The doorbell rang.
Julie had been waiting for this – she’d prepared everything the day before, and hadn’t really been paying much attention to the telly all evening. Now she got up from the sofa like a shot. A smile was already twitching in the corners of her mouth, but she had to stay calm. She went to the door and opened it, and outside were two frightening figures. One was a loose fitting tiger, the other a scary witch with a pointy hat.
– Yes, said Julie in a whisper.
– Trick or treat, growled the tiger. Julie felt the cold shiver of excitement run down
her spine.
– Here, she said, and held out the tray she’d prepared. On it were what looked to be
delicious balls of expensive chocolate, still cool from the fridge. The tiger and the
witch took as many as they could fit in their small hands and smiled smugly at her.
– Ta, said the tiger, and lifted one of the treats to his lips. Julie could hardly
contain herself. The tiger bit into the sweet smelling globe, through the crisp outer
layer and straight into the soft centre. He turned to leave, and then, suddenly, spun
back towards her again with eyes that were wide with disbelief and shock. Julie still
held her face firmly in place.
The witch looked from one to the other, saw the whiskers quiver and tears well up in the tiger’s eyes, and then glanced down to her hands, where the chocolate was already melting. The tiger screamed and spat the piece of cold, mushy brussels sprout towards the door, but Julie was too fast – she slammed the door shut, leaned her back against it, and her body shook so hard with laughter that the glass pane rattled.