The Magic of Midnight: Twilight and Candy

By Aaron Christian Hahner

The spirit of adventure. The depth of mystery. The power of tragedy and hope. This is a story of great things, of both the children of the light, and of the masters of darkness.

One extraordinary Halloween night, five children discover that all is not what it seems and their lives will never be the same.

The Magic of Midnight is a modern myth, a dark fairy tale of sorts. At its heart, readers will find a profound message for young and old alike. Above all, this book which is a vivid journey of the imagination, never stops entertaining and, in the process, can help all of us confront and finally be free of our own deep-seated insecurities and fears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483517926

Book preview

2_devenecia.png

Chapter 1

Twilight and Candy

It was the beginning of a mysterious night.

The sun had almost dropped below the trees as it poured it’s amber light onto the neighborhood. The houses, and people in the streets below, became covered by the sun’s beautiful golden orange light. Everything was framed with deep black shadows. The nearby woods rustled from a gentle fall breeze, carrying with it the smell of drying leaves. The leaves made a chattering noise as they were blown to and fro. The leaves seemed to explode into orange and then softly fade into brown as they flew. The air itself had magic to it. It seemed alive. It moved through everything and everyone. It had a will of it’s own. Every rustle of the leaves seemed to be the wind whispering softly spoken secrets. This night was not like any other. It was Halloween.

Children’s shouts of trick or treat! echoed from doorstep to doorstep all throughout the neighborhood. Looks of joy were painted on every child’s face; it showed even through the costume masks and make-up. Tonight was an evening of celebration. All the houses were decorated. They were dressed up almost as much as the children visiting them. They stood like great museum galleries dedicated to Halloween. A dark and wondrous beauty was everywhere.

In front of one particular house stood five children. They were full of excitement and dressed for the occasion. And in every one of their eyes danced, and sparkled dreams and aspirations. They dreamed of lots of candy, and lots of fun. That is what they wanted. They were out tonight to live that dream.

This house looks rich, said Sam. Lots of good candy here.

It seemed as if Sam was right, even the decorations on the house looked expensive, down to the fancy brass Halloween wind chimes. The wind chimes were ringing out a mysterious medley as they twisted and turned in the wind.

Trick or treat! cried out Sam and the four other children.

Billy, the loudest boy in the group, was greeted first by a well-dressed lady. She put a single tiny piece of candy in his candy sack. And then reaching back the lady grabbed more candy from her bowl beside the door and handed the tiny pieces to the rest of the children. She then closed the door without saying a word.

Rip off, muttered Sam as he looked at the disappointing spec of candy he just got. It was unbelievably small pocket lint was bigger.

You were saying something about good candy, huh Sam? Nancy who was standing next to Sam, smiled at him after she spoke. It was a smile that laughed silently at Sam.

Well, like my father says the more money you have the less your worth. Sam replied. The children continued to the next house hoping for more candy.

What do all of you think of my costume? said Nancy. She did a spin in place to show off her beautiful handmade witch costume. Instead of black, it was a deep red with gold ribbons, and white lace. Even her broom was beautifully made.

One of the other children, a short boy named Eddie softly said, It’s great, you look so nice Nancy. Eddie’s voice was muffled by the cloth sheet over his face that was supposed to make Eddie look like a ghost. It really made him look more like a child stuck in his bed sheets.

I thought witches are ugly? teased the fifth child, a little girl dressed as a clown.

They usually are Susan, replied Nancy But I’m a good witch Susan, and they are always pretty, and dress beautiful. Nancy smiled back at Susan and winked at her. Nancy spoke with confidence and had a look on her face like she was always right.

The children continued to go door-to-door, gathering lots of goodies. The containers they had were quickly filling with sweet eats.

So many houses left to go! Sam shook his candy sack. I knew I should have brought a third bag! Maybe I can ask the next house if they had a garbage bag to spare!

Maybe you should bring a wagon next year Sam, teased Susan. Then his eyes lit up.

That’s a great idea! Billy laughed.

Nancy rolled her eyes. Candy is great, but it’s all about costume and how good you look, She tossed her hair back and struck a pose.

Look at mine, now look at everyone else’s, next year I expect to see you catch up with my style. This time Susan rolled her eyes, and made a loud sigh.

The jack o’ lanterns started to glow brighter as it grew darker. More and more children crowded the streets on their quest for treats. Billy, Eddie, Susan, Sam, and Nancy,