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“Freddie, what’s wrong my love?”
The 10-year-old in question stops fidgeting in his Dracula costume and looks up at the sound of his mother. This is the first Halloween he will ever experience after his family moved to London a few weeks ago. All of the other children in the small neighborhood have come out in silly and scary costumes, happily crowding the streets just after sunset for “trick-or-treat”.
For a moment he had felt excited. But now, looking at the many unfamiliar faces of his neighbors and many other kids outside, he’s not so sure anymore.
“Nothing…” Freddie mutters.
His mother peeks outside and gives him a thoughtful look. “Hmm… Do you want me to go with you outside?”
That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. He doesn’t know what to say to the other kids, or if they’re going to like him. But he looks outside again, and he notices that most of them aren’t walking with their parents holding their hands.
Freddie shakes his head stubbornly. “No,” he decides. He doesn’t want to look embarrassing.
His mum offers a gentle smile. “Come outside with me, and then you can go and play with the neighbors yourself, alright?”
Freddie seems to weigh his options and nods reluctantly. Just to the front porch – nobody will see and make fun of him.
They go outside and Freddie’s mother gives him a hug before he sets off on his own, clutching the little plastic pumpkin basket for where his candies and chocolate bars will go. It’s not so difficult, surely. Just knock on some doors, shout “Trick or treat!” and get some sweets from the adults.
“Hey, nice costume!”
Freddie turns at the couple of kids coming up to him. He swishes his cape and gives them a shy grin.
“Thanks!” he says. “My mum bought it from the costume shop.”
“Nice,” the other boy responds, but then his smile turns into a sneer. “Does it come with the front teeth then?”
The boys laugh raucously and Freddie gasps, immediately pursing his lips to cover his overbite. He fights the tears that start to well in his eyes and walks away quickly, the other kids’ laughter still echoing behind him.
He finds an empty spot and sits down on the sidewalk, harshly wiping away the tears in his eyes. He hates trick or treating and he hates Halloween. What a ridiculous celebration anyway.
“Hey, don’t mind Paul. He’s just a big bully.”
Freddie sniffs and looks up, meeting the face of a blond little boy about his age with a pair of glasses sitting on his nose.
“Whatever,” Freddie sniffs and wipes his face again. “I hate trick or treating. Everyone here is so mean.”
“Not everyone!” The blond boy says with a pout. “Come on and cheer up, I’ll show you around. I’m Roger! What’s your name?”
Freddie stares at him in distrust for a moment, before getting on his feet with a brave face. “I’m Freddie.”
“Freddie!” Roger repeats, already bounding away in excitement before Freddie can even shake his hand, assuming Freddie will follow behind him. “Trick or treating is fun! You’ll get to eat sooo much candy that you’ll get a bellyache for days!”
Freddie giggles and, indeed, follows him down the street. “Bellyache doesn’t sound fun!”
“It’s fun when it’s because of too much chocolate!” Roger responds, blue eyes sparkling mischievously behind his glasses. “Let’s go to the Mays, they’re the nicest!”
They go further and stop in front of a modest house. Roger looks at him with an encouraging smile and gestures towards the door. Freddie braces himself and rings the doorbell. The door soon opens, Mrs. May greeting them with a warm smile.
“Trick or treat!” Freddie exclaims.
“Oh, what a lovely costume!” Mrs. May compliments, already scooping assorted sweets into Freddie’s pumpkin basket. “Here you are. You’re the new neighbor, aren’t you dear?”
“My name’s Freddie,” he says shyly with a nod and accepts his treats. “Thank you Mrs. May!”
“You’re welcome, Freddie,” she replies, pleased that he knows her name. “Oh, Brian, don’t you want to come out and meet our new neighbor?”
Freddie spots the curly-haired boy, Brian, just slightly peeking out from behind his mother’s back. Brian shakes his head and goes back into hiding when he realizes he is caught peeking.
“He’s a bit shy,” Mrs. May apologizes. “Tell your mum we’ll come visit sometime.”
Freddie thanks her again and leaves, marveling in wonder at the candies he earned. It’s only a moment later he realizes Roger isn’t next to him anymore, but waiting for Freddie across the street.
“Hey, why did you go?” Freddie asks, catching up with him. He’s only realizing now Roger doesn’t have his own trick-or-treat basket. “Aren’t you going to ask for candies?”
Roger scratches his head and hums. “That bellyache thing I told you? I had it earlier today. Mrs. May knows, she might tell on my mum if I ask for more sweets.”
“Oh…” Freddie deflates.
“But I’m not letting you go around alone!” Roger says cheerfully. Freddie brightens up with him. “Let’s get some more, and then I’ll show you to the Deacons!”
And so they go, knocking on a few houses, until they get to the Deacons’ house. Freddie introduces himself again as the new neighbor, and Mrs. Deacon is even more generous with the amount of chocolate she’s giving him. Freddie is proud that he feels a lot braver now.
“Enjoy your night, Freddie,” Mrs. Deacon says sweetly. “You should meet John sometime! He’s out trick or treating but I’m sure he would love to play with you. Are you out here alone?”
“No ma’am, I’m with a friend,” Freddie glances around, not seeing where Roger’s off hiding to, “He said he already had too much sweets.”
“Alright then,” Mrs. Deacon says before letting him go. “Don’t stay out too late!”
Freddie nods obediently and waves her goodbye. When Roger comes up to him, Freddie goes to show off his nearly-full basket.
“Ooh that’s a lot!” Roger says, squinting through his glasses and rummaging through the sweets. “I love Cadbury’s.”
“You can have some of mine!” Freddie offers happily, but Roger shakes his head with an almost sad smile.
“No, I’m not allowed. Don’t worry about me though,” Roger shrugs, leading the way again along the sidewalk.
Freddie gives him a pitying look, but follows him anyway. He doesn’t like it that he has so much goodies with him but he can't share them with his new friend, his only real friend so far. “Well, I think I’ve already got too much,” Freddie confesses. “But I don’t wanna go home yet...”
Roger gives Freddie an excited grin. “You wanna see where I usually go to play?”
“Yeah!”
They go further along the road, both of them high on energy despite the late hour. In Freddie’s case, it’s because of the bits of chocolate bar he has been sneakily munching on along the way, but Roger doesn’t even look tired at all. They end up at the edge of the neighborhood limits where it’s less crowded and a little darker than the rest of the houses.
“Ta-da!” Roger presents to him, spreading his arms.
Freddie isn’t exactly sure what he’s looking at. From where he’s standing, it looks like a long wall of bushes that’s too tall for him to look over. There is an entrance to a path near the corner of it, but it’s almost entirely blocked off with overgrown bushes that doesn’t look like it belongs with the rest of the wall, save a small gap at the bottom that Freddie is curious enough to bend down and peek into. When he does, he finds that the path is winding and goes further into a maze, surrounded by even more walls of bushes.
Freddie whispers in awe. “What is that?”
“It’s a labyrinth!” Roger answers smartly.
“…A what?”
“A labyrinth,” he repeats patiently. “It’s like a giant maze! I like to play treasure hunt in there.”
Freddie clutches his pumpkin basket closer. It’s dark and they’re quite far from their parents. The entrance to the path doesn’t look inviting. “I don’t know, Roger…”
“It’s okay, I know my way around it. I’ve went through it tons of times,” Roger comforts him. “Please? I haven’t played in ages! You’ll love it.”
Freddie relents at Roger’s pleading, but still he says, “I don’t wanna get lost in there.”
“You’re not going to,” Roger assures him gently. “I’ll be with you along the way, remember?”
Roger is very persuasive, and Freddie doesn’t exactly want to upset his newfound friend. He just has to be brave, one more time. He takes a deep breath and finally nods. “Okay.”
“Yes!” Roger does a little air-punch. “Follow me!”
Roger approaches the entrance of the path and gets on all fours, crawling through the small gap that’s just enough for his body. Freddie follows, shoving his pumpkin basket through first before crawling into the maze.
The maze feels larger once they’re inside. He looks around in genuine curiosity and tries to be clever to figure out the right path, but he doesn’t really know and decides to just walk alongside Roger. Roger seems confident enough and they now walk at a more leisurely pace.
“So how long have you been staying here?” Roger asks.
Freddie smiles at Roger, happy that somebody wants to listen to his story. “I moved here a few weeks ago. My dad works here now, so we all have to come with him.”
“I’m sorry you went through that earlier, with the other kids,” Roger mutters.
At that reminder, Freddie seals his lips again in reflex. “Well, I don’t exactly fit in. I don’t really fit in back home, either. I guess I’m kind of cursed.”
“Hey, don’t say bad words like that!” Roger chides him. “They’re not all bullies. Brian and John are really nice! You should go play with them, I’m sure they’re gonna like you.”
“Really?” Freddie asks doubtfully.
“Of course!”
Freddie relaxes completely for the first time since moving there. “I really like playing with you. It’s nice to finally find a friend around here.”
Roger smiles softly at him. “Friends are very important. I’m officially your new best friend!”
“You are,” Freddie agrees, and then adds just to be sure, “and best friends stay with each other right?”
“Of course!” Roger almost looks offended. “I’m not gonna leave you, silly.”
Freddie smiles widely at the reassurance. He doesn’t have to feel lonely ever again. The feeling bursts and he reaches out to clasp his shoulder. Roger doesn’t seem to realize, though, and is suddenly breaking off to a small jog.
“Hey, it’s getting late,” Roger says and quickens his pace. “We gotta get you home in time… Let’s go! To the end of the maze! Hurry and catch me if you can!”
Roger breaks into a run with a cackle. Freddie giggles along with him and follows.
The maze truly is larger than Freddie expects and he is running out of breath. Roger is already way ahead of him, and when Freddie makes a turn he loses sight of Roger. Freddie feels his heart seize in panic.
“Roger?!” Freddie shouts.
There is silence for a while, and Freddie suddenly thinks this is it, he’s left alone, but then he hears Roger from afar. “Over here! Come on, just a little further!”
Freddie almost collapses in relief and follows the voice. He takes another turn, and another, until he’s on a straight path that finally leads to the exit. He doesn’t waste any time and rushes out.
“We did it!” Freddie cheers and jump up and down, still clutching his pumpkin basket. “Whoo! That was amazing, Roger!”
Freddie laughs and catches his breath. When he looks around, Roger isn’t there. Freddie frowns, looking down the sidewalk and along the outside of the maze. “Roger?” He calls out.
No answer.
He checks again, round the corner and across the street. “Roger?” he calls. He feels his throat clogging up and his heartbeat racing. He peeks back into the maze, but he can’t possibly be there because Roger was far ahead of him. He goes in circles like a lost child.
“Roger?!”
“Freddie!”
Freddie whips around at the sound, but it wasn’t Roger – it was his mum calling for him and marching down the sidewalk to get him. Apparently, she’s not alone, and Freddie belatedly realizes that she’s bringing along Mrs. May, Mrs. Deacon, and their kids with her.
“Mum? What are you doing–” Freddie doesn’t finish before his mum lifts him up in a crushing hug.
“There you are! We were so worried!” she says. “What were you thinking going in there alone? It’s nearly midnight, you were supposed to come home by 9!”
Freddie is overwhelmed and confused. He hasn’t been in there that long, he knows it. He wasn’t alone, either. “What?”
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” his mum continues. “I was so lucky to have met Mrs. May, who saw you went to Mrs. Deacon’s and then further away here on your own!”
“I haven’t been in there that long!” Freddie exclaims, struggling out of her arms. “And I wasn’t alone, I was with a friend! But he went off somewhere and I have to look–”
“Freddie, you were on your own when you showed up on my doorstep,” Mrs. May interrupts him gently.
Freddie shakes his head. “He was waiting for me across the street. He said he didn’t want to trick or treat because he had bellyache from too much chocolate.”
Mrs. May looks a little alarmed now. “There– there was no one across the street either, love.”
Freddie suddenly feels cold, but he keeps shaking his head. “He was there, he was just hiding!”
“He did say he was with someone,” Mrs. Deacon murmurs to Mrs. May, before turning to Freddie. “But when you walked off from my house, you were alone, dear. I thought you were just trick or treating all the way down to the end of the block.”
“I was with a friend,” Freddie insists. “I spent the whole evening with him. He was the one who said I should go to Mrs. May’s because she’s so nice, and Mrs. Deacon’s, too. And then I said I didn’t want to go home yet so we tried this maze and–”
“That old labyrinth isn’t for playing, Freddie, you could’ve gotten lost,” Mrs. May scolds him, her voice full of worry.
“God, they should have sealed it off proper years ago, not plant some careless bunch of bushes that barely even covers it…” Mrs. Deacon adds.
Freddie still doesn’t understand. “His name’s Roger,” Freddie says desperately.
The mums’ chatters stop immediately. They all look at him strangely, almost horrified, until Freddie’s mum finally asks, “What’s wrong? Who’s Roger?”
“It’s that kid who died in the maze!” John suddenly pipes up.
Everyone gasps, and Brian swats him on the arm. “John, that’s rude!”
“Died?” Freddie’s mum repeats, wide-eyed and clutching her dear son closer.
Mrs. Deacon sighs. “No, nobody died. It’s an old ghost story about the labyrinth that the kids at school like to spread. You should know better, young man.”
John looks down in shame. “Sorry, mum.”
“Don’t worry Freddie, ghosts aren’t real,” Brian says to him, spoken as if he was a scientific expert and not the shy little boy Freddie spotted earlier. “And the story wasn’t that Roger died, it was that he wandered alone in there and he never came out. Nobody really even knew what year that was.”
John scoffs indignantly next to him. “That’s not any different!”
“Children,” Mrs. May scolds them again. She turns to Freddie’s mum. “It’s only a spooky tale, don’t worry. We did ask the authorities to close the labyrinth a few years ago. It’s a small neighborhood and we always let our children play outside. We don’t want them to get lost.”
Freddie’s mum nods in relief. He’s just glad that his son is safe. Freddie is still lost in thought, and everyone falls into a reflective silence.
Mrs. Deacon ruffles Freddie’s hair and says gently, “You can always come and play with John, Freddie. We’d love to have you.”
John nods enthusiastically, and next to him, Brian whispers to his mum, “Can I come too, mum?”
“Of course you can, darling,” Mrs. May whispers back with a smile, happy that his son will make more friends.
Freddie gives them both a grateful smile. Roger was right about them, even though Freddie doesn’t know if Roger was real at all.
They all walk home together, the topic of Freddie’s friend conveniently brushed away for the moment. The mothers are huddling close to their sons and returning to their respective homes. When Freddie and his mum arrive home, he stops her on their doorstep. “Mum?”
“Yes, Freddie?”
Freddie hesitates, but he has to tell her that his best friend was real. “Roger was the one who told me that that house is Mrs. May’s. I greeted her when we met. I’m not lying, I promise.”
His mum gives him a sad but fond smile and kisses his head. “Alright darling, I believe you,” she mutters. “Now wash up and go to bed.”
Freddie sighs and did as instructed, but not before dumping his haul of sweets haphazardly on the dining table. He sorts through the candies and chocolates, but his mind is still wondering why Roger had left him and his heart is already missing the feeling of having a best friend.
There’s an unfamiliar crumple of paper among the sweets that he didn’t put there himself. Curious, he picks it up and opens it. His face slowly lights up with a smile.
It’s so nice to meet you Freddie!
See you around soon!- Roger