🌙 The Last Knock at Willow Creek 🗝️
The old house on Willow Creek Lane never gave out candy. Local legend said the original owner, Elias, still wandered the halls, searching for his lost key. Tonight, two teenagers, masked as ghosts, dared each other to knock.
"Trick or treat, Elias!" they yelled, their voices shaking.
The door creaked open, revealing only blackness. They laughed, a nervous, shaky sound. As they turned to run, a cold, dry hand clamped onto the shoulder of the boy, Alex.
"You came," a voice rasped, like dried leaves scraping stone. "The treats are gone. But I still need the key."
Alex felt a heavy, rusted object press into his palm. It was the key. He looked back; the doorway was empty. The mask on his friend, Liam, was no longer a smile. It was a silent, gaping O of terror. Liam wasn't moving.
Alex ran, dropping the key in the mud. He never saw Liam again. The next morning, a single, perfectly carved, smiling jack-o'-lantern sat on Alex's porch. It wasn't his. And where the stem should have been, a small, rusted key was embedded.
ID : yokkorasyo
