Samhain, renamed "All Hallows' Eve" by the Catholic Church in the 7th century, meaning "All Saints' Eve," originally comes from Celtic and pagan culture… Yes, my dear Muggles, it means something other than eating skull-shaped pizzas. It is, in fact, a period of transition, heralding the end, the death of a cycle initiated by winter, and the beginning of renewal. However, make no mistake, it is also a period known for being particularly porous. Yes, porous. Because it is a time when the boundary between the world of the dead and the living shrinks, or even, in some cases—and this is what I am going to tell you about here—becomes nonexistent… And in such cases, spirits who have not yet found peace in the light make themselves visible. Much like Jack O’ Lantern, who, failing to be admitted to heaven and hell, is forced to wander forever on earth, with a lantern carved from a pumpkin in his hand as his only companion.

Know, dear Muggles, that a young girl has a habit of standing at the end of the driveway leading to an abandoned castle, facing the road. This girl, whose name could never been revealed, always asks anyone who stops to give her a ride… And when the driver asks her where she wishes to go, she invariably replies, wearily :

“ I’ll go in your direction. That is to say, to infinity. ” All the while, she makes sure to look him straight in the eye to remind him of his crime. 

His crime ? But what crime, you might ask ? The story goes that the driver stared at her, a little bewildered, then, faced with the young woman's silence, decided it might be best to help her after all, and that he would take her on board anyway, for, let's say, a fee. The young woman fell asleep in the seat for several minutes, then several hours…

But as the hours passed, the driver began to imagine strange things. At first, it was just a thought. One of those fleeting ideas that crosses your mind, like a shiver down your spine. You glance at the passenger out of the corner of your eye, her hands folded in her lap, her breathing slow, almost childlike… She was sleeping so soundly, so vulnerable.

“She won’t realize it.”

The thought takes root. Then it grows in your mind…

You tell yourself you're just going to check something… It's harmless, that's all. It's not serious. Slipping your fingers into the slightly worn pocket of his coat, just to see…

Just a glance, you know, like lifting a corner of a curtain out of curiosity. Just in case… Just in case there are crumpled bills, a forgotten ring, a wallet ?

“Go on. It's just to see…”

Enough to make you think that this night won't have been a complete waste. Your fingers tremble, but something compels you to take the risk. And besides, deep down, it's exciting, isn't it ? Anyway, no one will know, right ? And then… And then, you go further. Always further.

“What if…”

What if she had more than money ? What if, beneath that white dress too big for her, beneath that skin as pale as wax, there was something else to take ? Something more intimate ?

Then you feel your throat tighten. And your heart pounds against your ribs. No. Of course not ! You're not that kind of person… But are you ?

After all, it's so easy… And besides, no one's ever caught you, until now. Those little lies, those betrayals, those times you turned a blind eye when you should have acted. Maybe you've even already done the unthinkable ? But no one knows. No one knows. No one ever will.

You glance in the rearview mirror. Who's watching you ? Only your own reflection stares back, a little blurry, a little alien, if you know what I mean.

"Come on. Just to see how far..." Your fingers brush against her shoulder. Her skin is icy. As if the life force in her body has dissipated. As if she were already...

But then, as you move closer to touch her, something inexplicable happens. The hitchhiker simply vanishes at your touch, dissolving into the night, returning to the other side of the mirror. Understand the spirit world.

But how could she have vanished into thin air like that, the bitch ? Disappointed, you set off again for several minutes, and then for several hours. But you always end up back at the same starting point : that castle. That cursed castle ! Exhausted from the drive and at your wit's end, kilometer after kilometer, unable to find your way, you finally reach this conclusion, this one and only possible conclusion : you've been going around in circles for a whole day now, and perhaps for eternity.

Of course, you don't quite understand what's happening to you, fuming at your dashboard, losing your temper, thinking you're having hallucinations here, or who knows what… You blame the night, the fog, fatigue… The whole world ! But that's because you don't know you're cursed. Yes, cursed. Cursed for something terrible you thought you could sweep under the rug, hide from your loved ones, from society forever, just like that, casually… Something you thought you could indefinitely evade responsibility for. But who said that justice wouldn't come for you one day, on the side of the road, opposite Saint-Blancard Castle, in the dead of night ? Huh, who ?

Perhaps on this Samhain night, when worlds brush against each other, you weren't dealing with an ordinary passenger. Perhaps it was… A border, instead ? No, she's not looking to be saved. She's bringing you back to the starting point. To YOUR starting point. To the exact spot where you thought you'd sown your responsibility, buried in the undergrowth of oblivion… But in this world, nothing is ever forgotten and every debt must be paid.