"Trick Or Treat!"

Written by Neenee Hu

"Trick or treat!"

The doorbell rings in my ear, echoing the voices. A pair of children, it seems, is at my door. They must want candy. All children do.

And when I swing open the door, bowl of treats in hand, it seems I am correct.

Here stand two little girls, wearing little headdresses strung through their ponytails. One has stitches all over her face. The other just has one scratched through the middle of her nose, from her chin to her temple.

I fish out two candy bars and offer one to each girl. The smaller of the two bounces up, snatching it from my fingers, eyes shimmery and bright. The other girl is more hesitant but takes it nonetheless, smiling bashfully as she unwraps the cellophane.

But after they unravel and devour the treats I have given them, they stay, big, dark eyes staring at me.

I wait. It's rude to close the door in their faces, but it's not fair to give them more.

"What is it?" I ask, shakily. One hand holds the candy bowl, the other balances the doorframe.

The smaller of the two clears her little throat and gives me a heartwarming smile.

"It's not just candy we want, sir!" she peeps. "Well, you see, we've been sent for a reason. And not just tasty treats!"

I blink, cocking an eyebrow. What else could these little girls possibly want?

The taller girl coughs and fishes another candy from her bubblegum pink basket. As she unwraps it, she looks up at me.

"We've been sent here for a reason, as Mori said," she murmurs. "We've been sent to take your life."

The candy bowl in my hand clatters to the porch with a sharp clank.

I slowly take one step back into my house. They watch me, eyes wide. Innocent.

"Do you mean..." I swallow. "You're here to kill me?"

The smaller girl shakes her head, arms folded now, trick-or-treating basket lying by her feet, spilling caramels and cellophane-wrapped mints on her sneakers.

"No way!" she exclaims. "We're not killers!"

I blink, confused. What?

"We're just trick-or-treaters, but we don't want candy."

I'm still dazed. "So?"

The taller one scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Your time has passed, Thomas. But because it's Halloween, Death sends us to retrieve your soul. So, trick-or-treat!" She offers me her basket, and the other offers me her hand.

I swallow, picking up a discarded peanut butter cup, and plop it into her hands. She unwraps it and pops it in her mouth, grinning, as I think.

"How about," I start. "I give you more candy than I give the other children, and you let me go?"

The littler one ponders my offer, breaking off a cookies-and-cream candy bar and nibbling away at it.

Before she can say anything, the taller one stops her, eyes narrowed.

"No. We cannot pass you by, though your offer is tempting."

I sigh. So much for that brainstorm.

“However,” she starts. “We are allowed to offer immortality, though it must be renewed every year.”

I think about that offer. To live forever, to watch the world grow. It seems easy to me.

“Are there any catches?” I ask, suspicious.

“Nope. Just a yearly renewal, and you’ll be immortal!” the smaller one chirps.

I swallow and nod. "I accept."

"Great!" the littler girl snaps her fingers and conjures up a contract, glowing orange. "Sign here, please!"

I pick up the pen shakily and slowly scribble my name at the bottom. "Thomas Goodshine" appears in shimmery, purple letters.

I pull back and fish a chocolate drop from my spilled bowl, unwrapping the foil as they survey my contract.

Finally, the taller one shakes my hand, grinning, dark eyes glistening in the light of my jack-o-lanterns.

"Pleased doing business with you, Thomas. Ta ta!"

And with that, they skip down the street, nibbling candy and giggling away.

I sigh and head back inside, picking up the spilled contents of my candy bowl and placing it on the table by my door.

The door rings again, and I head over, swinging the door open.

A little boy dressed as a pirate holds out his candy basket.

"Trick-or-treat!" he exclaims.

I drop a chocolate into his basket and smile back at him as he inspects what I have given him.

He grins, his front teeth missing, and runs off.

Hour after hour, minute after minute, the doorbell rings, or I hear a knock, and I give out more and more candies.

After the 60th child, my arms are sore, my eyes are heavy, and I feel like my ears will explode if I hear another knock.

I swallow as the doorbell rings again, and I fish a chocolate peanut butter cup from my bowl and toss it into a little princess's pillowcase.

As she walks away, I think about sleep. Peaceful, dawning sleep. But I cannot leave the little kids hanging, so I decide there must be an end to this. I will run out of candy, and the children will halt their visits.

But after another hour, I check my bowl, and it's not even half empty, still overflowing with sweets.

I groan and open the door, throwing a lollipop blindly into a girl's basket, and it somehow lands in there as she runs.

I lay my head against the wall as the door closes. This Halloween never seems to end.

I look at the clock. Still 8 p.m. Not even 10, not even an acceptable time to close up.

The doorbell rings again, and I wring my hands through my hair.

"I will not answer," I tell myself. "That way I can have a break."

But as I hear the sobbing of a disappointed little boy, I crumble, opening the door immediately and sighing as I give him a little strawberry bubblegum.

Finally, I toss my candy bowl to the ground and groan loudly.

I hear a little knock, then another.

I open the door, and there stand the two girls, dark eyes smug.

"Soo," the littler one sings. "I see you've learned your lesson?"

I swallow and nod. I do not want to live this Halloween forever. Even if I do live forever.

The tall girl offers me her hand.

And after placing a mint in her palm, and tangle my fingers through hers and walk away to the afterlife.

An afterlife with peanut butter cups, lollipops, and caramels, I hope not.