I get scared very easily. It’s always been that way, and I fear it always will be.
It was Halloween night, and I was five years old. I ate dinner at my best friend’s house before we went trick-or- treating. She was dressed as a vampire, and when she put the fake blood on, I cried. I was so scared that she had to take it off. Despite me ruining her costume, I’m proud to say she’s still my best friend to this day.
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t end up going trick-or-treating. I tried but couldn’t even leave the parking lot. I remember seeing someone dressed as the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood; I turned around and pressed my face into my mom until we left. It wasn’t until fifth grade that I actually started to go trick-or-treating.
My fear of Halloween didn’t stop at trick-or-treating. It was stores, too. I couldn’t walk in Halloween costume aisles. I was scared of the Halloween inflatables at Walmart. I wouldn’t last a second in a Spirit Halloween.
Though I was scared of Halloween, I didn’t hate it. It was a special day. My mom would stay back with me while my brother went out trick-or-treating. My grandparents would often come over. They would dress up and bring treats. We would eat my Nani’s delicious squash soup and watch movies. I got my own personal Halloween party every year. I also didn’t have to work for my candy, which was a perk.
Even as I got older, that fear hasn’t dissipated. I went on a haunted hayride last year for the first time. I was frightened, but the rush of adrenaline was kind of exhilarating. However, there was a haunted house at the end of the hayride. As I moved further in line, I started to get more claustrophobic and anxious. I couldn’t do it, so I bolted out of line. I was a little embarrassed and didn’t hear the end of “it wasn’t that bad.” Try telling that to the same person who had to be carried out of the Haunted Mansion at Disney World in first grade. Yeah, for me, it would’ve been that bad.
My Halloweens looked different from most kids’ growing up. When other kids were running around, collecting as much candy as they could, I was hanging out with my family. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was the simple traditions that made it so special. A day that used to terrify me also brought me comfort. I may never be the type to put on a scary movie or walk through a haunted house and enjoy it, but I still consider Halloween one of my favorite holidays.