Amelia, a 10-year-old girl with a rich imagination, was busy with the most important job of the night: "Trick-or-Treat". In her patchwork witch costume, she clutched a worn canvas bag.
After sweeping the familiar houses, Amelia decided to go deeper into the alley that everyone in town avoided: Night Alley. At the end of the alley, there was a small house that no one had ever dared to knock on. Although the door was old and the paint was peeling, tonight, there was a tiny pumpkin lantern, smoldering on the windowsill.
Muttering up her courage, Amelia timidly knocked on the door. Knock... Knock... Knock...
The door opened slowly, without a creak. Standing there was a thin old man, his eyes glowing like embers under the brim of his wide felt hat. He said nothing, just held out an old earthenware bowl. In it, there was only one thing: a flat, round, shiny copper-colored hard candy that looked exactly like an old coin.
"Trick or Treat!" Amelia whispered.
The old man nodded slightly, signaling for her to take it. When Amelia touched the candy, she felt a chill run down her arm. She thanked him and quickly turned away, feeling a pair of eyes watching her.
Back home, Amelia dumped her loot on the floor. Among the colorful chocolate bars and marshmallows, the coin candy stood out. It had no label, only an engraving: a tiny hourglass, without any sand.
Amelia curiously put the candy in her mouth. It melted immediately, the taste was not sweet, not sour, but a strange feeling: the taste of memory.
Instantly, the room around her blurred. Amelia found herself standing in the same place she was standing, but not in the present. She saw her room 10 years ago, her mother smiling as she placed the first crib. She saw herself 5 years later, disappointed that she could not find the lost cat. She saw this scene very quickly, like a fast-forward movie.
When the candy tasted gone, everything returned to normal.
Amelia stared at the remaining candy. This coin candy was not candy, but a key to open a moment in time.
The next morning, Amelia ran straight to Black Night Alley. The small house was still there, but the door was closed and the jack-o-lantern was gone. She knocked on the door. No one answered.
There was only an empty bowl left on the windowsill. And in that bowl, she found a small piece of paper, written in an ancient handwriting:
"The gift of Halloween is not food, but time. Congratulations on choosing a good time. Keep it a secret... until next Halloween."
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