Sun City: Halloween

Everyone has a mystery. Human creatures crave the comforting not-knowing mysteries, little questionable events to puzzle over for a lifetime, turning the events over and over, trying to make sense of the mystery. Do they really say that? Am I exaggerating? How much can hinge on infliction? Has memory distorted the truth? Is there any hope of ever recovering the truth? The answer is always yes.
This is my mystery. It’s been turning over and over in my head for twenty years and I still haven’t made sense of the events. I’m not sure if I can rationalize the sequence of events, why things happened the way the happened, how the happen, and why she had to die. That much I do know. Alison died so I could live.


Sun City, Kansas

Halloween, 1982

It was raining. It always seemed to rain the night of Halloween. The day started bright with the promise of high clouds and pleasant temperatures in the 70s. Then the cold front would roll through around dusk and the temperature would plunge twenty degrees. Coats would only disguise the costumes. Everyone shivered good naturedly in the Halloween gloom, balancing umbrellas and bags of candy.
Veronica and Kathy were no exception, shivering in their black witches costumes and green face paint.
“Where should we go first?” Kath asked, arms swinging wildly at her side and the sisters walked up the street.
“Laudermilk’s.”
“I don’t want to go see stupid old smelly Mr. Laudermilk.”
“He’s not stupid and he doesn’t smell.”
“His breathe does.”
Veronica nodded. Mr. Laudermilk’s breath did smell, like liver and onions and sixty years of bad teeth.
“So why?” Kath scratched at the green paint on her nose, leaving a tiny pink spot of bare skin. Veronica and Kath were dressed as witches. Every year they dressed as witches. Veronica wasn’t sure why this was, maybe they gravitated towards witchery because their mother had a genuine witch-like wart on the tip of her nose.
“Well,” Veronica said, “because I need to pick up my check and old man Laudermilk’s giving away candy.”
Veronica could see the calculation in Kath’s eyes, a hard kind of glint of mercenary children on Halloween, tabulation the benefits of the candy versus time spent that could other be squandered on trick of treating. “The good kind,” Veronica said. “I picked it out last night.”
“Okay, then,” Kath said. “Why isn’t Christian with us?”
“He has a party.”
“Don’t you have a party to go to? Aren’t you pop-u-lar…” Kathy stretched out the last word in a sing-song voice.
Veronica and Kathy reached the edge of town. Their house, and old farm house painted a buttery yellow, was the last house in town, literally at the end of the street. Maple Avenue turned into a gravel road and ended at the Harlow’s driveway. It was a five minute walk to the paved streets of Sun City.
Veronica and Kathy turned west, walking the short two blocks to the intersection that was the downtown of Sun City. It wasn’t much. Sun City could be traversed on foot in under fifteen minutes, if the wind wasn’t blowing hard.
The name Sun City was a misnomer. It was a town. A tiny town. A town so small that other small towns in comparison considered themselves a metropolis. A complete smallsville. Absolutely nowhere. Veronica knew the town so well she could talk it blind folded. She knew the walk from her house to the school took ten minutes, 12 in the rain, 15 in the snow, and 20 if it was icy. She knew every person in every house, some better than others, but had met everyone. Laudermilk’s Pharmacy was the one of three social hubs in the town, the others being the diner and the church. Working the cash register, she met everyone and knew what medicine they took and candy they bought.
“I have a party to go to,” Veronica said.
“Then why are you trick or treating with me?”
“Because you’re too young to go alone.” Kath was only ten. Sun City was small and safe but it was best not to invite disaster.
The lights of Laudermilk’s glowed invitingly against the dark of the night.
“Are you going to sneak out?”
“No,” Veronica said firmly, hoping that she didn’t sound like she was lying because she was lying. Sneaking out was exactly her plan.
“Can I knock at this house?”
Kath planted herself at the root of Mrs. Schniedawind’s sidewalk and would not budge.
“Make it fast.”
Kath skipped up the sidewalk and sixty seconds later returned with a candy bar partially eaten. “This is my favorite holiday.”
Laudermilk’s Pharmacy had a steady stream of children in costumes, each present to Mr. Laudermilk like courtesans to a king. He inspected the costumes, murmured approval or questions over what they were suppose to be and bequeathed the children with a full sized candy bar.
Kath nearly broke into a dance when she saw the candy Laudermilk produced from his apron.
Laudermilk’s Pharmacy was a relic of a by-gone era. Most of Sun City was a relic but Laudermilk’s had a working soda fountain and Sunday bar. Small assortment of dry groceries in the front, pharmacy in the back, and the soda fountain right at the front door. The counter as filled with children spending their allowances on root beer floats or parfaits. Veronica worked the counter. Technically she was a soda jerk, but thought of herself as a soda-asshole.
Mr. Laudermilk (Old Man Laudermilk to everyone Veronica’s age or younger) looked like he crawled out of a Norman Rockwell painting. He was tall, thin in the body and thin in the face with a red nose that did not seem capable of holding up his glasses. He wore a stripped red and white shirt, smartly ironed and nearly wrinkled and a large white butcher apron. Nothing in the store was butchered and the apron stayed remarkably white.
“Miss Harlow,” Old Man Laudermilk said. “And young Miss Harlow.” He produced a white envelope from the confines of the miraculous white apron.
Veronica took her wages with a slight smile.
“Don’t spend it all in one place now.”
There weren’t a whole lot of options for places to spend in Sun City.
“What you gonna spent it on?” Kath asked immediately.
“I’m not going to spend it.”
“It seems to me the only reason to get a job is to spend money.”
A dry laugh came out of Laudermilk.
“I’m saving,” Veronica said. “For college.”
“What you need to save for that for?”
Veronica was leaving the pharmacy when Seth walked in. They nearly collided.
Kath was undeterred and plowed on, oblivious of the other people. “Why don’t you by a car?”
“Sorry,” Veronica apologized quickly. Laying one hand on Kath’s shoulder so she couldn’t’ take off down the street like a rocket, “I don’t want a car.”
Seth graciously stepped aside. “Why not? If you had a car, we could just drive away from this place, leave and never come back.”
Veronica said nothing, moving down onto the street. This time she had to practically drag Kath by the hand. They made their way past the other downtown businesses: the diner, the bank, the post office, the gas station, and the Baptist church.
“Wasn’t that your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Dad thinks he is.”
“Well, he’s not!”
Kath began to skip. “When are you going to sneak out and go to his party?”
“I’m not sneaking out to go to a party. Stop acting as if I am. Why don’t you go try this house?” They were now in the small cluster of historic houses that flanked either side of Sun City Memorial Park. The houses were spectacular examples of American Victoriana built during Sun City’s money flushed youth of the late 19th century. At least, that’s what her teacher Ms. Danes said.
The park was a square plot of green with trees and the appropriate number of benches. In the middle of the park was a gigantic pink rock: a granite boulder, an erratic boulder, dumped by a receding glacier during the last ice age. Something else Ms. Danes told her.
Kath returned from the first house, mouth already filled with candy.
“Don’t eat everything. Mom’s going to want to see enough candy as proof that you didn’t stuff yourself silly.”
“There’s plenty,” Kath said in a tone that suggested she had everything under control.
Veronica watched Kath skipped up the path to the next house. Twin jack-o-lanterns flanked the porch. A ghost and pirate were already at the door.
Something shifted in the wind. I’m not sure what it was, but my skin felt like my core body temperature dropped twenty degrees and I knew, I knew with absolute certainty that I was in trouble.
I looked behind me quickly. There was nothing in the shadows. It was too hard to see anything clearly. There were no street lamps in Sun City. Street lamps imply a city government and so sort of tax base to operate services. We had neither.
The street was dark. The only light came from the porches of houses expecting Trick or Treaters.
It was even darker inside the park. No light penetrated the leafy canopy.
Something seemed to lurk behind the trees.
I could feel the eyes on me.
“Come on out, Seth York. I know it’s you.”
Nothing. Another bone chilling blast of wind. My eyes watered and I tried to blink away tears and something in the park, behind the trees, shifted.
“Ha ha ha, Seth. You’re not scaring me.” Just as I said the words, I realized it was exactly what the young heroine said in a slasher flick just before the slasher slashed.
I close my eyes. From here, home was a three minute run.
I wrapped my arms around my chest. I should have worn a black sweater. It totally would have kept with the costume and I would be terrified and shivering on the sidewalk of Union Street.
Kath was back, swinging her orange plastic pail. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. How many more houses on this street?”
“Four.”
“Hurry up then, I’m cold.”
“Got a party to go to, you mean.”
“Just hurry up.”
This time I followed Kath up to the house, huddling on the edge of the safety of the warm porch light.
“Let’s do the houses by the school.”
“Aren’t you freezing?”
“No. Is Seth going to pick you up?”
“He’s not going to pick me up because I’m not going to a party.”
“Everyone in school knows about the party at his house tonight. And everyone knows there’s going to be a keg and a room in the back with the all the lights out, the kissing room.”
“I’m not going to a party.”
“Then why did Alison drop off party clothes this morning?”
“Those weren’t party clothes,” Veronica said, perhaps a bit too quickly.
“It was a black lace shirt…”
It was a black lace shirt with grommets and cording to lace up the front and huge ruffled sleeves. It was completely awesome. Her father would never let something like that in the house, much less let her wear it.
“Don’t tell Dad, okay?”
Something lurking suddenly shifted out of the corner of her eye. Something horrible. Veronica couldn’t formulate the words but she knew it was horrible and had sharp teeth.
The dark was too dark. Halloween was never this dark when she was a kid.
“Are you going to go into the kissing room with Seth?”
If the night went well. “No,” I said. “How many more houses?”
“Do I look like I have enough candy to make it too Christmas, because that’s how much candy I need.”
“I don’t know, but you are beginning to look like you’ve eaten enough candy to last to Christmas.” Kath was a little on the round side but not too large for her age. She was the sturdy product of sturdy farmer genes. Veronica herself was equally sturdy: tall, big breasted, not to brag, but they are uncomfortably big, and her mom was forever trying to get her to wear polo shirts with dorky collars that look terrible on her. Actually, Mom tries to dress her like Kath.
“One more block,” Kath said. “The best houses are by the school. Come on.” She fearless stepped off of the safety of the sidewalk and into the dark of the park.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Cutting across the park.”
“Let’s stick to the main roads tonight.”
“Come on, there’s no time to loose.” Kath took off running, the white soles of her sneakers flashing before disappearing into the gloom.
Veronica watched her ten year old sister vanished and had an uncomfortable feeling that it would be the last time she saw her. Small girl, dressed in black, dark green face paint: she was impossible to find in the dark.
Veronica took off into a fast sprint. The faster they made it threw the park, the better.
A shrill cry pierced the night.
Veronica ran fast, towards the sound. This was it, this was the terrible thing waiting her for just beyond the shadows, the thing following her. “Kath! Where are you!”
There was no answer, just the sound of the wind.
“Kath!”
“Over here!”
Kath was sprawled on the ground near the rock, candy spilled around her like she was a piñata.
“What happened?”
“I tripped. Now I’m never going to find all my candy.”
Veronica extended a hand to help her sister up. “The ground is muddy. You don’t want that candy now.”
“And my butt’s muddy too.”
“The great muddy behind witch.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me we should have stayed to the main road?”
“I don’t have to, but I did tell you so.”
“I’m cold.”
“Ready to go home?”
“Yes,” Kath said glumly.
She heard it. A twig snapping, something horrible with sharp teeth shifting it’s weight, stepping forward.
Veronica’s grip tightened on Kath’s shoulder.
“Ow, you’re hurting me.”
“Shh,” Veronica cautioned. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Breathing.”
Kath became still.
Crack.
Veronica grabbed Kath’s hand and ran, practically dragging her the entire three minute run back to home at the end of Maple Ave.
“Wait,” Kath panted. “Stop.”
“We’re almost there.” The yellow house at the end of Maple Avenue glowed warmly in the night, the downstairs lights on.
“My sides hurt…”
“Come on,” Veronica said. One final burst of speed put her on the porch.
Kath collapsed on the steps. “What…was that…about.”
“You should run more.”
“Go to hell.”
“Don’t let Dad hear that kind of langue. He’ll take it out of your hide.”
“Why did you run like the devil was after us.”
“There was something there. Watching us.”
Kath was pale. “You’re just trying to scare me.”
“Do I look like I’m joshing you?”
“Then it was Christian trying to scare us.”
“Maybe. It worked.”
“Why does he have to be such a jerk?”
“Because he’s our brother.”
The door opened, bright light spilled onto the porch. “Are you girls going to stay out there all night?”
Veronica and Kath entered the house, kicking muddy shoes off in the vestibule. Their mother, Cheryl, began to shut the door but paused. “What’s that dog doing out there?”
Veronica turned to look. A great black dog was sitting at the boundary where the gravel pavement of Maple Avenue became the driveway of the Harlow home. Its pink tongue lolled out of the side of it’s mouth good-naturedly. “I don’t know.”
“Can I pet it?” Kath asked.
“No.” Cheryl firmly shut the door and twisted a deadbolt in place. “You don’t go petting strange dogs. It could have rabies.”
Cheryl seemed to then notice the state of her youngest child. “What happened to you? You’re covered in mud.”
“Fell in the park.”
“Go take a shower can change into your pajamas.”
Kath rolled her eyes and disappeared up the stairs.
The Harlow home was an old farmhouse. Originally it was two rooms up and two rooms down. And addition had been added at some point in the twentieth century that brought plumbing, a kitchen, and two more bedrooms to the house.
“You, too,” Cheryl said. “It’s getting late.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“Working late.” Keith Harlow was a mechanic for a trucking company in the next town over. There wasn’t much industry in Western Kansas, just agriculture, but cattle and chickens needed to be shipped from the farm to the slaughter houses and then to the market. Keith kept the trucks running that kept fresh food on the shelves. He worked odd hours, depending on the trucks. When the trucks arrived at the service yard, they needed to be serviced and put back out on the road as fast as possible. However, when Cheryl said Keith was working late it was code for “drinking at the bar” and no one wanted to be awake when he came home.
“I have homework, anyway,” Veronica said. “Then I’ll go to bed.”
“Are you sure? Christian won’t be home until 10. You could stay up until then.”
Wow. Staying up till, just like a big girl. Cheryl acted as if she was Kath’s age, not a senior in high school.
“I’m tired,” Veronica said. “I think I exhausted myself shivering.” She was already on the stairs. Each board creaked under her weight. Grand old houses, never able to keep a secret. She could hear the water running in the bathroom.
“Good night, sweetie.”
Her bedroom was cold. Veronica didn’t mind. She liked the cold. She kept the window cracked an inch so it would be cold.
Her bedroom was in the northwest corner of the house, the draftiest and coldest part of the house. Mornings in the deep of window, the inside of the windows would be coated with a lace-like layer of frost.
The witch costume, a cheap thing made of polyester, was forgotten in the laundry hamper. She put on the clothes Alison had brought over yesterday. She wore a black camisole under the black lace shirt and blue jeans. If Cheryl wasn’t trying to dress Veronica like a kid, then maybe she wouldn’t have to secret clothes away with her best friend. Alison had a whole section of her closet filled with clothes Veronica bought but couldn’t bring home because her parents would flip out. The outfit was nice, curvy in the right places. Veronica untied the top of the blouse, letting the string hand loose and exposing a bit of chest.
Next was makeup, which was not allowed in the Harlow home. For this Veronica did not need Alison to deliver goods, but rather she had her own hiding place. A loose floor board near the bed provided just enough space to squirrel away the essentials of a teenage girls’ makeup kit.
Five minutes till ten, the front door opened and slammed with the force of a teenage boy. Boys wreck your house, Dad said, girls wreck your head. Christian was home. Muffled voices downstairs drifted through the walls and then the heavy sound of feet on the stairs.
Veronica was fully dressed under the covers. The lights were off and a book was sitting on the floor next to the bed.
The door cracked opened, Cheryl making her rounds. “Sweetie?” she said softly.
Veronica made no reply, blanket pulled over her head and eyes closed in feigned sleep.
The door closed.