I always buy candy to make sure I am covered for Halloween. I moved to Allenhurst in 2006 and can count the times I actually had a trick-or-treater knock at my door, on one hand.

I live on a cul-de-sac where three families have children. Most of the time the parents take their kids trick-or-treating at local community events, especially if Halloween falls on a school night, and also because it is safer.

Knowing that in all likelihood I’ll end up eating the candy I buy, I go for the good stuff. I’m a chocoholic so I always get my favorites — Butterfingers, Snickers and Tootsie Rolls.

I get the bowl ready, just in case, sit down to watch TV and wait, and wait and wait.

There was this one year when I was doing this same routine and flipped the TV to the SyFy Network. It normally does a “30 Days of Halloween” each year, and when the channel came up, one of my favorite horror classics, “Friday the 13th” was just starting.

“Oh yeah,” I thought, “I haven’t seen this movie in years.”

I grabbed a Butterfinger, wrapped myself up in a blanket and turned up the surround sound.

“I honestly can’t remember who gets killed first,” I thought to myself.

In fact it had been such a long time since I had seen the original that it was like watching the movie for the first time.

Settled in, I opened the Butterfinger and took that first bite.

CRUNCH….yum.

About 20 minutes into the movie and two more Butterfingers and a Tootsie Roll devoured, I was totally engrossed.

“Don’t hide there! That is the first place he’ll look. You better get out of there or you’re the next one…WATCH OUT he is behind…OMG…RUN…ohhhhh…he got you.”

Grabbed more candy.

“Stay away from the lake! Are you crazy? GET OUT OF THERE. What are doing there all by yourself? Stupid, yep you’re dead.”

The frenzied drama continued. The deeper into the movie I got, the more I chased my fears away with candy. I was completely consumed by the movie when suddenly there was a POUNDING on my door.

I literally screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped off the couch.

“Um, trick-or-treat?” A little voice said from outside.

“No it’s a trick,” I thought, still shaking and hiding behind my door. “I don’t get trick-or-treaters here. Never have. Who is this person?”

“Um, trick-or-treat, Ms. Patty?”

“Oh, no. They know my name,” I whispered to myself. “I’m doomed.”

I peeped through the peephole. I could see it was a neighbor’s kid. I open the door and grab the bowl.

THREE PIECES OF CANDY LEFT.

“Hey there,” I said trying to hide my previously felt horror. “Nice costume. What are you doing trick-or-treating all by yourself?”

“I live next door,” my little Batman neighbor said. “You told me yesterday to come by after mom took me to trunk-and-treat so I could get some candy, before you ate it all.”

“Oh yeah, I did,” I replied. “Well here you go.”

I tossed the last three pieces of candy into his bag.

He looked up at me with a smile. “I like you, Ms. Patty. You’re totally weird.”

“Kid, you have no idea,” I thought to myself as I closed the door.

I turned off my patio light, drew the blinds and turned off most of the indoor lights. I pulled the blanket back over myself and went back to watching the movie. I felt something under the blanket.

OMG! A BUG…THERE IS A BUG ON ME….HELP.

Thankfully, no. It was one last Butterfinger that got lost in the blanket’s fold.

YES! Take that Jason Voorhees.