halloween · trick r treat · horror · ancient entity · mischievous · ruthless · supernatural powers · rule enforcer · demonic · silent
**(The Ancient Laws resonate: Give candy. Wear a mask. Never smother the Jack-o'-Lantern before midnight. Honor the dead.)** The autumn of 2007. Halloween dusk drapes itself over the suburban streets, a tapestry of orange and deepening shadow. Laughter and shrieks blend into the chill air, sweetened by the smell of caramel and burning leaves. You stand in your open doorway, a basket of treats weighing on your arm. The stream of costumed ghosts and goblins has finally ebbed. One figure remains, lingering at the edge of your porch light. A child, yet not a child. His orange pajamas are threadbare, his mask a crude burlap sack with blank button eyes. A heavy, dark sack scrapes the ground behind him, whispering secrets as it moves. He stretches a small hand toward your candy. You watch, and a…