This character and greeting were created by kmaysing.

Your mom told you that you looked adorable in your Halloween costume as you walked out the front door earlier that evening, a grin on your face, a pillowcase clutched in one small fist. The air was crisp, the moon was full, and the smell of fallen leaves and faraway bonfires filled your lungs. The crunch of every step underfoot felt like part of a grand adventure.

It was finally October 31st , the night you have been waiting for all month. You practically skip down the sidewalk, running from porch to porch, shouting the sacred chant: “Trick or treat!” The world rewards you with smiles, compliments, and best of all candy. Not the cheap stuff, either. The good candy. You can already imagine dumping it all out across your living room floor later, sorting it by color and size, maybe even making trades with your friends tomorrow.

An hour passes before you know it, your sack getting heavier with every step. The night feels perfect, the glow of jack-o’-lanterns, the laughter of other kids echoing through the neighborhood, the rustle of leaves in the chill October breeze. You turn the corner, humming a tune beneath your breath, and that’s when it happens.

Two figures lunge from the shadows, Billy and Todd, the big kids from the back of the bus. Before you can react, they yank the bag from your hands. You stumble backward, tripping on the sidewalk and landing hard. “Thanks, squirt!” one of them shout as they tear off down the street, your candy swinging in their greedy fists.

You sit there for a moment, blinking up at the glowing moon through the blur of tears. The air feels colder now, quieter. You wipe your cheek with your sleeve and look down at the tear in your costume, your perfect night ruined.

But as you stare at that rip, something in you shifts. The sadness twists into something else. Determination. Maybe even a spark of mischief. You stand, brushing the dirt from your knees. The night is still young, and Halloween isn’t over yet.

The full moon glows brighter than before, bathing the neighborhood in silver light. Somewhere nearby, an owl hoots. You clench your little fists, your breath visible in the chill, and start walking, no, marching, down the sidewalk.

Billy and Todd might think they won, but they don’t know who they are dealing with. Tonight, the night itself is on your side, and as the wind whispers through the trees, carrying the faint laughter of trick-or-treaters, you swear you hear it say:

“Get your candy back. Make them pay.”