Spirits in the Dark
By Katherine Traylor
With her heavy bag of sleepover supplies, Trista stood out in the bustle of Halloween prep that filled the dorm lobby. She smiled greetings to a few people she knew (not so many, just two months into her freshman year at Penn State Haggerton) and edged past a troupe of partygoers coming in with their late-bought costumes tucked into bulging Wal-Mart bags. Slipping out the front door into the chilly evening air, she let the silence wrap her up with a sigh.
A cool wind was hissing through the trees, rattling the last few leaves of the season, and the sky was fading into an amber sunset. She felt the melancholy satisfaction she always did at seeing the last of autumn crumple away toward winter. Cold nights were when Trista felt most like herself.
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