The Bucket That Waited — Behind the blue door, with the porch stones still holding the day’s warmth, Junia lined up candies by crinkle, twist, and rattle. Read the full story →
Behind the blue door, with the porch stones still holding the day’s warmth, Junia lined up candies by crinkle, twist, and rattle. She wanted the very first trick-or-treater to find the best sweet without digging. The trouble was, every candy looked best if you stared long enough. A striped one smelled like peppermint frost. A round one clicked like a beetle shell. Junia waited, chin in hands, while moths tapped the porch light.
Then the bucket gave a tiny thunk.
Nobody checks under a jack-o’-lantern’s grin. Nobody except a sprite who has waited so long she begins counting the teeth. Junia reached beneath the crooked smile and found a hidden little door, no bigger than a cracker. Inside was one paper star and a whispery note: Save the brightest treat for the hand that comes last.
So Junia tucked the shiniest candy deep down and let the early hands choose first. Much later, when the porch smelled of damp leaves and cold stone, one small witch came puffing up the steps after everyone else. Her bag was nearly empty. Junia slid the star-bright sweet to the top. Ever since, jack-o’-lantern buckets keep their best surprise near the bottom, waiting under the grin—see if this one is keeping the secret too.
