Trick or Treat!

[Sibylla Aaeru]

Title: Trick or Treat!
Author: DigiExpert
Rating: G
Summary: Aaeru convinces Halconf to let Neviril go trick or treating with her for Halloween. Another SK length fic that mixes some modern with Simulacrum.
Note: Using Simoun Kindergarten with my students is a blessing. They asked if there were any Halloween drabbles and when they found out there weren't, they set about giving me ideas. Surprisingly, they got them spot on. I'm going to be working on a series of drabbles that detail school things for Halloween based on what they told me. They also gave me some Christmas and Thanksgiving ones as well.

Aaeru pulled open the front door and grinned. Neviril stood there with her father, looking shy. “Neviril! You’re early! I like your costume.” Neviril was wearing the same kitty costume she had worn to school the day before.

“Thanks,” replied Neviril.

“Where is your grandpa, Aaeru? I’d like to speak with him,” stated Halconf, looking down at the young girl. He still wasn’t pleased to allow Neviril to play with someone of such a lower class, but he was tolerating it because his daughter enjoyed Aaeru’s company so much. He only wanted to see her happy.

“Grandpa’s in the kitchen making cookies!”

“I see… will you get him for me please?” He expected the child to go to the kitchen and relay the message. Instead…

“Grandpa! Neviril’s dad wants to talk to you!” shouted Aaeru from the doorway. When she didn’t get a reply right away, she shouted again. “Grandpa!”

“Coming, Aaeru,” came the soft reply as her grandpa walked in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. “Ah, Halconf. It’s good to see you and Neviril again.”

“The same to you. I wanted to make sure Neviril wouldn’t be out too late tonight. What time should I return to pick her up?”

“If you’d like, she can stay the night here after the girls finish trick or treating. It might be easier if you just picked her up tomorrow.”

“Neviril doesn’t have her things from home. She is not prepared to stay the night.”

“Aaeru has extra clothes. One night will be fine. She’ll be well cared for. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

Halconf didn’t appear to be convinced, but he finally sighed and nodded. “I will return before lunch tomorrow then. Please make sure she doesn’t have too much candy. I don’t want her to be sick tomorrow.”

“Of course not. Neviril will follow the same rules as Aaeru.”

“Neviril, I expect you to behave yourself. You’re representing your family.”

Neviril nodded. “Yes, father. I will be good.”

Halconf leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow before lunch.”

“Bye!” Neviril waved as her father walked down the dirt path. Aaeru soon closed the door.

“I’m gonna go put on my costume. Wanna come to my room?” asked Aaeru, still eager as ever.

Neviril nodded. “Okay.”

Aaeru led the way to her room, nearly running. Her grandpa’s call of “Don’t run, Aaeru!” went unheeded. She soon closed the door and then went to her bed, where her costume was laid out. It was the same costume she’d worn to school. “We could play chase after I get my costume on. You can chase me and try to catch me,” suggested Aaeru, pulling on the grey pants over her shorts.

“It’s getting dark outside though.”

“That’s okay. We can play chase in the living room.” She pulled the grey top on over her head. “Grandpa won’t care. She picked up the headband and realized that she would have to wear her hair down for it to stay on her head correctly. She considered how to do it.

“What’s wrong?” asked Neviril, noticing the look on Aaeru’s face.

“I gotta take my hair down cause the headband hurts if I don’t.” She remembered the last time she’d tried to take her hair down. The hair tie had gotten stuck in her hair and her grandpa had had a tough time getting it out. Aaeru remembered she had cried a lot. “I need Grandpa to help me do it.”

“Let’s go get him to help then,” suggested Neviril.

“All right then. Maybe he’ll have cookies ready!”

“Aaeru, you already put on your costume?” asked Grandpa as the pair walked into the kitchen.

“Uh huh, but I need you to take my hair down so I can put on my headband.”

Grandpa knelt down to her level and began working the ties on her pigtails. “We’ll leave soon for trick or treating in the village. Don’t forget to get your bag for your candy.”

“It’s in my room. Can we have a cookie before we go?”

“You’ve not even had dinner yet, Aaeru.”

“But Grandpa! It’s Halloween!” protested Aaeru. “Can’t we have just onnnne cookie?”

Grandpa looked carefully at his granddaughter. “Well, since it’s a special day, I suppose it’d be all right.” He stood up and picked up a plate of chocolate chip cookies from the counter. They each had different pumpkin faces on them in black icing. He held the plate out to the girls.

Aaeru quickly snatched a cookie from the plate, but Neviril hesitated. Grandpa wondered if Neviril was ever allowed to have dessert before dinner at home. “It’s all right, Neviril. One cookie won’t hurt your appetite for dinner.” He watched as she took a cookie. Aaeru’s was almost gone.

It wasn’t long before Grandpa herded the two girls out the door. Each girl carried a flashlight and their treat bags with them. Grandpa held Aaeru’s hand, and Aaeru held on to Neviril’s hand. Together, they walked the short distance down the dirt road to the village.

Aaeru was amazed at the transformation in the village and she saw Neviril was just as surprised. “Look at all the lights!” she exclaimed, pointing.

“They carved pumpkins too,” replied Neviril, pointing.

“Don’t you like the pumpkin guts on your fingers when you carve them?” asked Aaeru.

“I’ve never…carved a pumpkin.”

“What?! No way!”

“Father doesn’t want me getting dirty. The servants carve all the pumpkins.”

“That’s boring! It’s more fun to carve them yourself. The guts are all cold and slimy!” Aaeru turned to her grandpa. “Grandpa! Can we carve another pumpkin?”

“I think we may have one more in the garden. Perhaps tomorrow before Neviril leaves, all right?”

Grinning, Aaeru turned to Neviril. “See? Now you’ll get to. It’ll be awesome!”

Grandpa redirected the girls to the first shop. He wanted to make sure they were able to visit every location in town before the trick or treat hour was over. He knew that if he didn’t keep Aaeru focused, she’d end up chatting and eating all of her candy.

“Trick or treat!” called Aaeru. The older shopkeeper placed a small piece of candy into her bag. Aaeru peeked inside. “That’s it?” she asked.

“Aaeru! That’s not very polite!” hissed Grandpa. “I’m sorry,” he said to the shopkeeper.

“Trick or treat,” said Neviril softly. The shopkeeper smiled at her as he placed a piece of candy in her bag. She smiled and curtsied. “Thank you.”

“See, Aaeru? See how Neviril reacted? That’s what you should do.”

“But he shouldn’t give out such small candy!” she protested.

Grandpa gave the shopkeeper a sympathetic smile and quickly herded the girls away. They walked to the next shop. “Now, Aaeru. Remember to be polite this time,” he reminded.

“Trick or treat!” called Aaeru. She watched as the woman placed a small candy bar into her bag. “That’s better than the last guy! Thanks!” She grinned up at her grandpa, who only shook his head and sighed.

“Not quite, Aaeru, but better.” He mouthed an apology to the shopkeeper.

“Trick or treat,” called Neviril softly. The shopkeeper placed two pieces of candy into her bag. “Thank—“
“Hey! She got more than me!”

“Aaeru, we’re going to have to talk about your manners tomorrow after Neviril leaves,” whispered Grandpa softly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll share my candy with you,” added Neviril.

“Okay!”

A little over an hour later, the group returned home. Each girl’s bag was half full of candy. Aaeru hadn’t gotten too much politer as their rounds had continued, but her grandpa was thankful that she copied Neviril’s “thank you’s” near the end.

No sooner had the trio gotten inside than Aaeru plopped down on the floor and dumped her bag. Candy bars and various hard candy shapes went rolling on the hardwood floor. Neviril sat down beside her and began collecting Aaeru’s candy into a pile for her. She then carefully turned her bag over and dumped it on the floor. All of her candy stayed in a nice, neat pile.

“Let’s trade!” suggested Aaeru.

“You two be nice. I’m going to go finish dinner,” remarked Grandpa.

“Why would we trade?” asked Neviril.

“Because I don’t like all the candy I got and you might like some of it,” explained Aaeru. “So you could have the candy you like that I don’t, and I get the candy you don’t like, but I do.”

“That sounds confusing.”

“It’s not! Just find the candy you don’t like first and put it all in a pile, okay?” Aaeru began sorting through her pile, pulling out anything that wasn’t chocolate.

Neviril looked down at her own pile. She wasn’t sure where to between. She didn’t even recognize a lot of the candy. “Um…Aaeru?” she asked softly.

“Huh?” Aaeru had part of a small chocolate bar hanging from her mouth.

“I don’t know which candy I don’t like.”

“Why not?”

“Cause father doesn’t let me have a lot of candy.”

“What about your Halloween candy? Don’t you get to eat that?”

“This is the first year I’ve been trick or treating,” confessed Neviril. “I never got to go until you asked me."
“That’s stupid!”

“It isn’t. It’s just what my father wants.”

“Girls, time for dinner!” called Grandpa.

“Coming!”

The rest of the evening passed by quickly. The girls were put to bed after dinner. Grandpa tucked each girl into Aaeru’s bed and smiled at each of them. “Did you two have fun tonight?” he asked.

“Uh huh! Thanks for taking us, Grandpa. Neviril had never been before. Isn’t that silly?”

Her grandpa looked over at Neviril, who looked ready to cry. He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Some families don’t trick or treat. Some families don’t even celebrate Halloween.”

“They’re missing out!”

“Well, not really. Not everyone or every family celebrates a holiday the same way. Now, why don’t you two whisper quietly until you fall asleep?” He smiled and winked at the two.

“How’d you know?!” Aaeru was shocked.

“Grandpa’s secret!” He flipped off the light switch and began closing the door. “Goodnight, girls. Happy Halloween!”

“Night, Grandpa!” called Aaeru.

“Night, Aaeru’s grandpa!” added Neviril.

And thus, Neviril’s first experience trick or treating ended on a happy note. She and Aaeru giggled and told stories well into the night before each girl drifted off to sleep, dreaming candy coated dreams.