Amid the rolling fog of All Hallows' Eve, the small town of Larkspur was abuzz with children running door-to-door, their laughter echoing through the chilly night. In their midst, a boy named Timmy, wearing a bloodied butcher's apron and wielding a plastic cleaver, made his way to the most notorious house on Hemlock Lane – the abandoned Croft Manor.
Rumors had it that a century ago, Mr. Croft, madly in love with the occult, vanished without a trace on Halloween, leaving behind a cursed house that no one dared to approach on this particular night. But tonight, Timmy felt audacious.
Pushing the rusty gate open, he approached the faded door, the eerie silence occasionally broken by the distant sounds of giggling goblins and chattering skeletons. Taking a deep breath, Timmy knocked. "Trick or treat!"
To his surprise, the door creaked open to reveal a dimly lit hallway. An old, withered hand beckoned him inside, its long, bony fingers curling and uncurling.
"Come, child," croaked an old voice, drowned in a symphony of whispers and distant cries. "Choose your treat."
Unable to resist his curiosity, Timmy stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind him. Walls of the manor seemed alive, with shadows dancing grotesquely in the dim light. Timmy found himself in a grand room with a table laden with candy and treats. An old woman, her face obscured by a dark veil, gestured towards it.
"Choose," she repeated.
As Timmy picked up a candy, he noticed the floor was stained dark, and the aroma in the air was metallic and cloying. The room had other guests – children from bygone years, trapped in time, their eyes hollow and voices silent. The candy wasn't just candy; it was a binding contract.
"Your turn to play," the old woman whispered as she lifted her veil, revealing an empty void where her face should've been. In a flash, Timmy's world darkened. He had become one with the house, forever to relive that fateful night.
Outside, the other children approached the manor, lured by the ever-growing pile of candy, each unaware of the horror that awaited within.
The legend of Croft Manor lived on, with each Halloween claiming new souls, adding to the eternal chorus of whispers, forever chanting, "Trick or treat."