Life Minus Ten

by Gerardo Delgadillo:

Halloween slaps Kalvin’s mind hard, a reminder of life minus ten.

His nightmare started when he found out Melly, the hottest girl in the universe, was attending college’s Halloween party, so he rushed out and hopped into his car. He parked a block away but from the distance, colorful lights bathed the old house, tinting it red, purple, and yellow. How could the party be in a place where five people died? Kalvin shivered at that thought and jumped out of the vehicle.

A lanky guy wearing a pizza slice costume joined him. “Wassup, Kal?”

“Not much, Cot.”

Cot took a cigarette out of his pants pocket and held it high.

Kalvin shook his head. “You know I don’t smoke.”

“It’s good for the shaky-shaky-wiggle-wobble. If you know what I mean.” Cot put the smoke in his mouth. “C’mon, you want one.” He lit it, inhaled deep, and exhaled a perfect ring. “Look at you—seems you’ve seen the devil.”

Kalvin stepped faster. “It’s getting late.”

A sea of students crowded the entrance, some as old as twenty-three. Kalvin and Cot made their way to the door, which looked like a giant mouth ready to swallow them. Kalvin stopped, considering his options, but Cot shoved him through the mob until they were inside. The smell of stale beer, sweat, and cigarette assaulted Kalvin’s nose. Guys and girls danced to the loud music’s frenetic rhythm, as if in a trance. He and his friend made their way through people wearing ghost, mummy, skeleton, devil, witch, and even toilet paper costumes, their teeth shining under the black light.

“I need a beer.” Cot strolled toward the kitchen.

Kalvin strode around, looking for Melly, but couldn’t find her. He opened a door and found wooden stairs going down into a basement, a faint glow at the bottom. He turned around, but a familiar giggle stopped him.

“Stop laughing,” a female voice demanded.

“Okay.” That was definitely Melly’s voice.

Kalvin took a deep breath and decided to investigate. What did he have to lose? As he reached the bottom, Melly and a girl with short, black hair sat facing each other, holding hands, looking at the floor. A flashlight stood between them, emitting a weak light.

He cleared his throat.

The girl wearing a witch costume looked up. “Who are you?”

“Kal,” he replied. “What are you up to?”

“None of your business,” she replied. It was Levana, the Goth, black lips and all.

Melly raised a hand. “Wait. We need another body.” As she spoke, her bunny ears wiggled.

Levana pointed at Kalvin, glaring. “Not him.”

“Why?” asked Melly.

“Because…”

Melly walked to him and grabbed his hand. “Come with me.” Lost in her shiny auburn hair and turquoise eyes, among other body parts, Kalvin froze. She pulled him toward the flashlight. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.” She gestured him to sit by her side, and they sat in front of Levana.

“This is a bad idea,” the Goth complained.

Melly placed a hand on Levana’s shoulder. “Trust me. It’ll be okay.”

“No, it won’t.” Levana shrugged her off. “He’s stupid.” Kalvin couldn’t believe it. How many times had Levana asked him for help during chemistry class?

“Look,” Melly said to Levana. “We need at least three people to talk to her, don’t we?”

Levana rolled her eyes. “Yes, but—“

“Nobody wanted to come here,” Melly interrupted. “He’s our only option.”

The Goth shook her head, looking at the ceiling. She sighed. “Better than nothing, I guess.”

“What’s this about?” asked Kalvin.

Melly faced him. “It’s about a sheep.”

 “A sheep?”

She looked at him intently, her eyes melting his heart. “Well, the sheep is a way to talk to Morinda,” she said. Unable to follow, he gave her a blank stare. “Morinda is Kat’s aunt,” she continued, “ and—”

“Told you. He’s stupid,” Levana intervened. She walked to him and poked his shoulder. “Dude. It’s a chain of souls. You start with an animal, and then people.” She frowned. “Repeat this: sheep, Morinda, Kat, Pert, Vodka.”

What the hell was that? He scratched his head. “Sheep, Murianda, Port, Dog, and…” He raised an eyebrow. “Tequila?”

“Ha. Ha. Not funny.” Levana shoved him. “C’mon, dude. Sheep, Morinda, Kat, Pert, Vodka.”

“Sheep, Morinda, Kat, Pert, Vodka,” he repeated.

“Good.” Levana went back to her space and sat.

Melly offered her hand to him. “Give me your hand,” she whispered. He did as she said. “Now, give your other hand to Levana.”

The girls lowered their heads, and Kalvin followed. Marbles of all sizes and colors surrounded the flashlight, a white circle drawn around them.

Levana bleated.

Melly’s squeezed Kalvin’s hand. He gave her a sideways look. A smile grew on her face until it turned into a full grin, followed by a snorting laugh.

“This is not a game!” Levana snapped.

He took a quick glance. The Goth glared, her forehead wrinkled. He pressed his chin against his chest and closed his eyes. Muffled music dripped through the door, and Levana bleated once again.

This time nobody laughed.

When she stopped, the room went silent. He shivered and opened his eyes. He gasped. They stood in a green valley covered with carmine flowers, still holding hands. A white sun floated high in a purple sky, illuminating the girls’ long, yellow dresses, their witch and bunny costumes gone. He looked down at his shiny silver pants, but his white shoes blinded him. When did he change? Was he dreaming? He squinted.

Melly checked her surroundings until she fixed her eyes on Kalvin’s. “Where are we?” she asked.

He shook his head, eyebrows raised. Behind Levana, a huge brown beetle and three pink polka-dot ladybugs strolled toward them. He rubbed his eyes, but the bugs kept coming.

Unable to speak, he pointed at the insects.

“No,” shouted Levana. “You’re breaking the union.”

“Behind you,” he mouthed.

She turned and gasped.

The ladybugs stayed behind, but the beetle kept walking. When Kalvin tried to run, his legs refused to move. The girls didn’t move either. The giant insect stopped in the middle of them, standing taller than Kalvin.

The bug played with his right antennae. “I’m sorry,” he said. “We didn’t mean to freak you out.” He extended his four front legs. “This is our world.”

“Where—what’s this place?” Kalvin asked.

“Well.” The beetle scratched his rounded head. “It’s hard to explain.” He extended a leg to Kalvin. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Kalvin,” he said, moving his mandible, as if smiling in a buggy kind of way.

Definitely a dream.

Kalvin sighed and clasped the insect’s hand, or whatever it was. “I’m Kalvin.”

“No, I’m Kalvin,” the bug protested.

Human Kalvin decided to follow the dream or hallucination. “Yes, you are.”

“I know,” retorted the insect. “You’re me, and I’m you. Would you like a banana leaf malt?”

“What about them?” Levana interjected, pointing at the ladybugs.

“They are my ladies.” The giant beetle winked and beckoned them to join him. They surrounded him.

“Introduce yourselves, ladies,” added the big insect.

The ladybugs looked exactly the same, towering above Kalvin but standing a tad shorter than the beetle.

“A,” said one.

“B,” said the next.

“F,” said the last one. Kalvin couldn’t help but smile at her name.

“Doesn’t make sense,” Melly said. “What are we doing here?”

“Oh, that,” replied the beetle. “I forgot.” He looked over his shoulder and whistled.

Four mice carried a giant Styrofoam box and placed it in front of Levana.

An old lady wearing a wide black hat emerged from the big box. “Lev,” she said, her withered lips barely moving. “You invoked me. Here I am.”

Levana slapped her right cheek several times, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. She shook her head. “A-are you?” she managed to ask.

The lady took her hat off, showing a bald head, and placed her hands on top of the box, thrusting herself closer. “Mrs. Vodka, of course.”

“V-Vo-Vodka?” Levana stammered.

The old woman frowned. “Were you expecting a sheep?”

“Sort of,” she replied. “But, no, I was looking for you.”

“Are you sure?” Levana looked around and nodded fast. Mrs. Vodka arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure you are sure?” The Goth nodded once again. “Good,” the old woman replied in a low, raspy voice. “You’ll see a glimpse of what’s coming,” she added, her eyes turning red. She raised her bony arms high and moved them around until black clouds covered the white sun and the sky darkened. In a blink, the old lady, the valley, the flowers, and the bugs disappeared.

Kalvin passed his arm around Melly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Levana?” he asked.

“Tur-let,” she replied in a soft, distorted voice.

He turned to his left, adjusting to the darkness. A flame floated in the distance. “Is that you?” he asked.

“Please,” Levana begged. This was scarier than anything he had ever experienced.

It was time to end the dream.

Kalvin closed his eyes. It’s a dream. It’s just a scary, silly dream. Melly pressed her body against him, trembling. When he opened his eyes, he lay on the ground but didn’t recognize the place. A charred stench filled his lungs, burnt wooden walls surrounded him, smoke floated in the air, and the sun poured through a big hole in the ceiling.

A person stood in front of the blinding sun, but Kalvin could only distinguish the silhouette of a man wearing a police cap.

“This dude got lucky, Jona,” said the man.

Another shape joined him. “You have a weird sense of humor, Doug.”

“What’s going on?” asked Melly.

“Look at ‘em,” Doug said, ignoring her question. “She looks like a model.” Jona didn’t respond. “Kinda’ bony—ya’  know what I mean?” Doug chuckled.

“You’re sick.” Jona gestured. “Get out of here.”

“But—”

“Show some respect, that’s an exposed rib cage. Get the heck out of here,” Jona said in a commanding voice. Rib cage? Kalvin made an effort to stand but couldn’t move.

“Who are you!” Melly cried.

“O-kay,” Doug replied, ignoring her once again. His silhouette disappeared.

Jona coughed several times, grabbed what seemed to be a handkerchief, and covered his mouth. “Damn smoke.”

He strolled out of Kalvin’s sight.

After a minute, two men blocked the sun. One kneeled and caressed Kalvin’s cheek. “It’s them,” the man said in a familiar voice. He got closer. “Kal, old buddy. It’s me, Cot.” Why does he sound so old? A tear splashed over Kalvin’s face. “You didn’t deserve to die like this, in this fire,” Cot continued. “Who could imagine that ten years ago you—” He took a deep breath. “You and Melly were so happy. I guess that lasts an eternity.”

“We’re not dead,” Kalvin yelled.

“Look at us,” shouted Melly.

“Goodbye, old buddies.” Cot took what seemed to be a blanket and covered them.

Kalvin fought to move but the effort proved futile. He concentrated on the old house, the party, the basement…

A thought crossed his mind. “Levana,” he yelled.

“What!” asked Levana.

In a blink, the basement replaced the burnt place. The flashlight lay on the ground, emitting a faint light, and a smiling Melly sat by his side.

He sighed. It felt good to be back. “Just checking,” he said. “Did it work?”

“I made contact,” said Levana. “I saw Vodka, the lady who can tell the future.”

“What did she say?” Melly asked, still grinning.

“‘You’ll see a glimpse of what’s coming.’”

Melly wrinkled her nose. “And?”

“That was all,” replied Levana.

Kalvin scratched his head. “What did she look like?”

“Different.” Levana looked at the ceiling. “Older. Bald. Red-eyed.”

Odd. It was only his imagination—it had to be. “Okay,” he said and stood. “I think I’ve had enough.” Just in case, he made sure he still wore jeans and tennis shoes.

Melly joined him, grabbing his arm. “I’ll come with you.”

They climbed up, leaving Levana behind, and made their way to the main door. Kalvin couldn’t believe it, Melly, the girl who had never exchanged more than five words with him, strolled with him outside.

Three girls wearing cheerleader costumes walked in their direction, their blouses sporting different letters, reading, “ABF.” A muscular guy wearing a Hulk costume marched behind them.

Kalvin pointed at their outfits. “What does ABF stand for?”

The girls scrambled around, forming FBA. “Foundation for a Better Afterlife!” they cheered.

“We’re here to prolong your life,” said one of them, showing long fangs covered in blood. Vampire cheerleaders, so original.

Hulk strolled to the front and pointed at them. “They are my ladies.”

Kalvin realized this was indeed… strange.

“Get out of the way,” urged a guy behind them.

The cheerleaders and Hulk stepped to the side and four skinny guys wearing mouse costumes passed by carrying a big Styrofoam cooler filled with beer.

Now, each year on Halloween, Kalvin remembers the nightmare and knows he is one year closer to the fire.

“Who could imagine that ten years ago you—” Cot’s voice echoes in his head.

Gerardo Delgadillo was born in San Francisco, back in 1960. By 1962 his parents decided to move to Mexico, spoiling his spoken English forever. But Gerardo came back to the US in 1994 and has never looked back.

In 2007 Gerardo decided to pen the stories he’d made up for his kids and found a new passion: writing.

Gerardo took Creative Writing classes at SMU with published writers Suzanne Frank, Misa Ramirez, and Cindy Dees. He’s also a former member of the DFW Writer’s Workshop and currently a member of the Lesser North Texas Writers’ Group and the Frisco Writers’ Group.

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