It was the morning of Halloween. In a few hours, the streets of this small, suburban town will be crowded with a surplus of eager children in eccentric costumes. Brooke was ecstatic. She had her costume set out and ready. All she had to do was get the school day over with. It was the slowest eight hours of her life, but she got through it, barely.

When Brooke got home, the first thing she did was run to her sister’s room. Her sister, Nina, was her best friend. They tell one another everything and are always there for each other.  

“Aren’t you excited for tonight?” Brooke asked.

“Of course, I am!” Nina retorted. She ran over to the costume that was hanging on the door of her wardrobe, gleaming with excitement. 

“We’re going to be the best witches in town!” Brooke screamed. 

“Yes, we are,” Nina replied. 

They looked at each other and laughed evilly, in unison. 

Brooke wandered back to her room to grab her costume. She immediately put it on, as she could not wait any longer. Brooke was now a witch. From the adorable pointed hat all the way down to the sparkly tights, she was ready. Nina was ready as well. Together, they looked like the prettiest witches anyone’s ever seen.  

The skies began to grow darker and it was soon time for them to make their way around the neighborhood. Brooke and Nina grabbed their candy baskets and began their journey. They went from house to house, their candy stashes growing with every step. From chocolate to plastic vampire teeth, they had it all, and they were not done yet. The girls continued down the block, making sure they visited every last house. Almost everyone they spoke to would give them compliments on their costumes. 

“Well, aren’t you girls just the sweetest things,” a lovely old woman exclaimed.

“We know!” the girls responded.

This was the type of conversation that occurred at almost every house, until they reached the last house on the block. They rang the doorbell, as they had done at every other house, and a teenage boy had answered the door. He seemed annoyed before they even spoke a word.

“Trick or treat!” the girls yelled.

“Don’t you think your costumes are a little too cutesy to be considered actual witches?” the boy mocked.

The smiles on the girls’ faces faded quickly. “Who are you calling ‘too cutesy’?” they questioned. 

“Who do you think?” he responded, “Come back when you have some real costumes.”

He slammed the door in their faces, leaving them without the candy they wholeheartedly deserved. The girls gave each other a quick, sly look and immediately knew what they had to do. They rang the doorbell again.

The boy answered the door, even more agitated than before, “I told you--” he says, unable to finish his sentence. 

The darling little witches were gone. Now, standing in front of him were two of the most hideous creatures he had ever seen. They were now unmistakably witches, with wrinkles and all. 

“Is this scary enough for you?” the girls asked.

He stood there, still unable to speak.

The girls began to recite something in Latin, and before he knew it, the boy was now a cat. 

“You’re coming home with us!” Brooke bellowed.

“I’m going to name you Mr. Snuggles!” Nina shouted.

The girls grabbed Mr. Snuggles and dumped the entire candy bowl into their bags. They then began to make their way back home, content with the progress that they had made in their journey. 

It is evident that Mr. Snuggles had to learn his lesson the hard way. However, he now knows, in his cat form, that appearances can be deceiving. Even though he is now a cat, he will never mock someone for their appearance again.