Halloween

By

Gerry Niskern

There will be a lot of little witches zooming around on October 31 trick or treating as soon as the sun goes down and they have eaten the required few bites of dinner. You can be sure they will be keeping a sharp eye out for monsters and ghosts that are flying too.

We lived out in the country when I was trick or treating age. So I missed out on that great night when grownups pass out big handfuls of candy, but we had something better. We had Halloween parties at neighboring farm houses.

Everyone started planning their party right after school started. But the important work went into their costumes. Everyone tried to create the best disguise so they wouldn’t be recognized. It was a fierce competition and a badge of honor to be the last one recognized. The remaining one whose identity was guessed was always awarded a prize.

One year when I was about eight years old, my sister and I begged to have a Halloween party for our friends. We worked hard cleaning up the basement (the parties were always in the basements). We decorated by dragging huge, dry corn stalks in from the fields and put them in the corners; than our dad put lights behind them for a warm glow. We had lots of dad carved, grinning jack-o- lanterns and big black paper cats we had been working on for weeks.

We picked the last of red apples in the orchard and filled one of mom’s wash tubs with water for the bobbing for apples contest.

Mom bought Candy Corn and filled several bowls she placed around the room. There were platters of her homemade donuts and a punch bowl of cold apple cider. This young sugar junkie’s mouth was watering in anticipation.

In my determination to be the last one identified, I insisted that my mother pin me securely into my ghost costume, which was one of her white sheets. I wanted to make sure no one that my long braids were hanging out or that anyone could peek around my ghost mask either. Then as the games started and the party got into full swing I watched in dismay, arms locked tight in folds of white, as the bowls of candy corn, all the donuts and even the sweet cider disappeared before my eyes!

And of course I didn’t win the costume guessing contest either. Everyone know that the little ghost who was already at the party had to be me!