Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre (23 page)

[172] THE HALLOWEEN MEN

mother left me after. She could not . . . I don’t blame her. You were so young at the time, I thought you didn’t remember.”

Shocked, I stared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“It is . . . difficult to talk about.”

“What did the Halloween Men do to you?”

His lips pressed together and he held his arms straight down by

his sides. The familiar posture meant I’d get no more information

about that no matter how hard I tried.

I switched topics. “How did they find you?”

“I didn’t hide. My masks filled the shelves.”

The knot in my chest eased a bit. They didn’t know about me.

Father watched me. “They suspect you, Antonella. That’s enough.

Come home.”

“I can’t. I have a patron. I signed a contract.”

“I can fix that for you.”

I crossed my arms. “Are you working for the Halloween Men?”

“I aid them on occasion.”

Horrified, I stepped back.

“You’ve no idea what they’re capable of, Antonella.”

“Actually, I do. You’ve been telling me for years.” I headed for the door. With my hand on the knob, I turned. “Just stay out of it. I can handle it on my own.”

I strode out into the rain. My brave words fueled my steps. But as I passed more and more Halloween Men, my courage wavered.

“Do not worry, Nella,” Enzo said after I told him about my visit with my father. He picked up one of my masks from the drying rack in

my workroom and inspected it. “You’re an employee of my family’s

business and under our protection. That’s why they told you to return to your father. He can’t protect you.”

“Has your family ever . . . had trouble with them.”

Enzo laughed. “All the time. We manufacture goods and sell them

beyond the city’s limits. My family gives the Halloween Men some

extra . . . wine to look the other way.” He returned the mask to the rack. “I have something important to ask you.” Enzo took my hand in his. “Will you accompany me to Bianca’s party?”

MARIA V. SNYDER [173]

A strange and unfamiliar emotion pushed out my fear. I grinned.

“Of course.”

“Ah, you do know how to smile.” He reached up and cupped my

cheek. “Take off your mask, Nella. You don’t need to hide from me.”

True. With a sudden surge of courage, I untied the ribbons and

placed it on the table. And even though I wanted to duck my head, I gazed at Enzo.

Enzo tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “It’s a shame you

have to hide such beauty under a mask. Even the Halloween Men

would fall in love at the sight of you!”

My heart spun in my chest. “Don’t be silly.”

“I’m serious, Nella. Every man is going to envy me at the party.”

And then he pulled me close and kissed me. New sensations

surge through me, buoying me up like a boat at high tide.

Halloween festivities started at midnight. Most citizens gave up sleep for this once-a-year chance to be outside without a mask and robe.

Enzo collected me and we walked through the piazzas hand in hand.

I’d worried my skittish nature wouldn’t allow me to enjoy the day, but with the streets filled with people without masks, I just blended in. I relaxed.

Jugglers, comedians, and acrobats entertained the revelers. Young

children collected candy from those who stayed inside. We sipped

wine and ate linguini mixed with a white clam sauce. The sun peeked out from time to time.

By mid-afternoon, we collapsed onto a bench exhausted.

“You’re so fun to watch,” Enzo said. “It’s like all this is new to you.”

“It is,” I confessed. “My father never let me go out on Halloween

until I was eighteen. And that first year . . . ” Bianca had told the truth about me.

He laughed over my hiding in a dark corner. “This year is already

better.”

Yes. Much better. My life had started and I planned to embrace it.

“Come on.” Enzo pulled me to my feet. “The Harlequins are

putting on a show in Piazza Piccione. You don’t want to miss that!”

He was right. I haven’t laughed so hard . . . ever. My sides hurt

[174] THE HALLOWEEN MEN

and tears rolled down my cheeks. Afterwards, we ate in a sidewalk

café and then headed to Bianca’s party.

Since the rain held off, her family set up in the street outside their bakery. A band played and pyramids of pastries filled the tables.

Bianca squealed when she spotted us. “You came!”

“Don’t act so surprised,” I said.

“I was talking to Enzo,” she teased.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he said.

After she introduced us to a few of her friends, Enzo asked me

to dance. The evening flew by as we stuffed ourselves with creamy

cannoli and burned off the sweets on the dance floor.

Despite the party, I couldn’t completely shake my worries. During

one break, I sought Bianca for a private chat, pulling her inside the bakery for a moment.

“Have the Halloween Men asked you about me?” I inquired.

“No. Since I stopped selling your masks no one has asked. Why?”

“Just checking.” Relief raised my spirits. The Halloween Men hadn’t taken any more notice of me since that time when I spilled my cart.

Enzo and I left the party with barely enough time to reach my

house. At midnight the Halloween Men would return to the streets.

We ran through the city, laughing and jumping over puddles.

Slipping inside one forty-two, we gasped for breath. Mere minutes

later, the bell tolled midnight.

“Looks like I’m stuck here,” Enzo said with a sly smile. “I left my mask at home.”

I opened my mouth to remind him I had a dozen of them upstairs,

but clamped it shut as he closed the distance between us.

Enzo wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. Heat spiked,

shooting to my core and igniting another new, but wonderful feeling.

I desired more.

He broke away and gazed at me, questioning.

“Guess you’ll just have to spend the night,” I said.

“Rotten luck,” he murmured, tangling his fingers in my hair.

“The worst.” I slid my hands under his shirt.

After that we didn’t talk. ˜ ˜ ˜

MARIA V. SNYDER [175]

It wasn’t until late the next morning that we’d discovered someone had stolen all my butterfly masks for the Cattaneo’s New Year’s party.

I blinked at the empty tables and drying racks in shock, thinking if I closed my eyes longer, all my weeks of hard work would reappear.

They didn’t.

Enzo checked the other rooms, looking for the culprits. He found

nothing. Not even evidence of burglary. When he returned he asked,

“Who knew about these?”

“Bianca, your family, my father, and according to him, the

Halloween Men suspected.”

“We can rule out my family and the Halloween Men. They

wouldn’t bother to steal the masks.”

“Why not? You said your family has dealings with them. Perhaps

they thought this was the best solution. We can’t prove they took

them.”

Enzo shook his head. “It’s not their style. They’d arrest you and

then we’d bribe them to release you.”

“You’d do that for me?”

The hard anger in his face softened. “Of course.”

“Would it work?”

“It has in the past. How do you think the Halloween Men are able

to afford new masks and robes every year?”

I’d never thought about it. Along with many other things.

“We can rule out Bianca, too,” I said. “She would profit from the

party’s success.”

“I’ll talk to my mother,” Enzo said. “We have a rivalry with the

Farina family who is also having a big New Year’s party.” He swept his hand out. “If they knew about the masks, this might be a form of sabotage.”

Which left my father. Which made the most sense to me especially

if he wished to protect me. But I wouldn’t tell Enzo my suspicions until after I visited him.

The rain faded the bright Halloween colors from yesterday, coating everything in dark gray. A few people hustled along the slick

sidewalks, while the rest probably slept off their hangovers. Water

[176] THE HALLOWEEN MEN

sloshed and slapped. Empty bottles and confetti floated on the rough surface.

My boots tapped out a steady rhythm as I debated. Should I be

angry that he interfered or glad that he cared for me enough to go to such extremes? Both feelings swirled inside me.

I entered the shop without a plan. The bell jangled. Instead of my father, four Halloween Men stepped from the back room.

“I . . . ” I inched toward the door.

“Miss Salvatori, we were just discussing you,” the closest Halloween Man grabbed my arm, pulling me away from my escape route.

“I . . . ” My thoughts buzzed into a jumble.

“We’re not very happy with you or your father.” His grip tightened.

“Master Salvatori lied to us,” the second man said as he clamped

a hand on my other arm.

“And you’ve been very busy creating things that offend us, Miss

Salvatori,” the third man said.

“But they’re legal.” My voice squeaked and fear liquefied my

muscles.

“In size and coverage, yes. But offending us is the greater crime,”

the fourth man said.

“The Cattaneo family—”

“Not to worry,” the fourth man said. “Your patrons will pay for

your return. Once you’ve been punished.” He jerked his thumb

toward the back room.

The Halloween Men dragged me through the curtains because my

legs stopped working. They strapped me down on a table. Arms, legs, torso, and my head all immobilized. Then they stepped back, revealing my father. I pressed my lips together to keep from crying out.

“You’re in luck,” the second Halloween Men said. “Master

Salvatori has agreed to do the punishment himself.”

I screamed at my father. “You betrayed me.”

“Not him. Miss Bianca Sommerso was most obliging this

morning and her hands should heal, for the most part, by the new

year.”

Oh no. Poor Bianca!
I wanted to scream at the Halloween Men, but Father approached the table and met my gaze.

MARIA V. SNYDER [177]

“I tried . . . ” Father’s shoulders slumped. “I failed.” He reached behind his head and untied his mask.

I sucked in a breath. It was an awful time to finally show me

his face. Except when he removed his Bauta, there was a plain navy Columbina underneath it. Confused, I stared until I noticed the

mask wasn’t tied on. Metal wire punctured his scarred skin around

the edges of the mask.

The mask had been sewn onto his face.

Shock and horror and revulsion boiled up my throat, rendering

me speechless.

“This is what the Hal oween Men did to me fifteen years ago. What

made your mother leave. I should have told you, shown you . . . the truth. I was trying to protect you,” he whispered. “Instead, it is your fate as wel .” Father picked up a simple half-mask and placed it on my face.

I screamed and struggled against the straps until I puffed from

exhaustion.

A Halloween Man leaned over me. “Keep still and it won’t hurt as

much. Besides, you should be grateful your father agreed to help us.

He
is
a master with a needle and thread.”

N

Meteorologist turned novelist
Maria V. Snyder
has been writing fantasy and science fiction since her son was born. Eighteen years, ten published novels, and a dozen short stories later, Maria’s learned a thing or three about writing. She’s been on the
New York Times
bestseller list, won a half-dozen awards, and has earned her MA

degree in Writing from Seton Hill University where she’s been happily sharing her knowledge with the current crop of MFA students. She

also enjoys creating new worlds where horses and swords rule—

’cause, let’s face it, they’re cool—although she’s been known to trap her poor characters in a giant metal cube and let them figure out

how to get out. Check out her website (www.MariaVSnyder.com) for

excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule.

a

PUMPKIN HEAD ESCAPES

J

Lawrence C. Connolly

With its concrete floor, brick walls, and ductwork ceiling, the

space looked more like an artist’s loft than a theatre lobby. Indeed, everything about it suggested the kind of disregard for convention that Elle had told him about on the phone. “The New Immersion

Theatre isn’t about taking performance to a new level, Glenn. It’s about transcendence . . . moving beyond convention . . . rethinking the entire concept of character and story.”

Posters hung throughout the space, mounted on foamcore and

suspended from wires. They seemed to float in air, turning slightly as Glenn walked among them.

The tag lines said it all: