[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Tish glared at the door, daring knocks to echo through it into her almost quiet house. She could hear shrieking from the street. On any other night, she'd be out with a broomstick or a cellphone, stopping the trouble with a quick thwack or a threat of police. Shrieking interrupted the candle light. But tonight she couldn't chase away the trouble-makers. They were children. Children of her neighbors, of her co-workers. She was reaching the age when her peers were settling down. Getting married. Creating little rugrats to dress up on national holidays.

She wore black. It wasn't special. She wasn't dressed for the occasion. She just always wore black. Tish had actually considered switching to pink for the night, just to dispell any notions that she had some sort of festive spirit. But if she did that, she was dressing up.

She glared at her wooden floor. She couldn't win. And somebody was going to knock on her door. Some small voice was going to yell 'trick or treat' and demand rotton teeth or threaten vengeance. Tish, usually nice, if widely known as That One, was, quite frankly, miserable on this depressingly spunky night.