Trick or Treat!

“Rosie,” the crocodile rumbled. The girl turns away from her drawings to look up at Larry, who mysteriously holds something behind his back with a goofy smile across his grinning maw. He knelt to the girl’s level, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I got somethin’ for ya.”

Curiosity danced in Rosie’s gaze and she hopped up on her two pink little legs to sway idly. She absentmindedly twirled the ends of her soft brunette curls around one claw, her little body buzzing with anticipation. The world around her seemed to fade away as she focused solely on her dad’s playful smile. With a swift motion, he reached behind his back and produced an orange bucket, weathered and chipped but undeniably charming in its own quirky way. Its surface was adorned with faded paint, two black triangles and a crescent mouth. Rosie’s eyes widened in wonder, her heart skipping a beat.

“Woah... What is it?” she gasped, her voice a melodic squeal of delight as she gingerly took it by the handle, cradling it like a precious treasure.

“It’s a trick-or-treat bucket!” he declared, his voice infused with nostalgia. “Somethin’ predecessors used to do! They’d go ‘round collectin’ candy in these little buckets here on Halloween, and If I ain't mistaken, I believe that would be today...”

A burst of giggles escaped Rosie’s lips, filling the air with joy. She imagined herself dashing from house to house, her bucket swinging merrily at her side, ready to be filled with all the sweet surprises the night had to offer. This wasn't just any old pumpkin bucket, it was an adventure—a gateway into the enchanting world of make-believe and laughter shared with friends, 

“Can I fill it right now?” she asked, her voice bubbling over with excitement.

Uh-oh. I didn't think about that.
He'd have to awkwardly explain to the young girl practically ready to skyrocket into the stratosphere from how excited she was, and probably snuff out all her joy by breaking the truth.

The crocodile furrows his brow and clears his throat anxiously, gular pouch shuddering. He reluctantly worked the words around in his mouth as if they tasted rotten. "Well, err... I ain't sure, darlin', the holiday depends on how many people will be willing to actually celebrate it... There might not be that many out there," and with that, the radiant thrill in Rosie immedately estinguished.

Rosie's heart sank, and her joyful glow dimmed. She arched her eyebrows, perplexed. “What? No! There’s gotta be! If we know about Halloween, then at least someone have to celebrate it!” Her eyes sparkled with determination as she conjured up images of whimsical costumes, shimmering jack-o'-lanterns, and laughter echoing through the re-born crumbled city. Larry threw his scaly hands up in mock surrender, like someone trying to calm an angry cougar. “We can try! But I’m just sayin’, don’t be disappointed if there ain’t nobody out there!” His grumpy tone, underlined with a hint of worry, made Rosie pause, but her spirit was too bright to stay dim for long.

“Can we look around at least? What if we decorate? Ooh! We can make lanterns from paper, and we can even invite the fireflies! They could be like little lights in the darkness!” Rosie’s imagination was running wild, painting a picture of a dazzling celebration filled with laughter and magic.

Larry couldn’t help but let a small smile creep onto his snout despite himself. The thought of paper mache laterns and dancing fireflies made even his grumpy heart flutter just a little. “Alright then, I'll give it a whirl, but I don't wanna hear any crying from you,” he huffed playfully, and Rosie beamed so bright it would make the sun jealous. And with that Rosie flitted about, bucket jostling and constantly smacking her in the side as she bolted straight out the door, and Larry began to feel something he hadn’t in ages—hope.

The leaves were brilliant colors of auburn, the moon carved a silver smile into the night sky, and when she skipped to a gathering of amicabots of all ages. buzzing with laughter, lights, and the shimmering glow of friendship, her heart swells.
Is this Halloween? Are we actually celebrating it?
The worried words of Larry faded into joyous echoes as the spooky spirit embraced the magic of Halloween, and she wedged her way through the androids, revealing three folks sat on a bench, dispensing candies to the masses, giving friendly nods to the people as they merrily left with sweets in paw.

She giggles and rushes up to one of them, proudly displaying her bucket which garners a few "ooo's" from the crowd.

"Where'd you get that from?" the woman asks, taking a handful of candy from a container in his stomach. "My dad gave it to me!" Rosie exclaimed "He said the predacessors use to carry them around for Halloween, and put candy in their buckets with it! Can I have some?"
"Of course, sweetheart," and like a fairy sprinkling dust from her petite hands, all the colorful sweets trickle into Rosie's bucket. She giggled and peered into the hole, jostling the lollys and bonbons, making them sing a plastic wrapper jingle.

Larry catches up from behind her and pats her shoulder, "Tell her thank you," he nods. "Oh! Thank ya kindly, ma'am!" she grins, and grabs Larry's hand to follow a trail of other amicabots, putting trust in the herd that they'd lead her to more treats. She was right to trust her instinct, as in the distance was a wooden stand swarmed by robots and flickering string lights. "Don't jinx it!" was scrawled on the top of a pumpkin rack, this was a shop she'd seen before... The woman's tail flicks jauntily as she tosses full-sized chocolate bars to people, and pauses when she sees the two lizardfolk approach, one of her malware windows popping into existence with a "YOU ARE THE 1000TH USER TO VISIT THIS SITE, REALLY! CLICK HERE!"

Jinx nods to her with a grin, "Lucky you came when you did, I'm being drained quick over here! These are the last two I got," she offers them both two rewarding candy bars. "Thank you!" Rosie exclaimed, followed by a less enthusiastic but equally grateful Larry.

They visited a multitude of robots the entire night, and by the end of it when the night had cloaked the entire city in a sleepy blanket of dark, they headed home... Rosie gorged on her rewards the entire way home, of course, what was left of them after the "Dad Tax" and the sugar blossomed on her tongue. Some were chewy and clung to her teeth, others were hard and hurt them when she tried chomping down, and others melted on her tongue like soft serve icecream. This was the most happy she had been in years...