Memories of a Halloween

-The Dad-

You may wonder why I would remember such a trivial night from so many years ago. I will tell you what, for us Halloween is everything but trivial. It is more special than any other night of the year, even birthdays or Christmases.

Isabella was five years old when we decided to take her trick-or-treating for the first time. A little too late, you might think. But her mom took ill three months after our daughter was born. In between hospitals, work, cooking, and cleaning there was barely any time left to go out with the kids. 

We had two children: Isabella and Hugo. Our five year old girl was pretty excited about buying a costume and getting tons of candy. Our ten year old son, on the other hand, was bummed because he broke his foot and was not allowed to hop around. Since he went trick-or-treating with his aunt the last few years, we weren’t too guilty about it. We did promise him we would buy him a few or his favorites candies though.

Either way, the first thing to do on the Halloween plan was to buy the costumes - yes we promised Hugo one of those as well. We went to a nice store and I grabbed the princess and the mermaid ones right away. My little Isabella just made a face and pointed out the ugliest goblin costume I have ever seen!

"That's the one." She shouted, as if she had found the most precious thing in the world.

“For Hugo?” I just wanted to double check before my heart broke into pieces.

“No! That’s mine, mine! That’s my perfect mine!” She sang while hugging the package.

"This thing? Are you sure?" I asked one more time and all my dreams went down the drain when she said yes.

I swear I tried to convince her to get another costume, I SWEAR. I remember my wife was so mad I was basically forbidden to buy any other costume for our daughter without her approval. We laughed though.

On Halloween's night, Isabella was quite proud, wearing her gooish, greenish, uglyish goblin costume. Our little girl was pretty independent.

"Not too close," she said when I was by her side walking down the street. I am pretty sure that at the age of 5 a child is not supposed to be ashamed to be seen with her parents yet. But, oh well, I walked a couple of feet behind her. 

We went from door to door. We? Oh, sorry, I mean she. I was required to be at least ten feet away. After a while I noticed that after a while she was walking a little funny.

“Is everything alright, dear? Are you tired already?” I asked, worried.

“Just a few more houses, please?” She begged.

She was so excited it made me think the trick-or-treating was extremely successful. I will never forget when we got home and she barely had any candy on her bucket. I was so angry I almost went to knock on my neighborhood doors to complain about it! But Isabella’s smile going upstairs with her baggy goblin costume was more than enough for me. 

“Daddy, I can’t wait for mommy to be with us next Halloween,” Isabella said on her way upstairs. 

“Oh honey, let’s cross our fingers. Maybe she will be feeling better by then.” I answered, not taking away the hope of my daughter, even though it seemed unlikely.

“She will, daddy. I am going to send all of my Halloween wishes to her! That’s the most magical night, it has to work!” She said, confident. And then she ran upstairs to her brother’s room. 

Magic? I was never a man known to believe in such a thing. I have to say though, that very morning my mind changed. As soon as I saw my wife standing by the door I believed in Halloween wishes. From that day on Halloween was the most special night of the year for our family.

-The Daughter-

I was quite little when my dad took me trick-or-treating for the first time. I clearly remember my brother telling me that he needed Halloween’s magical candy. He seemed sad because he couldn’t go gather them and the store bought candies wouldn’t do any good. He needed candies earned by trick-or treating, he needed my help.

First, he warned me that dad would take almost all of the candy away after the hard work to gather it throughout the night. Something about too much candy and stomachaches.

“If they take it away, we won’t have enough magic to help mom.” He started. “They are going to try to trick you into a very impractical costume, don’t fall for it. Get a baggy one, with easy access to the inner part or something.” He said as his first advice.

And when I went to the shop with dad, I looked for the baggiest costume I could find. That way I would be able to stuff it with tons of candy. I remember daddy showing me a very pretty princess costume I was dying to get. But I focused hard and went with the… What was that? A ghost zombie? Something greenish. I am not sure. What mattered is that it actually had inner pockets! It was a perfect fit for our master plan.

I also remember Hugo telling me that I had to be far away from daddy while trick-or-treating, this way I could get a fair amount of the candy I received and stuff it in my costume without him seeing it. 

I followed Hugo’s rules to the tee. It was hard work, seriously. Have you ever seen a five year old carrying weights around in a suit that covers her head to toe? That was pretty much me, and my weights were made out of candy.

At some point my costume was so loaded, it was even hard to walk altogether. When we got home I showed daddy my almost-empty candy bucket and he actually let me keep it all. I mean, I am pretty sure there were ten candies in there, maybe I could have left a bit more in the bucket and little less in my pants… Anyway, I went to my brother’s room and we piled up all the candy in the middle of his bed. 

“Halloween candy is full of magic. First you eat the candy. Then you will give a knot on the wrapping while making a wish. Finally, put the wrapping paper with the wish knot under your pillow.” He explained carefully while eating a candy and showing step by step while talking. “We have to eat it all and wish that mom feels better in each knot.” Hugo finished, as if he was giving me the most important task ever.

It was so much candy I didn’t even think it would be possible to eat it all.

“I can eat this part, and you can eat that part.” Said him, separating the candy into two mounds and pushing the smaller one to me.

I ate each piece of candy. I made a knot in each wrapping. And I slept on a pillow that smelled like candy until we did the next laundry. 

But if I can tell you something, I will tell you that: it was worth it.

I couldn’t believe it when I saw my mom walking in the kitchen the next morning, I just kept waiting to wake up every time she hugged me. But I didn’t. Trick-or-treat candy was magical. It was all real.

You know, I just turned thirteen and everyone keeps saying I am too old to keep trick-or-treating. This is, most likely, my last year although I have been saying that for the last two years.  

And honestly, I am still not sure if my brother was lying just get my candy. I will never know for sure. But I can tell you he still has a box full of candy paper from that night in his closet. From that Halloween on, the both of us ate at least a dozen candies and we slept on wrapping papers with knots on them. Each and every Halloween ever since, my wish was always the same: I hope my mom doesn't get sick again. 

This is the most magical night, anything is possible. All you have to do is to wish upon a trick-or-treat candy and I will always remember my very first Halloween.