#tromroan

In a scriddler themed discord server I take part in, we all decided to do a halloween-themed art and fanfic exchange. What follows below is my fic and wonderfully amazing art by @tromroan

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The trees are starting to change colors in Arlen Georgia, and that means two things. For one, it's autumn---and Arlen's autumn is lovely, albeit a bit of a barren wasteland where few live. And two, it means spooky season is now cloaking the small settlement's children with delightful visions of candy and costumes.

But, for one child--this is not so. That child name is Jonathan Crane and he lives with his Great Grandmother in what once was a luxurious manor on the outskirts of town. Today though, the building is falling apart at the shingles and it leaks when it rains. It is not a happy life, for a myriad of reasons.

And all Jonathan knows is that this time of year is full of forbidden delights. He is not allowed to go out and trek the neighborhoods for candy. He can't even pray for it, and you pray a lot on this town. There is no dressing up either, that's devil worship according to Great Granny.

However, this year is going to be different. This year, he wants to disobey Great Granny. Jonathan thinks deserves candy and fun. Just like all the other kids. For years this child went without. Without dessert, without new clothes, without allowance. Just once, he needs to be a kid--before it's too late for that sort of play.

So, a plan was hatched. This is a boy of science and literature. He is smarter than he looks. Jonathan plans to sneak out after dark, once all his daily chores. As for Great Granny? Every night she has a bed wine, something to calm her heart. That night, the wine would be tainted. Poisoned even. The clever cocktail would knock her out quickly enough, giving Jonathan chance to escape. And wouldn't you know? It works. His plans always work.

All hallows eve is here. Great Granny is fast asleep well before bedtime and won't be waking up till the next morning. Jonathan decided before hand what he wanted his costume to be. He is going as his namesake--the very thing no other child would expect, as it is far too obvious. A Scarecrow. With some burlap from the backyard barn and some old sheets -- he made for a fine Scarecrow.

Jonathan had a pillowcase to candy, and a flashlight to keep him safe. It was going to be a wonderful night. First and foremost he had to stop at the Arlen penny store, of which his giving away small treats to every kid who stops by. The cloaked Scarecrow was greed with some sugar sticks and a small chocolate coin. Next, the one lone neighborhood with a little less than a dozen houses. He went door to door, alluding any bullies as most children were too focused on chocolate to care who was under the mask. For each house he visits, he is is gifted with a small handful of goodies. He can't believe his eyes as they grab a handful from a plastic bowl and shove it into his pillowcase. That is a lot of sweets--all for me, he thinks.

Finally, after the last homestead is looted--Jonathan remembers the one wealthy family in town and that they are giving out full sized bars at the schoolhouse. Realizing now how dark it was, he was not going to miss out on a big bar of chocolate so with all the strength in his lanky limbs, he rushes to the school.

Thankfully he arrives just in time, and the kind family hands him their last chocolate bar. What luck! Jonathan is ecstatic about his haul and with the biggest grin under his burlap facade, he heads home.

With Great Granny tucked in her bed, out like a light, Jonathan sneaks into the backdoor on the far end of the manor. Over time, he's learned the best sneaking techniques, and how to tip toe without a mouse's squeak of the floorboards. Slow and steady he walks up the stairs to his attic bedroom.

With too much candy to eat in one night, Jonathan indulges himself in just three pieces of candy, that--and the full sized chocolate bar. Boy, it tastes heavenly. His first real dessert. It's a taste he won't ever forget. And as for the rest of the sweets? Diligently hidden under the wood floors, even more so out of sight, as that particular wooden board lies beneath a bookshelf.

He can rest easy tonight, with a belly full of sugary delight. This was to be his only halloween as a child, for not a year later---his life would change forever.

Siddal Gouge belongs to @imsupposedtobestudying-whoops