Old Margaret despises Halloween and plans to avoid the festivities, but when she’s asked to care for her grandson, Elliot, her rigid views put him in unexpected danger. As she’s forced to confront her beliefs, Margaret must act quickly to protect him, which could change their relationship forever.
It was the day before Halloween, and Margaret had been looking forward to a quiet day. She planned to keep the windows shut tight and the curtains drawn, not wanting to witness the chaos that always came with the holiday.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
To her, Halloween was nonsense—a celebration of foolishness. She couldn’t stand the sight of children dressed up as witches, ghosts, or monsters, and she certainly didn’t approve of their parents who encouraged such behavior.
In Margaret’s mind, Halloween was a mistake, a holiday that should have never been invented. It went against her principles entirely.
Every year, the local children knew better than to stop by Margaret’s house for candy. She had made it clear with her sharp words and quick broom that no one was welcome to trick-or-treat there.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Fewer and fewer kids showed up each year, understanding that all they would get from Margaret was a good scolding, not a treat.
But Margaret’s plan for a peaceful day was interrupted early in the morning when the phone rang. Her daughter, Camilla, was on the line, asking if Margaret could watch her grandson, Elliot, for a few hours.
Camilla had an urgent job interview. Though Margaret wasn’t used to having children around anymore, she reluctantly agreed. Soon after, Camilla and Elliot arrived, and Margaret opened the door to let them in.
“Grandma, where are all your Halloween decorations?” Elliot asked as he looked around the living room.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t celebrate that holiday,” Margaret said.
Elliot frowned. “Why not? Halloween is fun!”
Margaret straightened up and turned to him. “Because it’s a foolish holiday. It’s vulgar, and I don’t want any part of it,” she said, her tone sharp, signaling the end of the conversation.
Elliot looked confused, but before he could say anything else, Camilla stepped in and gently pulled her mother aside.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Margaret, I know you’ve always hated Halloween,” Camilla began in a soft voice, “but it means a lot to Elliot. He loved going trick-or-treating with Jake. Now that Jake’s gone, I want to keep that tradition alive for him.”
Margaret shook her head. “You know how I feel about this,” she said.
“I do,” Camilla replied, “but he’s your grandson, and I want you two to have a better relationship than we did.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Margaret sighed deeply, her mind drifting back to the past. Camilla had left home right after high school, angry and eager to escape. For years, there had been no calls, no visits, no connection at all.
Margaret hadn’t heard from her daughter until Jake, Camilla’s husband, passed away. Even then, Camilla didn’t call her “Mom.” Margaret knew why. She was always working, always busy, and too strict when she was home.
She hadn’t shown her daughter the love and attention she deserved, and now they were strangers because of it.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
That’s why Margaret appreciated that Camilla had let her back into her life, and so, she gave in.
“Fine,” Margaret said with a heavy sigh. “He can go trick-or-treating.”
“You’ll have to go with him,” Camilla added, her voice firm.
Margaret’s eyes widened. “What?! I have to go too?” she asked, feeling a bit annoyed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Camilla nodded. “Yes. He can’t go alone.”
Margaret sighed again. “Alright, alright. We’ll go.”
Camilla smiled softly. “Thank you.” Then, she left the house.
After playing with his toys for a while, Elliot wandered into the kitchen, where Margaret sat sipping her tea.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Grandma, when are we going trick-or-treating?” Elliot asked.
“We’re not going,” Margaret replied, her voice sharp.
Elliot’s face dropped. “But Mom said you promised! She told me you agreed to take me!”
“Your mom doesn’t understand anything,” Margaret said. “She doesn’t see how ridiculous this holiday is. It’s awful.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I’m going to tell her you lied!” he shouted.
Margaret’s eyes narrowed. “If you do, young man, we’ll have a very different conversation,” she warned.
“Why are you so mean, Grandma?” Elliot cried, his fists clenched. “Why can’t you be like other grandmas? They all take their grandkids trick-or-treating!”
“Because this holiday is evil!” Margaret snapped. “It’s the devil’s holiday! Now stop this nonsense, or I’ll send you to your room.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“You’re the worst grandma ever!” Elliot shouted, then ran out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.
“Kids,” Margaret muttered, shaking her head. “They don’t understand it’s for their own good.”
After a while, Margaret noticed something strange—the house had become too quiet. She frowned and set her teacup down. “Elliot?” she called out, expecting to hear his small footsteps or his voice from the other room.
But there was no response. Margaret stood up and began searching the house. She checked the living room, the hallway, even his bedroom. The boy was nowhere to be found.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
That’s when she noticed—his shoes were gone from the front door. Margaret’s heart sank as realization hit her. “That little rascal,” she muttered under her breath. “He ran off.”
Margaret quickly grabbed her coat and threw it on, stepping out into the chilly air. She grimaced as she was met with the sight of children in all sorts of ridiculous costumes—witches, ghosts, superheroes.
But she knew if she didn’t find Elliot soon, Camilla would be furious. Maybe even cut her off for good this time. She couldn’t let that happen.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She hurried through the streets, stopping to ask the neighbors if they had seen a young boy, about seven years old. Some said they had seen him a while ago, others couldn’t recall which kids had come and gone.
Margaret’s anxiety grew with each passing minute. She couldn’t lose Elliot—not just for his sake, but for the fragile bond she had with Camilla.
After searching for over an hour, she spotted an old abandoned house at the edge of town. A thought struck her—maybe Elliot had gone inside, trying to live out some Halloween adventure.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Margaret stepped inside, the creaky floorboards groaning under her weight. Then, from somewhere upstairs, she heard it: muffled voices and terrified cry.
“Let me go! Please!” It was Elliot’s voice.
Margaret reached the second floor and froze. A group of teenagers stood around Elliot, their faces smug.
“We warned you what would happen if you didn’t get enough candy,” one of the boys said, stepping closer to Elliot.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“But I did get a lot of candy!” Elliot’s voice was shaky, his hands gripping his small candy bag. “It’s enough!”
A girl from the group sneered, crossing her arms. “You think that’s enough? Pathetic. We want way more.”
Margaret’s eyes darted to an old broom leaning in the corner of the room. Without thinking twice, she grabbed it, pulled her hood over her head, and stormed into the room where the teenagers stood around Elliot.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She waved the broom wildly in the air. The teenagers froze for a second, their eyes wide with shock. Then, screaming in panic, they bolted for the door, stumbling over each other as they ran from the house.
Elliot, terrified, tried to run too. But Margaret quickly reached out and grabbed his hand. He screamed even louder, trying to pull away.
“Elliot! It’s me, Grandma!” Margaret said, her voice firm but kind.
“Grandma?” he asked, blinking through his tears.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Margaret pulled off her hood, and in that moment, recognition filled Elliot’s face. He threw his arms around her. “I’m so glad you found me!” he cried, holding her tightly.
As they walked home, Margaret looked down at Elliot. “Why did you run away?”
Elliot sniffled and kept his eyes on the ground. “I wanted to go trick-or-treating,” he said. “But you wouldn’t let me.”
Margaret shook her head. “That was a very foolish thing to do. You scared me.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I didn’t mean to. It was fine at first, but then those teenagers saw me,” Elliot said, his voice trembling. “They told me I didn’t have enough candy and made me collect more for them.”
Margaret frowned. “That’s why it’s dangerous to walk around alone. Something much worse could’ve happened.”
Elliot wiped his nose with his sleeve. “Dad always went with me,” he said softly. “We wore costumes that matched. He made it fun, like a game. We didn’t even care about the candy.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
At that moment, something clicked in Margaret’s mind. Halloween wasn’t just about costumes and candy for Elliot. It was a special tradition he had shared with his dad, Jake.
It wasn’t about the holiday itself; it was about the memories. Margaret felt a pang of guilt for not understanding sooner. She had taken that joy away from him, and worse, she had put him in danger by letting him wander off alone.
Determined to make things right, Margaret brought Elliot home. After settling him down, she made a quick trip to the store. She bought bags of candy, more than she had ever bought before. When she returned, she hid the candy all over the house, like a game.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Elliot’s face lit up with excitement as he searched every corner for the hidden treats. Margaret even helped him find the last few pieces, and seeing his joy warmed her heart.
When Camilla came to pick up Elliot, he immediately ran to her and told her everything that had happened. He excitedly described how some teenagers had threatened him, but Grandma had scared them off and saved him. Camilla’s face grew pale as she listened, her expression quickly turning from shock to anger.
“Did you lose him?!” Camilla shouted, turning to Margaret.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I… he ran away, but I found him. It’s fine now,” Margaret replied.
“Everything’s fine?! Some teenagers threatened him, and you think that’s fine?” Camilla’s voice rose. “I trusted you with my son, and you let this happen? You haven’t changed at all, have you? You still think you’re always right, but you don’t care about anyone else.”
Margaret opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, Camilla grabbed Elliot’s hand. “Come on, Elliot, we’re leaving,” she said, storming out of the house with him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
A few days later, there was a knock on Margaret’s door. When she opened it, to her surprise, Camilla was standing there.
“I’m so glad you came. I’ve been wanting to apologize,” Margaret said, her voice soft. “I was wrong. I should have taken Elliot trick-or-treating like I promised.”
Camilla looked down for a moment, then back at her mother. “I was wrong too,” she admitted. “Elliot told me about how you did something special for him afterward. He said you hid candy for him to find. Maybe… maybe you have changed. You never did anything like that for me when I was little.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Margaret sighed, guilt weighing on her. “I know, and I’m really sorry for that. I wasn’t the mother I should have been. I want to make things right now. I know I can’t change the past, but I want to fix things between us.”
Camilla nodded, her expression softening. “So do I. And besides, Elliot has been bugging me nonstop, saying he wants to play with you again. We’re going to the park. Do you want to come with us?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Margaret smiled. “Yes, I’d love to,” she said, grabbing her bag and stepping outside with Camilla and Elliot.
From that moment on, Halloween didn’t seem like such a bad holiday anymore. Every year, Margaret made Elliot a new costume, and she even started decorating the house for him. It became their new tradition, and Margaret found herself looking forward to it each time.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
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If you enjoyed this story, read this one: It was my senior year, and everything was supposed to be about exams, friends, and the future. But instead, I was stuck at home, watching my grandmother slip further into dementia. She kept mistaking me for her late husband, George. It drove me crazy—until one day, something changed between us. Read the full story here.
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