Work Text:
It was a dark Halloween night, and Cream the Rabbit was flying across the Kingdom of Mobius to the western half of the country, along with her pet Chao Cheese. She was dressed in a purple witch’s robe with pink stripes and a matching witch’s hat. Cheese was dressed up as Cat Noir from Miraculous. Ordinarily, her mother Vanilla would frown upon her going trick or treating by herself, but she assured the elder rabbit that Shadow the Hedgehog would be there to protect her just in case. Speaking of Shadow, Cream was drawn to an orange light down below, so she headed for it and came to Rouge the Bat’s mansion, which was in full Halloween mode, what with the skeletons, pumpkins and bats, among other décor. Without hesitation, she knocked on the door.
“Trick or treat!”
Rouge the Bat answered the door dressed in a witch costume of her own design, which consisted of a dark purple witch’s hat with an orange band and a pink heart-shaped buckle, a dark purple strapless dress with an orange stripe running down the middle on the front, an orange ribbon tied around her waist, dark purple opera gloves with orange cuffs, black leggings and dark purple pumps.
“Well hello, my fellow witch!” Rouge gave Cream a full-sized Snickers bar and a full-sized pack of Sour Patch watermelon. “Have you too come to participate in the Samhain celebrations?”
Cream put her index finger up to her chin. “Sew-what?”
“Chao?” said Cheese.
“‘Samhain’ is the ancient pagan name for Wiccans’ version of Halloween. Come, my child, and let me show you!”
Rouge flew over the house to the backyard, and Cream and Cheese followed. In the backyard, it became evident to Cream and Cheese where the light they saw earlier was coming from: Rouge had lit a huge bonfire in the backyard.
“Oh, what a huge fire!” said Cream. “What’s that for?”
“Lighting bonfires is a huge part of Samhain tradition,” said Rouge. “Numerous rituals are conducted involving the bonfires. Initially, only specific types of wood were used, but nowadays, any sort of flammable material can be used. There are numerous reasons for lighting these: For one, the brightness of the fire mimics that of the Sun and holds back the darkness and decay of winter, thus helping the ‘powers of growth’. Another reason for doing this is to burn up and destroy harmful influences, not only in your life, but also on the planet. Yet another reason is because the fire, smoke and ashes have protective and cleansing powers.”
Cream smiled. “Ooh, fascinating! What kinds of rituals do you conduct?”
“For one, people carry torches sunwise – or in our case, clockwise – around homes or fields to protect them. In some places, people douse their hearth fires on Samhain night and then re-light the fire with flames from a communal bonfire, thus strengthening the community’s bond.”
“Sounds fun! May we please try?”
“Chao!”
“Of course!” Rouge handed Cream a shortened version of a tiki torch. “Just be careful, OK, sweetie?”
“OK!”
Rouge and Cream each took their torches and used the bonfire to light them, and then they proceeded to walk clockwise around the mansion. Cream had always been a naturally curious person, and Vanilla as well as her schoolteachers had not only taught her to be respectful to others regardless of culture or stuff like that, but also taught her about random cultures around the world, so she found this whole business of Wicca very fascinating. She was looking forward to telling Amy about it, too. Eventually, once Rouge and Cream had completed a lap around the old mansion, they stuck their torches in the ground.
“That was fun!” said Cream. “What else do you do with the fire?”
“The bonfire is also used for various divination practices. A number of these involve apples. For example, have you ever gone bobbing for apples?”
Cream nodded excitedly. “Uh-huh!”
“Well, my dear Cream, that practice began with Samhain. Also, apples were often peeled in one long strip and the peel tossed into the fire over one’s shoulder. Whatever shape it took would be the first letter of the first name of one’s future spouse.”
“Oh! May I please try?”
“Certainly!”
Rouge grabbed a honeycrisp apple and a peeler, and after successfully peeling it in one go, she gave the peel to Cream, who tossed it over her shoulder into the fire. Her, Cheese and Rouge looked at it, and…
“‘C’?” said Cream. “But who do I know whose name begins with ‘C’?”
Rouge chuckled. “Well, I guess you’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?”
“I guess.”
“Of course, there are other rituals besides this. Another ritual involving one’s spouse involves roasting two hazelnuts near the fire, one named for the person roasting them and the other for the person they desire. If the nuts jump away from the fire, that’s a bad sign, but if they roast quietly, then the two are an excellent match. Ooh, and here’s another interesting one: random items are hidden in food such as cakes, and portions will be served at random. Would you like a slice of this heavenly torte?”
“Yes, please!”
“Chao!”
Rouge cut up a black forest cake and served a piece each to her, Cheese and Cream. Cream was smart enough to dig through the slice without eating it lest she suffer a choking hazard, and she found a Mobian quarter.
“Ooh, a coin!”
Rouge smiled. “Well, aren’t you fortunate, my child? You and your family will have great wealth!”
“YAY!” Cream threw her arms up.
“Chao?” Cheese held a small gold ring.
Rouge kept smiling. “Well, looks like your little pet is going to find true love!”
“Did you hear that, Cheese? You’re going to meet a girl Chao!”
Cheese blushed. “Chao…”
“What about you, Miss Rouge?” said Cream. “What did you find?”
“I found this beautiful diamond ring, which looks like marriage is in my cards! Then again, that’s no surprise considering how fabulous I am!”
“Well, Miss Rouge, I hope you have a happy marriage and have kids who love you very much!”
“Chao chao!”
“Awww, you’re too precious!” Rouge ruffled the top of Cream’s head. “Anyways, other divination festivals are conducted, such as pouring egg whites into a glass of water to predict how many children one will have, and also chasing flocks of crows, using the number in the flock or the direction they fly to divine things.”
“Wow…”
The reflection of the fire in Cream’s eyes told Rouge that the little rabbit was absolutely spellbound, as was Cheese.
“One of the most important Samhain celebrations – at least in the Wiccan interpretation – is the various traditions regarding the dead. In Wiccan culture, Samhain is the most important of the Four Greater Sabbats, and in this festival of darkness, the veil between our world and the afterlife is at its thinnest, allowing us to more easily communicate with those who have passed to the afterlife. This is a time for us to celebrate the lives of those who have died, whether ancestors, family, friends or even pets. We also make offerings to those who have died, and some people even leave crops in the ground as an offering. Now, my dear Cream, would you care to peer into the fire and tell me what you see?”
“Well, OK…”
Cream gazed deeply into the bonfire, somewhat worried about who would appear but also intrigued. As she did so, an old, vague memory of hers flickered into the flames, clarifying itself: a male rabbit who bore somewhat of a resemblance to Vanilla, but with darker fur and black hair on his head.
“That’s…that’s Daddy! But Mommy told me he left home!”
“Then I guess that’s one mystery solved, isn’t it?”
Cream was tearing up, which Rouge took notice of:
“It’s OK, dearie; he’s still with us even if his body is no longer living. This, however, is a time to celebrate his life, to commemorate him for being kind enough to give his love to your mother and have you.”
“Well…all right.”
Cream smiled weakly and offered some of her candy as an offering to her father, and the reflection of Cookie appeared to smile and wave to her.
“Good girl!” said Rouge. “You may just grow to become one of the best witches yet!”
“Do you really think so?”
Rouge chuckled. “I know so!”
Rouge knelt down and kissed Cream on the cheek, causing her to giggle.
“You may not have noticed, but we also set places at the dinner table to welcome the dead,” said Rouge. “Those poor souls are absolutely shivering at this time of year, and we want them to feel warm and cozy!”
Cream smiled. “Wow, Miss Rouge, you sure care a lot about the dead!”
“Why shouldn’t I? Did they not also love one another, that they could bring life to this planet?”
Cream got a serious look on her face and scratched her cheek. “OK, I get it.”
“Ah, but did you also know that trick or treating originates with Samhain?”
Cream’s eyes widened. “No, I didn’t!”
“Chao!” said Cheese.
“It’s true. In Samhain tradition, people would go from house to house in costume or disguise, reciting songs or verses in exchange for food. It is said that this evolved from the tradition of impersonating the souls of the dead not only in order to protect oneself from them, but also to receive offerings on their behalf. Some people also believed that these early trick or treaters personified the old spirits of winter, demanding reward in exchange for good fortune. The practice of carving pumpkins was also said to originate as guide lanterns for trick or treaters.”
Cream yawned.
“Awww, tired, honey?”
Cream nodded. “Mommy says that this is past my bedtime, but it’s too far for me to go back home. Let me call her…”
Cream pulled out a basic flip phone and called Vanilla:
“Hello?”
“Hi Mommy, it’s Cream.”
“Ah, good to hear from you, Cream! Are you having fun?”
“Very much! Miss Rouge even taught me about Samhain!”
“How delightful! Is everything OK?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry for staying up too late. May I please spend the night with Miss Rouge?”
“Certainly! Please, do come home tomorrow, though.”
“I will! Good night, Mommy! I love you!”
“I love you too, Cream! Have a good night!”
Vanilla hung up.
“Miss Rouge, I had fun learning about Samhain tonight!” Cream’s look turned serious. “Though some people say that if you’re a witch, then you’ll go to Hell.”
Rouge put a hand on Cream’s shoulder. “People have all sorts of beliefs, hon. Just because someone believes in a different god doesn’t mean that everyone else’s gods are evil. In Wicca, we’re taught to celebrate life and to celebrate others no matter what they believe in!”
Cream smiled. “Thanks, Miss Rouge! I love you!”
Rouge giggled. “I love you too, Cream!”
Rouge gave Cream a quick kiss on the cheek and a big hug, and Cream returned the gesture. It was certainly her most memorable Halloween yet.