Short Story Compilation

On A Strange Halloween Night...

On the chilly night of Halloween, many children in each city or town went out trick or treating. Moving from house to house, street to street, children collected up bags or pillowcases full of candy and treats. People not home left their lights off, or left a bowl of candy on their porch. For many children, Halloween is one of the best times of the year. However, for many adults, especially Albert Darwin, it's the exact opposite. Albert always hated Halloween, even as a child.

A group of thirteen-year-olds began the trip up Albert's driveway to his front door, assuming he must have candy since his porch lights were on; he also had skull stickers on his upstairs windows and jack-o-lanterns on his porch. There were also fake spider webs strung across his shutters. They rang his doorbell, waiting for a few minutes. After there wasn't an answer, the boys knocked on the door. Still no answer.

Bryce told Kayden and Charlie that they should just move on and see if he's there later. The boys wanted to collect as much candy as they possibly could, so they didn't have time to waste. Dressed as a bathtub, a toilet, and a roll of toilet paper, the three boys made many people they encountered laugh, especially since Bryce was wearing a pair of gold leggings to represent the legs of the bathtub.

Sounds of shoes hitting sidewalks, excited kids saying "trick or treat!" when someone opened the door, and scoffs of children whose parents reminded them to say thank you when someone gave them candy filled the air. The scent of hot chocolate, pumpkin spice lattes, and sweaty adolescents eating their candy as they walked could be smelled no matter where you were. Everywhere you looked there was at least one person or group dressed as something funny, or something scary. Screams of frightened toddlers who saw someone dressed as a clown or a monster were heard every so often as well.

Bryce, Kayden, and Charlie made their rounds and returned to Albert Darwin's doorstep, but this time Albert was annoyed that "those rotten teenagers" kept coming to his door, even though he doesn't have candy to give out. He groaned, opening the door, "What do you kids want?!"

"Trick or treat!" the boys cheered.

"I ain't got any candy. Go away," he scoffed.

"Albert, who's at the door?" Albert's wife, Martha, called from the living room.

Albert responded, yelling, "just some trick or treaters, dear!"

Kayden and Charlie tugged on Bryce's arms, afraid of what the old man would do if they wouldn't leave. "You don't have candy?" Bryce asked, dumbfounded.

Albert glared at the children. "I said I ain't got candy. Now get off my doorstep before I call the police."

"Okay, hold up," Bryce said. "If you don't have candy, then why were your lights on?"

"Didn't I tell you to get off my porch?"

"We're not going anywhere until you tell us why you had your lights on and decorations up," Bryce protested.

"I'm not telling you again to get off of my porch or I'll call the cops," Albert reached towards his hip, where he had a .22 pistol. Kayden and Charlie's faces went white, and they gulped.

"And I told you that we're not going anywhere until you tell us why you have your house set up like you have candy when you don't.

Albert sighed, thinking, "Alright alright. I'll tell you," before Martha got up from the couch and came to the door.

"I'm sorry kids, is my husband being rude?" Martha questioned.

"Matter of fact, he is," Bryce stated, giving Albert a side glare.

"Albert! Why are you being rude to these innocent children?" Martha scolded him.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It won't happen again," Albert sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I was just trying to have a little Halloween fun. I might as well try to enjoy the holiday."

Martha rolled her eyes and grabbed the bowl of candy she had by the front door. "Here, you boys get extra candy since my husband decided to be so rude." Martha dumped the remains of the bowl into the three boys' bags, and Kayden's eyes widened to the size of baseballs.

"Really?" he gasped, shocked.

Martha laughed. "Yes, really." This move was enough to foster a hug out of Kayden, even though he wasn't a hugger nor did he know Martha.

The boys moved on to the next house, almost getting chased and attacked by a killer clown that had been roaming the area recently. There were shrieks and screams of terrified people as the clown chased people with a chainsaw, even though the chainsaw was fake. The clown stopped chasing people and laughed. Gasps of shock filled the neighborhood as Albert Darwin's door opened and a gunshot was heard. The clown quickly fell to the ground, bleeding from between the shoulder blades. Cheers and the smell of pumpkin spice filled the air, as people had dropped their pumpkin spice lattes out of fear and shock.

Sirens were heard all around as cops and ambulances were rushing to the scene. Albert resisted arrest, saying the clown deserved what he did to him. Albert will be appearing in court in two weeks, and the clown will be arrested once the bullet is removed... that is if he survives.