“Don’t forget, we’ll need to have the mini vans on site and ready for everyone by 5pm!”

Elise wiped the back of her hand on her jack-o-lantern bandana wrapped around her long straight jet black hair which was tied into a bun, resting at the nape of her neck. She had been rushed off her feet helping the Willowtree Hospice Centre prepare for the town’s annual Halloween parade today.

A hospice participating in an event full or horrors and monsters.
How queer she thought that a hospice would allow its patients to join, but the younger patients in particular seemed to love the idea of dressing up as creatures typically feared by humans and getting lots of sugar filled treats. Elise couldn’t quite put her finger on why she felt at peace initially volunteering and then working at the hospice, but ever since she discovered what the meaning of this word was:
A place of rest and protection for the ill and weary.

For the first time in a long time, her heart felt at peace and the longer she worked with the patients and staff, the more she began to collect the tiniest glimmers of hope, courage, resilience, faith, love and most importantly, the importance of life.
The transient and fragile nature of it and yet so profound.

“Sure! I’ll let Daniel know what time to bring them all by, soon!”
At present, Elise was in the kitchen using her strength to stir all the ingredients evenly in a huge metal pot of curry broth, which was to be served for the patients after the parade was over tonight. She felt the exertion of her muscles begin to sap her energy a little but she chucked to herself as she recalled reading a popular children’s story to many of the children earlier this week about a witch who was mixing very peculiar ingredients in a cauldron with green smoke rising from it. The children expressed various shocked or amused reactions at some of the ingredients but Elise found some joy in them and with renewed vigour, continued stirring and finishing up the rest of the dish.

“All that’s missing is your sexy witch’s outfit, a hat and an evil cackle to boot.”
Elise exhaled her surprise as she heard the words whispered in her ears unexpectedly. She was absorbed in mixing the curry that she hadn’t noticed Daniel creep in to sneak up behind her. She felt his strong arms wrap around her dainty waist as he peered over her shoulders at the curry.
“It’s missing a lot of colour. Specifically green or purple. I don’t think the kids will go with this boring brown theme you’ve got going on here.”
Elise put on a theatrical cute cackle in response.
“However, the range of spices in it are as varied as a good potion and one batch will be as potent as a fiery elixir! Just one bite and they’ll all fall under my spell and praise me for my recipe!”

Daniel sampled a little of the curry with a nearby spoon, having blown on it to cool it before trying. He nodded his loss and admission to the delightful taste. “Hmm… I may have already fallen under your spell a long time ago.” He drew her a little closer to him and added low in her ears, “but this curry just sealed my fate.”
Elise shivered but then shook her head as if to break free from the spell he was casting on her and pushed him back with her bottom as a sign to give her space. Daniel took the hint as they were at a place of work and chuckled as he made his way to the door.
“5pm for all the transportation to be ready!”
He saluted in receipt of the message and added on a sly grin, “until tonight, my dear enchantress~”
Elise smiled as she turned off the fire underneath the pot and started clearing away the dishes and cutlery used to prepare the curry.

She looked forward to seeing the patients well enough to participate, old and new in their completed costumes in the parade. However, she really looked forward to creating a little personal Halloween magic of her own with her devilish warlock tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The parade in the town centre was underway by the time she arrived dressed up for the evening. Various groups comprised of local schools, community centres, hospitals and hospices, as well as professional dancers all fully donned in various spooky and macabre costumes were waving or dancing on floats or wheeled platforms and having a good time. For the Willowtree patients, many sat in wheelchairs on a wide wheeled platform facing towards the audience on either side to wave and bop to the fun music. Those who could walk happily did alongside the platform shouting ‘trick or treat’ or happy Halloween!’

It was Elise’s first Halloween event with the hospice and she couldn’t help but feel a warm pressure, a sense of achievement settle in her heart, its soft heat radiating to her lips and breaking out in a smile.
After the curry was done, she helped the other nursing staff dress the kids, help gather props or pin on accessories to some of the patients’ hair. The energy was a little frantic but also filled with lots of excitement. Watching from the crowds in her ‘sexy witch’s dress’ as Daniel called it, she was happy to see everyone safely make it for the event on time and without trouble.

She felt a familiar pair of arms sneak around waist and smiled in recollection of earlier in the day before confusion clouded her eyes.
Daniel’s with the kids in the parade…

Before she could verify this of her own accord, she was spun around only to have a pair of lips firmly meet her own. A few whoops from the crowd near them could be heard but her eyes opened in surprise as she could see Daniel but… someone else’s face flash on top.
As the kiss deepened, her eyes closed. She wasn’t as horrified as she thought she should be.
Due to the familiarity of the lips on her, her body relaxed and naturally responded.
As if she’s kissed this person a thousand times…

And then it hit her and she felt it.
Her heart suddenly beating painfully, violently as if it needed to break out of her ribs.
Feeling her throat tighten, she broke free from the kiss and started gasping for air but was held firmly by the strong pair of arms around her waist, which turned her back to face the crowd.
“As these mortals say, ‘Happy Halloween’. Miss me?”
She remembered, as she felt the low timbre of his voice trickle down her spine from her right ear while she continued gasping for air.

She thought someone in the crowd would notice her distress but she saw the same horror-filled widened eyes on the crowds’ faces around her, followed by screams puncturing the festivities and the music being stopped. As the screams, gasps, panicked shouting began, each strained inhale unlocked and flashed a memory with the same kind of cacophony.

With the same kind of frenzied panic of people rushing around.
With the same wails of despair she could begin to hear now.
No matter the species, pain was universal.

Whether she was in the present or the past, she couldn’t tell as she was assaulted with continuing pain of the torture that had been unleashed within her.

She was vaguely aware of being dragged backwards away from the crowd, still forced to watch the scene of despair, as a strong hand in her hair held her head in place as she was suffocating. She also knew that they had been cloaked the moment she broke from the kiss. The humans wouldn’t be able to see them.

She was dragged to the opening of an alleyway about 50 metres away from the main crowd, not too close to be seen if uncloaked, but close enough to see the carnage of death that lay before her.

She remembered.
Everything.

(Scroll on or click 'next' for part 2!)