A Halloween to Remember
written by: Gabriella Balcom
“Why are you wasting my time?” Dougal demanded.
“I’m not,” Aileen protested. “We just got here.”
Her stepfather narrowed his eyes. “Are you calling me a liar, brat? You better watch it.”
She’d seen that look before. “I’m sorry.” He snorted, and she added, “I’ll hurry.”
“You better. And don’t ask me to pay for anything either, because the answer’s ‘no.'”
“I won’t. I have money for what I need.”
“Prove it.”
She fished around in her small purse until she found the folded bill. After holding it up for him to see, she scanned the available selections around them.
Dougal’s eyes gleamed. Snatching the twenty-dollar bill from her hand, he chuckled. “This’ll cover beer and smokes.”
“That’s mine.”
He eyed her purse. “How much more you got in there?” Without waiting for an answer, he yanked the strap looped over her left shoulder, and it broke. He dumped the contents of her purse onto a nearby shelf and pawed through them.
Aileen’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. “Those are my things. And give my money back.”
“Yours? You probably stole it from me.”
“I’ve never stolen from you. From anyone else, either. I saved ten dollars from what Daddy sent for my birthday, and I earned the rest helping our neighbors.”
She saw him manhandle her wallet and bit her lip. But she gasped when he deliberately ripped the seams and sneered at her.
“Grammy gave me that,” she whispered. “And she’s dead now.”
“Tough.”
Her eyes stung as she thought of her grandmother, who’d been so sweet and loving. But then she saw Dougal stick her twenty in his pocket, and she wasn’t sure what to think. “Please give my money back. Halloween’s my favorite time of year, and I saved for…”
“Hah! Here’s more.” He triumphantly waved the two ten-dollar bills he’d just found in her wallet. “It’s enough for whiskey, too.”
“You can’t spend that,” she argued, reaching for the bills. “It’s my money, not yours. I earned it. The twenty is for Halloween, and those tens are for Mama’s birthday gift.”
He rapped her fingers with his car keys. She winced, jerking her hand away, and he smirked. “I’m sick and tired of your constant whining. That’s all you do. I don’t know why your stupid mother didn’t send you to live with your father years ago.”
“Mama’s not stupid. She’s real smart.” Staring at the money in his hand — her money — she wished he’d vanish. He was mean, rude, and she’d never liked him. Hearing him insult her mother bothered her a lot, too. Why Mama let him stay with them was a mystery. Aileen had never seen him do anything to help. He didn’t work. Only Mama did. He didn’t clean or cook, either. All he did was sit around, watch TV, drink, and smoke.
“Don’t argue with me.”
“Mama is smart, though.”
He glared at her. “Time to go.”
She stared at him wide-eyed. “But I haven’t picked out a costume yet. Tomorrow’s Halloween, and I need the costume for school. Everyone else had theirs weeks ago.”
“Oh, well.” He took a few steps toward the front of the store, but stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “Get a move on.”
Looking at all the Halloween stuff, especially the costumes she’d planned to choose from, she pleaded, “I need a costume. And I need my money to pay for it.”
“Shut up, whiner!” He scowled at her.
“Please, Dougal. Only the kids who dress up get to trunk-or-treat.”
“Get to what?”
“The teachers said they were worried about us trick-or-treating at night and going to strangers’ homes. They told us it wasn’t safe, so a bunch of them decided to do something for us themselves. Something at school and different. Some decorated car trunks. Every student who dresses up gets to trick-or-treat at the trunks tomorrow. That’s why they’re calling it Trunk-or-Treat.”
He spat on the floor. “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard of. You don’t need Halloween to get candy. Halloween’s not real anyway. It’s nothing but stupid people making up stupid crap — just like the Easter Bunny and Santa. They’re made up, too.” He strode away.
Aileen stared longingly at the costumes. Each looked better than the next. But she couldn’t get one unless she paid for it, and she couldn’t pay for it without… “Dougal, please! Come back and give me my money. It’s mine, not yours.”
“Miserable brat!” Fuming, he stalked toward her. “I’ve warned you about talking back.”
***
Customers stood in line at the store’s registers. Some of them heard a popping sound and what sounded like a child crying.
One woman glanced over her shoulder, met the gaze of a guy behind her who shrugged, and went back to texting on her phone. Another man ignored both of them, frowned at the cashier, and impatiently tapped his foot.
However, several people turned around to look, and saw a dark-haired man stride out of the Halloween aisles, pulling a girl behind him by her arm.
“Dougal, please let go,” she begged.
“Shut up, Aileen.” He noticed the onlookers staring at them. “What’re you looking at?” he snarled.
The girl sniffled. Her left cheek was red, and tears rolled down her face.
A blonde man stepped out of line and approached her. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“Mind your business.” Dougal glared at the newcomer, his face flushed. “Aileen is my daughter, not yours.”
“She’s just a little kid. If you hurt her, I’m making it my business.”
“We are, too.” Two dark-haired men joined the blonde.
One asked Aileen, “How old are you?”
She bit her lip and wiped her face. “Nine.”
“Did he hit you, Sweetie?” the blonde asked. “Is that why your cheek’s red?”
She hesitated, shot a quick look at Dougal, then shook her head.
Dougal dug his fingernails into Aileen’s upper arm and pulled her behind him as he walked toward the parking lot. He ignored when she lost her balance and almost fell, and didn’t release her until they were beside his car, which was parked next to one of the few trees in the lot.
“Damn busybodies,” he muttered, then glared at her. “Don’t be whining to your stupid mother either.”
She tried not to cry, and rubbed her arm.
“Get in the car,” he commanded.
Something rustled high in the nearby tree, but they didn’t notice. Yellow eyes opened amidst the leaves — two at first, then two more. They blinked, began to darken seconds later, and soon gleamed a deep red. As Dougal started the car and revved the engine a couple of times, the eyes cast a glow on the back of the vehicle. Then they vanished.
When Dougal and Aileen got home later, he carried the cigarettes, beer, and whiskey inside while she trailed after him. Her right cheek was also red now, her face streaked with fresh tears.
Outside the house, light from an electric pole shone on the car’s trunk. Ripples ran across the surface, and a face with no features appeared. A sliver of metal rose, taking the shape of a finger. It was followed by a second, then more. Soon, a complete hand had developed, along with an arm and torso. Then a complete figure stepped from the trunk’s surface. It immediately changed from the same green as the car to brown, the metal morphing into wood. The being now looked as if it were comprised of branches. Standing a little over three feet high, it glanced around with eerie red eyes.
Another creature climbed from the trunk and stood hunched over. However, it straightened up, towering over the first at seven feet tall. Eyes glowing an icy white, the being changed into a mix of several creatures. It had the head of a raven but with sharp, protruding teeth and sabertooth-tiger fangs, the body of a werewolf, and long arms reminiscent of an orangutan’s. Green liquid dripped from its mouth, sizzling and producing puffs of smoke where the drops hit the ground.
Branch Man and Raven-Werewolf glanced at one another before climbing into the tall bushes beside the house.
***
Two hours later
Carinda parked her old truck in the driveway and walked through the front door of her home. Pulling off her work shoes, she carried them to the living room, and set them on the floor by the couch. She found her daughter washing dishes in the kitchen while Dougal slurped beer at the nearby table.
“I love you, Honey.” She kissed Aileen’s cheek. “I thought about you all day long. I’ve been wondering which costume you’d choose.”
“Mama, I love you, too,” Aileen murmured.
Noting her downcast expression and reddened eyes, clear signs she’d been crying, Carinda asked, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
She flinched when her husband tossed an empty beer can onto the floor where seven more already lay. Remembering something, she frowned. “I thought you were out of beer, Dougal.”
“Yeah,” he barked. “Because you wouldn’t give me any money.”
“So how’d you get more?” His constant drinking saddened and infuriated her. Every time he promised to job-hunt, she’d return from work to find him drunk as a skunk. And she was sure he hadn’t applied anywhere. Despite his repeated promises, she couldn’t remember the last time he’d even tried to find employment. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d kept his word or helped with anything, for that matter.
“I bought it.” Dougal sneered, hiccupping.
“With what money?”
He didn’t reply. She inhaled sharply as a possibility occurred to her. Surely not… Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Aileen, did you get a costume?”
The nine-year-old glanced at Dougal before shaking her head.
“Why not?” Carinda kept her tone gentle, but her daughter didn’t answer. “What do you know about this, Dougal?” He shrugged. Pent-up frustration boiled over, and she accused, “You took Aileen’s money, didn’t you?”
“Miserable brat!” he yelled at the girl, shoving himself up from the table and swaying on his feet. “What’d I tell you about tattling?”
“She didn’t say anything,” Carinda shot back. “I guessed.” Disgust filled her, and she shook her head in disbelief. “How could you steal money from a child? A child?”
“Quit your whining. The brat gets it from you.”
“Oh, Honey,” Carinda hugged her daughter. “I’m so sorry. I’d go buy a costume right now, but I used my last money on gasoline.”
“It’s okay, Mama.”
“Did you eat supper?”
After Aileen nodded, Carinda told her, “Go on to bed. You’ve got to get up early for school. I’ll try to put something together as a costume for you, and we’ll buy you a real nice one next year.”
“Stop promising that kid special stuff,” Dougal griped after the girl left the kitchen. “She doesn’t need fancy things, and sure as hell doesn’t deserve them.”
“Doesn’t deserve them? You’ve got to be kidding. She does her chores regularly as clockwork, minds, and always helps. In fact, she does way more than her share. And she actually earns money, unlike you, who doesn’t bring in one darn cent.” His face darkened as she spoke.
“What did you say?” he demanded. “Get your butt over to that stove and make me some food.”
“Make it yourself.” Her shoulders drooped. “I can’t believe this, and I’m so disappointed in you.”
He staggered to the refrigerator and grabbed another cold beer before dropping back into his chair.
An hour and a half later, she studied Dougal, who’d dozed off in the front room while watching TV. She shook her head, and a wave of weariness hit her. Her back hurt. Her feet hurt. Her head hurt. But that wasn’t anything unusual for waitresses, and she wished for what might’ve been the millionth time in her life that she’d gone on to college after finishing high school. If she had, she’d probably be working a better job and earning more than a pittance. She’d be able to save money. Not only did she long to buy Aileen nice things, but she wanted to move to the state where her ex-husband lived. He didn’t have much money, but he’d offered to help her find a job and a place to stay there. If that happened, he and Aileen would be able to see each other all the time again.
Carinda knew she needed to get to bed, because she had to get up early in the morning for work, but she didn’t want her daughter more disappointed than she already was. She rummaged through her clothing, but nothing caught her eye. She looked through items she’d set aside to give to a local thrift store. “Here we go,” she said, holding up a checkered shirt and old, torn coveralls. They were too small for her since she’d gained weight, but they’d be perfect as baggy, clown attire for Aileen. Carinda’s rubber galoshes could be part of the costume, also.
She went to the attic and looked through her deceased mother’s trunks. Mama had lost her hair following chemotherapy and had begun wearing wigs. Carinda went through trunk after trunk and finally found them. One was curly blonde and didn’t smell musty like the others. Taking it to the kitchen, Carinda used food coloring to dye portions of it different colors. Afterward, she blow-dried the damp portions, and set makeup out to be used as face paint.
The following morning, she got up earlier than usual, planning to surprise Aileen with the makeshift costume. However, the items she’d left on the kitchen table weren’t there. Neither was the makeup. “Where are the things I left here?” she asked Dougal, who sat at the table drinking.
He grunted and passed gas.
“I put a shirt and coveralls right here,” she persisted, fanning the air in front of her face. “A wig and makeup, too.”
“Give it a rest.” He gulped down beer.
“But they’re for Aileen.”
“The brat don’t need nothing special.”
“Special? That was old clothing I was giving away, and even though I was exhausted from work, I stayed up and spent a long time getting it ready for…”
“Shut your pie-hole or I will!” he growled, interrupting her. “I don’t wanna hear any more of your stupid yapping.”
***
Aileen stepped off the school bus and walked home. She sat on the porch swing and fished around in her backpack until she found what she wanted, a mini chocolate bar. After she ate it, she reached for another. Her school day had turned out pretty good. She’d been very disappointed to discover Mama hadn’t been able to come up with a costume for her, but at least she hadn’t been the only person without one. Her classmate Jerry hadn’t worn one, either.
“Don’t worry,” their teacher, Miss Millsworth, had told them. She’d searched in her supply closet, found a large sheet, and cut it in half. Using markers and paint, she’d drawn spooky faces on the pieces before cutting out eye-holes. She, Jerry, and Aileen had drawn pumpkins, cats, witches, and broomsticks all over the material. Their costumes had turned out great, and Aileen and Jerry had gotten to trunk-or-treat with everyone else. Miss Millsworth had even given them extra goodies.
Munching a sugar cookie now, Aileen smiled to herself. She had her costume with her, and looked forward to Mama taking her trick-or-treating tonight.
“What’s wrong with you?” Carinda demanded of Dougal later. “I go to work almost every single day, while you do absolutely nothing. The only money coming in is from my job. It pays for the roof over your head and the food in your belly, but you’re unwilling to do the smallest, easiest thing for me?”
“How many times do I have to tell you?” he retorted. “That brat doesn’t need to be spoiled.”
“A little trick-or-treating isn’t spoiling a child, and there’s nothing wrong with a kid having fun. In fact, it’s only fair you take Aileen since the beer you’re drinking and the cigarettes you’re puffing were paid for with money you stole from her.”
“What’ve I told you, woman? I’m not gonna put up with no lip.”
“Fine then.” Carinda’s eyes flashed. “I’ll ask the neighbors if she can go with them this year.”
“No, you won’t.” This time, he spoke in quiet, deliberate tones which were much scarier than his louder ones. “She’s staying in this house, or you’re both going to regret it.”
***
Aileen, who’d been listening out in the hallway, trudged to her room. She curled up into a ball on her bed and cried.
Mama walked in a few minutes afterward. “I see you heard what he said. I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. This is my fault. If I hadn’t gotten with a loser in the first place, none of this would be happening.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Mama, don’t cry.” Aileen threw her arms around her mother’s neck. “It’ll be okay.”
Carinda hugged her, and wiped both their faces. “Yes, it will. And I know I’ve said it before, but I really will make this up to you. Right now, though, I’ve got to leave for work.”
“Why? You’re supposed to be off.”
“Sally called in sick, and I was told I had to come in. I need this job, so I couldn’t just tell my boss ‘no.'”
Aileen heard the truck leave within minutes. A little later, Dougal peeked into her room. She lay on her stomach and pretended not to notice him. But she peeked through her eyelashes and saw him sneer before walking away.
***
The neighborhood was illuminated by a sliver of moon and street lights. However, everything darkened when the lights flickered a couple of times before going out.
Outside Aileen’s home, the bushes quivered, and Raven-Werewolf emerged, followed by BranchMan. They gazed at the houses next door and ones across the street, and their lights winked out.
A cat padded into the front yard. Upon seeing the two creatures, her eyes widened. She rapidly turned tail to leave, but toppled over when Raven-Werewolf snarled. She rose only seconds later, moving jerkily as if she were a marionette in the hands of an unskilled puppeteer. Her fur fell off in clumps. Portions of skin peeled away, the underlying flesh dissolving from her bones. Her eyes within their hollowed-out sockets vanished, leaving eerie black holes with flickering pinpricks of green, and her mouth twisted into a cruel grin, revealing jagged teeth below her scar of a nose. “Mmrrrooow?”
“Caw,” Raven-Werewolf uttered.
BranchMan pursed his lips and blew toward the ground. Ground beetles, grubs, centipedes, and ants poured from the soil. They grew to several times their original size, and their bodies exuded yellow slime.
Raising a twig finger, BranchMan pointed toward the bushes. Insects and caterpillars crawled out. Some crickets transformed, their lower bodies changing into those of slugs. They partially-hopped, partially drug themselves toward the front steps.
All of the changed creatures turned their heads toward the watching Raven-Werewolf and BranchMan, their eyes glowing red, before making their way up the stairs.
A robin soared by overhead, but stopped in mid-air when Raven-Werewolf glanced up. The bird flew down, landing on the ground. Its head grew larger, a large hook nose extending from its face, while its torso elongated into that of an alligator.
The beings outside the home all shimmered, turning translucent before they went straight through the solid-wood front door.
***
Dougal sat in the front room watching TV while chewing popcorn and drinking beer.
A tapping sound came from the front door. He opened it, found no one outside, scratched his head, and returned to the couch. Faint knocks rang out. This time, they sounded as if they were directly underneath him, and he frowned, jumping up. He got on his hands and knees to look under the sofa. Nothing was there.
“Miserable nuisances,” he muttered, reasoning a neighbor’s pet had gotten loose and under the house. Once more, he turned his attention to the show he was watching.
An icy blast of air hit his neck, and he exclaimed, “Gaaa!” He hurried to shut the living room window behind him, wondering who’d left it open. A vague question formed in his mind about the temperature, too. Why was the air cold when outside temperatures had been in the 80s? The TV captured his attention again, though, and he shrugged.
A few minutes later, he heard scratching. It seemed to come from right beside him, and he cocked his head to the side, staring at the couch with raised eyebrows. A clicking sound came from in front of him. Nothing was there, however, and he scratched his head. Faint whistles rang out, along with what sounded like something being dragged across a floor. He turned off the TV, listened, but heard nothing now. “Hmm.”
Dougal checked under the couch again, looked around the living room, then walked through the entire house. Nothing was amiss, from what he could tell.
Getting comfortable on the sofa once more, he raised his beer can to his lips. But laughter rang out above him, and he slowly tilted his head back. The roof was there, but nothing else, and he chuckled nervously. “Don’t be a wuss,” he muttered. “You’re just jumpy because it’s Halloween.”
“Chicken,” a voice whispered in his ear.
A strangled yell escaped his lips, and he leapt up. No one was behind him. Biting his lip, he stared at the can in his hand, and went to pour the remaining beer down the kitchen drain. No doubt he’d imagined stuff because he’d drunk too much. He grinned, but his humor faded when he heard the clicking sound again.
He knew nothing was nearby, but glanced over his shoulder anyway, and shrieked.
A bird with a large nose and an alligator body stood several feet away, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him.
Unable to believe what he was seeing, Dougal rubbed his eyes, but the thing didn’t vanish. Instead, its lips curved upward in a parody of a human smile before it ran toward him. He uttered a high-pitched squeal and fled, almost tripping over his feet. But he managed to get outside safely.
Fifteen minutes later, Dougal scowled at his neighbor Mitch’s back as the other man walked away. He’d searched the house from top to bottom with Dougal at his heels, while Aileen stood outside. They’d found nothing, and Mitch had laughed his head off at Dougal’s description of what he’d seen.
He didn’t appreciate being the butt of laughter and jokes, but he clamped his mouth shut. What he’d seen looked real. Too real to shrug off. But he had been drinking all day, so he was forced to agree he could’ve imagined things…
Once Aileen went back to her room, he opened another beer. He was just raising the can to his lips when he saw the yellow eyes staring at him from its side, and he dropped it.
He gingerly nudged the can with his toe, but it looked normal. He picked it up and examined it, but didn’t see anything unusual. “Man, oh, man,” he muttered.
The eye business had almost made him pee on himself, so he went to take care of business. Afterward, he was about to leave the bathroom when he heard something below him.
“What the…?” Beetles skittered around the tile and over his bare feet. But they were larger than normal. His breath caught in his throat when their heads all swung in his direction at the same time. They had eerie, humanlike faces and glowing eyes.
He jumped over a group of them. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a hideous creature climb out of the toilet. Immediately, he slammed the bathroom door shut and bellowed for help, hoping the things couldn’t get out and follow him.
Dougal ran to the living room to retrieve his cell phone. Yellowish-green slime oozed from the front, separating and transforming into dozens of tiny worms. Their heads swayed this way and that before turning in unison toward him. Once again, he saw distinct faces giving him sinister smiles.
He dropped the cell, yelled for help again, and wondered why Aileen hadn’t come out of her room. Why Mitch hadn’t come back, either. He hurried to the landline, but a skeletal cat with glittering-green eyes dropped down from the ceiling in front of him. It hissed, then picked up the receiver with one paw. Holding it out to him, the cat cackled like a gleeful witch.
Dougal darted toward the front door, but found his way blocked. Something looking like the cross between a bird and a werewolf stood there. It snarled at him and he got a much better look than he wanted at its sharp teeth and tusks. Tall and furry, the creature had overly long arms and fingers tipped with long claws.
As he backed away, Dougal’s eyes bugged out, and he panted. Cool air blew on the back of his neck, and he turned to find the refrigerator behind him rather than in the kitchen where it belonged. A demonic face grinned at him from the freezer door. A hand extended from the fridge, the fingers wiggling playfully before turning into snakes.
“Mitch!” he screamed. “Aileen!” They probably couldn’t help him, but maybe their presence would distract the monsters long enough for him to escape.
He looked one way, then another, uncertain what to do as even more creatures approached. Some had gaping mouths and hollow-eyed stares. Others snarled, their mouths dripping saliva that burned holes in the floor.
“Help!” Thinking of possible weapons, Dougal ran into the kitchen. He fumbled with the silverware drawer, arming himself with the largest knife and a meat cleaver. When he held them up, though, eyes appeared in the blades. They bent backward toward his hand, sprouted mouths, and nipped him, drawing blood. He yelped and threw them across the room.
Tools would work, too. But he looked around and gasped. The toaster, coffee maker, and can opener had come to life. Hands and feet protruded from them, and they now had eyes and mouths full of pointy teeth.
Oversized bugs swarmed into the room, along with centipedes, worms, ants, and other monsters. Their eyes glowed as they advanced. Some licked their lips. Behind them, larger creatures that could’ve stepped from horror movies slunk forward. The skeletal cat padded in. Its mouth opened in a wide yawn, revealing bloody incisors.
Dougal’s heart pounded like crazy, and he couldn’t think.
“Doooogal,” the thing that looked part-bird, part-werewolf whispered. Something that looked like bundled sticks walked in, and said the man’s name, too.
“Get away from me,” he demanded, backing away until he bumped into a wall. There was no way out.
The skeletal cat shot toward him, biting his leg.
“No!” he screamed. Then he realized he hadn’t felt any pain. Glancing down, he gasped, and a new horror filled him. A chunk was missing from the side of his leg.
Another creature landed on his shoulder and took a bite.
He knocked it down, frantically staring around for a way to escape. Anyway.
But his unwelcome attackers swarmed him. He punched, kicked, stomped, and flailed around, but no matter how much he tried to fight them off, they kept coming. One after another and in groups, they bit off more and more of his body until nothing was left except clothing fragments.
***
Aileen lay on her stomach reading. She looked up when she heard a faint sound outside her door. Setting her book down, she went to look in the hallway. Nothing was there. And, nothing was in the bathroom or in Mama and Dougal’s room.
Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten supper, so she went and got a banana from the fridge.
It dawned on her she hadn’t seen Dougal. Walking around the house once more, she still didn’t find him. “Dougal, where are you?” she called out. He didn’t answer. She went outside but didn’t see or hear him there either.
She saw children going down the road, all dressed up for trick-or-treating, and tears filled her eyes.
A faint rustling came from behind her, and she turned to see a child dressed as a skeletal cat standing there. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “I love your costume. You really look like a cat.”
“Are you ready to have some fun?” a kid dressed like a bunch of branches asked.
“Your costume’s wonderful, too,” she told him.
“Here’s one for you.” The tree-child extended his hand, which looked like a small branch. “You’ll like it.”
Aileen accepted the gift, and gasped when she saw it was a fantastic monster costume. “I love it! It’s amazing!”
“Well, put it on,” the cat urged her.
She ran back inside, changed, and studied herself in the bathroom mirror. A scary creature with a crocodile’s body, a bird’s head, red eyes, and long, sharp teeth stared back at her. The costume even felt real, all damp and clammy. “This is the best costume ever,” she told the tree-child when she saw he’d followed her inside.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yeah. I can’t wait.” She followed him outside, but remembered Dougal, and her shoulders drooped. “I almost forgot. My step-father told me not to leave the house.”
“He doesn’t mind.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “How do you know? Do you know him? Did you see him? Where is he?”
“We all saw him,” the tree-child replied. He grinned and looked behind them. “Didn’t we?”
That’s when Aileen saw the other children. She looked from one costume to another — snakes, beetles, centipedes, birds, and many more — and giggled. “Are you from my school?”
“We’re from your neighborhood,” a tall child said. His voice was deep, and he was dressed like a werewolf with a bird’s head.
“Come on,” the tree-child said. “Don’t you like trick-or-treating? Don’t you like candy?”
“I love candy and trick-or-treating,” she replied. “I just don’t want to get in trouble.”
“You won’t. Dougal won’t get angry this time.”
“Are you sure?” Aileen bit her lip, looking at her new friend with worried eyes.
“I’m sure,” came the confident answer. “He doesn’t care.”
She bounced on her feet, so excited she could barely stand it. Walking down the sidewalk with the others, she glanced around and was amazed at how many there were. She hadn’t realized that many kids lived around her.
“Are you ready to have fun?” the tree-child asked.
Aileen imagined knocking on doors, people admiring her costume, and giving her yummy treats, and burst into giggles. “I can’t wait.”
The End
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