"Well, I suppose that was about the best result we could have hoped for, eh?" Mask asked.
"I should say so," Amanda muttered, "anyhow, the candy wasn't that bad. It does make me wish we could go trick or treating!"
"Well, why shouldn't we?" Linda inquired
"We're too..." Mark stopped short. "Fred? Where did you get that costume?"
Fred looked down. All he remembered putting on was the sword, but some he now had on a full outfit. Sash, leggings, tunic...even clip on earrings! "I...I...don't know..."
He touched the earrings in disbelief.
"I still say we go treat or treating!" Amanda stomped her foot to emphasize her point.
"We don't have any bags, Mandy!" It was Mark, again. He could be something of a wet blanket, she thought.
"But we...We do to have bags!"
It was true. All four of them were holding bags...what's more, bags that had candy in them!
They all stopped...something about all this seemed wrong.
"Laura...I know you didn't have a costume earlier..."
"No I didn't."
"But you do now..."
"Of course, I do. It's Halloween and I'm a black cat. We planned this a month ago!"
"Guys...something strange is going on. We need to go talk to that old woman...", everyone but Mark turned, and Mark took off towards the next house laughing. "I tricked you!"
They looked back, because no one expected Mark to run off, or to act like a little kid, for that matter. Amanda sighed, "Did you have to have to bring the twerp along, Freddie?"
"Yes. Mom made me...I'm sorry, but it was this or not at all!"
The three of them took off after Mark.
Though they couldn't see it, and old woman looked out of her window and smiled. That boy would certainly be young enough to trick or treat now, she thought. She muttered, and prepared Mark's sweat suit to be replaced by a jumpsuit style costume, complete with mask and ears.
It was Amanda who finally caught up with Mark. She literally had to tackle him to stop him from running further.
"Markie!", she panted, "You can't run off like that! We're gonna get in big trouble if you get lost!"
"I tricked you!", Mark was smiling, and really didn't seem to grasp the problem Amanda was having.
"Markie!", Freddie, this time. "Mandy's right. If you don't stick close then I..." Fred's voice cracked.
The other three in the group watched in surprise as Fred began to shrink. Not just shrink, either, Fred's stubble vanished and his face took on a decidedly innocent look. A few freckles showed up on his nose. His pirate costume shrunk with him, (except the sword) and soon he looked like the 10 year old he was in everyone's mind.
The sudden stature change didn't seem to bother him. And he kept right on scolding Mark who was now quite a bit taller than Fred. "...I'll be in big trouble!"
"Why?", Mark asked, looking quite serious, and rather puzzled.
"Because I'm responsible for you! You hafta stay safe!"
"Yeah, and..." Linda stopped short because she was suddenly shrinking too. And she didn't grow just a few freckles...they were all over her face. With each shake of her hand, she had to crane her neck more to see Mark's face. "Ya hafta be good!"
That made a 10 year old boy and a 9 year old girl telling a boy twice their age and size that he wasn't being a good boy. Even though this should have seemed wrong, Mark couldn't help thinking of them as 'the big kids' and that he really should listen.
Amanda looked him in the eyes and started talking to him. "Markie. Listen. I really do want you to have fun, but you have to be careful. I don't want you to get lost, or hit by a car or anythin'. Just stay close to us, OK?"
Mark smiled. He liked Mandy lots. He could even remember how he'd asked her to marry him once (She was 10, himself 5 at the time). "OK Mandy!", the he looked at her, thinking hard. "Why isn't your costume like mine anymore?"
Amanda looked down. Her sweats were gone, replaced with a 'real' jumpsuit-type costume, made of fake fur. It was warmer than a sweatsuit, but she liked it. Otters were the best animal in the world! Then she realized she wasn't looking at Mark's face, but his chest. "I'm 5 years older than him," she thought, "he can't be that big."
But somehow, he was. It was only getting worse, too. She looked around and realized that she only came up to his stomach. "How'd you get so tall?"
Then, Mark's costume changed too. No longer a pair of sweats, it was like Amanda's. It was big grey jumpsuit as well as a mask, and raccoon ears on a headband. Then, Mark started to shrink. First he was eye to eye with Mandy, then Fred, then Linda...and he kept going till he was shorter then any of them. They were the 'big kids' now, he thought. And he was so cool, because he got to go trick or treating with them! He gave Mandy a big hug. "Thanks for letting me come, Mandy!"
Amanda smiled. Sure, Mark could be a real twerp sometimes, but most of the time, he was a great kid to have around, or baby sit. She almost thought of him as the little brother she didn't have.
There wasn't much to tell after that. As soon as Mark shrunk the more or less forgot being teenagers. Or, at least, they forgot how to act like teenagers. Mark knew, sort of, that he was 19, but that didn't stop him from saying "Trick or Treat! Smell my Feet!" and laughing uproariously afterwards. It didn't stop him from crying, just a little, when he tripped on the grass. And it definitely made him shorter! He had to take two steps for each one the big kids took. But he had a ton of energy, and he was loving every minute of it.