Old Man Henderson

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🍬 Winner of the 🍬
🎃 Frightmare Fest 🎃
👻 flash fiction contest! 👻

Old Man Henderson never answers his door, but he decorates his lawn with the most lifelike tombstones in town, so we ring the bell every year anyway.

This year, he flings the door wide and scares the bejeebus out of all us, so sudden that Larry shrieks—one of those high-pitched squeals that we know he'll pay for later.

"Trick or treat!" we greet.

Old Man Henderson grins with metallic teeth. He's got legs shriveled into their bones and a frill on the bottom of his purple bath robes.

As he says, "Trick," he points to the camera system installed near his front door. "My Boy Larry, you're about to be Internet famous. That scream's gonna go viral. You want your face blurred, or you prefer bragging rights?"

"That's illegal!" Larry croaks.

"Yeah, well," Old Man Henderson says, "trick-or-treating in high school should be illegal. ...Here you go, young men. Have some Butterfingers."

♦️

First & second drafts: October 18
Word count: first 179 / second 191
Inspiration: Day 14 of Frightmare Fest, "Another Flash in the Dark," located here:
https://my.w.tt/nQcC0wLZ4Q

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