Trick or Treated
By D. H. Lewis
Grace never liked Halloween, not since the dark thing knocked on her door five years ago. Most people only worried about their house being egged or TP'ed, but Grace had more to worry about than a prankster’s mess.
Her father's laugh echoed throughout the house. Her daughter Shelley giggled. The man possessed an impressive repertoire of jokes, both good and bad. Shelley had dressed as a clown this year. Last year it was a princess. Shelley liked the dress-up, but not Halloween itself. Grace was saddened about that, Halloween should be a fun time for children, but she understood Shelley's distaste; her daughter had also seen the dark thing.
The doorbell rang. She grabbed the candy bowl before opening the …show more content…
Four minutes till eight. The candy bowl was almost empty. She thought of herself as the bowl; something with little left to give. Grace recalled the first time the dark thing knocked on the door, having just purchased the house from an eccentric old man who told her "you get the house 'as is,' you understand? It's at an incredible price, yes? You just have to be able to pay for it." The house had more than enough room for a small family, and the price was amazing low. She jokingly asked if the place had been built over an ancient Indian burial ground. A snarling laugh was his reply. "No, not Indian. Not a burial ground." Grace had thought the old man crazy, but the first Halloween explained what he had meant.
Shelley was named after the author of Frankenstein and in honor of her late father, who had been a writer of tales macabre. During their first Halloween in the new house, Grace had dressed up as the Bride of Frankenstein to greet the doorbell ringers. She was amazed that a lot of the kids recognized who she was suppose to be. At fifteen minutes after eight, she turned off the porch light. At nine came the …show more content…
The hairy arms reached the floor, the huge hands bent against the porch boards which caused the fingers to curl up like thick dead spider legs. Tiny red eyes glowed like embers in the center of the shadowed head. Grace only saw the outline of the dark thing, it was a troll out of a children's fable; the essence of darkness, the sum of all fears.
"Trick ... or treat?" The thing rumbled.
Grace had stuttered, confused, scared. "W-what?"
The dark thing emitted a low growl. "Trick." It then pointed at the infant Shelley, silently sleeping in a small crib in the living room. "Or treat."
Grace understood what it meant. It would play a trick if not given a treat, and it would not be satisfied with candy bars. "N-no, no treats." She remembered the cold sweat forming on her forehead. "G-go away."
The dark thing left.
The next day a lawyer contacted her about a lawsuit challenging the rights to a story her husband had written. The royalties from her late husband's stories helped lessen the financial struggles. She eventually won, but the legal costs were draining.
The following year, the dark thing returned at nine o'clock. "Trick ... or
By D. H. Lewis
Grace never liked Halloween, not since the dark thing knocked on her door five years ago. Most people only worried about their house being egged or TP'ed, but Grace had more to worry about than a prankster’s mess.
Her father's laugh echoed throughout the house. Her daughter Shelley giggled. The man possessed an impressive repertoire of jokes, both good and bad. Shelley had dressed as a clown this year. Last year it was a princess. Shelley liked the dress-up, but not Halloween itself. Grace was saddened about that, Halloween should be a fun time for children, but she understood Shelley's distaste; her daughter had also seen the dark thing.
The doorbell rang. She grabbed the candy bowl before opening the …show more content…
Four minutes till eight. The candy bowl was almost empty. She thought of herself as the bowl; something with little left to give. Grace recalled the first time the dark thing knocked on the door, having just purchased the house from an eccentric old man who told her "you get the house 'as is,' you understand? It's at an incredible price, yes? You just have to be able to pay for it." The house had more than enough room for a small family, and the price was amazing low. She jokingly asked if the place had been built over an ancient Indian burial ground. A snarling laugh was his reply. "No, not Indian. Not a burial ground." Grace had thought the old man crazy, but the first Halloween explained what he had meant.
Shelley was named after the author of Frankenstein and in honor of her late father, who had been a writer of tales macabre. During their first Halloween in the new house, Grace had dressed up as the Bride of Frankenstein to greet the doorbell ringers. She was amazed that a lot of the kids recognized who she was suppose to be. At fifteen minutes after eight, she turned off the porch light. At nine came the …show more content…
The hairy arms reached the floor, the huge hands bent against the porch boards which caused the fingers to curl up like thick dead spider legs. Tiny red eyes glowed like embers in the center of the shadowed head. Grace only saw the outline of the dark thing, it was a troll out of a children's fable; the essence of darkness, the sum of all fears.
"Trick ... or treat?" The thing rumbled.
Grace had stuttered, confused, scared. "W-what?"
The dark thing emitted a low growl. "Trick." It then pointed at the infant Shelley, silently sleeping in a small crib in the living room. "Or treat."
Grace understood what it meant. It would play a trick if not given a treat, and it would not be satisfied with candy bars. "N-no, no treats." She remembered the cold sweat forming on her forehead. "G-go away."
The dark thing left.
The next day a lawyer contacted her about a lawsuit challenging the rights to a story her husband had written. The royalties from her late husband's stories helped lessen the financial struggles. She eventually won, but the legal costs were draining.
The following year, the dark thing returned at nine o'clock. "Trick ... or