If every picture tells a story, what about a piece of candy?

I missed trick-or-treat this year. No big deal, right? Well, it is for me and my big old friendly golden lab mix girl.  We enjoy the wait under the porch light every Halloween with a grinning plastic pumpkin filled with mini-chocolate bars and rainbow treats wrapped in cellophane.  “Emmalee” grins at every ghost, goblin, pirate and princess and welcomes pats on the head between her big, erect ears.  I purchased the usual extra-large bags of candy weeks ago anticipating another parade of costumed characters at my front door.

Work changed my plans. I apologized to Emmalee, filled the grinning pumpkin with candy, and printed out a sign that read “Take Some.” I taped the sign to the porch railing, set the stuffed pumpkin under the sign, turned on the porch light, locked up and drove away. I returned to an empty pumpkin and one mini-chocolate bar on the porch step still in its wrapper.

Did one greedy ghoul grab all but this escaped piece of candy? Or did the last trick-or-treater leave one goodie behind for someone else?

Which ending do you choose? In my writer’s mind, I see a ghost or a goblin, a pirate or a princess giving back that piece of candy to the grinning pumpkin