All Hallows Eve Pt. 02

You can read this as a standalone story, but it is probably better if you read Part 1 first. That's up to you. I hope you like it.

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Nearly a year had passed, and the old woman had felt every day of it. The body grows weary with time. The joints were stiff while the back was weak, but the spirit moved her to find a quiet joy in every day she was given. Her daughter visited more often now and brought the grandchildren when she could. Sometimes her daughter took the opportunity to visit while the children were in school, and when she did, she would sit with her mother and talk. They talked about their lives, and her daughter would tell her about the grandchildren and her husband. They talked about the past and the memories they shared, but what the daughter really wanted was to hear about her mother's days and how she felt.

When the grandchildren would visit, then everything revolved around them. The old woman would sit on the sofa, and the children would tell her about school and about their friends and whatever else came to their mind, and she would listen as if every word were the most important thing in the world because to her it was. Her daughter would take that time to do a little housework for her mother and cook a few simple meals to put in the fridge for later. If she were honest, she would admit that she also did a little spying to see if there were any signs that her mother's memory was failing, but she never found any sign or indication that her mother could not still live on her own although it worried her. Her mother was still as sharp as when she was young and only slowed with the passage of time. So the daughter would busy herself by helping with whatever was needed to make her mother's chores a little lighter. She knew her mother still liked to do these things for herself, but she now grew tired easily and her daughter wanted to make life a little easier for her.

It was two days before Halloween, and they sat together on that same sofa to talk.

"Another year has passed, child. They pass more quickly now. It seems like only last week you brought the children for Trick or Treat."

"I remember, mom. They had some questions that night that I couldn't answer."

"About what, dear?"

"About dad."

The old woman chuckled. "He was so delighted to see them. He had questions, too. He always asks how you are doing and how are the children? He asks about Tom and his work, although mostly we just sit and enjoy the day."

This was not the response the daughter hoped to hear. She had her own memories from when she was a child but long ago wrote them off as a part of her childish imagination. She wanted to believe, but when her mother spoke about her father coming to her every Halloween, she was never really sure whether the image of her father in her mother's mind was real or a figment of her mother's imagination. She thought she remembered that years ago on Halloween... but it was too much to believe. "I don't know what to do if they say they see him again this year. I don't want to lie to them, but I don't want to scare them, either. I'm wondering if maybe I should bring them on a different day."

The old woman put her hand on her daughter's arm. "No, dear, please. He wants so very much to see them. Please tell me you'll bring them on Halloween like always."

The daughter was reluctant, but she supposed that her mother's fantasy did no harm, so she agreed. There wouldn't be too many more years before the magic of Halloween would diminish and the children would mature until they grew less aware of some things as they grew more aware of others. That is how it is with children, and that is how it had been for her.

And so, two nights later, on All Hallows Eve she brought her two children to their grandmother's door and rang the bell. "Now remember, when she answers say 'Trick or Treat', but don't scare her too much!" She laughed at her own words, but she saw the excitement in her children soar as they imagined it.

The door opened and "Trick or Treat!" rang out almost like a melody they had rehearsed because they had rehearsed it many times already that night.

"Oh my, look at you two! David, you look so scary! And Diane, you are so lovely in your ballerina outfit!"

The little ones were giggling with delight. "Did we scare you, grandmom?"

"Oh, yes! You were very scary, David!" It was all the old woman could do to keep from laughing out loud.

The old woman made sure to give each child one of each type of candy as she watched their eyes grow wider with every piece.

"Mom, that's too much! They'll have cavities by morning." Their mother was laughing even as she said it.

"Halloween only comes once a year, child. Remember that."

The grandchildren always loved it when their grandmother called their mother "child".

When the formalities of Trick or Treat were completed and the old woman had gushed sufficiently over her grandchildren, their mother prepared to leave.

"I love you, mom." Then looking about the room, she said in no direction in particular, "I miss you, dad."

The old woman had tears in her eyes. "Don't go yet. There isn't much time. Please, come in and visit."

"Oh, mom, I don't know if that's a good idea with the kids. I don't know how to explain..."

"It will be fine. I promise." The old woman stepped back from the door. "Please, dear, just tonight, won't you stay a while?"

She knew that in her mother's mind they only had a few more hours together before her father would leave for another year, but reluctantly and nervously agreed. She ushered the children through the door and stepped in behind them. Her mother could tell from her uncertainty that she didn't know what to do. She wanted to step forward, but she didn't want to intrude.

"It's fine, dear. Come." With no more than that, the old woman took her daughter's arm, and they walked toward the living room. The children were shy as they always were with adults they didn't know, but they watched and followed the old man as they walked behind their mother.

The children sat on the sofa with the old woman as they had so many times before. They told her about every house they'd visited, and what candy they had received at each. They knew every stop by heart, and they knew who gave the best candy. All the while as they talked, they would glance at the old man with the friendly face who was quietly smiling and listening to every word just as their grandmother always did.

The daughter stood by and watched unsure of what to do or say. She had no fear, but she had great uncertainty. It was not until the children began asking who the man in the suit was that she began to think that maybe her memory had not played tricks on her all those years ago. It was only those very few Halloweens so long ago, but then she had convinced herself that it was just the lies that a mind in mourning tells itself. Now she began to believe again.

The old woman looked at her daughter and saw the uncertainty in her eyes. "It's alright, dear. Everything is alright now."

"Mom, where..." She couldn't bring herself to finish. The words seemed crazy to her, but what if...?

"Right here, child. He's right here." And with that, the old woman reached behind Jacob and put her hand on her husband's back. Speak to him, darling. He only wants to hear your voice."

With great hesitation, she slowly found her voice. "Dad? Is that you? It's been so long. Are you well?" She stopped herself thinking, "'Are you well?' Am I nuts? No, he's not well!"

The old woman was quietly laughing. "Don't overthink it, sweetheart. Just talk to him."

And so she did. She told him about his grandchildren, about their time in school, and about Tom. She said whatever entered her mind until slowly, almost imperceptibly, she began to imagine that maybe she could see him. Maybe there was a faint outline of her father sitting there on the sofa. Maybe the hint of his face. Maybe... With every passing moment, her faith grew a little stronger until she was certain that she could see a faint image of her father sitting there smiling at her.

Her heart became a wild mixture of joy, fear, and sadness. She was joyful at seeing her father once again after so many years, afraid of what she didn't understand, and sad to know this moment would be fleeting. In the end, joy won out and she began to weep. It was the reunion she thought she would never have, and the mere sight of him swept away any trace of sadness and loss.

She felt a hand on her back and looked up. It was her mother. "It's alright, dear. Just one last moment to share before it's time." She knew that her mother had told her when the church bell chimes midnight her father would go. She still had time.

For the next few hours the family sat together and shared memories of what they'd known together and what her father missed. The children were the center of their grandparents' attention, but always their mother watched her father. It had been so long, but now she knew that everything her mother had told her was true. At one point she thought that maybe she should leave so her parents could have the last few minutes to themselves, but her mother had stopped her. This night would not be shortened. Nothing would be sacrificed.

The hour approached and the children had long since fallen asleep on the sofa. Each had leaned into their grandmother putting their head in her lap and fallen into the deep, peaceful sleep that only children know. The old woman and her daughter spoke quietly now as the daughter looked back and forth between her parents. This was the moment she had missed; this was what she had craved for so long. Both of her parents sat with her children and the family was whole again. Then as the church bell rang midnight, the old woman leaned toward her husband and kissed him. "I will see you soon, my love" and with that, he was gone.

The old woman's daughter sat in quiet confusion unsure of what she had seen, but knowing all along that this is how it would end. "Mom, I don't... I didn't... thank you. Thank you for tonight. I miss him so much!"

The old woman's face was smiling, and she had tears in her eyes, too. "It is how it had to end, dear. It could never have been any different. Don't ever forget that we both love you very much."

There was little else to say, so they woke the children and got them on their feet. They were only half awake but awake enough to say goodbye to their grandmother and stagger to their car as they yawned and rubbed their eyes.

The two women hugged and cried. The daughter looked about and called out, "Goodbye, dad! I miss you."

The old woman smiled. "He's gone, sweetheart, but I suspect he heard you."

She watched her daughter walk to her car, check on her children who were already fast asleep in the back, and drive off. It was as it had to be. It was the perfect end to the one day every year when the family could once again be together.

The next day the young woman called her mother, but her mother never answered. With the children off to school, she drove over to her mother's house and knocked on the door. There was no response. She walked around the back and looked in the windows, but there was no sign of her mother anywhere. The old woman had given her a key years ago in case of emergency, but she had never needed it. On this day, she used it. She let herself in and walked through the rooms as she called out to her mother.

It was when she reached her mother's bedroom that she found her, asleep but more than asleep, lying peacefully in her bed. She had passed in the night without any sign of struggle. Her time in this world was over.

With tears in her eyes, the young woman looked around the room not knowing who, if anyone, was there. "Mom? Dad? Are you here? I love you. Come visit me sometime if you can."

There was little more she could say, but in the years that followed she would often sit quietly on All Hallows Eve and talk with her parents. She was never sure if they were with her, but she would imagine they were and she would talk. She would tell them about their grandchildren and about her husband who often sat with her. She would tell them about her life and work and friends, and all that had happened in the past year, and she would imagine them sitting together on the sofa as they listened.

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Sorry, folks. It had to end this way.