A Beautiful Nightmare

by Pedro Irrera

It was a grey Halloween night, just like every other year William and his friend Maude were given the permission by both their families to go around the North Inner city neighbourhood trick-or-treating.

It was a typical October evening in Dublin. A cold wind was blowing, shaking the few autumn leaves left on the trees. The streets were filled with puddles, which had formed during the afternoon’s heavy showers. The air was chilly and humid.Everything looked and felt like many of the other Halloweens William and Maud had spent together. Little did they know that that evening was going to be very different.

They decided to meet at Merrion Square, around 9 pm.  William had always been an obscure boy, keeping his feelings and thoughts to himself. But with Maud it had always felt different. They had been friends forever and he knew he could rely on her. It was 9pm, William on time as usual, spotted Maud coming from a few blocks away. Observing Maud’s shadow getting closer to him, William was overwhelmed a sense of discomfort. It was as if he felt somehow that this was going to be a different Halloween from all the past ones. They ran to the first door and knocked loudly, nobody answered. They waited patiently for someone to come out but nobody was there. Tired of waiting, William and Maud went to the next door and knocked a few times. No one there.

The next house was in Fitzwilliam Place, about two or three blocks away from William’s house, it was thought to be a haunted house, nobody came in, nobody came out from there. William had always prided himself as being braver than everyone else and Maud knew it. But unlike him, she was more cautious. It was as if they compensated each other. Though different, both had a free revolutionary spirit, never afraid of getting in trouble when they felt it was for a just and noble cause. Just a few months earlier, for instance, they had ignited a mini-revolt in their school when a group of English students had decided to occupy the football pitch during lunch breaks. Maud and William refused to leave the pitch and led a large group of students as they they reconquered their right to play football during their break.

This spirit for adventure was also what had brought them together in front of this house that Halloween. Although Maud protested, as she too felt something creepy in the air, William knocked on the door. Again no one answered. Yet unlike what had happened in front of the other homes, William decided to let himself in. He kicked the door, and when he turned away he heard a squeaky sound and saw Maud’s face which had turned extremely pale. He turned around and saw the door had opened.

Obviously the first idea that went through his mind was to run inside the house, and that’s what he did. He heard Maud mumbling behind him, as she followed him.. 
The house was dark, there were no lights on, and every step you made you could here the floor creak. “Is anyone there?” William shouted. He waited for an answer, but all they could hear was silence.

He walked up the stairs as slowly as he could. He turned around to check on Maud. She wasn’t there anymore. As if she had vanished in thin air.

“Maud?” said William, nobody replied. “Maud where are you?” he screamed desperately. No answer.

Then he saw her laying in a a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs. Large grey filthy rats raced over her. William screamed so loud he woke up from this terrible nightmare.  Maud was next to him reading a book of about the Irish Revival.

“What’s wrong?” she asked jolting from her chair.

“Nothing,” he said. “I dreamed that someone had died in a strange place.”

A light ray of sunshine peered through the clouds outside his window, and came to rest on Maud’s shoulder. It had been a regular Halloween after all, William thought.
Or maybe not?