Trick or Treat
by Bill Robertson
Genre: Horror/Supernatural
Swearwords: None.
Description: Real-life horror comes calling on Halloween.
_____________________________________________________________________
The first children would be arriving soon. Outside, the early evening sky was already inky black, punctuated only by the two rows of glowing streetlights lining either side of the road. The cloudless sky held a hint of the coming November frost.
I filled the first bowl with a selection of chocolates – I’d mixed in all the popular treat sized ones that everyone seems to love these days; Miniature Heroes, Celebrations as well as old favourites like Roses and Quality Street – a little something for everyone. I couldn’t wait to see the kids’ faces light up when they got the chance to dip their little hands into the bowl and scoop out a fistful.
Marshmallows and other soft sweets next – I gave them a stir around with a spoon to mix them up. A thin floury coating misted the side of the glass bowl when I was done. I had to be careful not to get any of the stuff on my dark costume. The Grim Reaper costume I’d chosen was a pretty good one. It was amazing what you could pick up at the supermarket.
I nipped through to the kitchen and brought the jugs of juice out of the fridge. There was strawberry for blood and lime for evil potion. A little cube of dry ice popped in each gave the appropriate smoky effect.
I dimmed the lights, satisfied I had everything just right. The glow from the candles and pumpkin lanterns lit the living room with their flickering flames and cast wavering shadows on the walls. I could hear the sound of children’s voices coming down the street. I peeped through the curtains and saw a witch, a zombie and what I supposed was Harry Potter coming up the driveway. I slipped on my mask and waited for the bell to ring.
‘Good evening,’ I said in my best Alfred Hitchcock presents voice.
‘Hiya, Mister – Trick or Treat,’ the kids said in unison.
‘Oh Treat, most definitely,’ I said and stepped back. ‘Come in,’ I said, laying the Hitchcock on extra thick.
The kids giggled and piled through the door.
‘Help yourselves, kids.’ I pulled the little treat bags out my pockets and gave them one each.
‘Cheers, Mister.’
‘My pleasure,’ I said. ‘I love Halloween.’
Moments later, they were off back out into the street and onto their next house. I shut the door behind me and sighed. Times had changed. When I was a kid, you had to sing or tell a joke. Nowadays kids just wanted something for nothing. I wondered how long it would take the LSD in the juice to kick in. Did any of them get the chocolates I had injected with strychnine or would they get the marshmallows with the needles to chew on once they got through the powdered glass? I would have to have a listen to the news tomorrow. By that time of course, I would be far away from here.
‘Trick or Treat,’ I said to the empty room.
Swearwords: None.
Description: Real-life horror comes calling on Halloween.
_____________________________________________________________________
The first children would be arriving soon. Outside, the early evening sky was already inky black, punctuated only by the two rows of glowing streetlights lining either side of the road. The cloudless sky held a hint of the coming November frost.
I filled the first bowl with a selection of chocolates – I’d mixed in all the popular treat sized ones that everyone seems to love these days; Miniature Heroes, Celebrations as well as old favourites like Roses and Quality Street – a little something for everyone. I couldn’t wait to see the kids’ faces light up when they got the chance to dip their little hands into the bowl and scoop out a fistful.
Marshmallows and other soft sweets next – I gave them a stir around with a spoon to mix them up. A thin floury coating misted the side of the glass bowl when I was done. I had to be careful not to get any of the stuff on my dark costume. The Grim Reaper costume I’d chosen was a pretty good one. It was amazing what you could pick up at the supermarket.
I nipped through to the kitchen and brought the jugs of juice out of the fridge. There was strawberry for blood and lime for evil potion. A little cube of dry ice popped in each gave the appropriate smoky effect.
I dimmed the lights, satisfied I had everything just right. The glow from the candles and pumpkin lanterns lit the living room with their flickering flames and cast wavering shadows on the walls. I could hear the sound of children’s voices coming down the street. I peeped through the curtains and saw a witch, a zombie and what I supposed was Harry Potter coming up the driveway. I slipped on my mask and waited for the bell to ring.
‘Good evening,’ I said in my best Alfred Hitchcock presents voice.
‘Hiya, Mister – Trick or Treat,’ the kids said in unison.
‘Oh Treat, most definitely,’ I said and stepped back. ‘Come in,’ I said, laying the Hitchcock on extra thick.
The kids giggled and piled through the door.
‘Help yourselves, kids.’ I pulled the little treat bags out my pockets and gave them one each.
‘Cheers, Mister.’
‘My pleasure,’ I said. ‘I love Halloween.’
Moments later, they were off back out into the street and onto their next house. I shut the door behind me and sighed. Times had changed. When I was a kid, you had to sing or tell a joke. Nowadays kids just wanted something for nothing. I wondered how long it would take the LSD in the juice to kick in. Did any of them get the chocolates I had injected with strychnine or would they get the marshmallows with the needles to chew on once they got through the powdered glass? I would have to have a listen to the news tomorrow. By that time of course, I would be far away from here.
‘Trick or Treat,’ I said to the empty room.
About the Author
Born in Perth and now living just outside Aberdeen, Bill Robertson has created a large body of work showcasing a tendency towards the darker side of life and stories which leave an indelible impression on the reader long after the final word is read.
An active member of Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree Writer’s Group, Bill’s work has appeared in Journeys, an anthology of work from the group, and most recently in a chapbook, Himself by the Seaside. He has performed some of his stories as part of the Word and New Words festivals and other events around the north-east. He has also self published two e-books: Reindeer Dust, a short Christmas story, and When the Revolution Comes, a collection of linked short stories concerning an uprising in a fictional eastern European country. A number of his stories have featured on the website http://www.shortbreadstories.co.uk, where he has been chosen as the featured Friday story a number of times and has won a number of competitions with his short stories and flash fiction pieces.
If you would like to hear an interview with Bill and listen to him read some of his work, please go to this link to hear Bill’s appearance on Mearns FM's Smith on Sunday show. You can also keep up to date with Bill’s work by visiting http://www.billrobertson55.wordpress.com, where he often shares work in progress as well as finished stories.
An active member of Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree Writer’s Group, Bill’s work has appeared in Journeys, an anthology of work from the group, and most recently in a chapbook, Himself by the Seaside. He has performed some of his stories as part of the Word and New Words festivals and other events around the north-east. He has also self published two e-books: Reindeer Dust, a short Christmas story, and When the Revolution Comes, a collection of linked short stories concerning an uprising in a fictional eastern European country. A number of his stories have featured on the website http://www.shortbreadstories.co.uk, where he has been chosen as the featured Friday story a number of times and has won a number of competitions with his short stories and flash fiction pieces.
If you would like to hear an interview with Bill and listen to him read some of his work, please go to this link to hear Bill’s appearance on Mearns FM's Smith on Sunday show. You can also keep up to date with Bill’s work by visiting http://www.billrobertson55.wordpress.com, where he often shares work in progress as well as finished stories.