Foreign Festivities

This story was originally written for the

Literotica Halloween Story Contest 2024

.

=========

"You wanna do

what

for Halloween?" Anna asked incredulously, her voice rising over the morning din of the trendy coffee shop. "Like, here? In this country?"

Her friend Daniel always had some wacky ideas but this one might be close to the top of a long list. If it was anyone else, she'd dismiss the notion as a silly joke, because that was exactly how it sounded to the young chestnut-haired woman. She looked at him skeptically, hoping that he'd burst out laughing and say how he caught her once again.

But he deflected her squinting gaze, raising a cup of caramel macchiato and taking a suspiciously long sip.

"Well?" she nagged him. "Enlighten me then. How exactly do you see us do it? And where?"

He set the drink back on the table, a small speck of foam lingering on the thin auburn wisp of his mustache. He reached for it with the tip of his tongue, lips curling in an impish smile, before picking a napkin and wiping his mouth like a civilized person would. Anna was about to roll her eyes, frustrated with all the stalling, but then he looked at her and finally deigned to answer.

"In my neighborhood, of course," he said, in a soothing baritone and with the same playful smile. "It's easy. We'll just dress up, go door to door, and collect all the treats!"

"What

treats, Daniel? An old chocolate bar that got stuck to the bottom of someone's cupboard?" she questioned him further, adding a frustrated sigh. "That's what I'm saying: it's not gonna work here. Most people don't know what Halloween even is. Others think it's some satanic nonsense because that's what the old priest told them from the pulpit."

She was exaggerating for effect, and yet she wasn't too far off in her assessment. A lot had changed in their country, since the transformation of the 80s and 90s; the white-on-green mermaid logo of the coffee shop was just one of its countless examples. But old traditions held strong, and the encroaching tides of Western culture could only erode them so much. There might've been a few spots in the calendar for some frivolous novelties like the Valentine's Day or the St Patrick's bender, but not for something that'd compete so brazenly with the nationwide, solemn observation of the All Saints' Day.

Daniel knew this, of course, but he just shook his head and chuckled. "Annie, do you really think it's about the sweets?"

"Bah! I don't know," she said with a forced shrug. "Maybe you should just go and tell me?"

He grinned. "Nah. It's really just for the heck of it, honestly... I just want to get those boring, overly serious people out of their funk. Add a few rays of sunshine to their lives, and break the gloom of this cold and clammy weather. Show them that there is more to life than freezing your ass off at the cemetery, as you dutifully stand by your grandma's grave and make sure everyone in your extended family sees you awkwardly try to light up that lantern with a feeble matchstick, all while the gusts of howling wind --"

"Alright, alright, I get your point... I think," Anna interrupted his colorful tirade. "Look, I don't like any of this pompous nonsense either, that people do only to show how good and pious they are. But I can't see how the two of us would change anything there..."

"Baby steps I suppose? Whatever! Let's just do it, okay?" he insisted, still putting on his signature disarming smile. "I promise it will be fun. What else have you got to do anyway?"

Study for my next exam Anna thought, so I don't have to cram it all in the night before; but she refrained from saying this out loud. Truth was, his enthusiasm alone already made her warm up to this strange idea. She very much liked Daniel, and she didn't want to shoot him down just because of some vague misgivings. She didn't mind spending more time with him, either. There was something rather charming about the ruddy fellow, who was just a year or two older than Anna's twenty-one and had been a good friend of hers since middle school.

Only a

friend,

however, nothing more; both of them seemed to be fine with that. In fact, Anna had been genuinely happy for Daniel when it looked like he'd found a nice girlfriend, and genuinely sad when the stupid bitch dumped him after little over a year. It happened only a few months ago and he mostly got over it already, though she couldn't help but wonder if engaging in silly hijinks like this wasn't his way of coping with the first serious heartbreak.

"Not much, I guess," Anna told him, following it with a soft sigh. "Okay, I'll come with you, but don't expect me to dress up as a skeleton, or a zombie, or anything creepy like that!"

His eyes lit up. "Oh no, I'd never! As a matter of fact, I've got something much more appealing in mind..."

He took another sip of his coffee, and this time she simply followed suit. "Well?"

"So... Remember when me and"--he paused for a moment, to avoid saying his ex's name--"uh, when

I

went to a reenactment of that huge medieval battle against Teutonic Knights? I've got a few souvenirs from there, including this long sword which looks almost like the one from

Lord of the Rings

..."

"Yes, I remember," she said with a laugh, raising the coffee cup to her lips, "especially how your mother berated you, for spending so much money on what she called a piece of junk!"

"Nah, it wasn't all that much," he said, stumbling through a throat-clearing scoff. "Well, in any case, I figured I could use it as part of my costume."

"Huh, so you wanna dress up as Aragorn?" she guessed, studying his short copper mane and sideburns. "No offense but I don't think you've got the right hair for it."

He chuckled. "That is certainly a great idea, but I actually wanted to go with something closer to home. Besides, I would never make you dye your beautiful hair black, just so you could be a convincing Arwen for only one evening..."

Anna felt her cheeks getting a little flush, and it likely wasn't because of the tepid coffee in her cup. "Well, what do you have in a mind then?"

Gazing from under his bushy eyebrows, he regarded her with a cheeky grin.

"You still got your prom dress, right?" he asked, and she nodded. "Awesome. So, here's what we're going to do..."

***

She felt like every passenger was staring at her, scrutinizing her sumptuous outfit, from the very moment she stepped on the crowded tram. What she was garbed in certainly looked light, given the cold weather of the late October evening, but Anna wasn't foolish enough to brave the elements in just this flimsy garment. She had layered her clothes, adding an extra shirt and tunic underneath, in addition to covering her bare arms with a wide, furry shawl.

Nevertheless she had attracted many curious and admiring stares, for she was a much more appealing sight than the dreary urban landscape outside. Lustrous brown hair framed her lovely face, cascading in curly waves along the rosy cheeks. They would meet her full lips and form cute dimples whenever she smiled, which she now did rather awkwardly, as her eyes met those of another nosy onlooker.

She looked away politely. Her deep amber eyes were now fixed on the gray blotches of dingy factories and warehouses, all smeared indistinctly over the tram's stained window. A soft sigh fogged the glass with the warm mist of her breath; she touched the cold surface and made four dots in the shape of a square. She studied it for a moment, letting out a satisfied hum as she linked the bottom dots with a concave arc that mirrored her own, furtive smile.

"So silly," she whispered to the faint reflection, but its smile only widened.

The drab industrial district eventually gave way to a much cleaner and somewhat less oppressive environment. There were rows of residential structures on either side of the road now; tall, practically identical buildings made of large concrete slabs, painted in a dizzying array of colorful patterns to blunt their suffocating impact on the weary souls of their inhabitants. Later, they gradually turned into smaller and more modern apartment complexes, and eventually all that remained were cheap, single-family homes that shielded the more affluent neighborhoods from the noise and bustle of the road and rail.

It was there that Anna finally got off the tram, at an easy-to-miss stop marked by the obligatory sign and a rain-soaked bench. The drizzle had stopped but a few hours prior and the air was pleasantly fresh. Here in the suburbs, several miles away from smoggy downtown, one could afford to take a deep breath and savor the crispiness of the slightly chilly but surprisingly bearable evening.

"You look spectacular," a voice spoke behind her, as she was scanning the mixed crowd of passengers going out of the car or waiting at the stop.

She turned around to face it, and a shocked gasp escaped her throat.

"Daniel! Wow!"

"Not bad, huh?"

"Yes," she said, giving a bashful giggle. "I mean, I can see you put

a lot

of effort into this!"

He grinned. "So did you."

A blush came over her cheeks, as his eyes fell on her form-fitting attire. It was a long flowing dress, clinging to her curves and ending with an asymmetric cut right below the knees. Emerald green with golden trimmings, it showed just a hint of luscious cleavage below the ermine shawl, right before widening to contain her ample breasts and then tapering to hug her cinched waist. The silky material stretched over the creases of the thicker tunic underneath, breaking the smooth flow of the fabric as it widened again towards the broad span of her hips.

Anna had filled out quite a bit, since the last time Daniel saw her wearing this tight garment. A dress that had fit a thin teenage girl just right was now struggling to drape over the womanly shape of this nubile beauty. He thought she looked great in it, and he couldn't help but notice how subtly different her presence could be felt.

"It's just the dress, really," she said, giving out a nervous giggle. "I didn't go as far as -- uhm, yeah, what did you do to your hair, exactly?"

Snickering, he ran his fingers through the snow-white mane that fell in long tresses on his shoulders.

"This? It's just a wig," he explained, lightly touching his chin, "and a little bit of talc, to cover up what I couldn't shave off. What I'm hearing is that it all looks rather convincing?"

"Very," she said, studying his whole costume once again. There was a lot to be impressed about: the fitted leather jacket and pants, the small silver pendant around his neck, and the various belts and straps that crisscrossed his torso and added to the authenticity of the whole ensemble. The most prominent feature was of course the large sword holstered on his back, the hilt of which stuck just above Daniel's head. It gave him an appearance of a freewheeling but heroic adventurer; one who at times could come off as outright menacing, and not necessarily just to his enemies.

All in all, it was more than acceptable facsimile of Geralt of Rivia. And Anna was a fine impersonator of Triss Merigold. They were both the two bright spots on the gloomy evening landscape of the suburb.

"Shall we go then?"

He confidently extended a gloved hand and she took it gladly. She allowed herself to be led off the platform, their every move followed by the few intrigued passengers who remained on the departing tram.

***

"My ears aren't what they used to be, I'm afraid," said an old, hunched-over woman who leaned over a rickety cane. Standing on the front porch, she looked at them through her thick glasses: a well-behaved, though oddly dressed young couple. "Could you tell me again, my dear, why are you going around with the carols so early?"

Exasperated, Anna glanced at Daniel, her eyes glimmering with a silent plea for help.

"This isn't about Christmas, Mrs Kluk," he corrected her,

again,

speaking louder than he was comfortable with. "It is a very old tradition for the night before All Hallows' Day, where you visit your neighbors and, like, uhm..."

He tried to find the right phrase, something that would sit well with this elderly lady, whose perception of the world was likely skewed by overconsumption of radical Catholic media. He found himself wishing they could actually pass for wandering singers of Christmas carols, but their current costumes had made it all but impossible. Thought it was a long time since Daniel saw a nativity scene, he was quite confident it couldn't feature a sorceress and a witcher.

"Well, I don't know about that, young man," the woman said, shifting her weight on the cane and inching towards the doorknob. "I'd have to go and ask my husband --"

"No!" Anna startled them with her outburst, which she then covered with a tactical cough. "Uhm, I mean, it's all good, ma'am! You really don't have to bother him..." She looked to Daniel, quietly forcing an agreement through a furrowed brow.

"Uh, yes, it's really not a problem," he concurred. "We apologize for this intrusion, and wish you happy Hallow--"

"Goodnight!" Anna cut him off, practically dragging her companion away as the door closed behind them.

After that, they walked a few moments in total silence. This hadn't been an isolated incident; in fact, most of the night's encounters played out in a similar fashion. There were only a few houses whose dwellers had the faintest idea what they were on about, knocking at the door and asking for treats. Quite a few took them for confused revelers who had lost their way to a costume party. Others surmised that they were traveling salesmen in disguise, ready to take advantage of people's naivete and saddle them with some expensive junk. Some even thought they were deceptively dressed Jehovah witnesses, who needed to be told that no, there shall not be any talks about Jesus.

All in all, it wasn't going well and they knew it. Their haul of treats so far consisted of two pieces of marshmallow candy, one strip of peppermint chewing gum, and a small chocolate bunny that was clearly a leftover from Easter. While they definitely made a few people smile, it was largely out of simple politeness or, more often, out of poorly hidden amusement at their expense.

"This might have been a bad idea," Daniel finally admitted, kicking a pebble on the road out of sheer frustration. "Damn, Annie, I'm sorry I dragged you into this..."

"It's alright," she tried to cheer him up. "I honestly expected worse..."

Her reaction lifted his spirits, if only a little.

"Yeah," he agreed, chuckling. "We didn't have to run away from any dogs, or housewives who'd chase us with rolling pins --"

"Or the police!"

"And even that last lady didn't douse us with holy water! Quite an encouraging outcome, all things considered..."

There was a moment of tense silence, after which they both burst out laughing.

"Okay, well," Daniel then spoke. "I guess we can either go home -- or maybe, uh, try this final house over there..."

He nodded to where the cul-de-sac ended, and where a tall metal fence surrounded what looked like acres of residential land. A sprawling mansion could be seen in the middle of the large plot; it was mostly dark now, but he remembered very well how it looked like. It stuck out like a sore and ostentatious thumb, in this otherwise neatly developed neighborhood, sporting many superfluous columns alongside a handful of kitsch, castle-like towers that were awkwardly topped off with steep conical roofs.

Whoever lived there certainly didn't want for money, but this affluence didn't come with even a smattering of good taste. It shouldn't come off as a surprise that they didn't really fraternize with the neighbors. Indeed, the only things Daniel knew about the inhabitants was that the guy was much older than his wife, and that they didn't appear to have any children.

"This one?" Anna pointed at the fenced-off darkness, squinting as she looked more closely. "Hmm, seems like the lights are on..."

"You know, we don't actually

have to,

" Daniel clarified, sounding like he might be having some second thoughts.

"Sure, but why not?" Anna asked; she was evidently intrigued by the mysterious villa. "At worst they'll just tell us to go away and that'll be the end of it."

He sighed. "Alright."

They approached the estate, walking along the heavy, iron-wrought slats of its tall fence. They led them towards a wide driveway, closed off by a sliding gate, and a pedestrian entrance next to it. Overhead Daniel spied the dark lens of a CCTV camera; he tried to ignore it, as he decidedly pressed the buzzer and stared at the tiny dot matrix of the speaker below it.

After a long while, a voice came through. "Well, this is quite unusual," it spoke with a velvety timbre, clearly discernible despite plenty of static. "I didn't expect any guests, let alone someone wearing such strange outfits..."

"We have dressed up, ma'am", Anna said. "It's trick or treat. Are you familiar with the custom?"

"Is that so?" the response came, followed by a soft chuckle. "Oh, but of course I am! Please, come on in. It's certainly going to be

a treat..."

A loud, droning sound told them that the gate would open. They looked at each other and Anna gave a smiling shrug, stepping through the gap and motioning for Daniel to follow. With a quiet sigh he checked the holster of his sword, then joined her in crossing the dimly lit walkway that lead to the immense mansion.

***

At the end of the day, Laura had to admit that she couldn't really complain too much. Her life had few real problems; instead, it was full of luxury that many people could scarcely even imagine. She didn't have to worry about money because that was her husband's job. Her job, on other hand, was simply to smile and look pretty.

In fact, she'd been doing that for most of her adult life. It was because of her youthful nubile beauty that she caught the eye of her future husband. He was a middle-aged businessman, one of the indisputable winners of the country's rapid transformation in the early 90s. She had little idea how he came to his riches and, to be frank, she didn't really care.

What mattered was that he had not only a lot of money but also plenty of crucial connections. He had enough clout in certain international circles that he managed to boost Laura's halfhearted attempts at modeling, propelling her into a brief but relatively successful career in the US. She appeared on several magazine covers and rubbed shoulders with a few minor celebrities; for a girl who was born in a small village in Eastern Europe, these were some truly dizzying heights of fame and fortune.

But that was more than a decade ago. Laura wasn't that starry-eyed nymph anymore, even though it would be difficult to tell the difference. She still had the same perfect figure, skillfully enhanced by judicious applications of scalpel and silicone, then continuously maintained over the years with proper diet and exercise. Lustrous blond hair, long and smooth legs, a large bosom that still didn't sag much at all, and a perky squeezable butt -- along with a naturally gorgeous face, these were her main assets. She was proud of them, for they had once allowed her to go places, and she intended to stay hot and sexy for as long as reasonably possible.

So far, she was doing amazingly well. Now in late thirties, Laura was a ravishing beauty who had only ripened with age, her feminine allure greatly enhanced by the worldly confidence she'd gained over the years. While she had her insecurities, like every woman at any age, there was honestly only one problem that the blond stunner had with her body.

She hardly ever got to share it with anyone.