It was October, 2005 and the sky had been overcast for most of the day. My step-brother and step-sister, our parents and I all decided to head out for the day. My dad set the alarm as he always does and then locked the door. We went out to the movies and when we got back, what happened made the hair rise on my arms. The door was slightly ajar, just enough that we could not see inside. Cautiously, we pushed the door open and saw that the alarm had been turned off. Immediately we thought that someone had broken in, but there was no sign of damage or anything being missing. As we walked in, what we saw completely shocked us. Beginning at the bottom of the stairs and leading toward the kitchen were wet, tiny, child sized footprints. We were petrified. The footsteps started out of nowhere and then ended abruptly in the kitchen. It wasn’t raining outside and as far as we could tell, no water had recently been running in the home. Scared and huddled together, we searched the house far and wide, and there was no one to be seen and nothing had been taken. To this day we still don’t have any idea what happened in our home, and how those child’s footprints got there.
Tips for a safe Halloween!
Halloween can be exiting and entertaining for parents and kids. Here are some useful tips to enjoy the day in a safe and fun way!Parents:
- Check the weather forecast.
- Scope out the neighbourhood that you will be walking through.
- Check the expiration date on candy before the kids eat it.
- Advice your kids to not accept drinks or snacks during trick-or-treating.
Kids:
- Make sure you have your costume one week before Halloween.
- Carry a sturdy (and big enough) bag and walk with a flash light.
- Always travel in groups.
- Set a meeting point in case of emergency.
- Travel with someone who has a phone.
Homeowners:
- Turn lights on to welcome trick or treaters
- Clean the front yard for safety
- Make sure you give out nut-free treats
- Decorations are inviting and fun too!
Most of all, have fun and enjoy the day.Happy Halloween!
Special Halloween Spooky Story: Route 36
Anya shivered and hugged her jacket collar tight around her neck. The cold October air was sending waves of goose bumps all over her body. Having just finished a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, she wanted to get off her feet as soon as possible.Where was the bus anyway? She looked as far West as she could on Finch, hoping to spot the blue TTC headlights in the distance, but her vision was blocked by a thick wall of fog.She started to think maybe she should start the long walk home, when she heard someone speaking to her, “are you getting on Miss?”Startled out of her thoughts, she looked up to see a bus had pulled up in front of her with its doors wide open. Funny, she had not heard the bus approaching, yet there it stood a few feet away. Anya would have given it some more thought had it been any other night, but tonight she was cold and craved warmth more than anything else.The bus driver was a tall woman dressed in an impeccably tailored tuxedo, with the scariest zombie costume Anya had ever seen. Sores stood out against her grey dead skin accompanied by dry blood stains across her forehead, hands and cheeks. She was practically bald except for a few errant wisps of brown hair around her ears. Her gums were black and gooey which Anya guessed was probably molasses smeared on for effect.As she paid her fare and made her way to her seat, she noticed there was no one else on board the musty smelling bus; which was strange because it was only 8:45 pm. She chose a seat close to the front of the bus so that she could let the driver know when to let her off.“I love your costume! If I didn’t know any better I would say your costume is real,” Anya complimented the bus driver. “I’m Anya.”The bus driver gave her a tight controlled smile and said, “I’m Zola. Thanks for the compliment.” Zola had committed to her costume all the way; she even spoke in a creepy warbled voice.“Are you going to a work party tonight?” Anya inquired. “I wish that could be me right now, but I’m exhausted.”“Something like that” Zola responded while staring straight ahead. Clearly she did not want to be bothered.Anya sat back in her seat and tried looking out the windows to see if her stop was coming up soon…weird…she couldn’t see anything because of the fog. How could Zola navigate in this weather?“Excuse me, Zola. Do you know where we are?” Anya asked. “I have to get off at Jane and Finch, and I’m pretty sure we might have passed it by now.”“We passed it a long time ago” Zola drawled in her hoarse dead voice. “Only one more stop on this bus” she continued, still staring straight ahead without looking at Anya.Something was wrong. Anya was not sure what exactly, but she needed to get off this bus pronto!“You can let me off here. Thanks.” Anya tried to sound authoritative, but she could hear the tremble in her voice as she spoke.Suddenly, Zola stood up and started walking slowly and crookedly towards her. Anya recoiled to the back of the bus and tried desperately to open the windows, but they would not budge. Just as she was about to try breaking the closest window, she felt a cold dead hand on her shoulder.This time Zola was staring directly at her, with the black goo from her gums dripping down her mouth as she said, “What’s the matter Anya? I thought you wanted to party tonight.”Anya felt her knees buckle and saw the dancing spots of black in front of her eyes. She remembered feeling unusually cold as she slipped into oblivion.