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It's a few hours before trick-or-treaters come knocking, and you've accidentally eaten all your candy for the kids! You knew you shouldn't have bought your candy a week early - and it was the good kind, too! All the stores are probably out...what are you going to do?
A sudden realization hit Jack as he was in the middle of watching the movie The Book of Life on his couch. His hand felt around in the empty bowl for candy that no longer existed. During the course of the movie, he'd somehow managed to finish it all.
He might have snacked on popcorn instead, but he hated the way the kernels got stuck in his teeth and he hadn't felt like looking around for some to microwave. His family had gone out for the afternoon and left him in charge of setting up the house for trick-or-treaters whether or not he decided to stay in or go out himself.
Since they had left him a convenient bowl of candy and a few bags of replacements for the kids that came knocking on their door, Jack had thought it would have been fine to just snack on a few pieces. When he sat down to watch his movie, though, he'd become so engrossed in the story that he didn't notice he'd eaten his way through the replacement candy as well as what had initially been set out in the bowl. At least not until his hand closed over nothing but empty candy wrappers.
The red-head jumped up, alarmed. What was he going to do?! No, he just had to stay calm and think. He checked the time; it was 3:13pm. If anyone could solve this problem, he knew he could. He just had to use his brain and be creative.
First he had to make a list of his resources. He didn't have the car and he couldn't drive yet, so going out to get more candy was a no-go, even if he tried to use his credit card. The stores weren't likely to have any more anyway since it was already Halloween day. He could go around in his halloween costume real quick and try to get candy ahead of time so he could use it to give out, but since it was so early, he doubted anyone would be home. What to do, what to do?
"I know about the wager. Xibalba cheated."
"He did what?"
"Yeah! With a two-headed snake!"
The movie played on in the background as Jack strained to find a solution, but just as he was about to shut it off, the solution presented itself through the dialogue of the movie's characters. Jack had always loved tricksters and while Xibalba from the movie wasn't all that talented as one - messing up the loophole he'd intended to use and blabbing prematurely to his underestimated opponents so as to get himself caught - the notion did provide a certain inspiration.
It was Halloween and the costumed kids that went from door to door asked for one of two things: tricks or treats. Since Jack had no treats for them, there was only one thing left for him to give. A particularly devious smile came to his face as he went to go gather the necessary items from around the house and put on his own costume with which to present himself to the evening's visitors.
By the time the first children came around asking for candy, Jack was outside and ready for them in the driveway of his house. It had already been decorated rather elaborately, but his colorful costume of Shakespeare's Puck - the Disney's Gargoyles version - made him stick out among the wispy white spiderwebs, ghosts, and skeletons; gray gravestones and gargoyles; and black bats and cats. He stood before a great black cauldron whose mouth was so choked with dry ice that no one could see what was inside.
When a child summoned enough courage to approach, Jack recited a little 'spell' to greet them:
"Welcome spirit-scaring folk!
Please ignore the steam and smoke.
If you think you can face your fear,
then see what you can take from here!"
If further explanation was needed after that, he elaborated that the trick-or-treater had to stick their hand into the cauldron and ask it for a 'trick or treat' in order to be rewarded. The teenager had taken extra precautions to make certain that no one could get frostbite by accidentally touching the solid forms of carbon dioxide because the dry ice was only to block their view. When they reached into the cauldron, instead they would feel...something else.
Among the assortment of things he had put in there for them to grab, the mischievous young man had included sticky eyeballs, squishy fake brains, realistic-looking toy insects, and even a few wiggling and vibrating electronic and wind-up creatures such as spiders and snakes. Some people were horrified, others delighted, and many people a mix of the two. Few were brave enough to grasp at let alone pull out one of the moving things, but if they did, they were allowed to keep them.
Technically, Jack supposed they meant people got a trick and a treat, but as satisfied with himself as he was for solving his problem and as entertaining as he found the trick-or-treaters' reactions, he didn't mind being extra generous for a night. After all, he'd already been treated to a great deal of Halloween candy.
