Halloween Story Chapter 5

Woot, I'm really speeding through this thing.

“You really believe it’s the jack o lantern ball?”
“Yes. I know that you think I’m crazy, but no one else believes me!”
I thought things over. “I believe you, though,” I finally said.
“You do, Judy?”
“I’ve heard the jack o lantern ball say my name too. And I’ve seen its yellowy glow.”
“Same here!”
I felt a lump rising in my throat. “And you know what’s really weird?” I asked her, croaking. “Ethan was holding his jack o lantern ball when he tripped and hurt his head. I think it caused him to fall. I heard it say his name.”
CiCi shook her head. “What are we going to do? There are TWO jack o lantern balls. In other words, two times the bad luck. I can’t leave both of them in your house, Judy. You’re my friend, so I don’t want you to get hurt.”
The bell rang. “Bye,” I said. “See you.”
“See you. Let’s meet at the library after school at 3, ok?”
“Sure.”
After school, we met at the library. Well, kind of. She was already there, reading an old dusty book when I stumbled in.
“Look at this, Judy,” she said, pointing at her book. “I think this should tell us the answers to everything.”
I sat down with her, looking at where her finger was pointing. “The Wretched Jack O Lantern” was the title of the chapter.
I read it aloud. “Legend bestows that there was once a pumpkin that contained the evil spirits of the Witch of Misfortune. One Hallow’s Eve night, the pumpkin got carved, and the evil spirits were free to roam around. The evil spirits of the Witch of Misfortune found home in a lump of potato plastic, entering through the cracks. But some crafters ripped the evil spirits into two…To make two potato plastic jack o lantern balls for Halloween Night crafting. The Misfortune side of the spirits drifted into the bigger jack o lantern ball…and the Death side of the spirits made their way into the smaller side. The two jack o lantern balls were painted neon green, and passed from generation to generation, house to house…On Halloween Night. No one knew of the evil spirits trapped inside, so everyone was dumbfounded when the balls appeared to be able to teleport to different locations. And no one knew it was evil. The Death side, the smaller ball, would cause untimely deaths to all who touch it, and the Misfortune side, the larger ball, would bring sorrow, grief, and misfortune to all who come in contact with it. There is only one way to destroy the evil spirits. One must recite the following incantation…” I paused. “Oh, the text is too faded. I can’t read it.”
“I know. It sucks, huh? But at least we have a lot of facts now.”
“Yeah…So I have the ‘Misfortune’ side, huh? That’s sad.”
“The bad luck’s going to sink into your family too. But you know what we should really think about right now?”
“What?”
“Your brother, Ethan.”
“Why?”
“If you have the Misfortune side, then he has the DEATH side!”
Death. The word repeated itself inside my head. My eyes widened. I nearly screamed. “Ethan!”

-Vociferously yours, Vicky.