This Halloween was the same as it had been for Phillis and Samuel for the last few years. Far out in the country, miles from anyone, no one came trick-or-treating.
But it wasn’t always that way. When their children were home, their friends came. They had great parties. Phillis was famous for her caramel popcorn balls, doughnuts, candy apples, and all sorts of homemade candy. On Halloween, their house was always full of teenagers having a good time.
With the parties happening there, trick-or-treaters were drawn to their home, even if it was a bit of a drive. Dozens of young people, from very young to late teens, dropped by. Everyone who came left with rich fudge or divinity, and of course, a popcorn ball or doughnut. Even the parents came to the door because Phillis always made sure they got something, too.
Samuel, for his part, was much quieter. But he stood at the door and would always say, “So who is this little goblin?” or whatever the child was dressed up as. When they lifted their masks for him to see, he would always compliment them on their costumes.
But now, with their children having families of their own, it was quiet. That doesn’t mean Phillis didn’t work her magic. She still made popcorn balls and other goodies in hopes that someone would come. But she and Samuel just ended up eating all of it over a few months.
They had already eaten enough that they were feeling sick, and the night was getting late, so Samuel headed to bed. Phillis slipped her old white nightgown on and went to shut off the outside light she had turned on to invite little gremlins. She was turning for the bedroom when, through the window, she thought she saw movement at the far end of the drive up to their house.
She moved to get a better look and realized it was not trick-or-treaters. In the moonlight, she could see teenagers, all dressed in dark clothes, carrying toilet paper. She knew they had in mind to decorate the house with white drapings of misadventure, and Phillis was not keen on having to clean it up the next day.
Phillis realized they must have parked their car on the road and waited for the light to go off. The drive was about seventy yards long, so that gave Phillis time to hatch a plan and carry it out before the teens arrived.
The pranksters were still a long distance away when she slipped out the back door and carefully made her way around to the old oak tree by the front of the house. She positioned herself so she could barely see them while remaining mostly hidden.
As the group drew closer, despite their stealth, she heard the crunch of leaves under their feet. She could hear their whispers as they came within about twenty yards. One of them was giving directions for them to spread out along the side of the house, then watch her for the signal. They all planned to launch their barrage of toilet paper at the same time.
The young people all lined up as instructed, arms cocked, and toilet paper ready. The leader was just raising her hand to give the signal when Phillis stepped out from behind the tree. With her long white nightgown flapping in the stiff breeze, and her gray hair billowing out all around her, she knew what kind of specter she would appear to be.
With as eerie a voice as she could conjure up, she asked, “Do your parents know where you are?”
The girls froze and started screaming as the boys tumbled backward to the ground. The girls continued to scream until the boys scrambled to their feet, each grabbing a girl, and dragging her at full speed down the road.
They covered the distance to their car in record time and, as they sped away, Phillis picked up a few months’ supply of toilet paper rolls.
As she was heading inside, she stopped and looked down the road. She realized it would probably be a quiet Halloween again next year. She knew she hadn’t helped their cause of enticing trick-or-treaters to visit.
