The old man grumbled to himself as he crawled out of bed and headed towards the door. What kind of person would be knocking on his door at this time of night? 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBr4o64P0Z
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPw2XXE9dQb
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5H932QETuB
When Smitty got to the door he opened it swiftly to express his anger. “Who the hell is…” his voice trailed off when he saw the three children standing on his porch. They were dressed in full costume for trick-or-treating.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrtOpTn3Ek
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtCILp35m3
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZmRtFOnri
All of their faces were covered. The tallest one, who stood in the middle, was dressed as a witch with a tall, pointy hat. She wore a pink dress with black trim on it. Her green witch mask, was simple, yet eerie. The black eyes and long nose made Smitty feel uncomfortable. Like there was something even more horrible hiding beneath that mask. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPeTSeV18m
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbDHkvb3Pp
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPP3Ha4zFa
The shortest boy was dressed in a skeleton costume. The white Bones stood out on the black body suit he wore and his round skeleton mask covered his entire head. There was no seeing inside the eyeholes, as a black mesh covered them completely. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKhohHcHLb
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzt1LxS0S2
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNx30Tmy49
The last trick-or-treater was dressed in red. He was wearing a tall devil mask with cartoonish features. The eyes on his mask were yellow and horrible, and they never left Smitty’s own gaze. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2jvck4a5s
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr9NQqWT07
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbMfxIOmuX
“It's a little early for trick-or-treating, isn't it?” he asked the silent trio who stood on his porch. None of the children said a word. They sat in eerie silence as they held their burlap sacks out, indicating that they wanted him to put candy in them. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXB4wJ0qw8
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6o65sUooG
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7M5YHmPeV
Smitty and the children sat gazing at each other for thirty seconds or more, but to the old man it seemed like an eternity. Finally, Smitty worked up the courage to speak. “You kids need to get outta here,” he said. “It isn't time for candy gathering yet. Come see me at the Harvest Party tonight and I'll give you something special.”824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96ezlsP3qa
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Or7eOFaXL
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnhEYdSqJh
None of the children moved. None of them said a word. They just stood there watching and waiting for their candy. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyE1WekUZ6
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1I7mKRDOF
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLdeyRjm9n
“I mean it,” Smitty barked, “Get now! Your parents will be worried sick about you!”824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvGRR2aSL7
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMre5HtUh05
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA5oGGBGzJ
The trio still stood there silently. Smitty stepped back in his house and closed the door. Immediately there was another knock. “Go away!” he cried out. “It’s late and you got school tomorrow!”824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcaoEYwslr
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9Q2AcrtMc
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukWilHEKaz
There was another, more forceful knock and this time it didn't stop. The noise from the knocking seemed to get louder and louder. It amplified with each blow to the door. Smitty steeled himself once more and flung the door open.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TshLgJJvT
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5NRe5l03C
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGICEr4ubvz
There sat the silent three in the same position as when the old man has shut the door the first time. They had their bags out and were staring at him with their eerie gazes.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbElV7DJeco
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtqHebPhJm
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1wxKptMZR
“You aren't getting any candy!” he yelled at them. “Now get home before I tan your hides!”824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyQarAfwY2
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1M1v7JkMOn
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwSO6C2PE7
The children made no effort to move. The three trick-or-treaters and Smitty sat watching each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then, in unison, all three of them lowered their burlap sacks and let them hang by their legs. Smitty thought that they had finally accepted that they weren't getting any candy. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09jLHdL3hB
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkTSPPGLvE
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DjEH81wM9
From beneath the mask of the witch in the middle, Smitty heard her say one word. “Firebug,” she said. Then she repeated it again and again and again. The devil and the skeleton joined in with her chant. “Firebug! Firebug! Firebug! Firebug!” they repeated over and over. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtj5ObxxLv
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBASCcvdCed
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡun6fq0dfsr
Smitty’s eyes widened. Firebug? What did they know? Had they seen him light a fire? He had been so careful. The chant continued and Smitty slammed the door shut and bolted it.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGkkYddepM
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpJK295Wma
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnIrHPwFvg
He grabbed his cell phone to call the police, but stopped. If those kids were calling him a firebug they obviously knew something about what he had been doing. What if they told the cops what they knew? Then he wouldn't be able to finish his life’s work. If the police detained him he wouldn't be able to light that gym on fire. He had to find out what they knew. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblTeQBtCnN
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIqx4xLVBH
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3QmqeCQv5
The firebug chant grew louder and louder just as the knocking had done. They were right outside his door screaming it from the tops of their lungs. If he didn't quiet them down the neighbors would wake up any minute. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChcMoLCad8
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cjs8lcvMc
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZMOEroDL7
He swung the door open again to confront the children, but when he did nothing was there. The chant had stopped and the eerie silence consumed everything once again. The children were gone.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7WHYwoolB
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJaDGQAGj7
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3unMrWNfK
But the chanting had been coming from the porch right up until he opened it. It was impossible for them not to be there. There was no way they could have scattered that quickly without him seeing them. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeBczScEqf
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPFry0fwIT
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08pu1QNsI3
Smitty shut the door. As soon as he did there was a tap on his living room window. And then one came from the window in the kitchen. He shuffled as quickly as he could to the window, but there was nothing there when he arrived. 824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4pVR8QSmM
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTvMIocISe
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBa2Xv4S6or
Knowing that he had to do something drastic to scare them off, he went to his closet and pulled out his shotgun. He grabbed the box of shells sitting next to it and loaded them in one-by-one. Then he went and stood in front of the living room window that the rapping was coming from and brandished the weapon. He hoped that the kids would see it and get frightened, but he had no such luck.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZAHZDCJqq
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQxAfyH1dL
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jSh02rqQF
An involuntary jump shook through the old man when he heard the noise from the bathroom. The toilet had flushed. There was someone in the house. Somehow they had gotten in. It was time for him to take serious action.824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbu9YLRRb0
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrMQCkebHd
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzB1iVymnR
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4M3LxVwTE
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zWZtWIkPm
824Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0ZzcslguO
