Once again, the doorbell rang. It was October 31st, 1998. A look out the window would have revealed the dancing and frolicking of ghosts and goblins, as well as Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and some of the other more popular "walking billboards" for toy companies, sold as Halloween costumes.
Mike Crane was much more fond of Halloween in Phoenix, than back home in Chicago. He'd always thought it was somehow a contradiction, to buy a costume, or in some cases spend weeks making one, and then wear a heavy coat over it. Although the Windy City didn't give the "Trick or Treater" much choice, in Phoenix the weather allowed everybody to wear almost anything they wanted. While it could get brisk on an October evening, it seldom ever actually got cold. And this particular Halloween was even warmer than usual.
Mike opened the door and was greeted with an off key chorus of "Trick 'r' Treat!" He smiled and dropped a few Hershey's Miniatures into each bag, giving a few extras to the kids with the more creative costumes. As usual, most of the kids were accompanied by adult chaperones, who often took part in the festivities as well, dressing up in all sorts of costumes. He had to admit that this was the key reason he enjoyed Halloween in Phoenix.
Mixing the great weather with the ability to lose one's inhibitions behind a mask, meant that many young mothers would wear costumes that revealed more skin than would otherwise be appropriate. Frequently after admiring one of these outfits, he couldn't help but imagine a different kind of Halloween -- One where the treats were more adult in nature. "Happy Halloween, " he called back, as each child said their thanks (after being prompted by their parents) and ran off in search of additional sugary treasures.
It was past 8:00PM when Mike had grabbed the last of his candy and opened his door to reveal a little princess and her chaperone. He almost forgot about the child as his gaze lingered over the form of her guide. She, was a little over five feet tall, and appeared to be in her early twenties. She was dressed as a genie, complete with a bottle dangling from a small nylon rope around her tanned and well-toned bare midriff, and a tiny sapphire gem stuck in her navel. A translucent purple mesh covered her hips, legs, arms, and breasts, and underneath the thin fabric Mike could see the hazy image of a modest pink bikini.
Her mouth and nose were concealed by a sheer veil made of the same mesh that covered the rest of her body, which gave Mike just a hint of her cute button nose, and luscious pouty lips. Her facial features were framed in soft strands of hair seemingly spun from gold, which were pulled back into a ponytail. More stunning than her gorgeous body, were her blue-green eyes, which sparkled to the point of distraction. Mike couldn't keep his eyes of the genie, so when he released the candy from his now sweaty palms, he missed the little girl's plastic pumpkin by a good six inches. He apologized and dropped to his knees to pick up the sweets, still watching the glowing eyes of the genie, as she descended to his level offering her assistance.
Her voice was even more mesmerizing than her crystalline eyes. "No problem. Here it is." She said in her musical tone as she picked up the morsels and placed them with the rest of the little girl's stash.
"Sorry about that," he said again, "I don't know what came over me."
"It's no problem. What do you say Melanie?"
"Thank you," the little girl chimed.
"You're very welcome. Happy Halloween."
"See ya later," the genie called out as she guided Melanie down the sidewalk.
