The Little Witch
Novelette 8,592 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
Every Halloween, an elderly woman hands out candy to a young trick-or-treater who’s dressed as a witch each time, looking exactly the same age. With each passing year, the woman grows more attached to the little witch and her odd nature. But she is no ordinary child, and an uncanny relationship develops between the two of them that may prove dangerous and deadly.
Content warnings 1
death
Quasar links out; the story lives on Tor.com, where the author gets the click.