Real Ghosts!

Thirteen is a great age and I cannot think of a friend who wasn’t delighted on their thirteenth birthday, because after all it’s the first day you become an actual teenager and as far as we were concerned we were practically adults.

That is with a few exceptions, we still could not get into an R-rated movie, smoke or drink, date without our parent’s watchful eyes, enter a night club, or trick or treat. Oh, but we were resourceful and one Halloween it occurred to a buddie and I that we actually could trick-or-treat.  After all, adults dressed up and went to parties, in fact, our parents were going to a party, but we were supposed to stay home with a “baby” sitter? 

We lived on the same street in the neighborhood, so after our parents left, we smiled and said,

“Have a good time, we love you.”

Then we sat on a curb and watched the kids run from house to house with their bags full of candy, and thought about the words, “Trick-or Treat.”   

Whereupon, we looked at each other and realized we shared an idea, in addition to the same ability to rationalize. After all, everyone else was participating, so, why couldn’t we? We didn’t care about the candy, - A lie- we just wanted to dress up for Halloween and that didn’t mean we weren’t grown-ups. 

Although, we had one problem…What costume could we wear that would fool our neighbors into thinking we were young enough to Trick-Or-Treat? 

Well…that was easy, a ghost! 

We ran to our houses grabbed a white and cut holes in it for the eyes; we couldn’t cut a hole for the lips because that may give away our age.

Then, there was only one thing left to figure out and that was the fact that few six-year old children are five feet tall.  Therefore, one of us would have to be the big sister taking her little sister trick-or-treating and the little sister would have to sway her head to say thank you.

And the little sister would have to walk on her knees. Well, since I was the youngest of the two of us, I got to be the little sister. After our plans were made we set off to the nearest house. My friend held the back of my sheet while I walked on my knees, but we didn’t account for the front part of the sheet, so I held it off the ground and wobbled along, trying not to laugh.

In front of the first house we approached the neighbor was dressed like a witch handing out candy and talking to the “real” children in a sweet voice.  The front part of my sheet kept sliding under my knees as we walked to the front door, and I could hear my friend whispering,

“Ann, hold onto the sheet she is looking at us and do not laugh…” 

Then, we had to make it back down the walkway with my friend holding the back of the sheet, like a wedding gown, shadowing the back of my feet.  Oh, boy, we are good, is what I thought, we sure “tricked” her.  But, oh, if only I’d known how hard it was going to be to manage the sidewalk, where kids and parents were already looking at us with a bewildered look on their faces. Although, it was too late now, the show had to go on…

My friend kept trying to distract people as I struggled with my sheet. I kept putting one knee in front of the other, pulling the sheet beneath me along with the holes for my eyes, while my friend tried to untangle the back of my veil.  

I could hear children saying,“Look Mom, the ghost has no eyes and is spinning in circles.” 

My face felt as hot as a firecracker due to the heat and intense humility, but I kept rotating like a top until I slowly dwindled down in the moist grass. But did we stop? Oh, no, we were on a mission and we’d only been to one house.

Plus, I was a quick study, after my buddy untangled me, I held the front part of the sheet higher and laid my knees on the concrete sidewalk. By the time we reached the second house, my knees were the size of grapefruits, but that was not going to stop me from a three musketeers bar.

-Oh no, not me. –

In closing, the second house had steps leading to their door, but with my friend holding the back of my sheet and me walking on my knees we headed to the front door. My knees hurt so bad, I held one side of the sheet up for each knee, and swayed from one side to the other up the steps…and we finally made it.

When we reached the door, our neighbor was looking at us with a smile, and said,

“Well, hello Ms. Clemmons. Are you a high stepper or a ghost?” 

 But, of course, I pretended I was still the little sister.

Then, my friend said,

“Oh, this isn’t Ann. This is my baby sister and she cannot talk yet.”   

  In which my neighbor replied,

“Well, Lisa, your baby sister sure is tall for a toddler. Now, you two get some candy and Ann get your mother to look at your knees.”  

I was so embarrassed I rolled down her lawn in the sheet, jumped to my feet and ran home and Lisa did the same.

Consequently, that was the last time we went Trick-or-Treating. Because, after all, we were practically adults and we had better things to do. J

Happy Halloween!

Dedicated with affection to Lisa Short.

1960-2011

                                                                                                                                                                   

Happy Halloween!

Dedicated with affection to Lisa Short.

1960-2011