In the basement, there is candy. Boxes teetering atop boxes, overloaded with gum gums and chew worms and those little nougat-filled eyeballs that blink when you stare overlong; with honeyed do’s and honeyed dont’s; with tar braids and clots of candied floss. The basement has all the candy you’ve ever dreamed of, a sticky thrill in every box that’s yours and yours alone because only you know where the basement door is currently hiding. The basement, unfortunately, is also full of spiders.

Read this story now