Damn my boss. Making me work late on Halloween. My little girl Jenny was waiting for me to take her trick or treating. This could be the last year she wants me to go with her.
She was in front of the tv when I got home, face covered in tear stained clown make-up. ‘Okay honey,’ I said. ‘Let’s go.’
‘It’s too late Daddy,’ she sniffed. ‘All the treats will be gone.’
‘We’ll find something,’ I assured her but every house was dark and uninviting.
We strolled around in a descending mist. Cold and miserable.
‘What about the old Johnson house?’ I suggested.
She shivered. ‘Nobody goes there, it’s scary.’
‘Exactly! Mrs Johnson never gets visitors, she’ll give you tons of stuff.’
‘I don’t know, Daddy,’ she said but I managed to persuade her.
The house was hidden behind a tall hedge, barely a gap in it at the gate. Jenny had to squeeze through. ‘You sure it’s okay Daddy?’
I gave her a thumbs up. ‘Want me to go with you?’
She shook her head and turned to go up the path, soon disappearing from view.
That was ten minutes ago. I better go in and check….