"What makes your story fun, Kayo?" John asked.

"Because when I think back, I was scaring myself for no reason, there was a completely logical reason for what I saw," she smiled leaning back against Scott's arm behind her back. "It all happened back in England when I was a child. I was trick and treating with my babysitter and a couple of friends."

"Wow, so you did have friends?" Gordon smirked, then winced when a fizzy cola bottle hit him in the head.

"As I was saying. It was Halloween, and I was preparing to leave the house..."

"Don't stay out too late Tanusha, and stay with your friends."

"I will Daddy. Ruby will look after us too," she smiled up at her babysitter who chuckled.

"Wait for me by the gate. We'll be fine Kyrano, see you at seven," Ruby smiled, then followed Kayo and her two friends down the road watching them as they darted up the paths to houses giggling and asking for treats.

Kayo smiled at the sweets in her pumpkin bucket and turned to face the street again, "we have to do this entire street!"

"Except for the houses which don't have their lights on, not everyone enjoys Halloween like you three do," Ruby walked swiftly behind them as the trio cheered excitedly passing other children dressed up in monster costumes and princess dresses.

The hour passed by quickly and Kayo said goodbye to her friends. As she and Ruby began to walk down the road back towards home, she fished about in her bucket wondering what to eat first.

"Do you want a packet of skittles, Ruby?"

"You're letting me have some of your sweets?" Ruby gasped dramatically. "Well, you've just become my favourite child I've ever babysat."

Kayo laughed. "I'm too old to be babysat."

"Oh, I can see that, you're practically a young woman. We're partners in crime tonight."

Kayo giggled flicking her long hair back over her shoulder in a way only a child would do then gasped, "who is that?"

"Who is who?"

"That? Look!" Kayo pointed towards a tree in the darkness of the street. "It's peering out at us."

"There's nothing there Tanusha, it's just a tree. Come on, I have to get you through the front door in five minutes or your father will never trust me again."

Kayo followed Ruby back to her house but kept looking back over her shoulder, "it's still watching us."

"We're nearly home, then we'll be safe won't we?" Ruby opened the gate to Kayo's house and led her through. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Yes I did! Thank you, Ruby."

Kyrano smiled opening the door, "you're not eating all of those tonight, Tanusha."

"Just try and stop me, Daddy!"

Ruby shook her head as Kayo ran inside, "we had a great time. Call me anytime you need someone to look after her, Mister Kyrano."

Kyrano nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't go with her tonight. Thank you, Ruby," he handed her a ten-pound note.

"It was only an hour, Mister Kyrano. This is too much."

"Take it, Ruby, please? You kept her safe, and that's all I could ask for."

Ruby smiled. "Thank you," she looked around Kyrano. "Hey, Tanusha? I'm leaving now."

Kayo ran back and hugged her, "thanks for taking me 'Trick 'n' Treating." She cast a wary look over to the tree again and narrowed her eyes, "I'll watch you go, look out for that shadow figure over there."

"I will," Ruby smirked, there was no one there, she was sure of it.

Later that evening, Kayo got changed into her pyjamas then ran back downstairs and curled up on the futon in the living room looking out of the window towards the tree, the figure was still watching the house and she shivered. "I don't like it."

Kyrano walked into the lounge with two mugs of hot chocolate, "what are you looking at Tanusha?"

Kayo, knowing her father's scepticism decided to lie, "oh, just the dark Daddy."

"Did you enjoy tonight?"

"Look at all of my sweets!" She moved over to the sofa her father was on eagerly. "Can I have some now?"

"Alright, but not too many, or you won't sleep."

Kayo was still awake long after her clock had passed midnight, the figure hadn't moved ever since she had seen it after being out with Ruby but the way it stood motionless staring up at her house made her shiver, she clutched her teddy bear and hid under the covers using the tactic of, "If I can't see it, it can't see me" and eventually she fought against her fatigue and fell asleep.

"And do you want to know what it was that I was so afraid of at the time?" Kayo smirked as the others all stared at her.

"Go on!" Alan bounced on the spot.

"It was a scarecrow," she rolled her eyes. "I saw it the next morning just standing in the field. It had been there for ages, but I had never seen it in the dark before."

Gordon howled with laughter, "and you thought it was a person!"

Scott chuckled. "Did Ruby ever find out?"

"I never told her, it would have been too embarrassing," she ran a hand through her hair. "Bear in mind, I was only five."

Virgil smiled. "That's really cute, Kayo."

Kayo shrugged. "Well the stories were getting a little too creepy, I thought I should lighten the mood. Who's next?"

The family looked across at John who nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it is my turn. But being in space for most of the year, I've only heard things, and they weren't scary things. However, I used to suffer from sleep problems like insomnia."

Gordon opened a packet of chocolate buttons, "so is this a psychological thriller story?"

"I suppose you could call it that. And please don't judge me after I tell you what caused it."