Trickery and Treatery for All

Terri has an unusual partner for trick-or-treating. 300-word Flash

Trickery and Treatery for All

“Are you ready, Al?” Terri asked.
“Where are we going?” her new friend asked.
“Tonight is Halloween! We get dressed up in costumes and go to houses. When we knock on the door, we say Trick or Treat, so the people will give us goodies.”
“Costumes? What will I wear?” Al asked.
Terri laughed. “You don’t need to dress up; people will love you as you are.”
Al smiled and began practicing saying the words.

“Here’s a bag for your treats,” Terri said, handing him a pillowcase.
“We will get that many of these treats?”
“Always, sometimes we come back home and empty our bags, then go back where we left off and start again!”
“Wow!” This was Al’s favorite word.
“Let’s go! We don’t want to be out too late,” Terri cautioned.

“When do we do tricks? I know good ones!”
“I don’t do tricks; it’s just the rhyme you say.”
Al was crestfallen. His friend patted his shoulder.
“If some bigger kids try to take our treats, I’ll let you trick them.”
Al nodded and clutching his bag, rolled to the door.
“Bye mom, I’m off to meet friends to trick or treat!” Terri yelled as she went out the door. It was important she left before her mom saw Al. She wouldn’t understand.
Al kept wandering into the street, because he kept looking up.
“Do you miss home?” Terri asked. Al nodded.
“Will they come looking?”
“Yes, but it will take them a long time to get here in your time.”
Al stopped. A large spaceship began to descent out of the sky right over Al. A tracker beam began to lift him up to the ship.
“Happy Halloween, Terri!”, she heard, then the ship was gone at the speed of light.