Lucas thumped on the door until Clara answered.
'What's wrong?' she cried, as he gasped for breath, hands on his knees.
He waved a scrap of paper at her and leant against the doorframe.
Clara read the note.
'Poisoned sweets?' she said. 'Who'd do such a thing?'
'No idea,' said Lucas, still panting. 'It was under the office door this morning.'
Clara turned the note over. 'Maybe it's a prank?'
'Can we risk it?' said Lucas. 'You know what the local brats are like for inhaling sugar.'
'Good point,' said Clara, grabbing her coat and hat. 'We should tell Mr Featherstone.'
They ran to the newsagents.
It was full of villagers waving scraps of paper identical to the one in Clara's hand.
A harassed Mr Featherstone tried to calm the crowd.
'Folks, please,' he said. 'It's clearly a joke. ‘Why would anyone who wished your children harm leave a note?'
'I don't know,' said Mrs Meakin. 'But I can't risk my Freddy getting sick because you sold him bad sweets.'
'But you don't know the poisoned sweets are here,' argued Featherstone. 'Assuming they exist at all.'
'No one else around here sells sweets,' cried Mrs Meakin. ‘Where else could they be?'
'I don't know,' said Featherstone. 'But it’s not here.’
'Huh,' said Mrs Meakin, stalking out of the shop, trailing grumbling villagers behind her.
'Maybe someone has it in for Mr F?' asked Clara, as she and Lucas joined the crowd.
'What if everyone has the wrong idea,’ said Lucas, ‘and someone’s planning something for that trick or treat thing?'
'You don't think so, do you?' gasped Clara.
'I don't know, I was thinking aloud.'
'If so,’ said Clara. ‘How do we find out who?'
'Maybe someone just wanted to stop the kids making a nuisance of themselves, and there’s no poisoned sweets at all?’
Clara scowled. 'You worried me,' she said, taking his arm. 'You can't now tell me it's all nothing.'
'That was before I knew everyone else got a note too,' he said ‘Seems like a prank to me.’
'You're probably right,' said Clara. 'At least, I hope so.'
In the newsagents, Featherstone sighed as he shook another scoop of arsenic into a jar of fruit pastilles.
When he found out who sent the notes, there'd be trouble for ruining his plans.
I think there's going to be lots of trouble this month...
Anyway, more tomorrow! See you then :) Saff x