The Requirement

Robert could just barely make out the sign: “All Trick-or-Treaters will be accompanied by law enforcement units with one unit per group minimum. No late applications will be accepted or approved. Trick-or-treating without permit is a federal offense and will be punished accordingly – adults and minors involved are all subject to persecution. The list of acceptable costumes is available at the HLSS site – no exceptions will be given and no special permits allowed at this time. All home-based participators must use CDC’s approved treat types and brands along with closed decontamination cauldrons for storing and dispersing treats, available for purchase from CDC’s site – no alternatives allowed…” He turned away from the window, yanking the blinders shut in disgust. But reality could not be occluded and they certainly no longer felt the need to try. ‘The world has gone insane.” Guilty as he felt the second he thought it the realization hit him: He was glad his own grandchildren were not alive to live through all of this. Not even a kid’s holiday could go without terrible reminders. Ironic that what used to be “the spookiest day of the year”is now quite the opposite compared to the horror of the rest of it… Robert can now hear them ringing and longed to see some smiling little eyes gleaming with anticipation of all of those treats…but there was nothing he could do. For many this is the only day of the year when there’s enough to eat. But he couldn’t afford the CDC’s long list of required props by the due date. There’s nothing to do now but ride it out. Last Halloween Robert managed to pull together the funds and spend the entire day sitting on the porch – he had to change suits twice but was determined to give this generation a glimpse of as much of the experience he had as a child as possible. It didn’t really work and had just added to the inescapable sadness of the whole scene: A stream of hungry little figures, all elephants, pigs and cows (the type of costumes that best accommodate breading masks) closely accompanied by the large blue-clad figures, all walking like a horde of lost souls – the blue ones tenser than piano strings, collecting a third of total treats received as tax…”Like taking candy from a baby”, Robert thought “not even the children are spared, not for a single day… How can anyone be callous enough to take food from a hungry child’s mouth…? If those creatures weren’t liable to gas him on site he would’ve given his last morsel…but for many this wouldn’t even buy time. He was for once glad his breading mask came with tinted vision lenses. At least he can now let his “eye irritation” self-irrigate without undue attention. He was raised on the belief that a man didn’t show emotion and never did that habit seem more useful than at present.