This is Halloween Part 3

After we left Mrs. Figg's house, the three of us managed to find a neighborhood where nearly every house was decorated. Inflatable pumpkins, fake skeletons, the occasional hay maze on the lawn.

Harry and I stare in wonder at all the different people wandering around. Nearly everyone is in a costume, though they're all more elaborate than our own. We can see people dressed as witches, like Clarity, zombies, cowboys, and one kid dressed as a giant bat. (Wow that costume is realistic. I feel like I can even see the muscles on the wing!)

I try to reach out to the giant bat-man and feel his wing, but they move away at the last moment and I miss. By the time I turn around to stare at them some more, they're gone.

Clarity pats my back in sympathy. "Don't worry about it, some people are just sensitive about their costumes. Why, just last year, a girl in a vampire costume kept following me around asking if she could suck my blood." She chuckles. "I was on the verge of saying yes just so that she would leave me alone, but luckily her mother found her and took her home."

Harry laughs at her story while I offer her a smile. Then I remember that I'm wearing a sheet and laugh along with him. I then turn my attention to the first house we're approaching. It's fairly simple, just a few pumpkins and a fake skeleton in front of the kitchen window.

We knock on the door and it's quickly answered by a portly old lady. "Trick-or-treat!" Clarity says. I give her a side-eye that she can't see.

"Oh my," the old woman exclaims, "a wicked witch and a couple off ghosts. Why, I haven't seen costumes like these since I was a trick-or-treater myself."

I smirk and put on my best innocent voice.. "Wow, what was it like when dinosaurs still walked around? Did you have to walk around wearing a bush so they didn't eat you?"

The old woman chuckles. "I'm not THAT old dearie, though I suppose I could tell you about when my husband invented sliced bread." She gives me a wink. "But you likely have a long night ahead of you, so I won't bore you with the details. Have a good night!"

She gives each of us a good sized handful of candy before closing the door. As we leave her driveway, we pass by another group of trick-or-treaters.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for her to sit on a chair outside, instead of having to stop whatever she's doing inside to hand out candy?" I wonder.

Clarity nods her head. "Probably, but maybe she doesn't like the cold, or she could have chair just inside that we couldn't see."

"True. By the way Clarity, why didn't you introduce us properly this time?"

"Huh?" She gives me a confused look.

"You know," Harry chimes in, "with the whole, "I am a powerful witch traveling with my undead companions! Grant us succor for our journey." You know, like how you did with Mrs. Figg?"

She blushes and looks away. "Oh, that. W- well, I just wanted to have a bit of fun, get into character as a witch. But... it's embarrassing."

I shrug. "Well, if you found it fun, who cares? People are assholes who will judge you anyway, so you might as well do what you like."

She gives me a shocked look, Harry stares at me too. Did I say something wrong?

"M-m-misha, you shouldn't use such crass language in public!" Clarity stutters out a reply. "What if someone overhears you and spread rumors?"

I roll my eyes. "So what if they do? Harry and I already have a bunch of rumors going around about us, so what's a few more? Besides, who's going to be able to tell who we are under these sheets? People can literally only see our eyes until we lift our bags. Even then, they only get to see our arms when we do. And I DID just tell you what I think about restricting my actions based on other people's perceptions."

She looks thoughtful as she taps her chin. "I suppose so, your reputation really can't get any worse among the other kids. And it's true that nobody can see under your sheets, so there's a fairly low chance of anything you do getting traced back to you, even if people do take note."

She sighs before pinching the bridge of her nose under her glasses. "However, that does not mean you can act uncivilized. Even if you do not care about the opinions of others, you should at least maintain an awareness of your situation."

I nod. "Sure thing, but you should let yourself have some fun. Don't let yourself be stuck caring about what everyone else thinks. You're worth more than you give yourself credit for.

She blushes, this time just a light shade. She looks like she's about to reply before we're interrupted by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"