A. L. Kaplan

Tag: Trick or Treat

  • Little Squirt – Illustrated in Miniatures on Candid Canine

    Laila’s 2020 Halloween Photo

    It might be a little be after Halloween, but take a look a this post on Candid Canine.

    I love the way Christina Verstraete illustrated my story, Little Squirt, with miniatures. Very clever. Make sure you visit and check out her other creations.

    Halloween in #Miniature: Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat!

    STAR TOUCHED

    STAR TOUCHED

    Sometimes it’s hard to be who you are meant to be.

    Especially when your powers can get you killed.

    Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population.

    Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble.

    Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

    WOLF DAWN

    WOLF DAWN

    A Hidden Past – A Deadly Secret

    Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers.

    But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.

  • LITTLE SQUIRT

    Chocolate, gooey caramel. My mouth almost waters. If only I could still taste that luscious candy, but the reanimated can’t do that. It wouldn’t be bad if I got out more. I mean, Grandma is great and all. She brought me back to half-life after I was killed. It’s just not the same without other kids to play with. Halloween is the only day I can go outside without freaking the living. Believe me, you don’t want the pitchfork and torch brigade chasing you.

    “Trick or Treat.” I hold out my sack with the other children.

    A lady hands me a handful of candy. “Great Costume.”

    I thank her and hurry toward the next house. Two little girls sob at the curb. Halloween should be fun, not sad.

    “Are you ok?”

    The bunny points a gloved paw at three disappearing teens. Her ears bounce with each sniffle. “They…took… our…candy.”

    I hate bullies. “Here, take mine.”

    Big, round, adoring eyes look up at me. Being undead has its perks. I track the thieves faster than a bloodhound.

    “That candy isn’t yours.”

    They laugh and tower around me. “Get lost or get pounded, squirt.”

    “Squirt, is it.” I take a deep breath and squirt them with inky old blood.

    A moment of stunned silence, then they clench their fists. I point down. They stare as skeletal hands reach up and pull them into the ground. Half-buried, they shriek and struggle.

    “Don’t steal, especially from little kids on Halloween. I’ll be watching.”