The woman who answered had silver hair pinned behind her head and tiny pumpkins printed on her apron.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYwUfmcTeA
For a moment, she just looked at him.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAy8bFD4pY
Then she put a hand over her mouth.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1sLL30Er4
“Oh,” she said. “Look who's come.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RvQ6mdFCG
Arvin held out his bucket.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6x2upN3Xv
“Trick or treat.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxICjSChca
She bent to look inside.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURKpNbcOHo
“Well, that won't do.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesyKlQpNak
She dropped in a handful of wrapped sweets. Then she went back for another.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18CsxNnhW3
“Wait here. I've got biscuits.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DNGzkeMR0
Arvin waited on the doorstep while she called through the house.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq87Wd5OSTM
“Arthur! We've got a little one!”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgfWPFspPL
A man with a walking stick appeared behind her. He had a small white moustache and a paper witch's hat that kept sliding over one eyebrow.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr18HzZsI0q
“First this year?” he asked.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ytT5llTi5
“First in a long while.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSkUKSA1jQ
Arthur smiled at Arvin.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8iWe8cNrG
“You'll have to help us eat everything, then.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHo4Y7Gzk1
At the next house, an old man gave him an iced biscuit shaped like a bat. Across the street, a woman in a purple cardigan offered him a sausage wrapped in pastry.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoQLrfFSyz
“A mummy,” she explained.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsAxmd1GNa
“I know,” Arvin said, delighted.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyKXihaE34
She seemed delighted too.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fVK6QDb7P
Soon people were coming out onto their doorsteps to see him. They asked him to turn around so they could admire his costume. Someone brought a stool to a table in the square because the chairs were too low for him.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRmPgVPES9
There were slices of pumpkin pie, little cakes with orange icing and shiny red toffee apples. Arvin chose an apple, then worried about how to eat it without getting his costume sticky.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyhFH5Dwum
The woman with the pumpkin apron tucked a napkin into his collar.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqIHThDOqI
“There. Now you can make a mess.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIPVeMmrI3
He laughed.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PbrmRdWP7
He bit through the apple's toffee shell. It cracked so loudly that the woman laughed too.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFqctnGBoH
Warm pastry and cinnamon filled the air. He hoped there would be room for pie afterwards.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5Igk92HI5
Her name was Mrs Bell. She told him twice, but he called her the pumpkin lady, and she didn't seem to mind.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmZMpQgcQK
“Where are the other children?” he asked her.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMLCzo1zyC
He had been looking for someone to play with.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4EbaDVJnA
Mrs Bell straightened the napkin.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDms5k5u55q
“Their families moved away.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop9bw3seGn
“All of them?”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVodoXs4F8a
“One after another.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN7Fxr9QjJ
Arvin looked around. There were plenty of people, but everyone had grey or white hair. A few used walking sticks. One woman had brought a cushion out to sit on.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85nRYFAnLs
“Don't they visit?”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzQJInk3WQ
Arthur adjusted his paper hat.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXfAalg2h3
“We still put everything out.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuKGUC5Hvz
Mrs Bell cut Arvin a piece of cake.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5HoOigA2U
“Someone might come.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9balMrXD2
Arvin ate slowly after that. It seemed rude to leave when they had made so much.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hNqpsAxG1
He told them about his baby sister, who couldn't eat sweets yet, and about Mum sewing his costume while he stood on a chair. Mrs Bell listened to every word.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsfEukqowe
When he dripped cream onto his sleeve, she wiped it away with the corner of her apron.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEJH0UR9rb
By then, the sky was dark. Arvin remembered the road, the lane, and Mum waiting outside the neighbour's house.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUt6nTofpgX
“I should go back,” he said.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdg7oQixrnn
“Of course,” Mrs Bell replied. “Arthur will walk you to the gate.”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivgmP8q8gb
But Arthur was fetching something from his house. While they waited, Mrs Bell brought a blanket and let Arvin sit on her sofa.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zAd84Qn3r
He meant to stay awake.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOV6YpwP4f
The last thing he remembered was her lifting the bucket off his knees.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiFus1gAdZ
“We can fill that properly tomorrow,” she said.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7S9TeQ0KH0
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2flkzwC1A
and then Add to home screen.