Spunky doodle saves Christmas

Good afternoon. I've been working on some new stories and artwork today. Check it out. Any feedback is helpful. Let me know if you like it and if you have any suggestions for future stories in the comments.

On October 31, 2023, at 12:05 PM on a Friday at James Hunt's high school, a group of juniors gathered in the lunch room at their usual table. Steve Walker waved to them as he grabbed a tray and got online for pizza day. His best friend Mike Kowalski walked over to him and said

"Have you heard there will be a hollowing party on Magnolia Street near the old cemetery tonight?" 

Steve replied, 

"who's throwing that?"

 Mike

"Jake Coleman!"

Everybody knows Jake Coleman is hands-down the coolest guy at James Hunt's high school. All his parties are legendary, but he goes all out for Halloween. This year is no exception. On that particular street is a cemetery, and the party will be in the woods next to the cemetery. Steve and Mike walked over to the table to discuss the party, knowing this was their Junior year. They missed out on the first two because it was a select group. This being Jake's last year, they wanted to go. Steve was trying to think of different ways they could get in, but nothing seemed to work; then Mike, with a grin, said don't worry about it. I've got it covered. He's dating my older sister, Stephanie. We can walk in with her. 

Steve replied. 

"Do you think that will work?"

Mike

"If it doesn't, I will do your math homework for the rest of the year."

That night, they took the 8:15 bus Downtown. From there, it was a short walk to the old cemetery. The party was in the woods next to the cemetery. The spot was out of the way; no one would be out that way tonight. It was a good time, with many kids from school, including Lisa Mills; Steve had a crush on her since middle school. Mike looked at Steve and said

".tonight's the night, no excuses." 

He walked over to her, nervous with a knot in his stomach, thinking she knew me. We sit together in science well, not together, more like a table apart from each other, but we have talked in the hallway briefly. Lisa asked for a pencil. I need an icebreaker. What do I say? He was getting closer to her but had nothing to say. Then she turned towards him with those baby blue eyes, her long brown hair falling gently over her shoulder, and a smile that could melt an iceberg. She said. 

"Steve, I did know you would be here?" 

he was shocked. She remembered him. They started talking; everything just happened, so naturally, it was like a dream. The party went on for a long time. Steve hung out with Lisa the entire time. It was getting late when Jake made the announcement.

"As you all know, this is my last year, so I wanted to make this a party to remember. Everybody cheered, Jake continued, but I have saved the best for last, being that it's Halloween. It's appropriate to have a trick-or-treat. The cemetery has five hidden items of different value, so there are five chances to claim a prize. Lisa and Steve decided to play along, as did Mike and his new friend Emily Smith. They went Into the cemetery with flashlights and a map showing the search area. They were allowed to go in groups or alone. There was a limited amount of ground to cover, but there were many places to hide something. They decided to split up. Steve covered the lower half of the map. He walked down a path that led to a mausoleum. He looked at his phone at a picture of the map. It was close to the edge. He looked around the tombstones but didn't see anything. He started back when something out of the corner of his eye got his attention. At the end of the path was an open grave. It was fresh. At the grave's edge were stairs leading down to a more profound pit than an ordinary grave. Staring into the darkness, he could hear a faint whisper say to him come in, Steve. As the wind picked up, he stepped back up the path. Looking over his shoulder, a pair of red eyes looked at him from the darkness. The shadows began to stretch towards him like arms reaching out. Panicked, Steve ran only to find the pathway stretching before him, unable to reach the hilltop. A sinister laugh could be heard over Steve's shoulder, The voice from the darkness. You'll like it down here. Everybody does. The laughter continued as shadows stretched closer and closer, and then they grabbed him. Steve turned around, panic and fear subsided when he saw it was Mike, and he said. 

"Did you find anything?"

Steve replied. "No."

Mike. "are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Steve. "No, I was just looking at this grave, and you startled me."

Steve stood there, unsure what he had seen or what had happened. Could he have imagined the whole thing? Everything was the same, but the grave was shallow, and he could see the bottom. Lisa came down the path. She had found one of the items and said. 

"Let's go back and see what we have won." 

Back at the party, they had won a cash prize of a thousand dollars. It wasn't the top prize, but it was third place. The party ended, and the four caught the 12:30 bus back to the Bomoseen Lake suburbs. The bus was practically deserted, with just one other person sitting at the end. Steve couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. They got to their stop and went their separate ways. Steve walked Lisa home, said good night, and got a kiss on the cheek. See you at school tomorrow. He went home and didn't think about anything—other than Lisa.

The next day was like any other. Steve got up, fed his dog, had breakfast, and went to school. The wind picked up and whispered his name, Steve. He turned around to see Mike running towards him. They walked to school together. Mike started talking about the history test next week but faded into the background. Steve was seeing things out of the corners of his eyes; shadows that would disappear when he looked at them put Steve on edge. Throughout the day, he would see shadows in the hallways, empty classrooms, and the dark corners of the school. 

At 2:45, Lisa came to see Steve so they could walk home together. She noticed something was wrong. Lisa asked if Steve was okay. Steve Reply

"Yes."

She could tell something was bothering Steve. Lisa stopped him and asked again? 

Steve told her what happened in the graveyard and what he had seen and was still seeing. She looked surprised and said, maybe you are getting sick, and you are hallucinating. There has to be an explanation other than otherworldly spirits from the grave. She laughed. Steve laughed, too. Maybe she was right. He stayed home the next day. It was Friday; three days off is just what I need. Steve thought everything went fine. He stopped, seeing the shadows, and heard voices. That is, until two months later, Steve would see something from time to time but ignore it, and just before October, it started to get worse, so much so that Steve became a hermit. He didn't go out after dark and stayed out of the shadows during the day. Lisa and Mike would come to see him often to try to convince Steve that it was an illusion. It didn't work. Eventually, Stephen's parents had to send him to a psychologist. 

Steve entered the room. It was an ordinary office. To his surprise, it was well-lit, with no shadows. The doctor asked him to sit in the chair in the middle opposite him. Then he asked if Steve was comfortable. He said yes, and the doctor explained that Steve wasn't the first patient he had treated for these symptoms, that it was pretty standard, and that the best thing to do was to confront them head-on. The doctor sat back in his chair with his pencil and pad and asked Steve to tell him where it all started. 

Steve told him about the night in October almost a year ago and how it would return occasionally.

The doctor asked if he had ever had hallucinations in the past, trauma from a head injury, or anything of that nature. Stevens said no. The doctor sat back in his chair and said to Steve. 

"What I want you to do is to go back to where it all started during the day. Bring friends with you. Don't go along until you dare to go at night and see that it isn't real. Write down what you see, and meet with me once a week or more if you'd like. Do this for October. If this doesn't work, we must try something else."

Steve did just that. He went to the cemetery with Mike and Lisa at least a dozen times and three times at night to the same spot. Nothing happened, and he stopped seeing the shadows and hearing the voices. The doctor was pleased with his progress. It was the end of October. It was their senior year, and another hollowing party at the old cemetery was happening that night. They made plans to go: Mike, who would meet his new girlfriend Rachel Patterson there, and Steve, who was going with Lisa. They went to the party, but Steve had to make one stop before the party. The shadows were long due to the fall moon, but he had no fear. The three walked down the path to the grave. It was occupied now with a new tombstone at the head of it. Steve took a deep breath and stood at the foot of the grave, Lisa and Mike on either side of him for support. Steve said. 

"It took a lot of work, but I'm better now." 

The two agreed. Steve was about to return when something on the tombstone got his attention. Getting closer, it was something familiar, a metal that was awarded to him in the Boy Scouts for bravery, but what was it doing here? Then he saw the name Stephen Walker, beloved son, 2005 - 2023, on the gravestone. The wind picked up, blowing through the trees and knocking leaves to the ground just over the hill the hollowing party had paused. Mike Kowalski was speaking. 

"This party is to remember my best friend, Stephen Walker. who passed away a year ago today. We will never forget you."

                                                         

 The End.