Howling Bonds

E ight-year-old Emilia sat in her room, listening to the distant noises from town. The walls seemed alive with a strangeness she’d never experienced before. The cuckoo clock and lawn dwarves shook as if possessed by some spirit. Her mother’s favorite show played on the TV, but she wasn’t there to provide her usual commentary and laughter. Emilia noticed a foul smell like burning hay coming from the living room and realized it was dad lighting up—something Mom never allowed. Emilia kicked herself for ditching dinner early. She should have stayed and nibbled on one of those delicious, creamy caramel apples. She wanted to find out where Mom was, but Dad wasn’t telling her anything.. It was already past eleven p.m., and Mom was never this late, not even after going out with a classmate from her youth, drinking a lot. She came home and had a big fight with Dad, causing Emilia nightmares all night. But it was Halloween night, and nobody stayed out past eight. Even the Applebee’s in town had closed hours ago. So, where could Mom have gone? The Halloween carnivals in town were a huge success. The holiday provided children with an unforgettable night, preserved history, and brought immense prosperity. Residents set up stalls to sell pumpkin lanterns, small toys, treats, novelty costumes, rides, and other attractions. We even had a haunted house where community college students dressed as vampires, monsters, and werewolves, with colored smoke and flashing lights. In 1995, someone found a chef dead in the woods with peculiar bite marks on his neck and ears that mysteriously disappeared. A few hours later, they found another body with its face ripped off. After much difficulty, they identified the corpse as Mrs. Samuel, an elderly woman who lived in town all her life. The bizarre tales circulated among Eben’s residents. Some believed that ancient rumors from the 18th century of a surviving werewolf terrorizing the town and consuming innocent lives. The ongoing deaths hampered Halloween festivities the following year. Missing persons flyers were put up for four Korean international students who had driven into Eben Park but never returned. Officers searched the river for their vehicle for days with no luck. Instead, they recovered the partial remains of Martin Ives—a folklore professor from the local college. Atheists, including Emilia’s father, insisted it was a coincidence. But most townspeople returned to their traditional ways despite this. The town librarian presented a large bundle of letters, reports, and accounts, uncovering a dreadful secret. Eben had been harboring what seemed to be an evil demon strong enough to consume people’s souls since John Adams’ presidency. This entity often emerged after eight p.m. on Halloween night. Witnesses were so deranged they couldn’t describe what had happened. In recent years, this creature had grown mightier because of its fondness for consuming victims. It mimicked their voices once finished with them and then visited its victims’ homes, knocking on their doors. The librarian reminded everyone that during the 1970s, this monster caused a commotion with its bloody m******e. Since then, the wise have learned not to open the door for anyone at night on October 31st—even if the voices sounded like family members. The events of 1997 came to a tragic end that night. Some unnatural beast killed Patrol Officer Macon in the line of duty, his body showing signs of a fierce battle, with his magazine empty. Witnesses said he had died around eleven p.m., yet his wife swore she had heard a knock on their door at midnight. The tragedy caused an uproar and fear among the townsfolk. Emilia was still an infant during this time, but once old enough to trick-or-treat, Eben became a nervous town, closing its doors before eight o’clock every Halloween night. No one offered refuge to those who hadn’t made the curfew. Emilia browsed the children’s science stories on her bookshelf. Her mother, Evelyn, didn’t like or believe in mysticism. Unlike other children’s bedtime stories of witches and ghosts with pumpkins for heads, Emilia’s mom only told her stories with scientific explanations. She wondered how her mother had escaped being eaten by the scary furry monster. A faint smell of ink from Evelyn’s math homework lingered in the air. Emilia gripped her pencil and paused for a moment, writing nothing. Then she clutched her hand around her elephant bookmark, squeezing into a small ball. The roar of some unknown beast echoed closer, startling her. It sounded like it was at her window. Right after, Daddy knocked on her door and brought a bowl of chocolate pudding. “It’s time for you to go to bed,” Dad declared as he glanced at his daughter. “You have school tomorrow.” Emilia looked up with a dazed expression. Her gaze found her father’s, and in a whisper asked, “Dad… where’s Mom?” Richard’s complexion paled. He stroked Emilia’s head with affection. “She was supposed to go on a business trip, but something went wrong. I don’t know what happened… I just don’t know.” Both Emilia and her dad knew it was a clumsy lie. Evelyn may have gone on a business trip, but after the birth of Emilia, the weight of her responsibility shifted. The air in the room seemed to turn to ice. Emilia wanted to scream, but his powerful arms wrapped around her, squeezing. A chill ran through her body as she realized her father was not telling her everything. Then, the door rattled from a thunderous knocking, someone demanding entry. “It’s Mom!” Emilia yelped and started running toward the living room. “Open the door!” But Dad was quick, scooping her up, his grip unyielding as he commanded with conviction, “It’s time for you to go to bed, little one.” Emilia glared at him, shaking with rage. “Do you know why those people don’t come back anymore? Because their loved ones abandoned them. They didn’t even try!” The pounding against the door intensified, each demand more insistent than the last. But Dad held his ground, his gaze unwavering. “That’s not your mom, and I will not open the door.” “It’s all complete superstition, Dad! We’ve got to check it out!”