candy’s halloween

Calista hovered above Elkhazel, dangling a slice of watermelon that she had requested minutes before in front of her face. Elkhazel snatched the watermelon with a sparkling grin, stuffing it into her mouth.

“You’re going to choke,” commented Calista, sitting across from Elkhazel on the picnic table.

Saber folded her hands and stared at Calista momentarily. “Let it happen.”

Candy dashed into the scene and tossed herself onto the picnic bench, nearly slamming her face into the splintered wood, but Calista placed her hand in front of Candy’s form and steadied her. An ecstatic smile was plastered across her face, and she had her hands clasped together behind her back with bright eyes that bore into everyone. Her current attitude was not abnormal, but Calista still inquired, “What happened?”

“It’s almost Halloween, and I think I figured out what I’ll be!” Candy exclaimed, revealing her hands that held a pink, pointy witch’s hat. “I’m not just any witch. I’ll be a fairy witch.”

“I think it’s cute,” Calista hummed, taking the hat from her hands and placing it on Candy’s head. “It matches your hair color.”

“You still dress up?” questioned Saber, raising her eyebrows.

“You don’t?” Elkhazel snickered, sticking a lollipop into her mouth upon finishing the watermelon slice. “You’re so boring, Patch. Let’s match costumes.”

“No.” Saber shoved Elkhazel away before she could receive a bop on the nose.

Candy giggled and placed her fingers downward to her mouth, acting as if they were fangs. “You could be a saber tooth tiger. Get it? Get it?”

Saber huffed, “Yes, I get it.”

“You know Ice Age?” quizzed Elkhazel, a crunch slicing the air as she bit into the lollipop. “You can be Diego. We can all be Ice Age characters. That’s what Halloween is about, yeah?”

“Speaking of all of us,” Calista chimed, “where is Annabelle?”

The sound of a boot stamping against a crunchy leaf caused the four to twirl their heads around to face the noise. Annabelle awkwardly came to stand in front of the picnic bench, fiddling with her fingers as she opened her mouth to speak, but she immediately paused, hesitating.

“What’s up, Bot?” Elkhazel murmured, tapping her foot against one of the bench’s legs.

“I meant to ask,” Annabelle muttered and shut her eyes nervously, almost as if she was expecting a series of laughter. “What’s Halloween?”

Elkhazel stared in disbelief, devouring the remains of her lollipop before tossing the stick into the trash can behind her. Saber merely raised her eyebrows and shrugged, seemingly devising a sophisticated response. Calista began to speak, but Candy’s enthusiastic, stressed voice erupted into existence before a word could be known.

“You don’t know what Halloween is?” Candy yelped, hopping to her feet. She sprinted toward Annabelle and gently grabbed her hands, staring into her startled eyes. “That’s sad! Annabelle, you really haven’t lived!”

“It’s not about the treats, it’s about the tricks.” Elkhazel smirked and winked at Annabelle.

Candy glowered and slammed her fist onto the table, frantically gesturing to the pink hat that sat atop her head. “That’s not true! It’s about dressing up, candy, and tricks! That’s not all! It’s just about having fun! Fun! We can watch scary movies and be afraid to go to bed. We can tell ghost stories, too!” she breathlessly explained, clutching her chest as she finished speaking.

“You’re very passionate,” commented Saber nonchalantly.

“Well,” said Candy, flushing, “it’s my favorite holiday.”

“I think we’re too old for trick-or-treating, though,” admitted Calista.

Candy grinned and shook her head. “You’re never too old!”