Halloween Enthusiast

Lincoln sat across from his nephew, Barry, while they took a break from shopping. He'd brought the boy out to prepare for Halloween, but instead of finding the perfect costume and decorations, he'd spent the entire day distant and uninterested. It hurt to see his fellow Halloween enthusiast so down. Finally, he got up the courage to ask "Is something wrong? You're usually so ecstatic about Halloween. Where's your spirit huh?".

Barry scoffed at his uncle's joke and mumbled "I'unnoft, I just don't wanna do it this year. I'm getting too old for that stuff"

"Too old!?" Lincoln almost shouted. "You're barely twelve! That's not too old for trick-or-treating"

"Yuh-huh, it's for babies! Besides, none of my friends are going. I'd be the weird loner who couldn't take a hint"

"You wouldn't be alone, I'll be there remember? It's, like, our thing!"

"Ugh, that's worse. I'm almost a teenager, I can go door to door by myself now. You know, if I wanted to. And I don't. Because it's dumb. Jason's holding a scary movie marathon anyway"

"B-but I've taken you trick-or-treating every year since your first Halloween. I never had the chance to do it when I was your age you know."

"I know, you literally tell me every year. Face it, if I'm too old for trick-or-treating, then you're ancient! You have to outgrow these things at some point"

Lincoln sat dumbstruck as his nephew turned his attention to his phone. He couldn't believe Barry didn't want to go trick-or-treating any more. No more costumes, no more free candy, no more uncle-nephew bonding... Sure he could start doing a movie night instead, but he couldn't stand those gory horror flicks, and Barry would rather want to be with friends instead of him... Lincoln just wasn't ready to give up up Halloween. His prudish parents never let him celebrate as a kid as they believed it to be a wicked holiday. Plus it was the only time he and Barry really had the chance to bond together in the year. If only he could get one more year out of it...



Time slowed to a standstill, everyone and everything was frozen solid. All except for one being, an ominous, ghostly figure that arose from the shadows. It crept across the ground and rose high above Lincoln and Barry with nefarious intentions. A rattled, breathy voice emanated from its core. "The youth feels too mature to celebrate, while the elder wishes for more time. May they find solace in roles reversed"

The Being swooped up tall and surrounded the pair, spreading out its spindly limbs to cradle them with its withered palms. A pale red glow emanated from within its void of a body, spreading outward until it surrounded Lincoln. The clocks turned back on his body. It was subtle at first as his forehead creases and slight crows feet smoothed out, softening his rugged features. Meanwhile, his salt and pepper hair flourished back to its sandy brown glory. The process quickened as his brutish build shrunk inwards, leaving him as slim and bright-eyed as he was in college. He shrank even further, dropping in height as he sunk into his seat. His perma-stubble and plentiful body hair rapidly receded back into his skin, leaving him smooth as the child he was becoming. Finally, with a swift snap, Lincoln's clothes shrunk down to proper proportions. There was no way of knowing this pre-teen barely on the cusp of puberty used to be a good 25 years older only moments before.

Satisfied with Lincoln, The Being turned its attention onto Barry. Its aura changed to a pale blue glow which surrounded the boy. Immediately, he began to expand like a balloon as years of maturity and experience entered his being. He sprouted upwards with several jerky growth spurts, and outwards as he gained some significant bulk . His clothing pulled tight across his growing body as it desperately tried to keep up. Dark hair flourished across his arms and legs, and curled out from his open shirt collar. Small pinpricks of stubble rapidly dotted its way across his strengthening jaw and cheeks. As he reached peak adulthood, Barry's sturdy body showed signs of weakness as his muscles diminished and grew more stocky, adding some softness to his cuddly appearance. Meanwhile, his dense stubble continued to grow until a short beard covered his rounded face. Strands of white began to break through, lightly scattering his hair. Faint creases crept outwards from his eyes and dug across his forehead as his transformation came to a halt. Where there used to be a bratty child now sat a bearish man in his mid thirties.

Content with his work, The Being loosened his grip on the transformed duo and slithered away. "What is a treat without a good trick anyway?" it pondered with a light chuckle. It faded away slowly, rejoining the shadows on the walls. With it's absence, time restarted.

Lincoln shook his head as if coming out of a daze. He gazed up at the man sat in front of him with confusion. Barry looked as zoned out as he felt, staring at his hands for a moment before rubbing his prickly beard. Lincoln stroked his own hairless chin as if something was missing. Wasn't he just... He snapped out of his disoriented state as Barry cleared his throat. He gruffly said "Sorry kid, but I'm getting too old to keep taking you out every Halloween. Surely you and your friends don't need any supervising round the neighbourhood no more"

Lincoln pondered his words. This wasn't right... Right? But instead of voicing his concerns, he found himself saying "Well I'm kind of the only one who still wants to go trick-or-treating... They keep saying it's only for little kids. Jason's having a scary movie marathon instead and I was thinking of maybe going..."

Barry scoffed. "You hate those kind of movies! And I know you love trick-or-treating, why give it up now? I'll even come with you, one last round of the houses. One final Halloween"

Lincoln's eyes widened. "You're right! I'm only twelve, I'm not even a teenager yet. Let's make it the best Halloween night ever!"

"That's the spirit! Heh, get it? Spirit? Ahem... They have one of those Halloween pop-up stores somewhere round here. Why don't we take a look, I'll even treat you to a new costume"

The two jumped to their feet, both forgetting their mild confusion from earlier. Barry put a large hand onto his nephew's shoulder with a smile. He'd never been much into Halloween, not even as a kid. But seeing the excitement and pure joy in Lincoln made him remember why he put up with it every year. His love for the holiday really was infectious.