Katherine parked the car and entered the coffeehouse, which was as festive as her outfit. A gnawing sense of trepidation fogging the windows, making every movement and sound blurry with fear. The WhatsApp group created by Natasha this morning had turned her mind into a sauna room. She had kept up the pretence of normality for hours anything more was not possible.

Of course, Janice knew it was just her mom chickening out again, but tonight Katherine had not bothered to be polite about her exit. Hope it’s okay?’ she asked the host and caught Janice rolling her eyes. I will be back in a couple of hours to pick them up. This year, Janice had made them look more realistic by staining the almond nails with raspberry syrup. Katherine thanked the host and handed her a box of homemade witch-finger cookies. A lady dressed in a witch costume answered the door. She flashed a fake smile at Janice and rang the doorbell. A tidal wave of underconfidence always hit her when she approached an unfamiliar social gathering. Out of habit, she tugged the hem of her dress towards her knees. She parked the car and gave herself a quick glance in the rear-view mirror. Janice insisted on adding a devil’s headband with red horns-a bit over the top, but it was Katherine’s only ticket to exit the party without annoying her daughter, a project that required more effort every week. She was not a Halloween enthusiast, yet she had picked a short, red lace dress for herself. Katherine ignored the bickering of her teen–tween kids, checked her phone once again and set out to drive them to the party. ‘You could be a little more creative, Aaron. It was where Aaron’s imagination began and came to an end, year after year. Besides the knife, his only prop was a ‘Scream’ mask. He was waiting patiently, wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans.

She flashed a faint smile and asked, ‘Where’s your brother?’įrom the doorstep, twelve-year-old Aaron waved a plastic knife. Katherine swallowed back the swear word that had almost escaped her lips. Cool, no?’ Janice, her teenage daughter, asked through a layer of white makeup. Katherine turned around and found a long-haired girl in a tattered white dress in her kitchen.

That night by nidhi upadhyay