Historia's First Trick-or-Treat

Autumn leaves painted the sides of the street in a blanket of orange and yellow, the brisk evening breeze whisking clusters of amber and sunshine across the cobbled street. Her fingers were clammy, clutching onto her bat-shaped plastic pail and looking from once side of the street to the other. Her stomach saumersaulted end-over-end, teeth biting against the soft flesh of her lower lip. Historia had never been trick-or-treating before, her tiny stature feeling miniscule against the larger, well-dressed parents and older kids who meandered about the street. Her plush, pumpkin-shaped costume expanded her belly three-fold, its flickering yellow eyes dancing against the thin fabric so that she might fully encompass 'Jack-o-Lantern' fully.

Her tiny feet halted in the middle of the road, knowing not which home to approach first nor what exactly she should do once she had trespassed upon these unknown stoops. Her father, a tall and slender shiji who held himself with all of the pomp and pride he backed with coin and material alike, stood behind her dressed in a most fitting- if not a bit of an on-the-nose- costume: vampire. His satin cape clung to his shoulders and the frilled white button-up seemed to have been tailred to his figure. Velvet red pants, golden buttons, hair pulled into a taught ponytail and a faint trail of red dribbled down his chin completed the ensemble. His piercing gaze was upon his daughter's back, watching her tremble in place. She certainly hadn't inherited his confidence, but that mattered little: Alucard was positively smitten with his children. Historia, his only daughter, he was particularly close to, and the normally curt Alucard melted into soft putty when it came to his daughter. Kneeling down his hand would slip to her shoulders and she would visibly jump, turning in place and expelling an exasperated sigh.

"I'm scared, Daddy." She would confess almost instantly, her eyes down-cast as though she expected to be scolded. She knew better, though; this had everything to do with her own issues in self-confidence. "All of these other kids are so much bigger than me."

The slender male's lips would draw back into something smirk-like, but he would press his lips to her temple before extending his hand, indicating the entirety of the street and the large groups that bounced from house-to-house gathering their treats.

"Each of these would-be spooks and characters were once as small as you." He would tap the bridge of his nose. "Myself included. And we would all be lying if we said nothing ever scared us. Even now, there are things that scare me. Fortunately I've learned that I'm not alone in these things, and sometimes asking for help is all it takes to see that the things that scared you aren't quite so scary anymore." Historia would cant her head to the side and, even though her expression read as faint confusion, she smiled.

"So can I ask you for help, Daddy?"

"Of course." Reaching forward and scooping his tiny little pumpkin into his arms he would slip his head down and forward, settling the tiny girl atop his shoulders. She would squeal with glee, using one hand to clamp wrap about his head and the other to clasp her bat-shaped container. "Better hang on, it's a little tricky being this tall!" Her laughter would be all he needed to jog forward, approaching the first home on their right.

A quick rap on the door and in perfect unison father and daughter bellowed out: "Trick or Treat!" A cheery-faced shiji female opened the door, her mouth falling open with pleasant surprise as her eyes darted up, spotting the pumpkin perched atop her vampiric pedestal.

"My, what a delightful little jack-o-lantern!"

"A BIG jack-o-lantern!" Historia corrected with a wide smile. The female nodded and chuckled in reply, raising her brows.

"Ah, a very TALL one indeed! Here you are, my dear. Happy Halloween to you both!"

A few plunks and Historia had collected her first candies, morsels she peered down at with a glint and a twinkle in her eye. Her parents seldom let her indulge in sweets, but she had been promised that anything she gathered tonight was hers and hers alone... provided she shared a piece or two with her family, of course. Her twist of nerve had given way to excitement, her tiny body practically vibrating as her legs kicked at Alucard's shoulders.

"Next house next house next house!" She chanted, Alucard laughing from below. He would nod, using a hand to salute.

"Oh it, Miss Pumpkin!"