October 31, Revolution

Tonight is the night. It’s been gone for far too long, but now, now we are taking it back. All that was taken, all that disappeared, all that was ours. We need it back and tonight we seize it. Tonight, anything goes. And the spirit of this season isn’t a forgiving one.

First it was the tricks. Taken away for our own safety, of course. Next they took the treats, to no one’s surprise. But after all, what’s giving a treat without the threat of a trick? Finally, they took away the night. No longer able to move in the shadows, we were forced into the daylight. For protection. But was this for our protection or theirs? Out and back in by dusk. Like a mirror-world version of our Transylvanian forefathers, we had to run back to our homes before the shade of night touched our skin. This was the last straw.

Traditions passed down for generations wiped out. Unacceptable. But they thought they could placate us. They took us out before dusk to a well-lit and well-guarded parking lot. They offered us a piece of candy from the trunk of somebody’s car. Not a stranger’s car, mind you. That would be too dangerous, too exciting, too… in the spirit. 

No, it isn’t a stranger, a recluse widow, or the mysterious man living in the old house at the end of the street, but a pre-registered participant, well known and well regarded in the neighborhood. These are people we can trust. Take a treat from the schoolteacher and make sure you say please and thank you–parents and authority figures are watching.

But no longer.

We are taking back control. We are making the demands and no one leaves the house until nightfall. Years of darkness have built up inside us. Devils have been festering without release in our souls. Compounding, every year, doubling. Getting stronger, louder and bolder. 

The spillways have been clogged for too long. It all comes out now.

The werewolf will have his meat. The vampire will have her blood. The man-made monster will destroy with reckless abandon. The Old Gods will return and Samhain will demand more souls than you can give in just one night. We will have what is ours. Tonight we are coming to your door and ringing the bell. No house will be left unvisited. Trick or Treat? The choice is no longer yours. We want it all.

Jacob Kamp is a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia Suburbs. He graduated Valedictorian from the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology with a degree in business. After spending years as an entrepreneur, he is now focusing on his passion for writing.

A Song for Jacob