“The Hand” “Hey honey.. what do you think about this for our lawn?” Bob held up a severed hand from the bin at the Halloween decorations section at the store. The hand was life size and certainly life like Bob thought. “Life like” Bob chuckled to himself, as he admired the slight rigor mortis in the hand and fingers as they curled in the last grasp of the death throes when its owner met their demise. The wife just rolled her eyes and went to the candy section. Bob got a kick at the checkout counter when he scared the checkout clerk with the upright hand jiggling up the conveyor belt. The lawn in front of the house was covered with some leaves and Bob stuck the severed hand towards the middle of the lawn. Upright, crawling out of the ground.. grasping.. seeking.. partially hidden among the leaves..ready to snatch unsuspected trick or treaters.. “That should give a scare to some” Bob thought with glee” Twilight came.. slight wind rustled through the leaves and the severed hand sticking out of the lawn swayed slightly as Bob got ready for the trick or treat evening. “Ding Dong!” Bob opened the door “Trick or Treat!” The kids dressed in assorted ghouls and goblins greeted him as he reached into the treats bag and gave a handful to the grinning children.. The parents who were behind them came to the door to greet Bob.. he noticed Stan who is dressed as a dairy Cow.. Stan is his realtor who found this house for them and they were friends ever since. “Mooo!” Stan greeted Bob.. shaking his udders “That’s udderly wrong man” Bob quipped “What’s your beef man” Stan snapped back “Hey.. nice lawn ornament you got” Stan observed.. then he slightly leaned close to Bob and said, “You know we had a storm back in ‘02 and afterwards while the cleaning crew from the electric company was at this place, one guy accidentally chopped his hand clean with a chainsaw man” “No kidding!?” “Yea.. I wasn’t here to see it but they took him to the hospital.. they were able to save him but he never got his arm back.. it was chopped clean through” “Ouch.. I’m glad they chopped those trees down before I moved in” “Yea man.. nice hand though.. scared my kids when they came up the driveway” Stan tailed off as he shepherded the kids to the next house. Bob closed the door and turned on the hockey game. The wind gently rustled outside and something caught Bob’s eye.. The hand.. was not where he thought he had planted it. The leaves made it a bit difficult to gauge but he was sure that the hand was now sticking out slightly further up the lawn.. “Oh Stan, you bugger..” Bob thought to himself. “Ding Dong!” The evening went on and a few more trick or treaters came and went. The hockey game was uneventful on the TV and Bob and his wife gave the treats out and chatted casually with the parents.. “Darling, I’m going to take a bath.. don’t ration the treats.. we got plenty!” His wife warned as she went upstairs.” The wind rustled and the hairs in the back of Bobs neck rose slightly as he noticed something in the lawn. The hand was definitely out of place. It is now protruding with its curled fingers further up the lawn... closer...to the house. “Geez.. these kids won’t leave it alone” Bob was dismayed and proceed to put on his boots and parka to reseat the hand. And as he reached for the door handle, “Ding Dong!” The doorbell chimed and Bob froze in his tracks.. There was no sense of movements or laughter of the children on the other side of the door. No rustling of the costumes. “Ding Dong!” The doorbell chimed again...