Everyone dressed up for Halloween at Baber. In New York we weren’t allowed to dress up in school, which suited me fine, but that was not the case here. Apparently, Mr. Feebletop loved Halloween as much as the kids, and everyone was in full costume as they arrived that Thursday morning.
Dressed as Babe Ruth, Mr. Feebletop waited at the front door inspecting and applauding costumes as they passed by. I was dressed up as a football player. Rishi was Darth Vader. Dave and Slim were mummies, although their costumes had pretty much unraveled by the time they got to class. Mrs. Lutzkraut was the only one not dressed. “I love her costume,” Rishi whispered to me.
“Yeah, she makes a perfect witch,” I shouted back. Oops.
Mrs. Lutzkraut spun around. She swung her ruler in the air angrily, and for a moment I really believed she was weaving an evil spell. Actually it was almost as bad.
“Rodney, you’ll add two more weeks of recess with me for that one.” Ugh. “And as for the rest of you, hurry and get unpacked. If the costumes prove too distracting to our lessons, there’ll be no Halloween party at the end of the day.”
I tried to focus, but it’s hard adding mixed numbers in shoulder pads. Amazingly, though, we did have a party that day, but I soon wished we hadn’t, for that’s when things started to go badly.
Toby had been quiet since his little plan to get me killed by the McThuggs had failed. Now, Rishi did his best to wake him up. Walking through the party in full Darth Vader clothing and mask, he approached Toby, who wore a fake mustache and a brown derby hat. He grabbed him by the shoulders and said, “Toby-Wan Kenobi . . . I am your father.” A bunch of us laughed. The only person not smiling was Toby-Wan.
“Yeah, you’re havin’ fun now, but let’s see who’s smiling tonight at Old Man Johnson’s. I heard you were heading down there.”
“That’s right,” Rishi shot back. “We’ll be there, and we’ll see who goes farther up the steps to the . . .”
“Look,” I interrupted, wanting to change the subject. “Mrs. Lutzkraut is giving out bags of candy.”
Sure enough, she had pulled a large bag from her closet and placed it on her desk. She cleared her throat and began, “I want you to sit down. I prepared a little party treat. Several days ago I made each of you an egg-salad sandwich.” I gagged and dropped my head onto the desk.
The day and the party eventually ended. Mrs. Lutzkraut gave us a stack of homework and reminded us to study for the science test tomorrow morning. Homework on Halloween! She definitely made an excellent witch.
“I’m tired,” my sister whined. I had already dragged her to about a hundred houses.
“Oh come on, Penny, a few more. Just think of all the candy!”
“I don’t care,” she whined. “My feet hurt. I want to go home.”
I could see she was about done and I figured that my friends had probably left by now without me. Then I reconsidered. “Let’s hit Oak Street before heading back.”
“Just ’cause you’re too scared to go out with your friends, you don’t have to torture me.”
“Scared? Me? Seriously, Penny, where do you come up with this stuff? I just enjoy spending time with you.” She wasn’t buying any of it and shook her head as I walked her home, as slowly as I could. Everything seemed quiet as we climbed the porch steps. I let out a little sigh of relief as I turned the knob and entered the front door.
Then I jumped. Three hooligans in dark outfits were waiting for me. Actually it was only Slim, Dave, and Rishi talking to my mom, but I think I would have preferred hooligans.
“So, where are you going?” my mom asked Rishi.
“We’re just heading around. Get some candy. Show Rodney the Halloween spots.”
“Rodney’s afraid to go out. He’s especially scared of shaving cream. . . .” Penny’s big mouth started up but stopped just as quickly when she saw me reach for the sofa cushion. I had found that threatening to smother her was an effective way to shut her up.
“My sister’s always the joker. You know, shaving cream, it’s the menthol . . . reacts poorly with my sensitive skin . . . got hives this one time . . . yeah, not fun . . .” I was mumbling through the excuse until I realized no one was paying attention.
My mom changed the subject. “Penny, go brush your teeth. After all that candy, we don’t want any more cavities. And, boys, don’t get back late. You have school tomorrow.”
“We won’t, Mrs. Rathbone,” Rishi answered. Slim grabbed me by the shoulder and we headed out into the October night. The air wasn’t too cold and I was happy to see how bright the night had become—until I realized it was due to a scary full moon on the rise.
The four of us walked down the various streets. Some kids were running around having fun. Obviously they weren’t heading in the direction of Old Man Johnson’s home. As for us, our conversations were thin and quiet. Slim looked white and hadn’t said much of anything. Dave was talking to Rishi about eggs or something, although neither seemed real interested in what they were saying. A sense of dread hung over us.
Eventually we turned onto Elm Street. A crowd of kids had gathered several lots from the Johnson house. Most of the kids looked nervous or scared. One kid said, “Oh good, Rodney’s here,” as if I was going to somehow protect him. I tried hard to control my leg from shaking and slowly shuffled my way to the back of the crowd. Trouble, though, in the form of Toby, soon found me.
“There you are. I thought you guys wouldn’t show,” he exclaimed.
I noticed Josh standing behind him in a leather jacket with silver rivets sticking out from the shoulders and sleeves. He was quiet, angry looking, and serious. Some kid in a mask who I didn’t recognize said, “What did you think? Rodney’s not going to miss something like this.”
What a fool, I thought.
Toby looked at me, but perhaps thinking about my legendary punching ability, turned to Rishi. “There’s no way you guys are heading up to the house. I can see it in your eyes.”
“I don’t see you standing up there,” Rishi said. Then he threw down the gauntlet. “Maybe if Josh holds your hand, you’ll cross the street.”
Toby sneered and I thought he was going to rush Rishi, but then again Rishi was standing next to old Fists of Fury himself: me. Instead, Toby walked right up to the house, stopped in front of one of the stone lions, and planted a big kiss on it. Some kids shouted approval while others laughed. Toby just strutted back from the house, high-fived Josh, and turned to us. “Now, can any of you top that one?”
“Ooooh. Kissing a lion. Like that’s supposed to mean something?” Rishi countered. “The lion is at the end of the walkway. You didn’t even make it onto the porch. Do something brave, then start talking.”
At this Josh walked toward Rishi and the air grew colder. He glanced down at him and I thought I could see the faint outline of a mustache growing above his lip in the moonlight. Josh walked away from us past Toby and right on up to the Johnson porch. Reaching the front door, he pulled his leg back and kicked. I could clearly hear the loud thud. Satisfied that he had caused enough damage, he shuffled back to us.
Toby smiled at Josh, and the two of them turned and faced the crowd. Toby said, “There, big mouth. No one’s done that before, and I know none of you will even come close.” The crowd started clapping and I almost joined in. Toby was right, though. No one was topping that.
Rishi held up his left hand to silence the crowd. His right hand gripped my shoulder. He began, “Not bad but, come on, I thought we all came down here to see something impressive.”
Knowing what was coming, I tried to interrupt. “Uh . . .”
“Relax, buddy, I know you’re eager to start.” And then to Toby and Josh, “What, you think Rodney here is afraid of this place?”
Heck yes! Please shut up.
But he didn’t. “Most of you saw what he did to the McThuggs. Rodney can handle those stone lions. He could easily kiss them, tickle them, or ride them home if he wanted to. . . .”
I tried to interrupt again. “Um, I haven’t studied for that science test yet, so . . .”
“It’s okay, pal,” Rishi continued. “I know you want to get to it.”
No, idiot!
He turned and looked right at Toby. “He can do anything you can do.” Then, looking at Josh, Rishi continued, “Or you, and a lot more!”
“Anything?” Toby asked. I wanted to grab Rishi and throttle him, but before I could . . .
“Yeah, anything,” he said, poking his finger into Toby’s chest.
Toby looked down at the finger for a moment and then looked up at me. With sparkling eyes that reflected the large moon, he said, “I bet he won’t go in the house.”
This brought on a round of gasps. The kids gradually stopped talking and all looked at me, waiting for a response. I did the only thing I could do—scramble for an excuse.
“Hey, that sounds like it would be something.” I took a deep breath and continued, “There’s nothing I’d rather do, but you see, there’s a problem. The house is going to be locked. I mean . . .”
My logical, convincing point was interrupted. Not by Toby, Josh, or Rishi. Not by any other kid standing there, but by the front door of Old Man Johnson’s house. For the first time that night, it creaked slightly open in the breeze. Two kids immediately bolted off down the street. I would have joined them, but Rishi’s hand was still gripping my shoulder, now much tighter, and I couldn’t move.
Jaws dropped as all of us stood staring at the door. It slowly blew closed again. Once he got his voice back, Toby said, “There. That solves that problem.”
For the first time in weeks, Josh looked directly at me. Everything had stopped. I could feel his eyes piercing me, and I knew that all the gains I had made since the first day of school would be lost that night if I didn’t go into the house. And shockingly, even though my heart and brain both screamed no, my foot took a step forward. Then another. I reached for the gate.
The stone lions seemed to be looking at me, glaring. I shuddered, exhaled and continued very slowly up the broken steps. It was much darker up here by the house. “Go for it, Rodney!” I heard Rishi shout.
There had to be some way out of this. Just jump in for a second, I told myself. Wait. What was I thinking? Not a chance. Okay, Plan B. Turn and run and never return to Garrettsville. I had made it to the porch and was shaking uncontrollably when the front door suddenly creaked open.
“Pssst. Hey kid.”
I almost wet my pants. Someone was right there. I could see a white hand holding the doorknob.
“Relax. Come here.”
I focused on the sound and could see in the shadows what looked like an old man in pajamas and a robe. His face lit up and I noticed he was smoking a pipe.
“That’s right, I’m not going to eat you. I’ve been listening to your rather amusing discussion, and if you do want to come in, I promise not to chop your head off.” That sent a shudder down my spine. “Oh, sorry, just some Halloween humor.” He laughed. His laugh wasn’t menacing, and he seemed old and not very threatening. I weighed my options. Realizing I’d rather face this guy than a year of Josh’s poundings, I stepped in.
There was a faint light coming from the living room and a fire in the fireplace. It seemed almost cozy, not the bloodstained torture chamber I expected. “Well, my dear boy, now that you’re here, have a seat.” He motioned to one of two big armchairs near the fire.
“Uh, thank you,” I said.
“You’re certainly very welcome. But I must say you are the first to actually enter my family home, and I’m not really prepared for it.” He took a puff on his pipe and the smoke smelled sweet and smooth. “Care to join me in a drink? Oh wait, I guess you’re more of a milk drinker at your age. I have some club soda. That’s the best I can do, I’m afraid.” He brought a tray from the kitchen and poured the drinks. I tried to control my breathing. I had calmed down some, but the scene was still creepy. “I see you’re not going to be saying much, so I’ll start. I’m Old Man Johnson. At least I am this year. And you are?”
“Rodney, sir.”
“Well, Rodney, sadly I didn’t murder anyone and I’m not possessed by the devil.”
“So why does everyone think . . .”
“That this place is haunted? Well, laddy, they do so because my brother wants them to. He lives here and loves a good fright. In actuality, I’m a Broadway actor who grew up in this house but moved away years ago. My brother is traveling and asked if I would take over the honors this Halloween. I’m between shows and jumped at the chance.” He turned slightly and glanced around the room. “Not exactly the Hamptons, but it’s home. And now you have discovered my secret. I never expected anyone would actually try to enter the house. You must be very brave.”
“Not really,” I admitted. As my eyes became adjusted to the light, I jumped after noticing a human skull sitting on the coffee table. I cleared my throat. “Actually, I’m a big chicken.” I was shocked I had said it out loud, but it felt good to talk about it.
“How interesting. So how did a coward find the nerve to enter the front door?”
“Well, I had to, to keep my tough guy reputation.”
“And how did you get that?” Before I knew it, I was telling him all the stuff that had happened to me. He seemed interested and asked, “Rodney, why is this reputation so important to you? Not every kid has one, and what you go through to keep yours seems more trouble than it’s . . .”
“That’s where you’re wrong. This year’s been a dream. In my last school, back in New York there was this kid Rocco . . .”
“New York? Did you say New York? Surely you saw me play Macbeth at the Orpheum Theater?”
“Uh, no. But anyway, last year this bully, Rocco, would beat me up almost every day. Whenever I was on line, he would cut in front of me. I lived each day scared of his fists and atomic wedgies. I don’t want to ever go back to that. And just as important, there’s this girl in my class, Jessica, who I want to impress.”
“I see. Well, Rodney, we have an interesting situation. We both have a secret, and we both want it kept. Besides, for you, the only person in this town who knows I’m here is my brother. If I help you with your secret, will you keep mine?”
“Splendid! I assume that motley crew of boys outside is with you?”
“Some are; some I wish weren’t.”
“Oh, are Josh and Toby out there?” he asked. He knew them from my story.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“And is your young lassie out there?”
I thought he was talking about a dog until I realized he meant Jessica. I shook my head no.
“Well then, she’ll miss all the fun. You see, you’ve already been in here for over ten minutes, so by now everyone out there must think you’re dead, or worse!” I wasn’t sure what was worse than death but I let him continue. “Since you know of my acting ability, you’ll be happy to hear I’ve decided to stage a final scene to really put them over the top. I plan to screech like when I played Gloucester in King Lear. The critics loved my take on that role.”
He went over to the window. “Come. Watch your friends.” I peeked out through the shutter and the next thing I knew, Old Man Johnson was shouting, “No! Nooooooooo, Rodney!!! I’m sorry I crossed you! AAArrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!” Sure enough they all bolted in every direction.
My new friend laughed. “That ought to help you a bit. I’ll let out one final scream once you’re on the porch, just to silence the cynics in the crowd who might believe you gave a one-man performance in here.” He sure talked funny, but I liked him a lot. We shook hands and he said, “Thank you, my boy, for a most pleasant Halloween.” Then he noticed me staring at the skull. “You like Philip?”
“Uhh . . .”
“Don’t get jumpy. I just call him that. I use him to practice Hamlet, but he comes in handy on Halloween, too. Why don’t you take him as a little trick-or-treat present?”
“All right, thanks, I guess.” I picked up Philip, tucked him in my jacket, waved good-bye to Mr. Johnson, and stepped out onto the porch. True to his word, he let out one final moan from inside the house that could be heard a mile away.
When I reached the street I didn’t see anyone at first, but then I noticed some boys hiding in the bushes. When they saw me they started to emerge like ants out of holes. They gathered around, shocked to see me alive. After a bit, their fear and shock wore off and more of the original crowd began to join us. They cheered and everyone kept asking me questions. I just said it was no big deal and started walking home.
“Come on, Rodney! What the heck happened in there?” Rishi asked.
“Go in there yourself if you want to find out,” I replied. I knew that would silence him. I was still a little annoyed at how he had egged on Josh and Toby, who now stood gaping at me a few feet away. I smiled at them. “Nice idea, Toby, daring me to go inside the house. Oh, I got you guys a souvenir.” With that I took out Philip and tossed it to them.
Josh caught it, unaware of what it was, but when he saw a smiling human skull looking up at him, he wailed, “Whoooooooahhhhh!” just as Rishi took his picture.
The next day was yet another one of stories and tales. Some of the stories had me wrestling the ghost of Old Man Johnson. Others pinned me against escaped prisoners hiding out in the house. In all the tales I was heroic, and I never corrected anyone.
At one point before lunch Jessica came up to me. “You’re full of surprises, Rodney Rathbone,” she smiled. “I’m not sure what to make of you.” My face blushed and before I could figure out an answer she walked off to join Kayla.
The only person not celebrating that day was a quiet, angry Toby sitting in the row next to me. I ignored him, but I should have given him more thought. I was soon to learn that each of my victories—and his embarrassing defeats—only made him more determined to see me fail.