Johnny had gotten his pillowcase half full of Halloween candy. He came to the next house, already on a sugar high, though he wasn’t nearly done getting his beloved candy yet.

This next house seemed different from the rest. It wasn’t decorated, nor did it seem inhabited.
As Johnny walked up the steps, he began to feel as if he was moving backward even though he clearly wasn’t. He looked down and he could have sworn he saw the ground churning beneath his feet, though he knew it was only his imagination. He began to see faces in the old, mottled bricks that made the walls of the house. It seemed as if they were pressed against the wall, straining to get out.

Despite all this, he kept moving, determined to get his candy.

Suddenly, the feeling of moving backward reversed. He flew toward the door. The ground, no longer thrashing aimlessly, began to methodically roll him closer to the house. Panicked, he scrambled to get away, but it’s hard to run when the very ground is working against you. The faces in the bricks stopped straining and started grinning as if expecting a long awaited dinner. They were famished. A delicious ten year old would do nicely.

Slowly,

Ever so slowly,

The front door creaked open…