked, unaware of any part of the conversation that had taken place between River and Milo.

“No, I’m going to my friend's place, remember? But I’ll see you at the studio next time.” River said, turning around and recrossing the street. “See ya!” He said with a final wave.

“Bye!” Miguel said, raising his hand, although it was unlikely River saw it as his back was turned.

“Okay, Milo. Let’s finish off trick-or-treating!”