The Trick-or-Treat Pail

I hauled an orange plastic trick-or-treat bucket right out from under the bench! Look at that classic jagged grin molded right into the bright rind! With a quick leap, I clambered over the black handle and dropped straight into the hollow base. *Thump-clatter!* The curved walls rose up around me, glowing vivid neon orange under the hallway bulb. It is the grandest Halloween hideout imaginable! ...Then the house slipped into deep silence, only the baseboard heater clicking in the shadows. Inside, there were no sugary wrapped candies yet, just a stray dried leaf and my green plastic feet. But resting here, tucked in another pumpkin's belly, it feels quiet and safe.