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? 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOrmiSTaum
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c6uTh0gIm
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrH2dqj448c
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwg6Q2SONF
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf1xUdINMr
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrCJ0tTg3t
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2p5HhFOHjg
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxwCGOxELp
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzPrDLGizI
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwPlG4rnEX
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnmhga4gyg
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMBP9R30In
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsV1Jn7QVEm
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5SkLhop0J
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60Bgd5u1Qd
“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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOQekeP5a5
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgx4IdElVo
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNa5HYuTl1
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.”836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyZKzICvMe
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K4jzePsdz
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg82PQmEMh9
None of the children moved. None of them said a word. They just stood there watching and waiting for their candy. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4L6iLnJI9
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVca7oRqvFq
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡce8MC5WVGo
“I mean it,” Smitty barked, “Get now! Your parents will be worried sick about you!”836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1wljyXjEy
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcnV8A6t5o
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQdrfPId2x
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!”836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7qvTQkqUO
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLodJ42QzKa
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Jysmi2Xxc
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOJelw0v9w
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8oTHJvbBS
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9m5D1hQPR
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSM0Pd1wLxu
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQo0PzZhiD
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmu5FMrNYR
“You aren't getting any candy!” he yelled at them. “Now get home before I tan your hides!”836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPrA3ijx4j
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTerTxjgncW
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiifPXDlZF
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlp7QNJ9a2
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO9OceYNqS
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpMzXnEFBU
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mjM1Ab58m
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfAsj5sHJz
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiukncrZrp
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZTeaFsGL8
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDQdT8BD5O
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2dbPMmQ7R
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPvxsE4l11
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWobZz3pPWF
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDFGzbopjG
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ628PEs3d39
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr85H2f8sLD
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYMGhabLd0
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlz3cU1tWG
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaXK4svVi4
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYHrhoOOWZ
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgXTG3gUSc
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTO0cMm1Htd
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeWsUqeI9w
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. 836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJ0BrOdlWe
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXCI6twpFz
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivKPxPiWvW
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jt9VyYION
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nJZjJtRa4
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPpjJD4AnE
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyf2d4j4IH8
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfUcpsCVJ2
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocBl8m5TWY
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYwTcKSgJH
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFHfeCERvB
836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLLyoIY6qI
