Like Father Like Son – Playing with the Devil

I’ve always been a big fan of Halloween, even though I was never a big fan of candy. Candy kind of scared me. I think it’s because I almost choked to death on a gobstopper when I was little. I wouldn’t have that problem now. On the positive side, I don’t have a single cavity!

As for Halloween, my love affair with the macabre yet somehow joyful celebration began with my first costume. That costume was me, age 4, with a set of red horns and a long pointy tail. When I saw myself in the mirror, I laughed. A big one. I was more excited for Halloween than any other holiday. I still have that costume.

The thing I enjoy is that you can become someone else, just for a while, almost anyone you want to be. I kind of loved that idea from the start. Putting on a costume, changing your persona, even if it was just for one night.

It wasn’t so much about not wanting to be me, but rather it was fun to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Because people do treat you differently, depending on how you look. And when you look really different, you can feel it. People change, the vibe changes. And with everyone else in costume too? Well, it’s like the world gets turned upside down, and things get weird.

I think it’s funny that for one night we’re encouraged to disguise ourselves and go out begging for treats in the dark.

So, Steve was all about this big Halloween party. I’m down for a good party with or without costumes.

He’d been invited to a party up in the hills and he was allowed to bring two friends. That’s where all the big houses were. Not every house up there was a mansion, but many were.

At one time there’d just been a few big houses up there, built at the turn of the century, before there were environmental restrictions. Most of them Art Deco, Gothic, and Victorian styles. Some of them had notorious reputations, and for good reason.

Pill Hill, as they called it, because of all the doctors that lived up there, had always been the place to live—not quite gated, but definitely exclusive enough for those with some money and a desire for privacy.

We got to there ready to have some fun. The house was huge, all lit up. Music was thumping out of the open doors and windows. Men everywhere in sexy costumes. Pirates. Zombies. Cops. Construction workers. Priests. Superheroes. Didn’t matter what the costume was, the guys had made it sexy in one way or another.

Now, I love Halloween and I love a good party. Turned out there was just one problem.

My costume.

I’d gone as a nun.

And I was invisible.