Hamster and Gretel: The Candy Snatcher
"So, do you know the plan?" Gretel asked her friend. It was Halloween and the two girls were talking to each other in their classroom. Gretel was dressed as a honey bun and her friend was dressed as a cinnamon roll. Their classmates and teacher also wore costumes. The classroom was also decorated for the spooky holiday.
"I sure do!" Bailey answered. "Be at your house at six, and then a few minutes later, the fun can begin!"
"So much fun! The funnest! Who doesn't have fun trick-or-treating with their best friend on Halloween night getting loads of candy?"
"I know, right? Say, are you going to fly me from house to house to get candy?"
"And expose my cover? No way! I'm going to walk like a normal kid." Bailey was disappointed.
"Aw, alright!" Gretel smiled.
"Cheer up, Bailey, remember the candy." Bailey perked up at this.
"Candy!"
"Thatta girl!"
"You two are going trick-or-treating?" Nordle asked the two girls. They both looked at him. He was wearing sky blue pajamas and was donning an orange cape.
"Yes." Gretel replied.
"Aren't you?" Bailey wanted to know. Nordle shook his head. "Why? Your evil father isn't going to let you, being the evil guy he is?"
"No."
"Did he tell you that all of those candies will rot your teeth?" Gretel questioned. "Is he good and evil at the same time? He's not secretly a dentist, is he?"
"No. I just don't want the Candy Snatcher to steal my candy, is all." Both girls were confused.
"Who?" Bailey asked.
"The Candy Snatcher. Seriously? You guys don't know who he is?" The girls shook their heads.
"No offense, Nordle. But we don't watch the news, so we don't know."
"Like we didn't know what your costume was." Gretel put in. Nordle got mad at this.
"I told you, I'm Jammie Noah. You know, the children's computer game kid hero of the late nineties and early 2000s." He then sighed and changed the subject. "Anyways, The Candy Snatcher is a grown-up who hides in bushes or behind trees or whatever, and then whenever a trick-or-treater passes by with a ton of candy, they jump out, scares them, steals their candy, and runs away while laughing maniacally." Bailey and Gretel gasped.
"That's awful!" Gretel cried out.
"Gretel's right!" Bailey agreed. "And the worst part is the fact that an adult is stealing from children. He should know better."
"I agree." Nordle agreed with her with a nod. "He really should. But they don't. So, I advise you two girls, if you don't want to have your candy taken and your Halloween night ruined, be like me, and just stay home and not go trick or treating this year…or ever again. Warn every kid you see until you get home."
"What!?" Bailey asked, shocked. "We aren't going to do that. We have been planning this night since the beginning of October."
"Bailey's right." Gretel told Nordle. "Sorry, thanks for the advice, but we will have to decline. There are candy out there just waiting for us with our non-existent names on them, just waiting to be eaten. No Candy Snatcher adult will ever ruin it for us!" Nordle sighed.
"I tried to warn you two girls."
"We will be careful, Nordle. There are two of us and one of him. We may be kids, but we are stronger together. The Candy Snatcher won't see what's coming!"
"That's right." Bailey added. "You tell him, Gretel!" Nordle smiled.
"You're right. I'm sure you two will be fine. Just please, be careful."
"We will!" They both said at the same time.
Bailey's parents dropped her off right at six.
"Gretel!" An excited Bailey said to her friend as if they haven't seen each other in years. She ran to her.
"Bailey!" Gretel cried out. The two girls hugged each other. "Long time no see!"
"We'll be back at nine to pick up Bailey." Roman told Caroline. After their goodbyes, her parents left. Churro then came in. The dog was dressed as a churro. This confused Bailey.
"What's Churro supposed to be?" She wanted to know.
"He's a churro, a very delicious food from our culture, and his namesake. It was my dad's idea." Bailey smiled.
"Cute! Anyways, where's Kevin?"
"At a Halloween party with Fred and Hiromi." She changed the subject. "So, are you ready for trick or treating fun?"
"You know it! Now, let's get going. The sooner we go, the better."
"Right." They were about to go when Carolina reopened the door for Nordle and his father. Both Gretel and Bailey were surprised.
"Nordle?" Gretel questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought you weren't trick or treating ever again because of the Candy Snatcher." Bailey put in.
"I was." Nordle said. "But I figured going out with a two friends instead of by myself would make me feel more comfortable going out. Plus, who can resist free candy?" The girls smiled.
"We're glad you decided to go out, Nordle." Gretel told him. "You're too young not to go out. We'll be glad to let you join in our candy hunt." Nordle smiled.
"Thanks, Gretel. I knew you girls wouldn't mind. You guys are cool like that." This time, Gretel smiled.
"Remember I'll be picking you up later." Professor Explanation told his son. "So, don't be late. You have school tomorrow. Even a villain wants their son to have a good education. Who knows? School might help you when the time comes when you follow in your ol' man's footsteps."
"Yes, Father." Nordle responded to him. "I will." He then got angry. "And for the millionth time, I will never be evil like you!" Professor Explanation shrugged.
"You're still young. That's plenty of time for you to change your mind."
"Goodbye, Father!"
"Goodbye, son." And with that, he left. Nordle sighed, then turned to the girls.
"Sorry about my dad." He told them.
"That's all right, Nordle." Gretel said to him. "Parents will be parents. Now we stalled long enough! Let's go out there and get those candies!" The kids agreed and went off.
"Have fun!" Carolina called after them. She then heard a sad sniffing sound. She saw that it was her husband.
"Are you crying?" She wanted to know.
"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Dave questioned wiping away a tear. "I remember holding Gretel as a baby going out trick-or-treating with Kevin while you stayed home handing out candy. Now Gretel is going out with her friends and Kevin is too old to go out."
"Yeah, they do." His wife agreed. "And if Gretel wants, she still has a few years left until she outgrows trick or treating too."
"True. I'll be dreading that day, but I know children grow up and it's for the best."
"Exactly, then we need to wait when they have kids and we are grandparents."
"That'll be if they have kids." Caroline smiled.
"Again, exactly. Whatever happens, it'll be great. They're great kids."
"Well, that's because we're such awesome parents, but, yeah, they are."
"Okay." Nordle told Gretel and Bailey as soon as they were outside. "The Candy Snatcher has black sideburns on each side of his bald head and drives in a black and orange SUV. He also likes to wear colorful clothes, particularly red and white."
"So, like a candy cane?" Bailey guessed. "Or from those books where you have to find that character?"
"Exactly! But this guy is shady and isn't your friend. He will steal your candy if you guys don't be careful. So keep on your toes and run away the moment he sees you."
"Yeah, yeah, Nordle." Gretel said to him. "Thanks for the tip, but let's just enjoy our night and get the candy."
"I'm just trying to be helpful so your night isn't ruined." He grew mad. "You don't believe me, do you?"
"No, I didn't say that. I just want us to enjoy our night, you know and don't worry about him. He's just one guy and there are a lot of trick-or-treaters out and about. We may not even cross paths with him." Nordle sighed.
"Hopefully, if we're lucky." Gretel smiled.
"That's the spirit, Nordle!" So the kids walked off. They then passed a crying girl in a purple platypus costume.
"What is it?" Asked a concerned Bailey. "Why are you crying?" The girl looked at her and answered through tears.
"There was an adult that stole my candy!" She answered. They all gasped.
"How awful!" Gretel put in. The girl nodded.
"It was. I didn't know that adults could do that to kids. And it was my first house too."
"Was the candy thief bald with black sideburns?" Nordle questioned her. The girl nodded.
"With red and white clothing like a candy cane and that man from the find it books for children." Once again, the girl nodded. Nordle snapped his fingers.
"The Candy Snatcher!" He said. "I knew it!"
"Don't worry." Gretel told her. "We'll get your candy back for you." Both Bailey and Nordle were surprised while the girl was happy.
"We will?" They asked at the same time.
"Oh, thank you!" She thanked her. "In the meantime, I'm going home. I don't want that creepy guy to come back and strike again." With that, she was off.
"Uh, how are we going to do this, exactly?" Bailey wanted to know.
"And why did you say that you'll get her candy back from him?" Nordle also questioned. "In order to do that, we need to track him down and interact with him. You put our future candy in jeopardy! We are only fourth graders!"
"Nordle," Gretel said to him, looking serious. "If what you say about him is true, then we can't let him steal from innocent kids. That's not right. What he is doing is wrong and I won't stand for it. No kid will ever feel safe trick-or-treating ever again with him on the streets, ready to take their candy. This guy needs to be taken care of and pronto!"
"But why us? Why not the police?"
"Oh the police will arrest him for sure. We are just going to track him down for them."
"Again, why us?"
"Because I want to make sure he's behind bars, learns his lesson, and doesn't do this crime ever again." Nordle sighed.
"Fine! I still don't really know why it has to be us, but, whatever. How are we going to find him? He could be miles away by now." Gretel looked at her friend.
"Bailey, can I have a word with you?"
"Me?" A puzzled Bailey asked. "Why me?"
"Yeah, why her?" Nordle wanted to know. "And what about trick-or-treating?"
"Oh, we're still going to do that. This will only take a minute." With that, Gretel took Bailey to the side and talked quietly to her friend.
"Bailey, I'm going to see if I can spot that guy from the air. You make sure that Nordle doesn't see."
"Okay."
"I'm also going to call Fred so she knows too."
"Okay."
"You know what to do?"
"Yes, keep Nordle busy, so he doesn't see you as Gretel, the superhero you." Gretel smiled.
"Thanks, Bailey."
"Hurry up, so we can get candy."
"I will." And with that, Bailey approached Nordle as Gretel quickly changed into her superhero outfit and flew into the air, scanning the area for The Candy Snatcher.
"Where did Gretel go, Bailey?" Nordle asked. "She was just with you."
"She was." Bailey admitted. "But, she had to tie her shoe. She'll be with us real soon."
Gretel was disappointed that she scanned the whole area and didn't see the Candy Snatcher or any other suspicious adults or any evildoers. She just saw kids in costumes. She frowned. She flew down back to the ground and hid behind a tree. She wasn't done yet. She took out her phone and dialed her cousin.
"Fred." She spoke when Fred picked up. "I'm sorry I'm interrupting your party, but I need you to help me with something important."
"No, it's fine, Gretel." Fred reassured her. "The party turned out to be super lame. Anyways, I'm heading home. What do you need?" So, Gretel told her about The Candy Snatcher.
"So do you see why this awful, horrible candy thief must be stopped at all cost for all of trick-or-treaters everywhere?"
"Gretel, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I never really was a fan of trick-or-treating. Never saw the point, so I stopped going out when I was five. However, since you like trick-or-treating like most kids do, I will help you out." Gretel smiled.
"Thanks, Fred! You're the best."
"That's what I'm here for. It's why I live and breathe, among other things." They said their goodbyes and hung up. Gretel put her phone away, changed back into her costume and went back to her friends.
"Where did you go, Gretel?" Nordle asked her when he saw her. "Do you want to keep trick-or-treating or call it quits before The Candy Snatcher makes his move?" Gretel shook her head.
"No. Are you kidding? We barely got started. I was, uh, just thinking about how many houses we can get to."
"How many is that?"
"As many as our buckets can carry. Now, come on, the night is still young!"
"Yeah!" Bailey agreed. "Gretel and I aren't afraid of any Candy Snatcher!"
"You girls really should." Nordle put in as he followed the two girls. "But, whatever. As long as I'm not alone in this, I'll continue with you two."
The kids all were out for a few more hours. All of their buckets were now filled to the brim.
"Okay," Nordle began. "We gathered lots of candy, Our buckets will hold no more. Let's just go home before…" But just then, someone bolted out of the bushes and grabbed Bailey's bucket. Nordle gasped.
"IT'S THE CANDY SNATCHER!" He screamed. Gretel ran to Bailey.
"Oh my gosh, Bailey!" She cried. "You okay?"
"I think so." Bailey answered. "But my candy! I walked for hours tonight and The Candy Snatcher snatched all of them. It's not fair!"
"I know." Gretel said to her. "That was awful! I'm so sorry."
"I told you we should have quit while we were ahead." Nordle pointed out. "We could have avoided The Candy Snatcher all together." Bailey frowned with a sigh.
"Yeah." She agreed sadly. "You're probably right." Gretel was about to reassure her, when her cell phone rang.
"Who's phone is ringing?" Nordle questioned.
"Mine." Gretel answered "I should probably answer it…and I'm going to do it right behind this tree." Gretel went behind a nearby tree and answered her phone.
"Why does Gretel need to answer her phone behind a tree?" Nordle wondered out loud. "Does she think she can get better reception that way?"
"Uh…maybe?" Bailey replied with a shrug.
"Gretel," Fred said to her from the other end of the line. "I spotted The Candy Snatcher."
"We did too." Fred seemed a bit surprised.
"What? You did? Where?"
"He ran up to us and stole Bailey's candy." She then saw The Candy Snatcher running and stealing her bucket too. "Hey!"
"Sorry, kid!" The Candy Snatcher responded to her. "But that's what happens when you talk on your cell phone. You get distracted."
"Gretel?" Fred wanted to know, still on the phone. "What happened?"
"Sorry, Fred." Gretel told her, talking on the phone again. "That thieving evil monster just stole from me while I was talking to you."
"Classic The Candy Snatcher move, waiting for the perfect opportunity to snatch an unsuspecting kid's candy."
"I'm going to hang up now, Fred. I have to teach this guy a lesson that it's not nice to steal from someone; especially an innocent trick-or-treater's candy!"
"Oh, you go, Gretel! You go be the hero to trick-or-treaters everywhere."
"Thanks for the encouragement, Fred."
"I wasn't being encouraging. I was being sar…" She then sighed. "Sure, whatever." Gretel said goodbye to Fred and she hung up. She put the phone back into her pocket.
"Uh, Gretel?" Nordle said to her. "I hate to tell you this, but The Candy Snatcher…"
"…stole my Halloween candy while I was distracted talking on my phone?" Gretel guessed. "Yeah, I know and I'm going to do something about it!" She ran after The Candy Snatcher.
"No, wait!" Nordle called after her. "That's really a bad idea. You really shouldn't…" He sighed. "She's doomed." He and Bailey ran after her.
"Hey, Candy Snatcher!" Gretel shouted after him. "Give me back my candy! Don't you know it's not nice to steal other people's candy?" The Candy Snatcher stopped and looked at her. Nordle and Bailey caught up to them.
"Sorry, kid. But I just don't care! I'm an adult, too old for trick-or-treating anymore. I have to get candy somehow."
"Well, stealing just isn't the way."
"Again, kid, I just don't care." He ran off again.
"See, Gretel?" Nordle said to her. "We can't convince him to give our candy back. Our candy is gone and we are never going to see them again. We're just kids. You just have to accept that sad fact of life." But Gretel was determined. Gretel quickly hid behind the tree again.
"Why are you going back behind the tree?" Nordle questioned. "Don't tell me that your shoes are untied again?"
"Don't question it, Nordle." Bailey said to him. "Can't a girl just hide behind a tree for no reason?"
"I guess." Nordle said. "But it's still weird and maybe suspicious."
"Yes, yes it is. But if you really think about it, aren't all of us a bit weird?" Nordle pondered about this. He sighed.
"I guess you're right." He realized something. "Wait, does that make her suspicious? Is Gretel up to something?" Before Bailey could answer, Gretel, now in her superhero outfit, flew out and headed towards The Candy Snatcher.
"Gretel?" Nordle asked. "What happened to, uh, Gretel?"
"Candy Snatcher!" Gretel said to him. The Candy Snatcher looked at her. "Your candy thieving days are over!" The Candy Snatcher burst out laughing. Gretel was confused. "What's so funny?" The Candy Snatcher looked at her when he stopped laughing.
"Do you think I am scared of you?"
"Well, yeah. I have superpowers."
"That may be true. But you are still a little girl."
"A girl that can beat up an adult man and make him cry like a baby." The Candy Snatcher sneered.
"Give it your best shot. I dare you!"
"Do it, Gretel!" Bailey shouted out to her. "Defeat this candy stealing punk and teach him a lesson that he'll never forget!"
"Will do!" Gretel agreed. She flew towards The Candy Snatcher. The Candy Snatcher then did something that Gretel never expected. He shot sticky gum from his hands. "Huh?" Gretel tried to dodge them all, but couldn't. One hit her, making her fall to the ground, sceaming. Both Nordle and Bailey gasped.
"Oh no, Gretel!" Bailey cried out. Gretel stood back up and tried to fly again, but the gum was so sticky that she couldn't. She was stuck on the ground.
"What the? What's happening? Why can't I fly?" The Candy Snatcher laughed again.
"Because my gum made you stuck!" The villain answered. "That's why!" Gretel gave him a sly smile.
"Oh, yeah? I still have my heat vision!" Gretel was about to do her heat vision when The Candy Snatcher shot a wad of gum in her eyes. Gretel screamed. "Why would you do this?! I'm just a little girl!" The Candy Snatcher just laughed and laughed. Gretel's phone rang. Gretel took it out and answered it. It was Fred.
"Gretel," She began on the other end. "I did some research and forgot to tell you one crucial detail. The more candy that The Candy Snatcher has, the more powers that he has."
"It's a bit late to tell me that, Fred." Gretel answered. "He has me. I can't use my superpowers. I need Hamster and Kevin. I'm going to call Hamster and Kevin."
"You do that, Gretel."
"I will. Bye, Fred!" Gretel hung up before Fred could respond and called her big brother. Fred sighed in her room in her house.
"I didn't even say bye." She said to herself. "Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway."
Kevin was dressed as a wizard frog. He was at a Halloween party filled with teenage kids in costumes. They were either dancing to loud music, drinking punch or pop, or talking amongst their friends. Not Kevin however. This teenager had a mission. He was looking for Hiromi.
At first, he wasn't planning on going to this party, but when he heard that his crush was going, how could he say no? Fred came with, but left because the party was 'lame'. But he figured that once he found Hiromi, 'the true party can begin and it will no longer be lame'. But first, he had to find her and it was harder than he thought it would be. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
His phone then rang. He took it out of his pocket to answer it. It was Gretel.
"Gretel?" He asked. "What do you want? Aren't you trick or treating with Bailey? Don't tell me. An evil super villain is fighting you and you need Hamster and I to aid you?" Gretel was impressed.
"Wow! You're good. That's exactly why I called. After you, I'll call Hamster."
"It's not a good time, Gretel. Hiromi is supposed to be here." Gretel was confused.
"Wait, Hiromi's not with you?"
"No. I wish. I have been trying to find her the whole party."
"Gosh, I'm sorry, Kev. But you do know that it's Halloween and she's most likely in costume?"
"I know that. Everybody is in costume, which is what makes trying to find her even more difficult."
"Well, since you can't find her, can you come here?" Kevin sighed.
"Can't you and Hamster defeat the villain yourselves?"
"Wish I can. But he threw wads of gum at me and now my feet are stuck to the cement. So, I'm kinda in a sticky situation…literally. His name is The Candy Snatcher."
"The Candy Snatcher?"
"Yeah. He steals candy from innocent trick or treaters. He's more powerful with how much candy he has. He's truly evil! It's just so plain wrong!" Kevin then had an idea.
"Gretel, I have a plan." Gretel grew happy.
"Great! So, you're coming?"
"No, I'm still staying here to look for Hiromi." Gretel frowned. "But you said that The Candy Snatcher becomes more powerful with how many candies he has?"
"Yes. What are you getting at?"
"What I'm getting at is, the less candy he has…" Gretel then got what her brother was on about.
"…the weaker he is! Kevin, you're a genius!" Kevin smiled.
"Well, that's what older brothers are for. to help out their little sisters when they're in trouble. So here is what I'm thinking, you make sure that The Candy Snatcher is distracted long enough, so that all of the candy he stole will be taken back, and he is no longer a threat."
"That's good Kevin. Maybe I'll let Nordle distract him and Bailey can rally trick or treaters and they can steal all the candy that he stole."
"Exactly! I should go now. Good luck with him, Gretel. I know you can do it."
"I know I can do it too, Kevin." With that, she shut off her phone and put it away. She looked at Bailey and Nordle. She saw that The Candy Snatcher was gone. "Hey, where's The Candy Snatcher?"
"He left." Nordle told her. "Off to steal more candy no doubt. He stole mine."
"Well, we need him back. I have a plan." Bailey was happy by this.
"Really? Are we going to get our candy back?"
"You and every other trick or treater that he stole from." Both of her friends cheered. Bailey then frowned.
"But how are you going to do that? He's powerful."
"He's only powerful if he has candy."
"What are you saying?" Nordle grinned.
"I get what you're saying!" He spoke. Gretel looked at him.
"I need you to distract him and…" She looked at Bailey. "…and I need you to rally up every trick or treater you can find and while he's distracted, you and the others grab all of the candy."
"You got it!"
"But first, we have to find him again." Nordle stated. He pointed straight. "Bailey and I saw him go that way."
"Good! You go get him and Bailey, you know what to do." Bailey frowned.
"But Gretel, what about you? You're still stuck."
"I'll call Hamster. He can get me unstuck I'm sure." Bailey smiled.
"You do that, Gretel. I never knew he had a cell phone. Aw, his cell phone must be the cutest thing ever!" Gretel nodded in agreement.
"The cutest ever! It's tiny tiny because you know he's tiny tiny."
"So it fits in his paws!"
"Exactly!" Nordle cleared his throat.
"Uh, let's just focus on the task at hand here." He spoke.
"Oh, right! Well, bye, Gretel. See you later." Gretel waved back.
"You too, Bailey and Nordle!" Bailey and Nordle ran off. Gretel grabbed her phone again to call Hamster.
"I'm on it!" Hamster said on the other line once Gretel told him everything. The hamster hung up, paused the horror movie that he was watching on the TV and flew out of the window (That he had to open first with his brute strength).
Nordle ran after The Candy Snatcher who was walking away.
"Wait!" Nordle cried. "Where are you going?" He was walking beside him. The Candy Snatcher looked at him.
"What does it look like?" He questioned. "I'm off to steal more candy from unsuspecting trick or treaters."
"Wait!" The Candy Snatcher stopped and looked at him.
"What?"
"There's something that you have to know first."
"Then tell me, but make it quick."
"I…uh…" Bailey then approached. When she saw that The Candy Snatcher was distracted, she ushered for some trick or treaters to come. They did, and she and the other costumed kids gently started taking candy out of The Candy Snatcher's bucket. They were careful that he didn't notice.
"I don't have time for this, kid." The Candy Snatcher told him. "So, if you don't have anything important to say, I'm going to go."
"Your shoe's untied." Nordle cried out as The Candy Snatcher was about to go. The candy thief stopped again and once more, looked at him. He smiled.
"There! Something I needed to know to avoid tripping! Thanks, kid! You saved me from embarrassment and kids laughing at my fall and taking back their candy."
"Sure. No problem!" The Candy thief looked down. When he saw that his shoes were tied, he grew mad. He glared at Nordle.
"No, they're not! You tricked me!"
"Oh, shoot. You got me. I tricked you. I'm sorry."
"You better be, kid. I know it's Halloween, and 'trick' in in the name, 'trick or treat',but it's not nice to trick people. Have your parents taught you nothing?" As they were talking, Bailey quickly untied The Candy Snatcher's shoelaces on both shoes. Nordle noticed this and pretended to be ashamed.
"Sorry."
"You wasted my time, kid." He began to go, but he fell on his face. "Ow! What the?" He sat up and looked at his untied shoes. "How did my shoes become untied? They were just tied a second ago." Nordle shrugged.
"I don't know." He sneered at him and narrowed his eyes.
"I'm watching you, kid." He began to tie his shoes. Bailey resumed taking back the candy with the other kids. Nordle joined in too.
Gretel was still struggling when Hamster arrived.
"Hamster!" Gretel yelled at him when she saw her superhero pet. Hamster flew to her.
"Looks like you got yourself into a sticky situation." The rodent observed.
"You could say that." She struggled some more. "Now, get me free." Hamster just looked at her. "Please?" Hamster nodded.
"All you needed was to say 'please.' He put his paws on her hips and lifted her from the sticky gum. He let go of her and Gretel could fly on her own now.
"Thanks, Hamster." Gretel thanked him.
"No problem, kiddo. Was that the only thing that you needed of me?" Gretel shook her head.
"Nope! There's more I want you to do." Hamster sighed.
"Ok. Just tell me what you need to do."
Gretel and Hamster flew to Bailey and the others just as the kids ran off with the buckets. Nordle had said to them that instead of taking the candy from the buckets, they should just turn the buckets upside down and let the candy fall into theirs instead, so they did.
"You're too late if you want to help take candy from an adult, Gretel." Bailey told her. "We're already done."
"Aw!" Hamster said, pretending to be disappointed. "I always wanted to take candy from an adult." The Candy Snatcher got done tying his shoes. He stood back up and walked off. The kids began to laugh, confusing the villain.
"What?" He wanted to know. "What's so funny?"
"We stole all of the candy that you stole." Bailey explained. "So, you are now candyless."
"What?!" The Candy Snatcher looked at his now empty buckets. He then sneered. He looked at them. "You little brats! Give them back to me! I need candy!"
"Candy is bad for the teeth." Nordle told him. "So too much at once is especially bad. Just ask your dentist." The Candy Snatcher glared at him.
"I'll have you know that I haven't seen the dentist in years."
"Really? Well maybe now is the best time to make an appointment. You must have a lot of cavities."
"I have you know I don't care! I detest the dentist. I'm never going back there and you or my parents can't make me! Besides, the dentist costs money." He changed the subject. "Now, give me back my candy, or else!"
"Or else what?" The Candy Snatcher grew mad.
"That's it! I didn't want to do this, especially to children, but you guys leave me no choice!" He put out his hands in front of him as if getting ready to shoot something from them. "Unleash my wrath!" He waited for something to happen but nothing did. He grew confused. "What the?!" He tried again. "I said, unleash my wr ath!" Again, nothing happened. The kids all laughed. "Why aren't any of my powers working?"
"You're all out of candy." The superhero girl told him. "And no candy means no powers." The Candy Snatcher groaned as he looked at her.
"You! How did you…?"
"That'll be me." Hamster spoke up.
"And this is what you do when you endanger little girls and steal candy from her and all trick or treaters." She got ready for a punch. "CANDY PUNCH!" She did a mighty punch to his face. The Candy Snatcher flew backwards and hit his head on the bark of a tree. The kids cheered. Police sirens sounded.
The Candy Snatcher was handcuffed by police officers and was forced into a police car. The villain broke into tears.
"All I wanted was candy!" He cried. "Free candy! Was that too much to ask?" Gretel felt bad for him and grabbed a candy from her bucket. Her friends were confused.
"What are you doing, Gretel?" Nordle wanted to know as Gretel walked up to the villain sitting in the back of the car. "Gretel?"
"Wait!" Gretel cried out before the officer could close the car door. "I need to give this to him first." She offered the crook her candy bar. "Here. For you." The Candy Snatcher looked at her, shocked.
"For me?" He wanted to know. "What for? I stole candy from you, your friends, trick or treaters, and convenience and candy stores. I don't deserve this."
"Maybe not. But you said you can't get any more candy because you're a grown up. I'll grow up too, and I'll probably also be mad and disappointed that I can't have any more free candy." The Candy Snatcher smiled and took it from her.
"Thanks, kid. No one has ever been this nice to me before." Gretel smiled at him.
"Done?" The officer questioned.
"Yes." Gretel answered. "You can take him away now." The officer closed the door and walked to his side. Gretel's friends went to her.
"Gretel, why did you do that?" Bailey questioned her. "That was sweet, but why?"
"He was a bad guy that stole candy." Nordle pointed out. "He didn't deserve it." Gretel looked at her two friends.
"His childhood is gone." She explained to them. "He just wanted candy, like all of us. I wasn't going to take that away from him." As they were about to protest again, she changed the subject. "Let's go home. I say we had enough for one night." The kids agreed and they all went back to her house.
Gretel was now home. Fred had called the police. Kevin was disappointed that he learned that Hiromi was sick so she didn't even go to the party. He left the party early when he found out. He felt that his time was wasted. They found each and every one of the trick or treaters that The Candy Snatcher stole from and returned their candy, including the girl in the purple platypus costume. This shocked her friends.
Gretel knew that she and her friends will all grow out of trick or treating, but she also knew something else. She'll never grow up like The Candy Snatcher and steal candy from children, candy stores, or convenience stores. She knew that there were other ways and better ways to get candy.