<a href=”http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/trick-or-trick/”>Trick or Trick</a>

Some of my greatest memories of being a young family of five were Halloween nights. The three little ones would be anxiously waiting for the sun to go down so they could take their pillowcases out to be filled with candy. They were dressed like Indians, vampires, princesses or whoever the hero of that year was.. But, they had to wait for Manuel and me to get our costumes on with our makeup just so, and then the annual picture of us to remember the night. It would be such a special time for all of us.

Things have changed since that time. These Halloween nights I stay at home and watch TV or write in my journal. There are some years that I turn out the light, hoping that there won’t be any knocking or loud trick-or -treaters at my door. No one has ever tricked me for my bad attitude and non-compliance with our social ritual. Thank God.

If some of these dressed up tweens or teens decided that I needed a real scare, there is one thing that would make me go hide under a table, behind the couch or in a closet. If they thought to go to my gate to the backyard to the back door to continue knocking, I would be frantic. That door does not always lock all the way and I would feel vulnerable. It is true that I have an unnatural fear of someone coming into my home and I would not be able to get out.

I am sure that it would be funny for those playing the prank on me, but I would be sitting curled up under a table with sweat dripping from my forehead, heart pounding through my chest, body shaking and my mind racing, until I heard silence once again.Now I am going to the store to stock up on candy for those precious little ones right now.