It was a dark night out and all the children were happily going on with their trick-or-treating. I carefully peeked through the flaps of my curtain as they all walked by. Each of them was dressed in ridiculous little costumes that they’d most likely end up forgetting about within the next year. I watched endlessly, noting their fragile bodies and youthful innocence. Such a being seemed almost unreal to these eyes, and yet there it was. It was hard to believe I had once been one of these children. Unfortunately, those years were long past. I envied every child that walked by, living away their youth while I continued to get older and suffer the effects.
What none of these children knew was that I had a little surprise for them. It was last year when I’d heard about an incident involving a child dying from bad food. While it’s true that such a thing occurs all the time, there was something about that story that struck me. The picture of the little boy smiling away, and then the juxtaposition that followed as his parents wept over a closed casket. It reminded me that even the purest of creatures could create suffering. For that to happen, harm needs to be done. My mind raced as I searched frantically though the closet for anything that could supplement my idea. Sure enough, everything that I needed was right in my house.
I spent some time putting together my secret recipe that was supposed to resemble a mysterious powder. Those poor children would probably think of it as some sort of candy and swallow it all. The thought of a child stupidly doing such a thing made me chuckle. This plan was just too good.
Once the powder had been successfully made, I carefully sprinkled it on the candy I’d be giving out so that each child would take it and not question it. I didn’t dare try it though, but I’d like to think it tasted like sweet sugar. Sweet like the lifeless corpses those children left.
Anyway, I had been watching carefully with hopes that one would pass by my house. None had yet come and that confused mea bit. After all, I went through all the trouble to make my house seem warm and welcoming. Jack O’ Lanterns adorned the walkway, each with a charmingly spooky smile. Lights had been scattered all throughout my hedges, and a goofy looking skeleton greeted guests at the front door. What more could these children want?
I felt my frustration growing at the seemingly wasted effort. My breathing started to pick up as my hands slowly began to sweat. I stared down at them and caught my breath. There was no need to lose my temper. Not yet anyway.
More time passed before a child appeared. I had been working on my dinner of chicken and potatoes and didn’t feel much like being disturbed. I had my knife out to shoo away whoever had disturbed me, but then I saw a sight that made me vigor return. A little child appeared all-alone at the front door wearing an adorable bumblebee costume. He had to have been no less than four. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I tried to contain my excitement for this moment. I grabbed my candy and chuckled just a bit as I walked to the door.
I opened the door and looked down at the innocent little boy. He said. “Trick-or-treat” in the highest pitch I could have imagined. My arms lowered to present him the candy. The way his eyes lit up almost brought tears to my eyes. How such an innocent face could willingly end its life was truly a question for philosophers.
He sweetly thanked me for the candy and went on his way. I wished him a good night and watched as he showed his mother the candy I had given him, most likely eager to consume it later. He would get it, oh yes he would.
After that I heard nothing about my candy. In fact, I must have forgotten about it. You see, my memory isn’t exactly the best, and I had moved my attention to something else. I probably would have never even known the outcome if it weren’t for the knocking at my front door the other day. I opened it and found a pair of officers looking me right in the eye. They claimed that a child had found strange powder all over his candy. I told them that it was mine and asked if he was well. They responded by telling me he’d died.
My eyes lit up at those words and I proudly told them that it was I who had given him the candy. The officers wasted no time and tackled me to the ground before putting the handcuffs on. As you can probably guess, I eventually ended up incarcerated. The boy’s mother had called me all sorts of terrible names as I’d been walked away to fulfill my sentence. But really, was what I did so terrible? The boy died peacefully and without pain. I had simply created sorrow by ending the life of an innocent. Simply put, it was masterful.
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