image [https://i.imgur.com/SMtgacj.jpeg]
The grim reaper glided down the sidewalk, his daughter Mia skipping just ahead, clutching her plastic pumpkin bucket. She wore a tutu over her little grim cloak, her tiny scythe clinking as she dragged it along the ground. Death watched her with fatherly pride, though his skeletal grin and towering frame tended to make anyone near him tremble.
They approached their first house. Mia ran up to the door and knocked, her small, scythe-bearing shadow spilling across the porch.
“Trick or treat!” she squeaked.
The door creaked open, and the elderly homeowner froze, his eyes widening at the sight of Death hovering just behind her.
“Oh, uh, h-here you go, sweetie!” he stammered, grabbing the biggest candy bars from his bowl and dropping them into Mia’s bucket with trembling hands.
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“Thank you!” she chirped, completely oblivious to his terror.
As she skipped back to her dad, Death gave the man a polite nod, causing him to shut the door with a panicked slam. Mia barely noticed as she moved on to the next house.
Door after door, the same scene repeated. Mia beamed and twirled her tutu as she held out her bucket, and every single homeowner would catch a glimpse of her towering father and dig out the king-sized candy bars with desperate haste.
“Daddy, look!” she said excitedly, showing him the mountain of candy gathering in her bucket. “I got so much chocolate!”
Death nodded proudly, though his scythe glinted ominously as he floated along behind her. “You're doing wonderfully, my little spirit,” he said.
At one house, a woman opened the door, saw Death looming over Mia’s shoulder, and shoved an entire unopened bag of candy into the bucket.
“Have a wonderful night! Happy Halloween!” the woman said, voice shaking.
At the end of the night, Mia’s bucket was nearly overflowing. She turned to her father, eyes shining. “Daddy, can we go again next year?”
Death’s hollow eyes gleamed. “Of course, my dear. They always give the best treats when they think the end is near.”
And together, they strolled down the street, his daughter’s laughter echoing in the chilly Halloween night.