Window Decoration

Lily walked confidently up the sidewalk, her resume in hand after searching for weeks for a job. She knew the CEO of the company from her college networking, and it was an easy short-term job for the Halloween season; this might give her the possibility of working permanently. Dressing the window with holiday décor to lure shoppers would be fun and give her an outlet for her creative energy.

She entered the building, walked across the marble floor, and introduced herself to the secretary who then asked her to take a seat until Mr. Withers was available. Lily took a seat in the faux leather easy chairs and looked at the framed photos and paintings on the lobby walls. Some were disturbingly lifelike, taken of the window dressings over the scope of several years. She could surely come up with something as creative and creepy with the right props and time.

Mr. Withers opened his door, and asked Lily to come in and take a seat. She handed him her resume and sat down in the chair facing his. He looked at the resume and said, “I must say, Lily, this is most impressive. You have a good background in decorating and costuming. Art. Design. Halloween begins the shopping season that leads all the way to Easter. Attracting shoppers can fill our bottom line, especially with a strong opening.” He looked at her over his glasses and said, “Are you prepared for a job like this with Halloween coming up so soon?”

Lily quickly said, “Yes. I believe this would be a good start to career in fashion design.” Her eyes lit up with anticipation. “I have good references if you’d like to check into my history.”

Mr. Withers nodded and said, “No, that won’t be necessary.” He added, “Yes, having you here would be a good start for our company overall.” He continued looking at her resume. “I think you will be a good fit with our store. Can you start tomorrow?”

With a silent “YES!” she stood up, shook his hand, and said, “I will be here first thing tomorrow.” Lily left his office, elated at the prospect of a job. “I can’t wait! First here, then perhaps modeling, perhaps costume design for an acting company, and then who knows where I’ll end up.” She practically skipped all the way home.

Lily entered her small apartment and found a card that was tucked under her doorframe. It was a blank card that said simply, “Don’t do it.” She had no idea what it meant or who would have left it. There were no cameras in the hallway. She looked up and down but saw no one. She locked her door and picked up Mr. Kitty. “Mister Kitty, do you know who left this?” The cat mewed and looked directly at her. “Really? You don’t want me to go to work? You’ll be all by yourself with just your basket of toys.” She put Mr. Kitty down on the sofa and examined the card again. There were no other clues to indicate who might have left it. A cold feeling came over her but she was too excited about the new job.

She showed up to work the next day, and Mr. Withers showed her the prop room below the large bay window. “You can use anything in here to make the window We’ve been working on this special collection,” as he locked the door behind him.

She tried to ask a question but felt alarmed when she heard the lock and chain. A wide selection of Halloween items lay before her. She first examined the pumpkins, then the ribbons in orange and black. She next picked up the array of varying sized spiders and rats. What drew her attention next were the skeletons. Gently she touched the bone and hair. It felt genuine. Extremely genuine. She attempted to pick up a skull and realized it was attached to the spine of the skeleton by sinew and tendons. Petrified, she realized she’d become part of next year’s decorations.