"Do you ever find yourself talking with the dead? Since Willie's death, I catch myself every day, involuntarily talking with him, as if he were with me."
- upon the death of his son
Frank Black tries to spend Halloween with his daughter, but is continually reminded of a figure from his past.
Tropes
- Big Red Devil: Frank kept seeing visions of a Big Red Devil staring at him. The ghost of Crocell tells Frank that he's been watching him very closely as the New Millennium approaches.
- Halloween Episode: Complete with trick-or-treating, egg-throwing, a ghost story told in a dark creepy basement (Frank's old basement), and an actual ghost.
- Ironic Hell: Crocell is a chain smoker, and says that his hell is sucking on the same cigarette for eternity.
- "Leave Your Quest" Test: The ghost of Crocell tells Frank to give up and live a normal life with his family, because he will lose anyway.
- "Not So Different" Remark: The ghost of Crocell tells Frank he's become like him, but he'll get much worse.
- Numerical Theme Naming: 268
- Scary Flashlight Face: Frank does this to scare off some kids who are using the house to tell ghost stories about him.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: When he was a kid, Frank went into a house that lived a very depressed Crocell, a World War II veteran who misses his comrades, and hopes they'll turn up as ghosts on Halloween. Eventually he was Driven to Suicide.
- A Storm Is Coming/Vagueness Is Coming: The ghost of Crocell tells Frank that the Devil will win. Soon after, his computer tells him there are 790 days remaining.
- Title Drop
