The Mask

There's a mixed reception for Joey and his friends when they go trick or treating at the exclusive Grosvenor Square Hotel -- everything from hostility to humour to handfuls of caramels. They’re a motley crew -- a swamp monster, a vampire, a red devil, and a ghost in a less than flattering sheet. Joey’s costume is uncomfortable and daft, his friends are unruly, and he’s tired of everyone dismissing his best friend Gaz's awkward stutter. The novelty of the quest soon wears off.

But when Gaz goes missing, Joey learns some home truths about his apparently shy friend. And when they knock at the final door, a horrific masked figure tricks Joey into finding maybe the best treat of all -- that romance has its own, often startling disguise.

*Author note: this story was previously published by Torquere Press as a Halloween Sip.*