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Post date: October 29, 2025
By Roman Cucchiara
Ethan and his family lived in a small town where everyone knew each other and were all relatively friendly. He would go biking with some other kids his age on a trail in the woods which had dips and curves everywhere that made it fun and it never got old. The trees were strange though, as if they were all somehow dead, but standing tall. Unusual footprints always covered the trail, but no one has ever been seen walking back there. Ethan’s house was the closest to the trail, on a dead end, with no street lights. People swear the woods are haunted at night. They hear howls, whistles, and see figures that seem inhuman, or so they say. With Ethan’s room being the closest to these woods, he was paranoid, knowing his window faced directly into that darkness.
It was the morning before Halloween, when Ethan woke to the strange, chilling chime of a bell in his head. Still half asleep, he couldn’t understand what he had just seen. It looked as if a strange, tall man was standing over him. The man had an incomprehensible face, as it was blank. No features, nothing, as if looking into a dark void. When Ethan rubbed his eyes frantically, it was gone.
“I must have still been dreaming. What was that chime I heard? Maybe just another part of my dream?” Ethan said to himself, still drowsy and confused from his sleepiness.
He went into the kitchen to eat his usual breakfast with his parents. They always make grits, bacon, and pancakes. Since it had been the eve of Halloween, Ethan’s father made special Jack O’Lantern pancakes with sprinkles.
“Dad, I think we should reconsider our breakfast choices here and there. This cannot be healthy.” He let out a slight chuckle as if to only be teasing (funny).
“Well, your mother suggested we make this since it’s the day before Halloween. They will also be at the Halloween party tomorrow night. Your friend Jess and her family are hosting it. Sounds fun, right?” Said Ethan’s dad.
“I personally prefer staying home and sleeping. Halloween and parties are overrated.” Ethan’s mother emerged from her bedroom doorway, walking like a zombie.
Ethan’s mother was never one to go to parties nor plan them. She loves Christmas, but hates Halloween because she gets scared too easily. Once everyone finished their breakfast, Ethan was off to school and his parents off to work. His parents had late shifts that night. He finished his uneventful day at school and came home to a house completely locked down, windows included.
“Crap. I forgot to bring my keys with me.”
The shed is never locked, so he got his bike and decided he would take a trip on his usual trail through the woods to kill time. About a mile into his bike ride, Ethan felt strange chills and something told him he needed to turn back. He whipped his bike around and began pedalling at a faster pace. He heard a chime. The chiming of a bell that echoed through his head like an endless valley and sent shivers down his spine, shaking him to his core. He couldn’t understand why this chime sent him into panic, until he finally remembered what happened that morning. He hit his brakes and came to a full stop. Ethan slowly turned his head, and what he saw had his adrenaline pumping through the roof. It was the man again, the man Ethan believed was a dream, but there he was. This time, Ethan got a better look at the man. He had a hole in his chest that you could see right through. Face still a void, and body still tall and slender. The man walked ever so slowly, but Ethan was so frozen in fear he was stumbling to get back on his bike.
“This can’t be happening! This can’t be real! Why is this happening? How is this real?” He couldn’t process anything.
He found his footing, slammed his foot on his pedals, and started moving so fast the wind was drying his eyes out. He pedaled, and pedaled, and pedaled, but there was no end to the trail.
“I should've been out already! Where is my house?”
Ethan took a look back and saw the man still pursuing him. Something about this chase was strange to Ethan. How can a man who is walking, be catching up to him every second? What he didn’t realize was that he was stuck in an endless loop on the trail, as if it was another dimension. The same branches, same pile of leaves, same lifeless trees. Ethan was too panicked to process his surroundings or even question them anymore. All he wanted was to escape this nightmare and go home.
“Did I lose him?” Ethan was questioning reality at this point. The man had vanished when Ethan turned his head back for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Ethan turned his head forward and the man appeared in front of him. Close enough to reach out and grab him. His heart pounded like it was going to explode. The entity raised its arm slowly with its long, crooked hands and sharp nails. Then there was the chime and Ethan fainted as soon as it made contact.
“NO!!!” He awoke, breathing heavily, sweating bullets, and flailing as if he was fighting off a ghost.
“Wait, was that another dream?”
Ethan was in his bed, it was morning, and that meant it was Halloween. Still a little shaken up, he made his way to the kitchen, following the smell of pancakes, bacon, and grits.
“Look who finally woke up. We made breakfast an hour ago buddy. You never sleep this late.” Ethan’s dad was a little surprised, with a concerned look on his face.
“Where did you get that?” He asked.
“Get what?” Ethan was confused.
His dad pointed to a large cut along Ethan’s left cheek. He felt his face, and blood smeared his hand. He heard the chime of a bell. A chime that he could never forget. Ethan backed up slowly, panicking. He stumbled over chairs and knocked his food over, along with some Halloween decorations.
“Ethan! What are you doing?” His parents yelled in unison.
“You don’t hear that?!” He asked while slowly backing away toward the bathroom.
“What are you talking about honey?” Ethan’s mom became scared.
He ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Ethan immediately checked to see the cut. It was deep, but he couldn’t feel it for some reason. He turned the sink on and washed away the blood, but it kept pouring. Not sure what to do, he scrambled around the bathroom like a crazed maniac. He sat, stood back up, sat again, stood up, leaned on the wall, held his head, squeezed his hair. He ran to the door and swung it back open. Ethan stared, as he began to fill up with fear and shock. He turned as fast as he could to get back into the bathroom, but it vanished along with the sound of a chilling, familiar chime. Ethan was back in the woods…
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