| live down the road from my childhood home. He was rather old and frail but always gave out the best candy come halloween. I remember how he would sit in his rocking chair on the front porch waiting for all the kids to come running up. He would always ask what tricks we had for him this year and paid a childs ransom in candy for the best in the group. In return he was always kind enough to show us a trick of his own. One year he took his false eye out and shined it on his sweater. The next year he showed us how his teeth came out and absolutely loved our goggle eyed expressions. The year after that he showed us his false leg, followed by his fake arm. I was never too old to dress up for halloween while he was around. The last year I saw him he pulled out a stethoscope because he wanted me to hear his pacemaker, though I remember he called it "the 'ole ticker." The problem was when I put it against his bony chest, there was no sound. I moved it around a bit, sure I had the wrong place, but there was nothing. I could feel the blood draining out of my face, the terror beginning to grip my gut. He saw the fear in my eyes as I backed away and he just laughed and laughed, he knew he had the best trick that year. As I stumbled down the steps and ran across the walk he shouted from behind, "Boy, I'm Walter Jackson, and no one can out trick me!" | 
