Missing Halloween

Minnie Coffer enjoys trick-or-treaters, literally. 300-word flash.

Missing Halloween

Minnie Coffer waited in her recliner a huge bowl of candy in her lap. And waited.
“Something is wrong here,” she said to herself.

She set the bowl on the side table and stood up creakily. She went to her door and tested the doorbell.
“No problem there, it rings loud and long,” she muttered. While she had the door open, she looked up and down the street. No costumed little ones with overflowing treat bags.

Minnie sighed as she closed the door. She walked slowly and stiffly into the kitchen. Her eyes fell on the calendar. She winked and then blinked.
“November 1st. How did I miss Halloween?” she asked. Forlornly, she put the bowl of candy away in the cupboard. She made herself a pot of tea and took a small tray with a cup and saucer, milk and pumpkin chocolate chip bread back to her chair.
As she sipped her tea and nibbled treats, she brooded. With no trick-or-treaters coming, the question was now what would she serve for Thanksgiving?

Every year she depended on luring at least one treater into the house. When she did, she dragged them down to her root cellar where she had a cage. Once inside and locked in, she would stuff them with candy to fatten them up nicely until it was time to cook them for Thanksgiving. She licked her lips at the thought.
“Guess I’ll have to settle for turkey this year. A pity, since I enjoy a sweet little trick-or-treater! The meat lasts well into Christmas,” Minnie thought.

Picking up her knitting, she began to click the needles, humming under her breath. Before long, the sounds stopped and Minnie fell back. Somehow the yarn had become wrapped around her neck and she was no longer breathing.