It was Hallows Eve and two young women were trying to make the perfect decoration to scare anyone who would come trick or treating tomorrow night. They wanted to do something truly unique and original, something that has never been done before. They had searched for something for the past month until a local shop had what they were looking for, a ritual to summon a living Jack O’Lantern. It would be perfect, assuming it worked but even if it didn’t they’d have a nice display in front of their house anyway. Sure it wouldn’t be the scary thing they were seeking but there was always next year.

“Okay so we have the Jack O'Lantern, scythe, cloak and vines,” Stephanie said as she carried the crate full of props. “It’s fine if most of this stuff is plastic yeah?” Gabby looked at the old scroll and looked back up to Stephanie and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Stephanie stated as she placed the basket next to one of the Jack O’Lanterns they made earlier. “Okay what now?”

“First we just need to mark out this rune,” Gabby showed Stephanie the scroll. “Apparently you can do anywhere and make it out of anything, just not salt.” She paused to think of what they could use and where to set it up. “I have some fake blood inside the house and if it doesn’t work we want to have it where people could see so let’s use the driveway.” They made the prep work and moved onto the next step. “Okay now we just need to give it shape now, place the cloak down in the center, and make the vines look like a stick man’s body, then place the scythe in his hand and finally place the Jack O’Lantern on top for its head.” Stephanie nodded and went to set up the props. “Don’t destroy the rune!” Gabby warned as Stephanie almost stepped on a part of it. She managed to watch her step and avoid wrecking symbol and set up the props as instructed. Once done she stepped back and Gabby began to read the text at the bottom of the scroll.

The ground began to tremble as the driveway began to crack and the fake blood ignited in a meter tall flame, melting the props within. The two girls looked at each other terrified, paralyzed with fear as the fire faded away revealing a pile of grey ash, much bigger than what it should have been. “What the hell was that Gabby!” Stephanie scream, but Gabby just shrugged her shoulders once more. “You don’t know? My driveway is ruined Gabby! And what was up with those flames.”

“I don’t know Steph! I know just about as much as this scroll as you do. I didn’t expect anything to happen and now that I saw what did I’m glad it failed.” She then noticed something shining within the ash and took a cautious step forward. “Hey I thought you said that Scythe was plastic,” she said as she identified the cause as metal.

“It was,” Stephanie replied as she walked up to to the ash pile seeing the same thing Gabby saw. “Weird. I wonder if….” Stephanie didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence as the ground trembled once again, knocking the two girls onto the asses. A metal scyther with a black wooden handle came out of the ash pile, with a dark green vine hand wrapped around the shaft. The ash pile exploded and the girls had to shield their eyes. Once they opened them again a menacing figure stood before them. Its body was made up of vines and it had a brown cloak around its neck the head was a Jack O’Lantern, with its mouth and eyes lit up with a fiery glow even though there wasn’t and light source. The two girls barely let out a scream as it slashed forward with its Scythe, slicing their heads off at the base of the neck.

Stephanie and Gabby’s heads came off their bodies and fell onto the grass behind them, they couldn’t move, they couldn’t talk, and their field of view was limited. What they could see however were two viney legs heading over to where they had their other Jack O’Lanterns before returning. It hovered over them for a bit but seemed to focus on something else. “We live to serve you master,” the girl’s heard both their voices say in unison. The Jack O’Lantern didn’t reply, at least not with words and then it was gone.

“Oh, it looks like the master left us a gift.” Gabby’s voice said as Stephanie was picked up and had her orientation corrected. She opened her mother and let out a soundless scream at what she saw. Her and Gabby’s bodies now had Jack O’Lantern heads attached to their necks, the very same ones they were working on earlier.

“How kind of the master,” Stephanie’s voice responded the other Jack O’Lantern picked up Gabby. “Though I’m not sure what we’re meant to do with them, they don’t seem to do anything but look around and open their mouths.”

“They could make for some great Halloween decorations. Don’t you think?” The Jack O’Lantern with Gabby’s body replied. She then walked over near the stairs of the front porch and placed Stephanie in the corner, resting on the flower bed. The Jack O’Lantern with Stephanie’s body placed Gabby’s head on the opposite side of the stairs. “They are sure to scare anyone that comes along,” the Jack O’Lantern commented to its companion before looking at the dark grey skies. “I just hope it doesn’t rain.”