Ding dong!

"Trick or treat!"

The three Neopets beamed hopefully and held out their bags as the door slowly creaked open. There was a pause, and then a wrinkly old hand crept out to drop a tiny piece of candy into each of their bags.

Then the door slammed shut.

"Well, that was really polite of them," sniffed Hayen, a Krawk.

"What did you expect?" her friend Jeena replied. The Pteri looked around them. "It was your idea to go wandering through the Haunted Woods on Hallowe'en. That's the worst time possible!"

"It's the BEST time possible," Otis chimed in as he rummaged through his bag. The Poogle drew out the candy they had just received and made a face. It was pitifully small and did not look very delicious. "I don't even recognise this," he complained. "I bet that old Neopet just gave us some shrivelled candy from the back of her cupboards." Nevertheless, he began to unwrap the mystery candy.

Jeena turned away from her friends with another "humph," rattling her bag of candy. "We've hardly gotten anything!" she complained, ruffling her feathers. "Everyone here is so unfriendly, and it's really cold!"

"I'm not cold," Hayen said, excitedly hopping to the next house. Jeena was about to fly after her when Otis called them both back.

"Hey!" he shouted. His eyes were round with amazement. "The candy that we got from the last house tastes AMAZING!" He turned around in his tracks and declared, "I'm going back to ask for more!"

"Wait!" Hayen and Jeena cried, but the Poogle was already bounding back up the stairs to the old house...

The door flew open almost at once, revealing an extremely old and eccentric-looking shadow Mynci. She wore a black, pointed hat that had a rather sinister bend at the top, and her eyes were dark and slanted. They sparkled like asphalt in the sunlight as she smiled crookedly at the trio.

"Ah, what are you three doing back so soon?" she said. She had a voice that rang like an old, high-pitched bell.

"We came back for some more candy, ma'am," said Otis breathlessly, his eyes glassy. "It's delicious!"

"I'm glad you like it, dearie," said the Mynci. "I'm Muriel Cobbson. Would you like to come in and get some more?"

"No, we really couldn't--" said Jenna quickly, but she was cut off by Otis.

"Oh, thank you!" said Otis, bounding past the Mynci and into the dark, shadowy foyer.

"Won't you come in too, dearies?" asked Muriel.

"No, thank you, ma'am," said Jeena.

"Oh, but I insist--"

"No, we'll wait out here, thanks," said Jeena firmly.

"Very well, then," said the Mynci as she turned away and walked back into the shadows of her home.

"I hope he isn't in there long; I'm freezing!" said Jeena.

Hayen rolled her eyes as she unwrapped a piece of candy -- the same kind Otis had eaten earlier. "I might as well see what Otis thinks is so great about this stuff," she said, popping the sticky, lumpy candy into her mouth.

"Don't--" Jeena gasped suddenly, but it was too late.

Hayen's eyes glazed over, and she looked hungrily at the door, which still stood open.

"I must get some more of this stuff! It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, and dashed off into the house.

"Hayen, wait!" Jeena yelled after her friend, but Hayen had disappeared into the darkness. Groaning, Jeena crossed the threshold and stepped into the dim, dusty gloom of the house...

Along the floor was a moth-eaten rug that sent up clouds of dust as the Pteri padded across it after her friends. "Decided to come in after all?" came a voice from the shadows behind her. She jumped and looked madly around, only to see the shadow Mynci behind her. She felt her heart racing, even though she felt she had no reason to be scared.

"Would you like some candy now?" the Mynci asked sweetly.

"N-no," stammered Jeena. "I-I brushed my teeth before I left. I-I'll eat the candy t-t-t-tomorrow." Her teeth were chattering even though the house was a comfortable temperature. The houseowner seemed to notice and put on a warm smile.

"There there. No reason to be frightened. I do this every year at Halloween," she said assuringly. Far from being assured, Jeena's heart still pounded madly somewhere in her throat.

"Where are Hayen and Otis?" she asked. "My friends," she added hastily, for she was uncertain the old Mynci knew her friends' names.

"They," she said," are in the kitchen. I have more candy in there."

"Oh," Jeena said awkwardly. "Well, I don't want them to stay too late. I'm afraid their parents will worry," the Pteri said, pretending to sound like she was in charge.

"I'll try not to keep them too long," the Mynci said with a smile that looked fake in the low light. "You can go see them. They're through that door there." She pointed to a door across the hall.

Boldly, Jeena walked across the dusty carpet, pressed her wing against the door and yanked the knob....

"Otis, Hayen!" Jeena whispered as she flew over to them, nervously glancing at Muriel. "I don't think we should stay long... please... I don't like this place."

"What do you mean?" the Krawk said in a loud, cheerful voice.

"Yes, this candy is amazing!" the Poogle joined in. Otis picked up one of the tiny candies and held it in the dim light of the kitchen. Jeena thought it looked faintly like a raisin, shriveled and disgusting looking, yet filled with surprising flavor -- or so her friends said. "Try one, Jeena, I'm certain you'll love them!"

"Oh, thank you for the compliments, dearies. I made these candies myself," Muriel said, with a blush that looked even more fake than the smile planted on her lips. She patted Otis and Hayen on the shoulders, the wrinkles standing out more than ever on her paws. "Your friend said she wouldn't eat any -- she brushed her teeth before she came, you know."

"No, she didn't." Hayen stared at Jeena with a giggle after munching on another candy. "It's part of her costume to have smelly breath."

Jeena turned red, and she felt her heart pounding faster and faster, echoing in her ears. She felt like Muriel could smell her fear as the Mynci leaned over her shoulder and breathed in her ear. The shadow Neopet wrapped a "comforting" arm around her shoulder, which made Jeena shiver.

"Is this true? Have a candy, then, dear. No more excuses." She held out the awful looking treat...

Otis's eyes glittered with abandon. "Aren't they the best?" he asked enthusiastically, and Jeena forced a nod. Meanwhile, behind the curtain of her wing, the uneaten candy tumbled into the Pteri's bag.

Jeena forced a delighted smile, her eyes lighting up while her stomach twisted with fear and apprehension. Something was horribly wrong here. "Yes," she said quickly, hoping she didn't sound too fake. "I've never had anything like it!"

Muriel's smile widened, her dark eyes glittering with more than a reflection of the starlight which peered in through the grimy window. "Here, have some more. I don't get many trick-or-treaters, so you can have all you want."

Jeena tried to look ecstatic as she extended her wing toward the disgusting looking sweets. It was easier this time, for her spirits had risen slightly with her success at avoiding the last candy. As the shriveled something joined its comrades in the safety of her bag, Jeena's mind returned to the problem of getting her friends to leave their spooky feast and go home. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hayen stuff an enormous handful into her mouth, and the look of mindless enjoyment in the Krawk's eye sent shudders down Jeena's spine.

Suddenly Muriel spoke. "It's awfully dark outside, and the Haunted Woods is no place for youngsters at night. Would you like to stay here? I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind."

Jeena's heart flew up into her throat, then plummeted down into her stomach. The Pteri had been leaning heavily on the hope that the lateness of the hour might work in her favor, but now it seemed that there was no way she could get her friends out of here, and she had no desire to spend the night in a place like this. "Actually, they WOULD mind," she said hastily, reaching over to tug on Otis's arm. "We really need to be going..."

Jeena flashed the old Mynci as convincing a look of apology as she could muster, skin crawling as she did, before yanking Otis away from the table and out of earshot. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I need to have a quick word alone with my friend for a moment...”

“Of course, dearie,” Muriel crooned, a sappy smile creasing her already wrinkled face deeply.

Jeena kept up her pleasant facade until she had dragged the unwilling Otis into a dusty corner, where she grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him around to face her, hissing in desperation. “What’s gotten into you two?! We shouldn’t be here! There’s something really creepy about this old lady... Let’s just get out of here right now!”

The Poogle’s face fell into a look of utter dismay the likes of which Jeena had never seen; it was frightening to watch how miserable he seemed at the suggestion that they leave the house. “But, Jeena, her candy is so good... Please, I don’t want to leave yet!” He cast a longing glance over his shoulder at the table, where Hayen was still seated, before turning back to the Pteri, who was torn between alarm and disgust over her friend’s condition. “Don’t you want to have some more of it, too? Come on, it’ll be fine--” In an attempt to lead her back toward the candy bowl, Otis grabbed his friend’s wing, but before she could pull away, Hayen’s voice rang out unexpectedly.

“Um, excuse me, Miss Cobbson? The candy’s all gone...” The Krawk frowned , although Jeena couldn’t tell whether it was because she felt awkward for devouring so much of the stuff or because it had run out; however, the Mynci, unfazed, took the bowl from her with an understanding nod.

“Oh, don’t fret, my dear! I’ll just nip off to get some more; don’t worry, I won’t be long.” With that, the elderly Neopet hobbled off toward a door in the back of the room, which, due to its coating of peeled paint and cobwebs, looked just as sinister as everything else in the house, turned the knob with a loud creak, and disappeared into the gloom.

After staring after their host for a few moments, Jeena sprang into action; seizing each of her companions by the arm, she glanced pleadingly to and fro, heart sinking at the blank looks on their faces. “Come on, let’s get out of here, while we have the chance!”

“But... but she said she had more candy... and it’d be rude to leave now without saying anything...” Ignoring these protests, the Pteri began pulling the two towards their way out, but all three of them froze in their tracks as they heard...

Jeena released her friends, rushing to the door. If it was this difficult trying to persuade two friends to leave, she'd have no hope escaping with an entire herd of Neopets. And she knew that she could never leave them behind with Muriel.

The Pteri swung open the door, revealing a Kau and a Blumaroo standing on the porch. "There's no candy left," she said in a rush. "Really, you should be going!"

The trick-or-treaters exchanged skeptical glances. "All the way back here in the Haunted Woods?" the Kau challenged. "How many other Neopets could there have been?"

"Enough to eat all of the candy!" sputtered Jeena. "Now, please, for your own good..."

A horrible tingling sensation danced up her spine as she sensed that someone was standing beside her. Whirling, the Pteri came face-to-face with Muriel, who was holding aloft a platter filled with a new batch of shriveled candies.

"Out of candy?" she said sweetly. "Don't believe a word of it. Help yourselves, dears. Won't you come in?..."

“Hey! Stop!” shouted Jeena. In one quick motion she jumped in front of the other Neopets. In a rush, she said, “You don’t want that candy! I-it’s old. It’s been in the cabinet for months. Here,” she said, holding out her own bag, “take some of this.”

Her trick seemed to be working, for the newcomers exchanged glances before scooping good candy out of her bag.

“Dearies, I-” began Muriel, but Jeena cut her off quickly, chattering to the other Neopets to drown out Muriel.

“Wow! Great costumes! Where did you get that? Ooh, you’re a pirate, aren’t you? Well, look at the time! I don’t want to keep you from other houses. You’d best go if you want to see anyone else before dark! Bye!” Hastily Jeena hurried them out of the door, slammed it behind them, and leaned against it as a sense of relief permeated her whole body. Whipping around, she saw Muriel standing in the same place, looking as though she couldn't quite grasp what had just happened. After a moment of silence from Jeena and Muriel, the Mynci spoke up, still trying to maintain her honey-sweet tones.

"Now, darling, what was that all about? Don't you think my candy is good enough to pass out?" She put on a hurt look, but Jeena could tell she was only faking.

"Er... no. No. I, uh, just thought that candy looked a little musty," said Jeena desperately.

"Really?" Muriel said softly, advancing a little on Jeena. The Pteri looked desperately around the room for something, anything, that might be of use to her. After a second of frantic searching, her eyes fell on...

An idea came to Jeena, and, once it had formed, it clung fiercely to her attention. She edged backwards, buying more time--

"But, my dear, I was under the impression that you enjoyed my candy." Jeena could detect the subtle threat under Muriel's words, like poisoned syrup. The Mynci's eyes narrowed slightly, though a simpering smile remained plastered to her face. "Is that not so?" she inquired innocently.

Her only answer was a strange war-cry, which tore itself from Jeena's throat (and from which Jeena herself was so surprised that she almost forgot to move).

Must be the Tyrannian in me, she thought.

Springing up, wings outstretched, the Pteri dove towards Muriel and, more accurately, the candy. Pieces of wrinkled sweets were flung to the far corners of the room as Jeena tugged the platter from her opponent's grasp. Muriel Cobbson shrieked, twisted to catch the Pteri, missed, and inevitably lost her balance.

Jeena's last image was of Muriel struggling to regain her footing before she burst through the kitchen door.

"Hayen! Otis!" she cried breathlessly, the disgusting candy safely in tow. Both Krawk and Poogle were seated at the dust-coated table, looking downcast. Their expressions brightened considerably upon spotting Jeena's prize.

"Where's Miss Cobbson?" Hayen asked.

Jeena cast about the room for a route of escape, inventing as she went, "Uh, she was busy with some trick-or-treaters, so she asked me to give you guys candy--" Otis and Hayen leapt to their feet, scrabbling to get at the shriveled candy. Jeena held it back, adding hastily, "--in a super secret candy-eating room!"

Her friends stared at her.

"I mean, there's a special room where, um... eating candy tastes twice as good!" Jeena's own ears recoiled.

The Poogle and the Krawk, however, found this information a pleasant surprise. "Great!" Otis chimed. "Where is it?"

"Through there," Jeena said, pointing with her free wing at a filthy door nestled in the corner...

"That's why it's super-secret," assured Jeena as she continued to scan the room for a safe way out. "There's a secret compartment somewhere -- just keep looking!" And I'll find a way save you both, she promised them in her mind.

The kitchen door swung open so violently, then, that Jeena jumped. Muriel stood in the doorway, chest heaving, fur askew, and all traces of her sickly sweetness utterly gone. The Pteri took a few steps back despite herself.

"We've played enough games," hissed the Mynci. "I won't have you, perhaps -- not yet. But stop meddling with your friends: they are mine." Behind her, the kitchen clock began to strike.

DONG.

"They're under a spell, aren't they?" gasped Jeena. "Whatever you gave them in that candy..."

DONG.

Muriel smiled wickedly. "I needed only to keep them here until midnight, dearie," she explained, spitting the last word out as if it tasted sour.

DONG.

"And then they are my prisoners forever."

DONG.

Jeena blanched. Her friends, the prisoners of this creepy witch? But there were only a few seconds left until midnight... it must be too late!

DONG.

She could not save them... unless...

DONG.

"Hey, guys! Come out here, quick! I have candy!"

DONG.

The door opened -- both of her friends had a wild look in their eyes at hearing the word.

DONG.

Jeena bent and snatched up a handful of the withered-looking candies from where they lay sprinkled on the floor. Muriel snarled as she saw what the Pteri planned. "NOOOO!"

DONG.

"Follow me!" Pushing past the old Mynci, Jeena darted toward the front door.

DONG.

Driven by their greed, Otis and Hayen were right behind.

DONG.

Out into the cold autumn night they ran, bursting from the old house and its spells, far far away from the twisted witch and her candies.

DONG.

Out into the beginning of a new day.

Jeena threw the repulsive, shriveled candies into the leaves as she bent, gasping for breath. Now that they were a safe distance away, Otis and Hayen were blinking confusedly.

"Where'd the old Mynci go?" asked the Krawk.

Otis was staring at his empty paws in confusion. "And where is my bag of trick-or-treating candy?"

Jeena clapped a wing to her forehead. "Don't tell me you two don't remember any of that!"

Both of her friends gave her blank looks. "What?"

The Pteri shook her head. "Let's just get home right now," she muttered as they began to pick their way through the dark woods. "I've had enough excitement for one night."

The End