11.23 p.m.
31 October 1994
Houston
10 year-old Jonathan had just been bullied by his classmates on Halloween for having a dumb costume. Ridden with sadness, he walks away alone at night, only to meet The Midnight Man, capable of granting any wish.
He wishes to have an amazingly terrifying costume that will make his classmates feel embarrassed and guilty for mocking him. Being only 10, Jonathan did not know the dangers of talking to strangers, and the phrase “Be careful what you wish for”.
The Midnight Man grants him his wish, a black mask that has the shape of a crow and the mane of a lion. However, The Midnight Man tells him that the mask will keep getting scarier the more times he sees someone guilty for an act they had done within a week, and that it had the ability to see guilty acts someone has done when it is worn.
Excited, Jonathan goes out for trick and treatin’.
First door: Mr. Millers. Knock Knock… Trick n treat… Jonathan stares into Mr. Millers eyes, and sees him hitting his wife and children with a cane, an act that had been done a day before. Jonathan receives his candy, and his mask receives jaws, as sharp as blades.
On the way to the second house, Jonathan sees from a window some teenagers having some fun, one of them, a girl, is guilty in the act as she is a christian, and is afraid that her father finds out. Jonathan’s mask grows horns, and Jonathan himself is feeling guilty for watching.
On to the next house: Mrs. Terina. Knock Knock… Trick or Treat… Jonathan sees that Mrs. Terina has recently roadkilled a neighbor’s dog, and has yet to admit her doing. Jonathan receives his candy and tries to say thank you, but he can’t, instead, barks come out of his horned crow mask. Mrs. Terina laughs as if Jonathan was doing an amazing dog impression, and closes her door. Jonathan tries to take of his mask, but realises that the mask is glued on to his face. “Cripes! This is just like that Goosebumps story!” Jonathan thought. He had always been afraid of that book, and he is living that fear right then. Jonathan runs home with his heavy bag of candy.
Scared, and afraid. He bangs into one of his bullies and collapses down, while the bully stands tall. Jonathan tries to crawl back, but he feels as if his legs were dismembered. “Huh, looks like someone got a new mask, what a dweeb!” Gordon shouts. Suddenly Jonathan sees into Gordon’s eyes, and sees him guilty of accidentally killing his mother with a burning matchstick.
Jonathan’s mask grips tightly around him, and Jonathan feels like he has completely been devoid of all emotion. All but hatred, just like Gordon right now. Jonathan stands up and picks up his candy bag. He takes out a lollipop. “What? Trying to offer a truce? Ha!” Gordon teases. Jonathan uses the tip of the lollipop…
“AHHH!!!” a loud shriek of pain echoes. Gordon was now bleeding from his right eye. He stumbles to the ground with the lollipop still in his socket. Jonathan uses the bag still full of candy, and wraps it around Gordon’s face, then tightening it. Gordon was now being suffocated to death with a bag. All the candy in the bag stings Gordon’s face as Jonathan pulls it around.
12.48 a.m.
Gordon is dead.
Jonathan is on the run.
