Short Story | Snow White And Sleeping Beauty

By Eddlynn Jennifer Mangaoang

Please do not repost or copy to another site. Thank you. Enjoy reading.

    Sylvia tightly gripped her thirteen-year-old sister, Aurelia's, right hand as they treaded toward another silent, empty house. 

    This year's Halloween, she forced her mommy to dress her in last year's Snow White dress.

    "Why d'you hafta dress up, girl? No house will open this year, y'know?" Mommy huffed. It was 5:57 and pajamas already hugged mommy's exhausted body. Her hair still wet from the hot shower.

    Mommy yanked Silvia's left arm and pulled the dress over her head none too gently. Sylvia's lips trembled, and she could not help bursting a loud cry. 

    "You be quiet now," Mommy zipped the dress and pushed Sylvia toward her older sister. "You go out with her. Don't forget your masks. Come back after three houses down, understand? Stay on our side. Don't cross the road."

    "Yes, mommy." Aurelia guided Sylvia to the front door. The cold wind rushed sideward and almost knocked their bony frames. On the sidewalk, only the two girls, in their Snow White and Sleeping Beauty dresses, stood in the still darkness. There's no familiar "Trick or Treat!" or rambunctious children darting here and there with their candy buckets. 

    Sylvia and Aurelia sauntered to their first neighbor. From the distance, both girls recognized the black cloth hanging on the front porch, the fake tombstones on the yard, and the blinking yellow lights. Mrs. Garcia decorated her front porch a month ago with the help of her children, second grade Marcus and ninth grade Jason. Marcus was Sylvia's classmate last school year. He's in another section now. It's been seven months since she saw him. She didn't really know Jason.

    "Do y'know Jason, Aurelia?" Sylvia bravely pushed the doorbell.

    "No," Aurelia shook her head, putting her weight on one leg as she posed like a model and looked at her manicured fingernails.

    No one opened the door.

    Sylvia raised her finger again, but Aurelia slapped it.

    "Ow!"

    "This is so embarrassing! Why do I have to come with you?"

    "What d'ya mean?"

    "Let's just go," She seized Sylvia's hand and tugged her to the next house. 

    Sylvia pouted and she almost tripped if her sister didn't pull her up right away.

    "So clumsy."

    Sylvia pouted.

    The next house was Mr. Phunsawat's. Mr. Phunsawat's Toyota Corolla was not in the driveway, and his front porch lights are turned off. There were no Halloween decorations. Sylvia would have assumed he's somewhere else if not for this COVID.

    "What is COVID, Aurelia? Do y'know?" She tilted her head toward her older sister, clutching her empty bucket.

    "It's like a transmissible illness and y'all die when you go out and meet other peeps."

    "What is tu-ran-mi-si-bel?" Sylvia tried to roll the word with her tongue a couple of times.

    "It's when mommy has to take a shower 'coz she comes from the hospital because she works with patients. That transmissible."

    Sylvia still didn't understand but nodded with an I-understand-this-no-problem look on her face. She pushed the doorbell. No answer.

    "Don't push it again."

    "I'm not," Sylvia's hands trembled. She set her orange pumpkin bucket on Mr. Phunsawat's front porch floor and squatted there. She hugged her knees and bawled loudly."

    "What the heck?" Aurelia dropped down and embraced Sylvia. Sylvia hooked her legs around her sister's waist, her arms around her neck when Aurelia carried her away.

    Don't need to go to the next house," Sylvia choked. "They're closed."

    "But there are lights inside?"

    "They'll not open their door. I know. They don't want no COVID."

    "Let's try."

    Aurelia struggled with her sister in her arms, but she managed to arrive in front of the porch. "imma put you down."

    Sylvia shook her head and buried her face on her sister's neck. Aurelia signed and pushed the button. Surprisingly, the door opened.

    "Trick or Treat!" Her face brightened, Aurelia exclaimed excitedly. Sylvia hurriedly slid down Aurelia's body and turned to Mrs. De Guzman.

    "T-trick or treat!"

    "Trick or treat," Mrs. De Guzman laughed. "You're our only trick-or-treaters this year. You ought to receive twenty candies each. Here's the box, choose carefully, okay, girls?"

    "Thank you so much!" Aurelia and Sylvia's eyes met, and a peal of peals of laughter bubbled from their covered mouths. They rummaged Mrs. De Guzman's candy box and found Snickers, M&M's, Hershey's, Resee's, and Kitkats!

    "I, I got my twenties, Mrs. De Guzman. T-thank you again." 

    "I got them, too. Thank you, Mrs. De Guzman." 

    Both girls shot her with happy, yet red eyes. Mrs. De Guzman took them in a warm embrace they couldn't refuse. "No need to cry. It's okay. I know it's hard right now, but don't give up."

    

    "Y-yes," Aurelia and Sylvia sniffed.

    "Now you both return home. It's late and you're all alone outside." She put her hands on the center of their back and lead them to her driveway.

    "Yes."

    "Yes."

*    *    *

    Mrs. De Guzman watched the girls scurry home. She smiled and typed on her cellphone, Done.

    Thank you was a reply she received.

    She shut her door.