A Bucket of Love BY JENN WEBSTER

Larry was going through all of the Halloween decorations in the basement that he had put up over the years, as well as some that he had put up last year; as he went through them, Larry found a bucket, but not just any bucket, a trick-or-treat bucket, one that he once used when he was a child. Larry took one look at that bucket and thought, Well, I could use that bucket for something else since I am too old to go trick-or-treating anymore… So with that, Larry took that bucket and went back upstairs from the basement.
Now, Larry had just dated a young woman named Joan, and he thought that with this old trick-or-treat bucket, he could surprise her with roses and, possibly, a proposal of marriage. That should not be too hard for him…would it?
The very next day, Larry asked Joan out on a date, and she accepted; soon, they were out on the town, dining at a restaurant, then going to the movies. When it was all over, the two went back to Larry’s house, and then they kissed goodnight to each other. The following day, Larry took that trick-or-treat bucket outside, and then took it to a free garden in the park to pick fresh roses. However, Larry tripped and almost fell, but he got up again, but suddenly it happened-The trick-or-treat bucket slipped from Larry’s hand and then rolled away!

Larry went after that bucket, which was still rolling down the street all across the city; he kept running after it while he was trying to snatch it by the handle, but it just kept rolling on, and soon it disappeared from Larry’s sight! Larry was upset that he had lost his bucket, the one that he had enjoyed using as a little boy. But never one to give up, Larry just kept on searching for that bucket.
Larry kept on looking for that bucket; after spending an entire afternoon searching, he found a little boy who was holding that old trick-or-treat bucket; Larry ran up to him and said, “Say, are you the boy who has my own bucket?” The little boy nodded, and then Larry told the boy, “Well, this bucket slipped from my hands when I went out to pick some roses for somebody, and I was looking for it, and now you have it in your hands! Now, is it possible that…” Larry’s voice began to trail off when he found out that this little boy was poor and that he was in a poor family.
The poor little boy then said this to Larry: “Sir, my family is poor, and we have been having very hard times since my Dad lost his job a few months ago, and we have been scraping by just to get food. So with Halloween coming up, I thought we would go trick-or-treating to get enough candy to feed us for a month. It would very much make me happy if I could…”

Then Larry interrupted him and told the little boy he could have the bucket. The little boy was so very happy, and he gave Larry a hug. Then the boy ran off, and Larry felt he could do something to help the boy and his family…
The following week was Halloween, and everyone was dressed up in their finest costumes, especially Larry and Joan; later that afternoon, Larry and Joan arranged a food drive to help families like the little boy whom Larry had just met, and then when the sun went down, there was a Halloween party, and at the party, Larry gave Joan a bouquet of roses and told her that he loved her so. But that’s not quite all: Larry also carried an engagement ring in his pocket, and when he pulled it out and showed Joan the ring, he got down on his knees and proposed. Joan said yes. Then Larry put the ring on the third finger of her left hand and kissed her.
It is so very wonderful how a little love could only come from a simple bucket, especially if it’s an old trick-or-treat bucket; you just never know how a simple bucket could turn into a big bucket of love.
©2026 Jenn Webster

AUTHOR’S NOTE: If you have enjoyed this very special story, then you might want to enjoy two very special stories on Kindle, “Rainbow’s End”, and “Brendella”, available now at the Amazon Kindle Store!:
RAINBOW’S END: https://a.co/d/05CeQ9aq
BRENDELLA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D3Y1WWR