Confessions. Eric got Georgie home safely, and it was just dumb luck that Daniel’s little brother hadn’t gotten a good look at the Shades. Convincing him that the shadow creatures were really just kids in Halloween costumes felt wrong in a way, but how do you explain the truth of such things to anyone, much less a three-year-old? And it was a simple lie for Daniel’s parents to believe. They had no problem believing that masked bullies had stolen their sons’ candy. It was an easy thing for a parent to buy into the casual cruelty of childhood. Georgie woke up several times that night with nightmares, but his mother always rocked him back to sleep with a lullaby. Little Georgie was a true child of Noble’s Green now—his dreams were haunted by real-life monsters. Daniel’s father wanted to call Sheriff Simmons and complain about the local “bullies,” but Daniel was able to talk him out of it. Next year, his father promised, they wouldn’t be allowed to go out on Halloween night alone.
