May 19, 1999
Nick Adams stepped from the hedge into the moonlight at the edge of the yard. Timmy stood behind him. The moonlight was enough if you knew the ground. They went to the door of the house and knocked. It was a true and well-built house and the echo of the knock was true and solid. The door opened and a woman peered out.Nick said, "Trick or treat."
The woman spat and said, "Basta!"
Nick held his sack out and said, "Candy?"
The woman spat and said, "Yo caga la leche!"
Nick said to Timmy, "We will not get candy from the woman."
Timmy said, "Does she want us to do a trick?"
Nick returned the woman's stare with strength but without rudeness. "It is not her custom. We must leave now."
The boys returned to the campsite in the hedge. Nick shaved while Timmy filled their canteens in the birdbath. There was goodness in staying clean and drinking the good water. The night air was cool.
Nick said, "It is early. We should go again."
Timmy said, "Let's go then."
Nick said without roughness, "That was my unspoken intent."
Timmy said, "Sorry."
The boys went east this time, into the wind. They moved well and truly together, without having to speak. There were others out in the night, but they did not know how to move well without speaking. The others moved in loud groups and ran through flower beds.
Nick said, "This one." They walked to the door of a low brown house. Nick watched the yard well and Timmy rang the bell, also well. They waited. Nick smelled chocolate in the night but Timmy did not notice. Nick thought that Timmy was a very loyal friend but that he was also a very foolish little boy. Nick did not mind the foolishness as long as it did not endanger him. He knew that if a lion or tiger attacked, it would kill the foolish first. Nick was well and truly prepared for the lion or the tiger. The door opened. A man looked out. Both boys said, "Trick or treat."
The man smiled and said, "Casper and The Incredible Hulk together! That's a good combination." Timmy giggled. Nick said, "Thanks." The man gave them chocolate bars and bags of jelly beans. Nick felt the jelly beans hit the other candy at the bottom of his sack. It was good candy and the jelly beans would also be good when it was time. Nick knew that he would eat all of the chocolate first, then the jelly beans. He would drink the water from the canteen with all of the candy. The hard candies would last a long time and would be good in their time. They thanked the man and walked away from the door.
The boys returned to the campsite in the hedge. Nick shaved again and drank the bird-water from the canteen. Timmy counted his candy in the moonlight. Nick did not count his candy because counting it would not change anything. He knew that they needed more and that to count what they had would not change that. Timmy was foolish and he thought that counting his candy would make a difference, but it would not. The only thing that made a difference was doing a thing as well and truly as you could. That made a difference.
The wind had changed so now they went northeast, toward a white house that looked blue in the moonlight. Nick rang the doorbell and the door flew open and the woman spat and shouted, "Yo caga la leche!"
Timmy screamed, "How'd we get here again?"
Both boys ran back to the campsite in the hedge. Nick shaved well and then felt calm. Timmy had not shaved yet and was not good and clean but he did drink the good water from the good canteen. Timmy began to unwrap a candy bar.
Nick said, "What are you doing?"
Timmy pretended not to understand, and said, "I thought I would eat a Hershey bar."
Nick said, "We had an agreement when we started."
Timmy said, "But I don't like those sandwiches."
Nick opened a lunch pail and took out two raw-onion sandwiches in white paper and two cool glasses of water with the paper towels wrapped around the bottoms and held on with rubber bands so the water on the glass would not make their hands wet. "You came on the trip but you want to make your own rules now."
Timmy protested, "But-"
"No, I understand. I understand that you came on the trip and agreed to the rules but now you don't care about the rules because you want to eat a Hershey bar and you want to make your own rules. That's why everyone likes you so much. Oh, yes, you're a great favorite."
"Geez, Nick, I just want to eat some chocolate. It's Hallowe'en for gosh sakes."
"You can be a rough boy when you feel like it. I hope you are as rough when the lion or the tiger comes."
"Oh, all right. Give me one of those." Timmy threw the candy bar into his sack and took one of the sandwiches. He took a bite and made a face.
Nick took a bite of his own sandwich and felt the crunch of the onion inside the soft bread. He chewed the bite and swallowed it and then another. He drank from the tall cool glass with the paper towels and the rubber band. He took another bite and thought about the onion and the earth and then drank the water and thought about the city reservoir. He finished his sandwich and pretended that he didn't see Timmy hide his sandwich under a pile of leaves. Nick knew that this was his last trip with Timmy, but it was not important to tell Timmy that. It was enough that he knew it well and truly himself.