CHAPTER 76—Trick-or-Treat
“Abigail, it’s Halloween! Time for trick-or-treat!”
Abigail raised one ear. She wasn’t too familiar with the word “trick”, but she definitely knew the word “treat”! If there was one word she knew, it was “treat”.
In past years, Dad discouraged trick-or-treaters from coming to the House of Buns by shutting off all the lights. It said “closed for business” to trick-or-treaters. Abigail didn’t like Halloween. All the strange footsteps and the constant door bell ringing made her nervous.
But this year, Dad decided to take his furry kids trick-or-treating—rabbit-style.
Dad followed Abigail’s patrol route around the upper floor of the house and hid a few of her favorite treats in various spots. A couple of mini-cookies behind the bar. A snacker under the dining table. A few sunflower seeds and a willow leaf under the bed in the guest room. Just like with human kids, he was careful not to overdo the treats.
“Do you want to go trick-or-treating?” asked Dad. “What’s trick-or-treat?” wondered Abigail. Dad explained, “I’ve hidden a few treats around the house. The trick is, you have to find them! It’s just like foraging.” To help her along, he pointed to a treat by her digging spot and said, “TREAT!” Abigail knew what that meant! She hopped right over, sniffed the cookie, and began munching on it. “OK, it’s up to you to find the rest!”
Next, Dad went downstairs to do the same for Bentley. Just like people, Abigail and Bentley had different tastes and had their own favorite treats. He hid a few of Bentley’s favorite treats around the lower floor—some potato plant leaves under the table, some willow leaves behind the TV stand, a few sunflower seeds in the “treat holder” in his toy car, and a hay cube by his digging table. Bentley was not a fan of cookies, so those didn’t work for treats.
Then he called Bentley, “Treat? Want a treat?” Bentley wasn’t sure what to make of this game. Cautiously, he peered out from under the bed and looked at Dad, who was pointing at some treats by his digging table. “What’s the trick? Is Dad going to grab me or dress me up in some costume?” he wondered.
But rabbits can’t help their curiosity, and eventually, he ventured out from under the bed and devoured the treat while keeping a suspicious eye on Dad. “Don’t worry, Bentley, there’s no trick here,” Dad reassured.
Throughout the day, Dad checked the various stashes, and sure enough, one by one, each little pile of treats disappeared.
Abigail liked Halloween, now. Trick or treat was just like foraging!
Abigail and Bentley go trick or treating
