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? 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7ltdHO4oL
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdtCbnpESN
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvedtMX1Qlj
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ObfjIp93V
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡos74AaLlfP
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqcEF2WxwR
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWITljxsTv
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8Mu4UZlW8
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExlToC8hWp
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZauqLeFdnH
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNb6Pb5IGfY
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLDgPFa0Em
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFvhAAOltf
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeyUKHPakV
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsvyZO2QEZ
“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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sYZeXeedY
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI7MpjtFPy
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxFgLj6cl1
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.”842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwi8GpT6my
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHH0Aco6mjK
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtngnKcEsEc
None of the children moved. None of them said a word. They just stood there watching and waiting for their candy. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kdDEURP3p
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iXXhQL0Mv
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCLPKE4z7L
“I mean it,” Smitty barked, “Get now! Your parents will be worried sick about you!”842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBB0W5ASQs
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XImVypYQO
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzTU6y8KLL
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!”842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRCQyrRk31
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3CcBtgtQv
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNjRzd4tly
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7U5IbVLEW
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYOty7boDX
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyoham78Hr
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkYpUGSiMD
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxp0sOK32p
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmM1aM2QWs
“You aren't getting any candy!” he yelled at them. “Now get home before I tan your hides!”842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcfmVL6LAI
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yy0qhCBz0
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrx9N7FspK
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRvcmYzXGK
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70vQxrgDH6
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo6otcnbk8
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCPtGRT6YA
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc47je1s5YU
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhB2rVpg2s
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxQYDvc7Zw
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVTVQZebjo
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAv2F02snY
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfaeL4aqvx
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9b77btP7r0
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHc98P5fAIf
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDd4c4Qwzx
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowvQNDVjqa
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMz31UsJKAM
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnPTyNAEBR
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7QRz0oObM
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUjZmhJBUM
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObhyu3WsGn
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyPef0ctvf
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHNza48T1r
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. 842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t3xudxwGH
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFTRJDAuuG
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNN5asQs7PP
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdKqQTitHC
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7czLffilKj
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBuCoTiGNY
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.842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZgjYXwiVg
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HfAgiAuQC
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuFCuMuhJo
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡim50KqOsuj
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEntlTlM4X
842Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2BgC6Dmsq
