I’ve really been looking forward to Halloween. Until now.
Now, I just want all this trick-or-treat nonsense to be over. And it isn’t even the actual holiday yet.
And it’s all because of that stupid little girl…
Okay, some backstory: I’m 16, my name is Carlos and I go to school outside my town of Blackthorne, Ohio. Meaning I have to take the bus there every day. And when I got home from school, a little girl was waiting for me at the bus stop.
She had bright orangey-red hair in two pigtails, glasses with red frames, and was completely covered in freckles all over. I can still picture her clearly.
Her costume looked odd, if even it was a costume. She wore a long bluish-black dress that was glittering all over, but not the glitter type of glitter. Not like school glitter. It was as if tiny stars had been woven into the fabric.
She held an old-fashioned pumpkin bucket, and held it up to me. “Trick or treat?” she said.
I laughed. “Sorry.” I said. “It’s only the 27th. In a few days, okay?”
She pouted. “I said trick or treat. I can trick or treat whenever I want.”
“No.” I said. “Sorry. It’s only the 27th and I have no candy.”
“You’re mean.” she said.
I sighed. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“Thelma.”
“Well, Thelma, just go back to your parents and they can take you on the 31st. I gotta go.”
And I walked away, back to my house, where thankfully I was alone. Inez was out with friends, Alejandro was at daycare, and Romina was at her school’s Halloween party. The elementary school’s out of town too, so she should be out for a while.
I was chilling on the couch finally getting around to watching Hocus Pocus 2, when I heard her voice at the door.
“Trick or treat?”
I was pretty annoyed at this point. I went to open the door and found nothing.
Then I heard a series of smashing noises coming from the kitchen.
I ran inside and found every lightbulb smashed.
I screamed, and as I did I heard a giggle. And it sounded like Thelma.
I ran do every window and door checking for her, but nothing.
But I came to my room last. And found it completely ransacked. Messed up and ruined.
And there she stood, in the middle of the wreckage. “Trick or treat?” she asked.
I ran for her, but just before I reached her, she vanished. I thought I was hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes over and over, but as God is my witness, she had vanished.
I heard a small scream from downstairs and came to find Inez’s pet cat Paprika dead. Her neck fully snapped.
I was done with being nice to Thelma.
“WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE PSYCHO?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. All I recieved in response was another giggle and a “Trick or treat?”
“NO!” I screamed! “GET! OUT!”
A wall fell down, and I saw her.
I charged for her - and she vanished again.
The house went ablaze.
Like, one minute there was no sign of fire, and then BANG! A full five-alarm inferno. All at once.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!”
A snap in my arm. A shot of pain. Her giggling gleefully, as if this were the best entertainment in the world for her.
Suddenly, I had an idea. I’d seen it in that movie Trick ‘r Treat. A character got the trick-or-treating child monster to leave him alone by giving him a chocolate bar when he wanted candy.
I ran inside the burning house, scorching my hair and clothes, and got out the first piece of candy I saw - a Butterfinger.
I ran outside to the little monster and shoved it in her face, sobbing. “HERE!” I screamed/sobbed. “HERE’S YOUR TREAT!”
She stared at it for some time before taking it and vanishing again.
And suddenly, the house fire stopped. The house was completely repaired. No wall fallen down. No fire damage. My arm felt normal again. I ran inside.
The lightbulbs were repaired. Paprika meowed at me and rubbed against my legs. My room was neat again.
I sighed in relief.
And my family came home to a normal house.
But a word of advice…
If you ever see Thelma and she asks you “trick or treat?” never mind that it’s too early.
Just give her the treat.
Trust me.