John sat on his porch, a pumpkin shaped bucket filled with candy sitting in his lap. He had a few halloween decorations in his yard.

He had a smile plastered on his face as he dropped a few pieces of candy into a childs halloween bucket, then his eyes fell onto you as you stepped up. You were an older teenager— he had thought most teenagers would be at parties today. You had a nervous smile on your face, like you were afraid, anxious maybe. Your hands were gripping the strap of your bucket far too tight, your nails digging into your palms as you held the bucket out with a hesitant “trick or treat”. The way you said it was unsure.

“Happy Halloween,” he greeted nonetheless, hand in the bowl to grab some candy for you. “You’re a little old for trick or treating, ain’t you?” he asked with a small snicker, but he still dropped the same amount of candy in your bucket as he did for the other kids.