Page 25 of The Girl on Hallow's Eve

It’s an important distinction to make that I say teenager in that context and not teenage boy. While there are certainly some characteristics of teenage boys that set them aside and are cliché at this point, there are more than enough girls of the same age that cause just as much havoc, if not more. Many of the stories he tells me about those parties involve the girls we went to high school with and the nonsense they got into during the lock-ins at the school, at the old community center or even the church. After one particular story he told me, I will never be able to think of the game of hide and seek the same way.

It does provide some context for the loud voices and the people scurrying around on the broadcast, some of them so wrapped up in their laughter and shouting to the people around them that they don’t notice they are about to run directly into someone until they are centimeters from collision or the other person jumps out of the way and shouts a few expletives at them. A couple have noticed the camera trained on them and detoured their spiel to include a creative string of nonsensical words to replace the ones they likely would have chosen, which has been surprisingly amusing.

The tour carries on past the teeny-bopper shops with their neon colors and fishnet accessories and the ones geared toward children already displaying bulky sweaters and puffy coats along with a few displays of toys near the windows. Some of the adults who won spots at the party look less out of place here than they do in the strobing multicolored lights and frantic dance party areas. This is where they can stop and look through the windows or dip inside the shop and contemplate winter wardrobes for the little ones they have at home, or possibly get a start on their Christmas shopping already with a toy or two they’ll smuggle into their closets and attics later.

I hear another scream, this one sharper than the one before. This time Sam sits up a little.

“You heard that one, didn’t you?” I ask.

He nods. “Yeah. That definitely sounded like a scream.”

“And not a fun one.”

He looks hesitant. Sam’s brain doesn’t go immediately to the darker thoughts like mine does. He tries to maintain his optimism and the playful personality that makes people trust him so much. It’s harder the older he gets and the more he sees, but he is still the person in my life who I have seen smile the most and who has given me the most smiles and laughter.

“I don’t know. Some of these people are getting really out of hand. You’ve seen them. But they’re not angry or fighting or anything. They’re just acting up the way people act up when they have the chance to. It could also be part of the music,” he offers. “I don’t know a lot of these songs, so I’m not sure if there’s screaming in them usually or not, but I’d venture to say there is.”

It’s reasonable. No one is reacting to the scream except a couple people who glanced over in the direction it sounds like it might have come from, and George pausing again, then continuing on. They are there where it’s happening. They’re going to be able to see and perceive a lot more about what’s going on than I am through the TV screen.

But the sound is still enough to keep me sitting here, watching the footage rather than going to bed.

George has made it around this section of the mall and is approaching the open atrium. He points out the escalators on one side that lead up to the second floor and on the other that lead back down. The domed ceiling soars, giving a dramatic view of the sky. It’s dark now, but in the daylight, the glass lets in sunlight that fills the area and sparkles on the massive white fountain set in the middle of the floor. I can imagine it’s going to be a popular place for people to sit and relax while they shop. I have a sudden image of looking up at the glass and watching snowflakes flutter down onto the glass.

As I’m thinking this, I notice Sam sit up a little straighter and lean toward the screen.

“What is that?” he asks. It’s not in a voice that says he’s actually expecting me to answer him. Instead, he’s more asking himself.

“What is it?” I frown. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m not sure. Do you see something in the fountain? Damn it. The camera moved. I swear, I saw something floating in the fountain,” he says.

“What do you mean something? What did it look like?” I ask.

I narrow my eyes to try to get a better view of what he might have seen. The camera angle has shifted, pointing toward a cozy seating area near the fountain rather than the fountain itself, but some of it is still in view. Much like the food court, this area has been turned into a nightclub atmosphere with the regular lights turned off in favor of the flashing colors. It makes it hard to really focus on any one thing as the light and shadow shifts and warps everything in my field of vision.

“It looked like a person,” he says.

“Someone was in the fountain?” I ask.

Sam shakes his head. “I must just be seeing things. Everybody is just walking past the fountain. If there was somebody in it, somebody would notice. It had to have been something else.”

“With those lights flashing around like that, they might not have noticed. Keep in mind, the camera has a light on it so it’s showing things the other people can’t necessarily see.”

George flashes a smile at the camera as he takes a few steps and backs up toward the escalator leading up to the second floor. He laughs.

“Looks like somebody might have had a couple of his own beverages and decided he needs to cool off from all their dancing,” he says with another laugh. “But don’t worry. I made sure he’s face up.”

“He saw him,” Sam says, pointing at the screen. “It is a person. But they’re just being ridiculous, like I said.”

I nod, but everything is churning inside me.

George continues on, riding up the escalator and again giving the odd perspective from the camera behind him. They get to the top and the reporter gestures in either direction, giving a quick overview of the nearest stores and attractions.

“We’re going to make our way in this direction to another of the mall’s anchor stores. This is the first Eileen’s location in this area. This prestige department store is opening right in time for every member of the family to look their best for holiday parties, festivities, and gatherings at home. And it’s not just clothes—Eileen’s is also a great destination for gifts that will impress anyone on your shopping list,” George says.

“Wow. That was straight out of a corporate marketing script,” Sam remarks.

George turns around again and walks backward as he continues describing the store that hasn’t even come into view yet. It’s located around the corner in the far wing rather than in that center portion of the mall.

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