A grieving mother is frightened when children arrive on her doorstep wearing her deceased son’s Halloween costumes. She immediately checks his room and is immediately brought to tears by a surprise.
“Please think about it, Mrs. Brown. You can’t always escape this time of year. You have to overcome it, and that’s the only way to do it. You have to celebrate Halloween or at least decorate your house,” the psychologist told Rosemary, 37.
Rosemary’s eyes were brimming with tears, and she rested her chin on her knuckles. She was nervous. “Will I be able to do this? Will it help me not think about what happened to my son that Halloween?” she thought.
Rosemary smiled shyly and stood up to leave the clinic. She went to the market to buy decorations. Although she didn’t feel like celebrating this holiday, she followed the doctor’s advice.
Three years have passed since Rosemary and her son Dave carved plump pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns. Three hellish years have passed since Rosemary lost Dave one Halloween morning, and his death continues to haunt her…
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Rosemary’s husband, Lucas, was surprised when he came home the day before Halloween. He had been away on a business trip and was amazed to see his house completely decorated in the Halloween spirit.
“Rosemary, hey…hey…” he exclaimed as he walked through the door, holding large boxes of items he had bought in town. “I’m so glad you’re doing this. I’m sure our son would be happy to see you smile after a very long time.”
Lucas kissed Rosemary before heading out to freshen up. Tears streamed down Rosemary’s face as she stared at one of the jack-o’-lanterns. This was Dave’s favorite part of Halloween. He always made bets with his friends about who had the most original jack-o’-lantern.
Rosemary’s house that day was so beautiful and ready for a perfect Halloween. It caught everyone’s attention, especially from a group of children on the street.
Those we love never truly leave us. There are some things death can never touch.
They couldn’t help but think that Rosemary’s decorated house was a signal inviting them to come house-hopping. They had never visited Rosemary’s house for Halloween before, so seeing her house ready for the party tempted them.
The children marched to Rosemary’s house in costumes that would have reduced the grieving mother to tears.
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As Rosemary set the table for dinner and dried the dishes, she heard a knock at the door. She answered it and was stunned to see a group of happy little children shouting, “Trick or treat!”
Rosemary couldn’t believe her eyes. She recognized the costumes the children were wearing. She had made them exclusively for Dave three years ago for Halloween, but he never got to wear them. He died in a car accident crossing the road the morning before Halloween.
Rosemary was shaken. She clung to the door and looked the children up and down.
“That embroidery… those buttons and those skeleton paintings on the shirt… Dave asked me to make a patchwork that looked like cobwebs on his wizard hat… And those pumpkin buttons… ‘D’ for Dave… I sewed them on myself. What’s going on? How did they get my son’s Halloween costumes into his room?” thought Rosemary.
“It’s not possible,” she exclaimed.
Rosemary quickly gave the children candy and ran into her son’s room. She pulled a trunk from under the bed and opened it. Dave’s Halloween costumes weren’t there.
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Rosemary was surprised. She began to sweat and sat on the floor, crying. “Who took them? Who gave my son’s clothes to these children?” she wondered.
She looked up and saw the state of her late son’s room. It seemed different and empty. Almost all of his belongings were gone, including his favorite shoe collection, his posters, and even his superhero toys. Rosemary peered into her son’s closet and found only empty hangers.
Everything was intact when she checked Dave’s room a month ago. She never offered it because she wanted to preserve everything in memory of her deceased son. So, seeing Dave’s room in a nearly empty state puzzled her. Rosemary didn’t understand what was going on and immediately called Lucas.
“Everything’s gone. I don’t see anything here that belonged to our son. Honey, what’s going on? Who took Dave’s things from here?” she asked.
It was then that Rosemary sensed a strange hesitation on Lucas’s face. He couldn’t look her in the eyes and simply walked away.
“Lucas, what’s going on? Why aren’t you saying anything? Where are my son’s things? And why are these kids wearing his Halloween costumes?” she added.
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Rosemary followed Lucas into the kitchen where she found him staring at the wall.
“Honey, what’s going on? Why are you quiet? I’m going crazy. Can someone tell me what’s going on in this house?” she asked again.
Lucas turned around, tears streaming down his face. He took Rosemary in his arms and made a confession.
“My darling, I know how much Dave meant to us, even now. But I couldn’t see you destroyed like that,” he began.
“Once, I visited the shelter at the end of this street with my friend. The little boys there reminded me of our son. So, I gave them all his things. Every time I see those kids wearing our son’s shirt, pants, or even shoes, I see Dave, not some weird kid.”
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Rosemary burst into tears. “So, were those kids who came to our house asking for candy from the shelter?”
“Yes! When we got home tonight, I saw them wearing the costumes you made for Dave. I was so happy and invited them over to our house for candy, hoping you’d be happy to see them.”
Rosemary threw herself into Lucas’s arms and began to cry.
“Yes, they are! When I came home tonight, I saw them wearing the costumes you made for Dave. I was so happy and invited them over to our house for candy, hoping you’d be happy to see them.”
Rosemary threw herself into Lucas’s arms and began to cry.
“Thank you so much, darling. You have no idea what you’ve done today!”
“What did I do?” Lucas was puzzled, seeing a strange gleam in his wife’s eyes.
“Yes! One of those little boys looked exactly like our son Dave. I think that’s what fate wanted us to do… adopt him and bring him home as our son!”
Lucas and Rosemary were so thrilled that they quickly began the paperwork to adopt Tom, the little boy who reminded Rosemary of her late son Dave. They brought him home six months later.
Since Tom’s arrival, Rosemary has never been sad again. She, Lucas, and Tom have lived a life of dreams and happiness together. They have also helped other children at the shelter find loving homes.
One year later… still on Halloween…
“Mom, look… my pumpkin… do you like it?” Tom asked his mother, showing off a beautiful lantern he had made. Rosemary shed tears of joy when she realized that Tom was none other than a gift sent from heaven by her late son.
“It’s beautiful, my darling! It reminds me of someone dear to me!” she cried, hugging the boy as they got ready for the evening.
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What can we learn from this story?
- The people we love never truly leave us. There are some things death can never touch. After losing her son, Dave, Rosemary was devastated. She never celebrated Halloween for three years because it reminded her of her beloved son’s passing. However, she would later learn that her son wasn’t truly gone when she met a young boy who looked just like Dave and would soon become part of her family.
- Accept your grief and move on . No grief is permanent unless you choose to stick with it. It took Rosemary three years to accept her grief and move on from the loss of her son. And while she never fully recovered, she found comfort in her adopted son, Tom.
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