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As I get older, one of the Halloween memories that still haunts me to this day is from when I was 12 years old; I was a runaway. While I was roaming the street by myself one evening, I recognized my father’s van pulling up to the main street about five blocks away from our home. I hid behind some bushes so my father wouldn’t be able to see me. That’s when I saw my father come out of the van to go trick-or-treating with my little sister. I was crushed. I still feel the same way today because I should have been a good boy and have been there for my little sister.

I asked six other residents at California Substance Abuse and Treatment Center about their Halloween memories.

Pablo Adame, lifer

Q: What kind of memories about the fall or Halloween does this time of year trigger?

Pablo: I remember being raised by a poor, single mom. We had to go out to rich neighborhoods to trick-or-treat in order to get plenty of good candies.

Q: What was your favorite costume?

Pablo: Horror movie costumes like Freddie Krueger or Jason Voorhees.

Q: Tell a story about a time you went trick-or-treating.

Pablo: I remember one time I told my mother to take me trick-or-treating real late
at night so the homeowners would give us more candy because there was no one else left. I was right. If people ran out of candy they would give us gifts or money.

Q: How do you reflect on those memories from behind bars?

Pablo: I’m both happy and sad. Another time, when I was little, I asked my
grandmother to buy me a Halloween costume. She didn’t buy me one
because we were poor. I was upset, so my grandmother made a statement
out of me by dressing me up as a girl. I went to school like that and I was
embarrassed. My teacher was kind-hearted. She told my classmates that I was dressed up as Punky Brewster. The kids thought it was cool, and that made me feel a little better. We even had a costume contest and my teacher declared me as the winner. Ha ha! My kids are 14 and 15. I wish I could take them out trick-or-treating.

Rafael Marquez, inmate

Q: What kind of memories about the fall or Halloween does this time of year trigger?

Rafael: I always remember that Halloween was my grandfather’s favorite holiday, and that he wished to die on Halloween. His wish came true when he passed away in old age.

Q: What was your favorite costume?

Rafael: Our family was poor, so I never got any costume for Halloween.

Q: Tell a story about a time you went trick-or-treating.

Rafael: When I got older, I bought expensive matching Halloween costumes for me and my son, for when we go trick-or-treating together.

Q: How do you reflect on those memories from behind bars?

Rafael: We both were dressed up as monkeys. I was very happy because I heard a lot of compliments. That was my best Halloween moment ever.

Juan Cantu, lifer

Q: What kind of memories about the fall or Halloween does this time of year trigger?

Juan: I have a lot of Halloween memories. I can go on forever telling you all kinds of stories.

Q: What was your favorite costume?

Juan: An animal costume.

Q: Tell a story about a time you went trick-or-treating.

Juan: I can remember the first time I found out what trick-or-treating was about. When I was five, my older brother put on his costume and got a paper bag to collect candies from people’s doors. I got myself a paper bag and went to knock on people’s doors and got a lot of candies. It was fun.

Q: How do you reflect on those memories from behind bars?

Juan: Halloween is my favorite holiday because it doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, you can still go out trick-or-treating and get candies.That’s cool, man.

Khaisean Smith-Love, inmate

Q: What was your favorite costume?

Khaisean: When I was a kid, I liked dressing up as a football player.

Q: Tell a story about a time you went trick-or-treating.

Khaisean: Shoot! One time, I went to knock on someone’s door. Two people in wolverine and vampire costumes chased me with a chainsaw. That scared the hell out of me.

Q: How do you reflect on those memories from behind bars?

Khaisean: Sad. Cause I can’t be with my kids and take them out trick-or-treating.

Kyle Tackett, inmate

Q: What kind of memories about the fall or Halloween does this time of year trigger?

Kyle: Decorating the house and going out trick-or-treating.

Q: What was your favorite costume?

Kyle: I liked dressing up as a giant pumpkin or a zombie.

Q: Tell a story about a time you went trick-or-treating.

Kyle: My mom drove me and my brother around the neighborhood trick-or-treating, and we got a bunch of candies. It was fun!

Q: How do you reflect on those memories from behind bars?

Kyle: I reflect on all of the good times we had. I miss that a lot.

Dawone Finnell, inmate

Q: What kind of memories about the fall or Halloween does this time of year trigger?

Dawone: Happy memories with my cousins.

Q: What was your favorite costume?

Dawone: I always liked to dress up as the Scream character from the Scream movies.

Q: Tell a story about a time you went trick-or-treating.

Dawone: Me and my cousin were going trick-or-treating one night. We were walking across the park at night in the dark and we both fell into a water pond.

Q: How do you reflect on those memories from behind bars?

Dawone: Damn. What can I do to be a kid again. I wish I can make different choices, so I don’t have to be in prison right now.

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Tue Kha is a writer incarcerated in California. He is working on a novel titled "Kormic."