Mr. Schwartz’s Sweets

Ah! Halloween! My favorite time of year! People rushing to the stores to stock up on candy, children dressing up as monsters to scare people, the many horror films shown on TV and in cinemas… In short! A dream come true! I can’t think of a more effervescent festival than this one! That was the case a year ago, but not anymore. This year, nobody celebrates Halloween anymore. The streets are completely deserted, and the city’s stores are all closed on this day.

So much so that even the word “Halloween” has been banished from the locals’ vocabulary. I think I’m still one of the few people who fantasize about this holiday. The police and the city did everything in their power to silence what had happened. However, after a year of pretenses and lies, I feel this story deserves to be told. When I say I’m going to tell the story, I mean I’m going to tell it from my point of view. I don’t know what it was like for the other residents, although I have a vague idea. Sorry, folks! Enough digressions! Let’s get to the heart of the matter.

It all started a few days before October 31st. The small town I live in is very close-knit. Everyone knows each other and helps each other out with any problems. If, for example, someone needs to use someone’s oven or take a shower because of a water cut, you can be sure that one of their neighbors will open their door wide. What I’ve just said also applies to major holidays, such as Halloween.

Shortly before October 31st, it’s customary for residents to help each other prepare for this holiday in the best possible way. They do this by buying lots of candy, making costumes for the children, and helping to decorate the streets. Thanks to this collective initiative, we can be sure that all children, even those who can’t afford it, will have a good Halloween. They can be sure that they’ll have plenty of candy in their bags. This makes us particularly proud because no child in the town is left alone during the festivities. Yes, even the kids stick together. Isn’t that nice? As for the parents, they’ll be sure to be ready when a group of children knocks on their door and shouts, “Trick or treat!”

Unfortunately, that year, all the stores in the big cities ran out of candy. We despaired that Halloween would be spoiled and that the children would spend a dull and boring October 31. Just as I was worried that my stock of candy was running out too fast, someone came knocking on my door. It was Sam, my neighbor across the street. He looked enthusiastic:

“John! I’ve got good news!”

“Better than a candy-giving tree?”

“A tree? I don’t know about that. A store, though, that’s for sure!”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute! You’ve managed to find a store that’s not out of stock?”

“Yes! It’s a small store, though. Even so, the owner has a gigantic stock of sweets! Enough to celebrate Halloween twice!”

“And you’re sure he has the stock he says he does?”

“Yes! He even showed it to me! I’ve already discussed it with the town council, and they’ve all agreed that we should buy from him.”

“And do you know who this guy is?”

“A new resident. He’s just opened his candy store. I think he’s from Germany, but I’m not sure. He’s got a typical German name. Very nice at first glance. His store’s not far from here. You can check it out if you like.”

“It’s on! What’s his name again?”

“Mmmh… Schwartz. Yes, that’s it. Schwartz.”

“OK. Thanks for the info. I’ll check it out as soon as I have time. See ya!”

“See ya!”

I closed the door and thought about it. This guy was no slouch. No sooner had he entered our town than he was already making an impression. In any case, he’d picked the right moment to score points with us. That’s why, the next day, I decided to take a closer look at his confectionery. When I got there, I could see that the storefront looked exactly like the candy stores of the ’80s: stylized block letters, uniform coloring, and squeaky-clean windows. I have to admit, it didn’t leave me indifferent. It was as if I were feeling nostalgic for an era I’d never lived through.

As I walked through the door, I noticed that the store was empty. It was 1:30 p.m., and the manager wasn’t in. So I stupidly shouted, “Is anyone there? But the only response I got was silence. Not wanting to go home empty-handed, I decided to take a closer look at the store. Sam had told me that the manager had a whole stock of sweets, but I couldn’t see any on the counter. On the other hand, that wasn’t so surprising given that he’d just moved in.

The walls were decorated with old-fashioned wallpaper, and a few picture frames were scattered around the room. Some of the pictures showed a family standing in front of a store with the same sign as the manager’s. The caption on one of them read: “Munich, 1941”. I assumed it might be a family business. However, I couldn’t understand why he’d bothered to travel all the way to the United States for it. He could just as easily have stayed in his own country. Who knows? Maybe it was the American dream that had drawn him here.

In any case, his store had a sinister side. I’m not sure any kids would want to go in there for a treat. When I say sinister, I’m referring to the other black-and-white photos in the room. They showed a man in hunting clothes carrying game. Although I was sure this wasn’t the intended effect, it was the perfect decoration for Halloween. What really surprised me, however, were the rare photos of a group of men in white coats.

I remember they were in some kind of laboratory. Was the manager a chemist? I had no idea, and to tell the truth, this detail didn’t attract my attention any more than that. As I paced up and down the room, I immediately heard noise coming from the back room. I shouted again: “Ho! Is anybody there?!”. Again, I got no answer.

I know it’s not very polite to do this, but I entered the back room. Don’t get me wrong! I’d been standing there like an idiot for over fifteen minutes with no one showing up. I thought that was no way to treat your customers. Getting back to the back room, the place was dark, but I managed to find a light switch. The small bulb hanging from the ceiling allowed me to observe several shelves stocked with a staggering quantity of goodies.

However, it wasn’t so much their number that astonished me, but rather their shape. One of the glass boxes on the shelves contained brain-shaped jelly beans. Another contained chocolates in the shape of werewolves. There was everything: sour candies in the shape of vampire teeth, cookies in the shape of witches, eyeballs to suck on, pumpkins, cakes resembling skeleton bones and skulls, ghosts… In short, there were all kinds.

As I moved further into the room, I heard a noise again. It was coming from a door at the far end of the back room. As I got closer, I could make out mechanical noises coming from what I assumed was a machine. I had the impression that the noise was coming from under my feet. I concluded that this door probably led to a basement. As I made my way towards the door, my heart rate increased. I knew plenty of stories about basements that ended very badly, and I had no desire to be part of one. Just as I put my hand on the handle to turn it, a voice came from behind me:

“Curiosity is an ugly flaw, young man!”

I jumped and almost stumbled as I turned around. The person who frightened me was an old man wearing glasses and an apron. He had a big smile on his face and a slight accent:

“You frightened me!”

“I apologize! That wasn’t my intention.”

“You’re the owner, aren’t you? I’m very sorry! I’m the one who’s sorry! It’s your store, after all. It’s normal to hate snoopers.”

“Let’s forget it! It’s already forgotten! My name’s Hans Schwartz, but you can call me Hans.

“John.”

“Pleased to meet you, John.”

I was out of breath. As I caught my breath, Mr. Schwartz continued to speak to me:

“Tell me, my boy. You strike me as a rather cardiac man, don’t you?”

“Let’s just say I’d never run a marathon. Just give me a few moments, and I’ll be right with you.”

“There’s no hurry, my boy. Take your time.”

I finally managed to catch my breath. So I continued my conversation with Mr. Schwartz:

“Let me guess. Your friend Sam sent you, didn’t he?”

“How did you know?”

“Oh, please! I’ve just arrived in town; Sam comes to see me, and then it’s your turn, only a day after his visit. Besides, I hear you’re all pretty tight in this town. I may be old, but I’m not senile, my boy.”

“When you put it that way, it makes sense. I have a feeling you’ll blend in easily.”

“Glad to hear it! By the way, what’s the purpose of your visit?”

“It’s about your candy stock. Sam told me you had enough for the whole town, and I wanted to check if that was true.”

“What about it? Are you satisfied with what you’ve seen?”

“I am! I’d go so far as to say you’re a lifesaver!”

“I heard about the candy shortage. How sad! A Halloween party without candy just isn’t Halloween anymore, damn it! Glad to help in this delicate situation.”

“Thanks again! It means a lot to the kids, you know? Some of them don’t always have the means to celebrate Halloween or buy candy. Events like this are important for strengthening the bonds between people.”

“I couldn’t agree more! This gesture is very commendable on the part of your community.”

I was beginning to feel that the discussion was going in circles, and I still had a few unanswered questions in my mind. So I moved straight on to another topic:

“Have you lived in Germany?”

“Was it my accent or the photos that tipped you off?”

“Both, I’d say.”

“Curious and observant! This just gets better and better!”

“Sorry about that! I can’t help it.”

“I’m just kidding! There’s nothing wrong. And to answer your question: yes, during my youth.”

“Do you miss your family?”

“Very often! Sometimes I even wonder what would have happened if I’d stayed in Munich. There, at least, I could easily have honored my parents’ memory.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“There’s no need to worry. They died a long time ago.”

“It’s true that my remark was a bit stupid. Sorry about that.”

“Oh, please. Don’t be! It’s the thought that counts.”

He started looking at the 1941 photo wistfully:

“We were a modest family back then. When my father decided to open this confectionery, he put everything he had into it so that we could have a happier life. My mother and I thought it was a risky gamble, especially during that dark period in history that you and I know so well. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his business afloat and gained a certain notoriety throughout Munich. He was affectionately known as “The Sugar King”. People loved and respected him. He was a man who never stopped persevering in life. Even today, I admire him for that. It was to honor his memory that I came to America and opened my own confectionery. All I want is to follow in his footsteps. I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner.”

“You were a chemist, weren’t you?”

“Yes, and much more besides. I studied chemistry and genetics before working in a large laboratory. In all that time, I think I lost sight of the essential. That’s why I’m here. It’s my last wish before I leave this world. I’m sorry about all this! I’m getting doddery as the years go by. I’ve been telling you my life story for a while now. It probably bores you.”

“Not at all! I’m sure, from where he’s standing, your father must be proud of you.”

“That’s very kind, my boy. I sincerely hope you’re telling the truth.”

“Don’t you doubt it for a moment.”

After that, I tried to end this conversation on a more positive note:

“You used to hunt too, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I was! It was my passion when I was young.”

“And still is today?”

“Well, I’m not young anymore, my boy! My eyesight is failing, and my joints are starting to ache. You wouldn’t want me to unintentionally shoot a passerby, would you?!”

“No, I wouldn’t. Of course not.”

Suddenly, the wall clock in the room began to chime:

“My ancestors! I’ve lost track of time! Sorry, son, but I’ve got to get back to work. It was nice meeting you!”

“Same here! What about the candy? How are we doing?”

“Oh, don’t worry! Your friend Sam has already explained everything. The locals will pick them up.”

“Thank you for everything.”

“It’s me who should be thanking you. I feel useful here, and it gives me great joy. Take care, my boy, and have a good day.”

“Goodbye, Mr… I mean… Hans. Have a nice day too.”

“Thank you, my boy. Let me take you home.”

After that, I left the store to go home. As I crossed the threshold, I put my coat away and slumped onto the sofa. This Mr. Schwartz had all the makings of a doting grandpa. His story had touched me deeply, even if some questions remained unanswered. I couldn’t get the noises coming from the basement out of my head. What could he be hiding behind that door? And besides, what kind of candy store has a basement? I thought it was pretty weird, and it was pretty clear that Mr. Schwartz didn’t want to talk about it at all. Then I remembered that everyone has secrets, and it’s never a good idea to dig them up. After that, the day went on as normal, and I ended up falling asleep very early. I had a busy day the next day and didn’t want to drag my feet to work.

Let’s fast-forward to Halloween night. While some people were putting the finishing touches on their house decorations right up to the last minute, other adults were busy patching up costumes that had been used last year. Of course, we don’t reuse everything! I know you think we’re old-fashioned, but we’ve always tried to innovate over the years.

We’re always making new costumes and decorations based on the kids’ requests or the horror films of the moment. In any case, costumes and decorations are never a problem. What kids want most of all is candy. If you only knew how voracious these little devils are! They always want more candy than anyone else.

Sometimes these little rascals even ring the same doorbell several times in a row. I wonder how they manage to exhaust themselves more slowly than the adults. It’s really fascinating. I know some of the locals who feel sick to their stomachs at the thought of running out of sweets to offer them. Fortunately, there comes a time when children know how to be reasonable and go home. The next day, they have fun comparing their catches with the others and swap certain treats. I really envy them. At least they’re having fun.

Getting back to our story, last year was no exception. Everything happened just as I explained. It was a real marathon! The only difference was that the children were rather surprised not to see their usual sweets. Nevertheless, they ended up enjoying them and even told us that they were prettier and even more delicious than the ones we’d handed out in previous years.

Hearing this, I thought Mr. Schwartz would be happy to hear about it, and I’d have to tell him about it the next day. In the meantime, I continued to hand out sweets throughout the evening until the children left. I realized that I had nothing left. I was exhausted, even though all I’d done was hand out candy. After that, I had a bite to eat before collapsing on my bed.

This brings me to the horrible part of this story. It was 3:00 a.m. when it happened. I was asleep when I was awakened by noises coming from outside. Being half asleep, I first thought it was some kids who’d snuck out and were still hanging around on the street. It’s pretty rare, but it can happen. Maybe they wanted to continue Halloween in the middle of the night to scare each other?

That’s what I thought until the voices grew louder and louder. It almost sounded like they were shouting. That’s when I woke up completely, and my fears were confirmed. I could hear people shouting in the street. Just as I was about to go and see what was going on, I heard a window break and a car alarm go off. A few seconds later, a sort of animal scream echoed throughout the neighborhood. I rushed to the window to see what was going on.

As I drew back the curtains, I wondered if I was in the middle of a nightmare. I know it’s hard to believe, but I swear I saw some kind of werewolf ransacking my neighbor Sam’s house. All the windows were smashed, the front door was kicked in, and the living room was turned upside down. Even worse! There were even claw marks and blood on the walls. No sooner had I absorbed this information than I saw a pale-skinned child with prominent canines pounce on a frightened resident and bite him.

Further on, a horde of children with putrefied skin and exposed brains started chasing a whole family. I swear to you! It was like something out of a Z-movie. Other little monsters, with pumpkin heads, emerged from a house after swinging a couple over their balcony. The poor things landed directly on their car, their heads smashed against the windshield. Nevertheless, it was nothing compared to the skeletons beating up a man in the middle of the road. The poor man was unrecognizable. They’d been so relentless that his face was practically gone.

There were also other hideous-looking monsters, a sort of mixture of those I described earlier. There was, for example, a zombie werewolf, a ghostly vampire, and skeletons with pumpkin heads. Yes, you read that right! Skeletons with pumpkin heads. It’s ridiculous to even write it. And yet, it’s true!

As you can imagine, I was stunned. I had no idea how to react. Suddenly, I heard someone or something knocking at the door. I quickly ducked down and turned off my bedroom light. I took my phone with me and discreetly headed for the kitchen to grab something to defend myself. Armed with my kitchen knife, I headed for the door as the banging became more and more insistent.

Fortunately, I had installed a peephole with a Wi-Fi camera some time before. Even if the neighborhood is quiet, you never know what might come your way. I can tell you I was relieved that it was finally going to do something! Looking at my phone, I was both reassured and shocked to see that it wasn’t a monster but Sam, who had three gaping scratches on his torso.

The wounds were bleeding profusely, and I feared he wouldn’t survive. I immediately opened the door and dragged Sam inside. When I had done so, I immediately closed the door to barricade it so that we were both safe. I tried to talk to Sam to see if he’d react, but he was already having trouble focusing his gaze on me, and he was also having trouble breathing:

“Sam! Stay with me! You’ll be all right!”

“Arf! Arf! Don’t… Don’t let him in…”

“Don’t worry! I’ve turned off all the lights and barricaded the door! He won’t come in!”

“Arf! Arf! I’m… I’m cold…”

“I’ll get you something to warm you up and dress your wounds! Hang in there! I’ll be right there!”

I ran to my bathroom and pulled out the first-aid kit. I ran to Sam again and started to keep pressure on his wounds to stop the bleeding. I don’t know by what miracle, but I managed to keep him alive. I put a bandage on his wound to keep the pressure on until he could get better care. I also put a blanket over his body to keep him warm. Of course, I thought about calling for help, but given the chaos outside, I decided against it. Instead, I tried to question Sam about what was happening:

“Are you okay, Sam?!”

“I’m… I’m still sore, but… I’m feeling a little better…”

“Normally, you’re off the hook… well… for now. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the pain. You’ll just have to grit your teeth until we get to the hospital.”

“Thank you for this.”

“No problem. What the hell happened? I don’t understand a thing! Where did all these monsters come from?!”

“The… The werewolf…”

“Don’t worry! He won’t come here!”

“No… You don’t understand… It’s… It’s…”

He started crying: “It’s… It’s my son…”.

I was riveted by his response:

“Your… your son? What… What are you talking about? It’s… It’s impossible!”

“It’s him… I saw him…”

“What are you talking about? Explain this to me.”

“I… I was sleeping when I heard a noise in Tim’s room. At first, I thought he was playing video games. So I got up to scold him when I heard inhuman screams coming from his room. I went in and… Oh, my God!”

“It’s okay, Sam. Just keep going.”

“He was… changing. He looked like he was suffering…”

I could see the sadness in his eyes. Poor thing! Nobody deserves such a fate. I comforted him as I helped him finish his story:

“I’m here, Sam. Don’t worry. What happened next?”

“When he became… that thing, he started chasing me around the house. And then… Oh, my God! Tim! My little boy!”

He broke down completely. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless in my life. How do you tell a man to move on after he’s been through something like this? I couldn’t if I were him. Even so, I had to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. So I had to reach deep inside myself to convince him to live:

“Sam! Listen to me, Sam! I’ve managed to patch you up, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of danger. We’ve got to go to the hospital right away.”

“What’s the point?! My son has become a monster! Do you hear me, John?! My son has become a monster! My only reason to live is gone! And you’re asking me to go to the hospital?!”

“I need you to stay calm and keep your strength up.”

“Stay calm?! My son turned into a monster and threw himself at me! And you’re asking me to stay calm?!”

I sensed he didn’t want to hear it, so I decided to be more convincing:

“Listen, Sam. What happened to you is abominable. Even I don’t understand it. I know you want to scream in pain right now… And I understand. Please believe me. What’s happening revolts me as much as it does you. But you’ve got to live! I’m begging you! If you won’t do it for me, do it for Tim. Do you think he’d want his father to give up? Then come with me, and I’ll take you to the hospital. Please, Tim! Please, I’m begging you! I don’t want you to die!”

After telling her this, he dried his tears before pulling himself together:

“Sniff! Alright, alright…”

“OK! Hold on to me. I’ll help you up.”

After he was up, I thought of a way to sneak out of my house to the car:

“OK! We’ll wait until the monsters look the other way so we can sneak out to my car. Then we’ll go to the hospital.”

“Do you think you can help me walk?”

“The car’s not far. We stand a chance.”

“OK. I trust you.”

With my bunch of keys in hand, I watched the monsters through the window for an opening. After what seemed like an interminable two minutes, the monsters moved away from the house. I knew it was the perfect time to get out. With Sam leaning on me, I slowly opened the door, and we made our way to the car. I can tell you I was sweating bullets! If one of those monsters turned its head even a little, Sam and I would be finished. Fortunately, the short journey from my door to the car went without a hitch. We quietly entered the car, and it didn’t take long to help Sam settle in.

It was during the brief moment between inserting the key and the thought of turning it that I realized that the car was bound to make noise when it started up. The monsters would hear it for sure and come rushing towards us. Unfortunately, I hadn’t prepared myself mentally for this situation and unconsciously turned the key. As the engine roared to life, I heard an animal howl far behind the car. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see, to my horror, that this scream was coming from the werewolf… well, I mean… Tim. He started running towards us at breakneck speed:

“Oh no! Tim!”

“Holy shit! We’ve got to get out of here!”

I didn’t hesitate for a second. I stomped on the gas pedal and sped off in a straight line to get away from him. No matter how fast I accelerated, Tim was getting closer and closer. As I passed, other monsters were throwing themselves at the car, even though they were quickly crushed.

After about ten kilometers, I noticed that there were other people behind the safety rail. They must have fled the disaster long before we did. I figured they’d managed to contact the police and find somewhere else to be safe. That could only mean one thing: the city was no longer safe. Unfortunately for them, they attracted Tim’s attention. He immediately pounced on them and started devouring them. I didn’t dare look in my rearview mirror. Sam was in tears. Imagine for a second seeing his son devour another person. I felt sorry for him. No doubt it would scar him for life.

For my part, I was relieved that Tim was no longer chasing us. I know it’s a cruel thing to say. These people didn’t deserve to die this way, but it was either them or us. After that, we kept driving for about fifteen minutes until we reached the hospital. When we got there, the doctors took charge of him straight away. Of course, they asked me what had happened, but I hesitated to tell them for fear they’d think I was crazy. Nevertheless, I told them that an animal had injured him and that I had brought him here. They didn’t want to know any more and told me they’d take him in for treatment. Before leaving, Sam grabbed my wrist and looked me straight in the eye:

“John?”

“Yes, Sam?”

“Thanks, John.”

“Hang in there. You’re going to be fine.”

After that, they wheeled him away on a stretcher, and I never saw him again. When I got out of the hospital, I sat behind the wheel of my car and stared into space for several minutes. I asked myself THE question that all the locals were asking: how could this have happened? I said to myself: “Monsters don’t exist! They’re just legends to scare people! Nothing more! So how could this be possible?” As my brain tried to make sense of it all, I tried to regain my composure and think calmly.

From what Sam had told me, these monsters were in fact people who had suddenly transformed. I said aloud: “Poor Tim! You didn’t deserve that!” Suddenly, something struck me. Those who weren’t transformed were just adults. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, that it didn’t matter. It was, until I realized that such a thing could not have happened by chance. What had just happened was so unexpected that this insignificant detail had to be important. Tim had been transformed into a werewolf. What if all these monsters were actually children? The more I thought about it, the more plausible this hypothesis seemed. In fact, it was the only one that seemed convincing.

Now came the question, “How?” Of course, I thought of the paranormal or something like that, even though I didn’t like that theory. I spent two minutes turning the question on its head until my mind cleared. I couldn’t tell you why, but I immediately thought of him. Was it because he’d just arrived in town? I couldn’t say. The fact is, his name kept popping into my head. My first instinct was, of course, to shoot down this hypothesis. I kept saying to myself: “No! It’s impossible! He’s a nice old man who runs a modest candy store. He can’t be responsible for all this!”.

I did my best to justify my denial. However, the name of Mr. Schwartz haunted my thoughts. I couldn’t get it out of my head that he might be involved. As I gripped the steering wheel, I thought about what decision I should make. I can’t hide the fact that it wasn’t easy. Nevertheless, after a few minutes of uncertainty, I started the car and headed off in the direction of the candy store. As I drove along, I saw that the roadside was littered with corpses, but that no monsters were in the vicinity. They must have gone back to town to kill more people.

After a few minutes, I arrived near the candy store. Just when I thought monsters were going to appear out of nowhere, I was surprised to see, instead, zombies and skeletons on the ground, with holes all through them. I was relieved to see that someone had finally managed to take them down. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to enjoy the spectacle. So I headed for the candy store door. Clinging to the glass, I saw that no one was there. The condition of the candy store was identical to my last visit, and the lights were all out.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking this was a bad idea. I kept repeating in my mind that what I was about to do was stupid and that I should kindly get out of the way. However, an irresistible force was drawing me towards the door. After a few minutes’ hesitation, I finally knocked on the door, shouting, “Mr. Schwartz?! Are you there?! It’s John! I came to visit you a few days ago! Hello! Is anybody home?!”. I got no answer.

I kept wondering what the hell I was doing here. It was obvious he wasn’t home. So why was I standing in front of this damned door like a piqué? I kept pacing back and forth in front of the door. I still couldn’t make up my mind. Then, without warning, I stopped and shouted:

“Screw it!”

The next moment, I did something I thought myself incapable of. I broke one of the glass panes and unlocked the door.

As I entered, I instinctively made my way to the back room. At the back of the shop, I stopped in front of the famous door from last time. I said to myself:

“This time, no one’s going to stop me from getting off!”

I gently opened the door and confirmed that this was indeed a dark basement. Faint mechanical noises emanated from it, which didn’t reassure me at all. Despite this, I took a deep breath and descended the stairs one by one. When I got to the bottom, I tried to find a switch to turn on the light. When I finally found one, I pressed it without hesitation. I was immediately assaulted by a blinding light.

When I opened my eyes, my jaw dropped to the floor. It was like being in a sci-fi movie or a mad scientist’s laboratory. There were about twenty vats, each containing a different monster. I don’t know why, but I suddenly remembered the candy stored in the back room. I could tell by the naked eye that there were as many different candies as there were monsters in those vats. In fact, the whole room was strewn with black cans that looked like they held 60 liters. Some bore the pictograms “Inflammable”, “Explosive” or “Toxic”. They were all connected to the tanks, and therefore to the monsters, by long transparent pipes.

I also noticed a laboratory bench with the perfect little chemist’s kit at its center. However, it was the big metal machine in the middle of the room that caught my eye the most. It resembled the machines used by the food industry to mass-produce their products. The metallic noises I heard must have come from this machine. I concluded that it must be used to make candy, and that’s why Mr. Schwartz had so much of it.

I had no idea what was going on. What was this place? Where did all these monsters come from? And above all, what was Mr. Schwartz up to? Suddenly, I heard a noise in the basement. I hadn’t been paying attention, but there were cages in one corner of the room. They were covered by a white sheet and laid out on the floor. I approached them, my stomach churning. I’d seen enough horrible things as it was, and there was no way I was going to die that day. When I reached the cage levels, I slowly lifted the white sheet to discover, to my horror, some kind of mutant laboratory rats. Most had their brains out, while others were enormous in size, with sharp claws and fangs of inordinate length… Some even looked ghostly and nebulous.

However, the corner of each cage caught my eye. One of Mr. Schwartz’s sweets was there, half-nibbled by the mutant rats. Seeing me, one of them started to run for the door of his cage, but fortunately, it was very solid. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop me from jumping back and moving away from the cages. Just as I had an irresistible urge to get out of here, a voice called out behind me:

“What do you say, boy?”.

I turned to find Mr. Schwartz standing at the top of the stairs, shotgun in hand. He didn’t look at all like he had the last time. Now his smile was devilish. He started down the stairs and pointed his shotgun at me:

“This is what genetics, chemistry, and an unshakeable will can accomplish!”

“So it’s true…it’s really you…”

“You’re smarter than you look. You’re the one who figured me out.”

“You bastard! They were children! Why’d you do it?! What were you thinking?!”

“I suggest you lower your voice! Need I remind you who’s holding a weapon here? At this range, I could shoot you down like a rabbit.”

I had a furious urge to pounce on him. Nevertheless, I waited for an opening before grabbing his gun:

“I told you: curiosity is a bad habit. This mania for meddling in what’s none of your business has just been your undoing.”

“What was true in your story?! Don’t tell me it was all a bunch of baloney! I can’t believe I believed you!”

“I didn’t lie to you, my boy. I’ve spent 40 years of my life trying to follow in my father’s footsteps. And now I’ve done it! Your little town was just the beginning. Everyone will remember my sweets, and I’ll become the new “Sugar King”!”

“You’re out of your mind!”

“I don’t care what you think of me. You should worry about yourself. You know too much about me. I can’t let you go. They’ll never find you, and they’ll think one of my creations ate you.”

“You piece of garbage! You won’t get away with this!”

“I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.”

“Go to hell!”

“You know something, John? I like you a lot. Putting aside your tendency to snoop, you’re a rather nice young man. It’s a pity I have to eliminate you.”

He started to put his finger on the trigger. I closed my eyes and waited for it to happen. I think they were the longest seconds of my life:

“Farewell, my boy. It’s been a pleasure.”

Just as I thought it was all over, police sirens sounded outside the candy store. Mr. Schwartz turned around, giving me a perfect opportunity to pounce on him. I tried to grab his gun, but he held it firmly in his hands. He still had a lot of strength for an old man! We fought our way around the room, breaking a couple of things in the process. In our struggle, we knocked over one of the cans marked “Inflammable”. The liquid it contained spread over a wide area of the laboratory. Despite this, we continued to fight even harder. Suddenly, Mr. Schwartz accidentally fired a shot in the direction of the floor, which instantly ignited the liquid on the floor:

“No! My masterpiece!”.

He left his gun on the floor and rushed to the tanks. Meanwhile, the fire progressed slowly but surely through the room. For my part, I knew I had very little time to escape from this place. I was very lucky that the cans were far apart. It saved me precious time and probably my life. I stormed up the stairs and ran to the door of the candy store.

On my way out, I hit the biggest sprint of my life as far away from the store as possible. A few seconds after leaving, a gigantic explosion took place and swept away the candy shop and the surrounding buildings. The explosion was so huge that the blast propelled me far forward and landed me on a sidewalk. I think I was stunned and lay on the ground for a few minutes. After getting up with some difficulty, I checked that I was still in one piece. I don’t know by what miracle, but I had only superficial injuries.

Exhausted, I stared for a moment at the flames devouring what was left of Mr. Schwartz’s candy shop. The police and firemen came a few minutes later to put out the blaze and question me about what had happened. I told them absolutely everything. I really didn’t have the strength to lie. Just when I thought they’d think I was crazy, they took my word for it. I assumed they’d received several reports about the disaster. I could see in their eyes that they were as terrified as I was. They told me that all the monsters had been eliminated and that the city was now a safe place. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

In all, there were more than 2,000 victims, not counting the children who turned into monsters. Halloween became a day of mourning and later a cursed day for the rest of the inhabitants. However, the fact that we all shared the same tragedy surprisingly strengthened the bonds within our community. I believe that without this mutual support during this terrible ordeal, our town would have collapsed. I know it seems immoral to still be worshipping this holiday after what happened. Nevertheless, it reminds me that before this catastrophe, Halloween was a day of joy and good cheer. If I didn’t have these beautiful memories in my head, I think I’d mope around indefinitely.

At this point in the story, I’m sure you’re wondering what happened to Mr. Schwartz. Searching through the rubble of the candy store, the police found the remains of his experiments but not his corpse. I don’t know if he managed to escape in time, but if he did, I hope he never crosses paths with any of us.