Messed Up from Halloween (a story)

There are so many things about that night, about my story that are usual to Halloween. I dressed up in a costume. I did the shtick of being a witch, yes a sexy one. We trick or treated with a few houses where friends my age lived. Just to have some childish fun. And to collect them on our way to the halloween party. My BF was driving a group of us in his parent’s van.
When we got to the party, we had the usual. Some booze and candy, some chips and pretzels and a scary movie rotation. The movies were: Carrie, Cujo, Scream, The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby and Poltergeist. So we were primed for a good spook. Easy targets.
The pranks began. The boys were teasing the girls mostly. But I’ve been known to pull a few pranks as well. I love jumping out and grabbing ankles from a hiding place. Or setting out jello bowls with nectarines in that are painted to look like eyeballs.
Later, we went to the town haunted house (every town has one, right?) There was an unspoken dare. Probably a tradition, to be alone in a room or closet in the house for 10 minutes. A few of us were brave souls. We went to a place alone and started our watches.
I chose a crawl space I found in the basement. It was the first time I had found this space.
That was the last normal thing, at least for our time. Our era.
Then it was like I stepped into a time loop or a myth.
I smelled spices and burning candle wax as I crawled deeper. Then incense. There was nothing like that around me.
I saw some gourds and chains of flowers in corners. In what appeared to be offerings or small altars. That was the arrangement I was seeing. But no candles or incense sticks.
I crawled deeper. I was curious. I wanted to find the source of the smell. I crawled along, till suddenly the earth fell out from under me. And I fell. It was sort of like a movie, when you do that spinning thing as you fall between dimensions. But not really. That was the sensation, not the reality. Later I was convinced that I must have bumped my head at this point. But I checked my head, I had no bumps or bruises on my head.
There really was no other explanation.
I knew I did NOT travel to the land of the dead.
I did NOT talk to my dead grandmother.
I did NOT speak to my dead mother.
They did NOT warn me to go back. That I was risking my immortal soul by being here among the dead.
Stuff like that doesn’t happen to people in this time. And mostly men, go seeking their loves who just died. Or need something from there to prove they’re a hero. I heard an Indian woman chased after Yama when he was trying to take her husband…
But a crawl space incident in a haunted house??
Just WEIRD!! Right?? Have you ever heard of that before? I haven’t and I’ve watched a LOT of creepy movies and read a LOT of myths.
Grandma and mom aside, with their begging me to go back and all, I saw spirits I didn’t know as well. They offered me treats. I remembered the story of the pomegranate seeds and refused their offerings. They tried scaring me. Yep (points at self) Old time prankster here! Not happening. I was still half convinced I was laying out on a floor somewhere, having a heck of an hallucination! So I just looked around, and saw what I saw with my eyes wide open. I mean wide open. But I don’t scream.
When I arrived at the throne room, I saw a man in an ermine robe. No horns, no hooves. Just a man. Quite handsome too. And smiling. Almost like he had invited me over to his house for a glass of wine and some nibbles.
I mentioned something about not having sex with an incubus. And he laughed. Remember I thought I was dreaming! I probably was! Wasn’t I??
He reassured me that I was safe in his care and called his queen. She was stunning, when she showed up. I made a remark about not being a unicorn either. He winked and suggested I might want to wait till I was asked.
I blushed.
It’s not like any secrets of the universe were told, but the three of us had a lovely chat while we sat in their throne room, in the land of the dead, till they suggested it was time for me to return, if I was going to.
I was going to! I was given a mark on my shoulder by the queen so the spirits outside wouldn’t be able to distract me from my journey.
And I was let go.
Much as I was curious, and wanted more information, I thought I better get while the going was good. So I said my goodbyes and left.
I crawled back to the basement.
My BF and friends were there waiting for me. Asking me questions. I touched my shoulder and felt the mark on my skin.
But the last thing I wanted was to spend the next few days in a straight jacket on meds. So I let them believe I was telling a story for the day.
They said I should write it down and submit it to my college prof. I said he wouldn’t believe me.
So the story that shoulfd be a saga written by Dante Alighieri was, in my telling, a few little chats. With no real meaning. Just a lesson. Eternity does really exist. And it’s waiting for me.