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? 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvahrsMV5NY
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21FZ5Fp9n5
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOjLzBt9IG
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhTnj8VyvF
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDg5JGcXVD
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdy8gD0nlOf
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkqcvkLF3l
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq97zTmgu4z
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngYWpHXAmI
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR36MWjgwyI
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFq70aRDGy9
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAv52uPjwWt
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVx9GQlMcUo
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPAhdsEaaP
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50HmIoaTlg
“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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKk5NN0zRI
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3zZmDjag5
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡei8dtdhmCE
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.”915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5kr2C6opl
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3vlRZjYR5
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbxrnVHwkT
None of the children moved. None of them said a word. They just stood there watching and waiting for their candy. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhBzzEHswe
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP0jja7Pql
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzMhX6hBV5
“I mean it,” Smitty barked, “Get now! Your parents will be worried sick about you!”915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqNYxZ7ZXl
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qoqWgzuZP
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMO2LU23kT
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!”915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUCvQA1iFo
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6e6cD3nst
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BVEHScJfu
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe139zBNWJ7
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLPRUCwvV4
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMhHF7i3yG
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpOtbIzDAW
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SgCM6YfIj
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3hlMYWWdw
“You aren't getting any candy!” he yelled at them. “Now get home before I tan your hides!”915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawco9TFnqE
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlAdznJVVX
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgsNdLn1rD
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHGpdz3Vi1
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFK3OqnBBcY
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeauC5BM7C
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOKKTv6R2c
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop2Gv8swXM
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7N5UcxfpN
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTs3yzuIN29
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3Y5xv7FdY
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhlmVLSyfJ
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJXoBTZoOR
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngp1tJksqz
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTS3K4GDr0
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Mey1dlLxV
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWl6L23eJC
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz2oXBaJHz
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0Q4Oxowxa
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFXtPbsFg2
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1apCLatUv
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIB2mruMQY
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiUAc07PGi
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlwjJea4LS
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. 915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpV7iQRUtY1
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWE8xh9pG6s
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpkwWGo6cS
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueTPja1GFt
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATAdklnqW7
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelZsyyOMin
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu5Cjlj3SA
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHIDcUg8ec
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYyy0Leto3
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHvidwe7AO
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBrZugUw9O
915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FCDMarFpz
