Jon Lantern's Nightmare

Did Jon Lantern's Nightmare happen? Or was the nightmare a troubled part of Jon's sleep one frosty Hallowe'en night, his subconscious gone berserk? We never find out. Or do we? Did Jon merely spend the night of Hallowe'en twisting and turning in his bed at home? Or was he in reality summoned by his strange, old-fashioned twin Jack, to battle the forces of evil? Did Jon experience his terror asleep in a nightmare, or was it terror in the quivering, wakeful flesh? And what's the difference? One way or another, it was a night of extreme fear. One way or another, an absolute NIGHTMARE!
The setting for Jon Lantern's Nightmare is a Cornish village at Hallowe'en. There are three main characters, Jon Lantern, schoolboy, thirteen years old; Jack Lantern, his forbear, who died several centuries earlier; and a girl called Angela. Jon and Jack are almost the same person, far separated in time but kindred-close. Jon already knows about Jack Lantern from words that can just be made out on his gravestone. Jack perished, also aged thirteen, in a fire.
Jack Lantern's spirit has remained 'Uneasy' since he died because of his guilt in abandoning his sister Mabel in the fire. So Jack hasn't been able to move on. He is a ghost and he comes back, like other ghosts, at Hallowe'en. He and Jon together are, with their family bond, a unique and powerful force for good. But between them not powerful enough. Luckily, on the fateful Hallowe'en night, when Jon is apparently rescued from a fire at his cottage by Jack, they are assisted by the resourceful and courageous Angela. Angela has become embroiled in the story by the Mistress, one of the leading ghouls who, like Uneasy folk, return at Hallowe'en - Sambain's Night. Other ghoul leaders are Maeve the Cruel, fiendishly cunning, and the mighty fighter Maxim Malpurgis.
The sole objective of ghouls, with their awful red eyes like those of Jack o'Lanterns, is to capture Uneasy Ones, and Fresh Ones too like Jon and Angela. Captives' spirits are then sucked out at the Dread Party organised on Sambain's Nights for the ultimate evil being, the horrific Master.
On the fateful night, two further ghouls, the ghastly Crafty Luigi, assisted by his accomplice, Malachi the Mechanic, capture a group of trick-or-treaters. In various skirmishes, Jon, Jack and Angela, who are heading for Saxon Hill where Sambain's Fire will rage, are themselves captured by ghouls, but manage to escape. Along the way to the enormous hilltop fire, they rescue the trick-or-treaters.
The Master has arrived at Saxon Hill with a great gathering of ghouls. Uneasy Ones are also there in big numbers. The combat is fearsome. Wretchedly, led by Maxim, the ghouls are triumphant. But in a final, supernatural twist the story's climax is disrupted by a violent thunder storm and a devastating lightning strike.
Suddenly it's morning. Jon wakes up. He's in his own bed. He has missed breakfast. Why is it so late? Why is he so sore? Where is Angela? Where is Jack? Did the dreadful events surrounding Sambain's Fire actually happen? Or were they just a living NIGHTMARE?
Downstairs, Jon's mother asks, "By the way, Jonny, what on earth is this? I found it outside the back door." Jon instantly knows the answer. In his Mum's hand is the blade of the ancient scythe he had used to pin Maeve the Cruel to the frozen ground in a field near Saxon Hill.
NIGHTMARE!

Aubrey Waddy has written two novels as well as Jon Lantern's Nightmare, which is the first of a trilogy, with Jon Lantern's Blind Terror and Jon Lantern's Cosmic Horror to follow. Under the nom de plume 'awfullywobbly', he is the author of the Plughole Boy picture stories.