10. Treats with Tricks

Chapter 10

Treats with Tricks

“ D o you think we’ll get many trick-or-treaters?” Elizabeth asked. Her feet shuffled out the front door and onto the front porch. The light next to the door was the only light in the growing darkness. Her body was frail and weak, but she still wore a brave smile. A red scarf wrapped around her head hid her missing hair.

“Watch your step.” Hugo clutched her arm below her shoulder. His grip steadied her as they moved toward a waiting chair.

She braced herself on the arm before easing into the chair.

“Do you want a blanket?”

“Then they wouldn’t see my costume. Isn’t it great?” Elizabeth pointed to her dress. She wore a full length, crushed red velvet gown marked with a spiderweb lace running down to the bottom of the skirt. A black petticoat overlaid the red gown. The puffy shoulders hid her frail, bony shoulders. She wore a black choker with an attached collar that framed her face in matching red.

“Do you want the teeth?” Hugo asked.

“Yes.”

Hugo handed her a pair of plastic vampire teeth. She slowly put them in, trying to not cause a coughing fit. She smiled, exposing her new vampire fangs.

“Don’t move,” Hugo said with a morose smile, knowing this would be the last time she would greet trick-or-treaters. “I want to remember this moment forever, my vampire queen.”

Hugo stood on his porch in his black pants and shoes. He wore the same white button up shirt from his last Halloween costume. The billowy sleeves ended in French cuffs. Over the shirt, he wore a double breasted, bloodred velvet vest. A black satin cape was draped over his shoulders. The interior lining matched his vest. He held his plastic vampire teeth in his hands before putting them back into his pants pocket.

He gazed at the empty porch chair which, only a year prior, held his wife safe and sound. He clutched a bucket of candy in his left hand. His right drifted toward his wedding ring. His fingers almost clamped down when a voice broke the silence.

“I dated a vampire once.”

He spun around to see Alice half sitting on her porch rail.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, unsure if it was actually true. He moved toward his rail to be as close as possible to her.

“It didn’t work out between us. He sucked,” Alice finished. Her head tilted toward Hugo with a knowing smirk on her face.

“Woooooow,” Hugo drew out the word, trying not to laugh. “That was suckingly bad.”

“I thought you’d like it.” She winked at him.

She wore a traditional, plain black witch’s costume with a V-neck cut that exposed the top of her chest. The dress was snug to her body, accentuating her curves before turning into a skirt above her hips and ending at her knees. There was a tattered hem on her sleeves and skirt. She wore the stereotypical witch’s hat; the tip pointed high into the sky. A contrast to her normally curved headwear.

“You know, on Halloween, it’s customary to dress up in a costume. You’re not supposed to wear your everyday clothes,” Hugo playfully teased.

She gave a pouty look, hopping off the rail. “You don’t like my costume?” She twirled around, spinning the skirt in the air.

He wanted to respond with yet another teasing comment, but held himself back. He focused only on her as she twirled around. The skirt hung in the air. Time slowed. He couldn’t pull himself away. Their eyes locked once again as she came to a stop. He wanted her to continue.

“It’s very bewitching,” Hugo replied.

Alice grabbed the skirt with both hands, curtsied, and smiled.

“Trick or treat,” a child’s voice interrupted.

A young beggar stood on his porch steps wearing a plastic Frankenstein mask. Hugo pulled out a bite sized chocolate bar from his supply.

“There you go.” Hugo dropped it into the child’s waiting candy bucket.

The young Frankenstein bounded down the stairs, crossing across the yard, then raced up Alice’s porch steps. Jack-o’-lanterns on either side guarded each step. The candles inside flickered to combat the growing darkness of the night sky.

“Trick or treat,” he offered to Alice.

She squatted down to meet him face-to-face. “My, what a scary Frankenstein’s monster. Did he only give you one piece of candy?”

He nodded.

“Well, at this house, I give out two pieces.” She took two pieces of candy from her black plastic cauldron set on the porch and dropped them into his waiting bucket. “Now go forth and cause mischief and mayhem. Fly, my monster, fly.” She smiled as the child ran down her porch steps onto his next destination.

“It’s not a competition, you know,” Hugo said .

Alice rose with a knowing grin on her face. “I know.”

“So, I have to ask, why do you like Halloween so much? I mean, it can’t only be the whole witch thing, right?”

“No, it’s not just about the witch thing.” Alice paused, trying to find the words. “Halloween, or Samhain as it’s traditionally called, is about remembrance. A day of reflection on those we’ve lost. It’s said that on this night, the veil is thin, and the spirits of our ancestors walk among us once more. I guess that’s why I like it so much. I want to believe it’s true.”

“If only…” Hugo’s words trailed off. He glanced back at the empty chair.

More kids descended on their porches. Hugo and Alice handed out candy as fast as the kids appeared from out of the darkness. Their supplies grew low.

“Why the vampire costume?” Alice asked.

“It was from last year. We usually do… did a couple’s costume. She wanted to be a vampire king and queen. I didn’t get a new one this year,” Hugo said, his voice lowered. “I didn’t want to let her down.”

“It suits you,” Alice said. Hugo gave her an inquisitive glance. “I’m a huge fang of the look.”

“Okay, how many of those puns do you have?”

“Enough to get me to dawn, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Could have been better,” Hugo said as he handed out more candy. He thought of a response. “What sound does a witch’s car make?”

“What?” Alice asked, excited at continuing their little game.

“Broom. Broom. Broom,” Hugo answered.

She hid her mouth behind her hand, trying to hold in her laughter. Her eyes focused on Hugo and his impish grin.

The night wore on. Visitors continued to beg the question, “Trick or treat?” Hugo and Alice handed out their pieces of question, wanting to avoid any sorts of tricks that evening. They asked Hugo the question once more .

“Here you go.” He grabbed for a piece of candy, but only felt the smooth plastic bottom. He peeked inside and found nothing. “I’m sorry. Looks like I’m out.”

The kids hung their heads low in disappointment. Alice noticed their sad faces.

“Are you sure?” one of them asked.

Alice raised her right hand above her waist. She gave a quick snap of her fingers. She lowered her hand so no one could accuse her of what had transpired.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Hugo said. “Fresh out.”

He turned the bucket over. Handfuls of candy fell onto the porch. The kids gleefully picked up what they could. Hugo peeked back into the bucket, dumbfounded at what happened.

“Maybe you should look harder,” Alice said.

“This was empty,” Hugo exclaimed.

“Doesn’t look like it to me,” she replied with a wink.

The kids gathered their candy and left his porch.

“Well, I’m all tapped out,” Hugo said.

She investigated her bucket. “Yeah, me too. It was a good night.”

“It was a great night.”

His eyes locked onto Alice. He gave a thought to invite himself over. As the trick-or-treaters’ night ended, he wanted their night to continue, but an unseen force kept pulling him inside. He tried to speak, but the words failed in that moment. Would she accept? Would she even want me to come over? These questions raced through his mind. He needed to ask, but in that moment, he couldn’t.

Hugo grabbed the front door. “Well, have a good evening.” He opened it.

“Hugo,” Alice shouted.

He stopped and fixated on her. She shifted uneasily as she gave a few taps to the bottom of her plastic cauldron. She pouted her lips. He felt like she wanted to tell him something, or ask him something, but she was holding back.

“You too. ”

“Enjoy Samhain,” he said and disappeared inside.

Hugo stood in the entryway and closed the door behind him. He placed the bucket on the entryway table. It knocked over a pile of mail to the floor. Max came running down the stairs to greet him. Her tail wagged, beating against the wall in excitement.

“Come on, Max,” Hugo commanded. “Let’s go outside.” He strode through the house to the kitchen.

Max went bounding down the back stairs, surveying her little kingdom to find the perfect spot. Hugo stood on the porch, looking over at Alice’s house. The purple house. He thought of her purple hair. The way the black witch’s costume hugged the curves of her body and how the skirt floated in the air. Her playful jokes. Alice sitting on the railing. Her emerald green eyes. All these emotions flooded him. He cupped his hands around his mouth, fingers up like he was praying, his thumbs pressed against his lower jaw.

Do it . Have some guts and do it . His eyes followed Max as she continued her adventures around the yard. She investigated smells all over—the shed, the unkept bushes, the hibernating grass. She circled and circled to find the best spot.

He turned toward the purple house. His eyes focused on the large bay window. What do you have to lose? Go have some fun .

“Come on, Max,” Hugo yelled. “Let’s go get a treat.”

Max ran into the house. Hugo shut the door and locked it. He opened the refrigerator and surveyed the chilled wine bottles. He grabbed the closest one, but released it after spotting another bottle. The black and gray checkerboard label with the playing card, four card suits, and the crown. He pulled out the mysterious new brand and shut the door.

He hurried back down the hallway and placed the bottle on the entryway table. He ran up the stairs. His foot caught the edge of the step. He extended out his arm to brace himself before launching back up the stairs. He was on a mission, and nothing would stop him.

Moments later, he bounded down the stairs, no longer dressed as a vampire, with the same enthusiasm as Max had earlier. He wore dark jeans and a black, long sleeve Henley shirt. Sitting at the base of the steps, he put on his black shoes. He opened the closet door and removed his black leather jacket. Max came running at the prospect of going on another walk.

“No walk tonight,” Hugo said as he stood. He removed his black leather jacket from the closet and slipped it on.

Her tail still wagged.

“Computer, lights off.”

The lights in the house turned off as an electronic beep confirmed the command.

Hugo snatched the neck of the bottle between his middle and ring fingers and yanked it off the table to pass it to his other hand. He opened the front door. He glanced back at Max, who had a gleeful smile on her face. Her tail wagged. She still loved the prospect that they were leaving for a walk.

“Don’t wait up, buddy,” Hugo said.

Max’s tail stopped wagging, and she sat down as he exited and shut the door behind him.