Halloween will provide dozens of inspirational “seeds” for kid stories about play. Be ready when they ring your doorbell. Here are two gems from last year. Looking forward to this year’s “seeds.”
First Seed: Tricks
Two little boys came trick-or-treating, quite well-costumed. A ninja, and a super hero.
I asked them if they had any tricks.
They looked puzzled, then looked at each other. Each reached into his plastic pumpkin (kids carry pumpkins now for candy, no more brown paper bags) pulled out one piece of candy, put their hands behind their back and looked at me expectantly. Then they whisked their hands in front clasped together in a tight ball, covering the candy and twirling their little fists around. Voila, they opened their hands! And there was a piece of candy!
“Magic,” I exclaimed. “Where did you learn that trick?”
One said, “It’s called The Nothing Trick.”
We all laughed.
Second Seed: Cutie Pie Trick-or-Treater
A little trick-or-treater had some superhero or monster costume on. His head was totally covered with a rubber mask. He looked like a larger than life green ant.
I said, “Oh, what a great costume!”
He said, very earnestly, lifting his mask, “It’s really ME.”
He looked just like the little boy in A Christmas Story, complete with glasses that required periodic adjusting on his nose with a pudgy finger, and big eyes.
I gave him his candy and he and his dad turned to go. Then at the curve in my front walk he turned back and said, “Thank you. Have a lovely evening.”
Have a lovely Halloween evening!
Thanks to my sister Eileen for the seeds of these vignettes.
Ethel Lee-Miller blogs regularly about people, the power of words, and the writing life. She is the author of Thinking of Miller Place, and Seedlings, Stories of Relationships.
