Short Stories

Trick or Treat

The woman stood at the bus stop, waiting for her daughter, Charlotte. Everywhere the woman looked she could see ghosts, bats, spiders, skulls, and pumpkins.

The giant yellow bus pulled up to the bus stop. Many little children ran off in oranges and yellows and blacks. Charlotte was one of the first. She wore an orange shirt with a yellow pumpkin on it, orange leggings, and and orange tutu. The woman knew how much Charlotte loves Halloween.

Charlotte ran up to the woman.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"How was school, Charlotte?" the woman asked.

"It was awesome!" Charlotte said. "We did so many crafts and ate so much candy!"

"Well, if you had so much candy at school I guess that you won't need to go trick-or-treating and get more candy," the woman replied.

"No no no no!" Charlotte said.

The woman laughed. "I was just kidding, sweetheart."

"Good," Charlotte replied.

The mother and daughter walked back to their home. Charlotte was skipping slightly ahead of her mother.

The woman was sad. Her husband had to attend a last minute conference. This would be Charlotte's first Halloween without her father. Usually, the woman got Charlotte in her costume, and he husband would take Charlotte trick-or-treating while the woman stayed home and handed out candy. This year they would have to put a bowl of candy on their doorstep and leave a Take One sign. Charlotte didn't seem to mind because she got to create the sign.

They got home and Charlotte dropped her bag in the kitchen and sat on a bar stool. The woman went to grab Charlotte her after school snack: Halloween Oreos and milk.

"Do you have any homework?" the woman asked.

"Of course not!" Charlotte exclaimed. "What kind of monster would give homework on Halloween!?"

"Good point," the woman chuckled.

The girl quickly finished her snack and ran into the master bathroom. The woman followed her. The woman went into the closet and pulled out Charlotte's fairy costume out.

When the woman went back into the bathroom, she saw Charlotte was stripped of her clothes. The woman shook her head while chucking.

The woman helped Charlotte step into her glittery dress. It was pink with a glittery tulle. The top half had green like leaves on it.

From the neck down, Charlotte looked amazing, but she still needed her makeup done, her hair done, and she needs to put her slippers on.

The woman set about teasing the girl's hair. The woman knows that Charlotte hates having her hair teased because it hurts to comb it out, but the woman also knows that Charlotte would do anything to look perfect for Halloween. The latter always has beat the former.

The woman finished off Charlotte's hair with some glitter hair spray. Charlotte loves her glitter.

The woman started putting pink eyeshadow onto the young girl's eyelids. The woman made the eyeshadow have big dramatic wings because she next put glitter over it. A green gem was placed at the tip of each. The woman applied blush and, finally, a bright pink lipstick.

"You're all done!" the woman said.

"Wait!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Where's my wand?"

"Did you leave it in your room?" the mother asked.