Typically, I don’t like to consider myself someone who is too quick to judge and make assumptions without getting to know a person first. Ever since me and my partner moved in, somethings always bothered me about our neighbour next door.

She’s a sweet older lady in her early seventies, a true Halloween fanatic. She goes all out. The first Halloween we spent here she informed us she tries to do something grander, more wild each year for Halloween regarding how she decorates. Last year, her whole front lawn along with the entirety of her porch was coated in fake spider webs and adorned with pumpkins and what looked like a few fake body parts that were bloodied and bruised strewn across the front garden.

She put us to shame, with our single carved pumpkin and Halloween themed doormat by our front door. Dorothy-the neighbour had also amassed a great following and admiration from those around the town from her love for Halloween. The trick or treat goers were definitely up there with her biggest fans.

Unsurprisingly many rumours and theories were spread around that she was the reason behind the rapidly increasing amount of missing persons in the neighbourhood. Which of course is just teenagers and adults trying to spook young children with an overactive imagination.

This year, me and my partner have put some more effort into our decorating for Halloween after investing in some new decorations. After setting one of our carved pumpkins on the porch, a peculiar smell catches my nose. It’s a nauseating metallic stench. Looking to my right, I find my German shepherd sniffing at what appears to be Dorothy’s new decorations for this year, multiple skeletons of various sizes in different positions across her garden. Some standing, some sat in chairs, some partially clothed.

“Hey, Barney,” I whisper-shout not wanting to disturb anyone this late, it’s past ten now. “Come here boy. Come on, leave it alone.”

Barney simply growls at one of the skeletons, ignoring me joyfully as he begins encircling it, sniffing intently.

“Barney, come here.”

“Someone likes my new decorations then.”

Barney finally comes to sit by my feet as Dorothy smiles at us from her doorway.

“Yes,” I laugh. “He certainly does, you’ve outdone us all again this year. Like always.”

“Yes, yes I have.” Dorothy says, her eyes seem to harden or well I’m not quite sure but something strange appears in the look on her face, something sinister perhaps. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

The next morning I awoke to find only Barney in the house, my partner James was nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to have been back late last night from overtime at work. Maybe something happened and he stayed over somewhere? I hope so.

After a painfully long twelve hours and still no sight of James I manage to convince the police this is serious and James is reported as missing.

Barney whines and snuggles into me as I hear sounds of commotion next door.

“It’s okay boy.” I say quietly, giving him a gentle pat before getting up to look out the window.

Nausea seeps through me as the sight before me unfolds, it’s Dorothy and she’s setting up a new skeleton on her front garden, except this one’s different it’s dripping with something and it’s wearing my boyfriends jacket.