Halloween Carnival

The Sally Ann Tales: Halloween Carnival:

" I'm ready". Mike steps out of his bedroom and heading towards the family room, dressed in his Halloween costume. He is wearing Ninja turtles pajamas and two Ninja turtles backpacks. One backpack is on his back and the other one is in front of his chest. The straps are pinned together to stay in place. Sally Ann saunters in by Mike, flaunting her Dracula outfit around him. She questions Mike inquiring, " What are you supposed to be"? Mike replies, " I'm a Ninja turtle. My backpacks is where I will hide my candy. The big kids can't take it like last year". Sally Ann reassures him, " That's why we are going to our Haunted Elementary School, and not running around the neighborhood". Kris joins in the conversation, " Sally Ann, can you see what I'm missing for my Gypsy costume? It doesn't look complete". Sally Ann puts her finger to her mouth thoughtfully and cheerfully said, " I know, you can put my scarf around your head and tie a key ring on the end of it. Now you look like a Gypsy". Suddenly Marianne enters the room scaring Sally Ann, Kris and Mike. She growls, " Rah! Rah! Rah"! Sally Ann, Kris and Mike shrieked at the same time, " Eeek"! Marianne is dressed like a witch but her face is a zombie. Marianne continues in a witch voice, " Rah! Do you want to ride my broom"? Sally Ann leaves the room and cries out, "Mom"! Mom approaches her and answers, " What is it, dear"? Sally Ann hands Mom her Dracula cape and asks, " Mom, can you tie my Dracula cape on? I don't want the blood to smear my makeup". Sally Ann gets to wear Mom's make-up on Halloween. 

Dad is outside and hollers," Sally Ann!, Kris!, Marianne!, And Mike! Let's go, we are going to your haunted classrooms"! All the kids scrambled into the station wagon and jumps into their favorite seats. Mom is locking the front door and gets into the station wagon. She turns on the radio to the tune. " Monster Mash". 

We arrive at the haunted Elementary school. Dad instructs us, " Sally Ann. Kris Marianne and Mike, Mom and I are going to your haunted classrooms. When the costume contest is over, meet us back in the cafeteria. Sally Ann, watch Mike so he doesn't get lost". Sally Ann responds back, " Okay Dad, I will". Sally Ann, Kris, Marianne and Mike rush straight to the pumpkin patch. There is a row of tables outside the cafeteria where you can carve your pumpkins. When you are done, you set your pumpkin on your classroom desk. The judges goes around the classrooms and votes for the best carved pumpkin. The winner gets a trophy at the award ceremony. Sally Ann follows Mike to his classroom then speaks to him, " Mike, stay close by me so you don't get lost". Mike interrupts her and replies, " There is my friend, I want to hang out with him. I will meet you in the cafeteria". And off he goes, while Sally Ann watches him disappear in the crowd of costumed kids. Kris is still carving her pumpkin. She is an artist and pays attention to detail. Marianne pulls Sally Ann's arm and urge her in a witch voice, " C'mon, Sally Ann, let's start at the top of the classrooms and work our way down to the cafeteria". Kris agrees with Marianne, " Yeah, go ahead, I will catch up with you later". Sally Ann shrugs her shoulders and consents, " Okay". Heading towards the top of the classrooms, Mike whips by with a balloon sword in his hand and his friend has a balloon airplane. Sally Ann sees that he has stopped at the fourth booth, the duck pond where they are giving out toy prizes. Sally Ann is satisfied with that. Marianne intrudes Sally Ann's thoughts and says in her witch voice again, " Look, Sally Ann, Eh, Eh, Eh, Frankenstein is making animal balloons. I want a puppy balloon". Marianne drags her there and Sally Ann settles for a snake. Sally Ann shrieks, " Eeew, there is a bowl of brains". Marianne laughs in her witch voice, " That is spaghetti and ketchup". That is booth number one and is giving out gummy worms. Booth number two is the witches Caldron with smoke coming out from dry ice. Marianne couldn't resist and stirs the caldron howling, " Eh, Eh, Eh, Eh, Eh, do you want to taste my frog soup"? Sally Ann and Marianne both giggle at that. They received their candy bar and go to booth number three. There is a mummy in a coffin. Marianne couldn't help herself, still in her witches voice, " Sally Ann, there is your roommate". Sally Ann retorts back with a smile, " Very funny, now let's get our rice crispy treats and go to booth number five where there is skeleton bones and passing out skeleton suckers". Sally Ann passes by and skips booth number Six. Marianne Yanks Sally Ann's Dracula cape and makes known like the witch she is, " Hey we skipped the bobbing for apples". Sally Ann delivers in her vampire voice," I don't want to smudge my makeup". Marianne giggles and agrees, "Me too". Sally Ann and Marianne approaches booths number seven, the balloon darts to play. Kris just finished her pumpkin and catches up with them. She blurts out," There you are". They collect more candy the next booth number eight, the bean bag toss, where they get school supplies. (Pencils, erasers, or mini note pads). Kris inquires to Sally Ann, " Where is Mike"? Sally Ann looks around anxiously. Marianne points to the cafeteria, and just inside the door, Mike is sitting with his friend. Marianne shouts over the crowd of excited kids, " Mike, stay there"! Mike looks back and nods his head. Sally Ann, Kris and Marianne meet up with him. His hair is damp and he is eating bloody finger hot dog, chips, punch with plastic eyeballs in it, and a pizza with a plastic spider ring on top of it. His backpack is stuffed with candy and prizes, making him look like a muscular turtle. Marianne's eyes grew big and asks, " Where did you get those twelve cupcakes"? Mike replied back, " At the cake walk, on the auditorium stage". He points to the front of the cafeteria. Kris looks at Sally Ann for approval and then to Mike saying, " You wait here Mike and finish your food. Me, Sally Ann and Marianne will finish collecting candy. We will come back for you". Sally Ann looks at Kris thankfully and then to Mike in a Stern voice, " Understood"? Mike cowered under that look and nodded his head up and down. Sally Ann speaking to Kris, " I think he will behave. Now, where did Marianne go"? Looking around the room, Sally Ann spots Marianne walking up the auditorium stage to play the cake walk. Sally Ann and Kris plays the rest of the games. Booth number nine is the ring toss around the bottle and adding more candy to their Halloween bag. The last booth number ten is the basketball hoop. They are passing out glow in the dark necklaces and more Halloween candy. Sally Ann and Kris is starting to get tired and sits down next to Mike. He is still eating and saving the cupcakes until we get home. Marianne joins us at the cafeteria table. She won a big chocolate bat shaped cake. 

The bell rings and the speaker is directing all students to the playground for the Halloween costume contest parade. We get our name pinned to our costume. We walk around the playground until we stop in a straight line to be judged. All the kids sit back down in the cafeteria after the voting. Dad and Mom have joined us for the award ceremony. The principal is at the auditorium stage podium. He welcomes the faculty, parents and students. Now he is announcing, " ...And the winner for the pumpkin carving contest is without a doubt, KRIS MATHISON". The principal lifts up the pumpkin and the whole audience gasp, " Whoa" and " Wow"! The pumpkin is so amazingly beautiful. Kris scraped the pumpkin peeling and carved out a magical forest on one side and a werewolf on the other side. Kris shyly steps up on stage to receive her trophy. The principal continues to announce, " ...And now for the winner of the Halloween costume contest is your one and only quirky MARIANNE MATHISON". Marianne gets up and walks towards the stage like a zombie steps up onto the auditorium stage hunched over like a witch and speaking in that voice, " Thank you, thank you to all of you". She is pointing throughout the room. Sally Ann watches Marianne in awe as she receives her trophy. She looks so scary as she did so. Sally Ann thinks to herself, " Oh, now I get it. It's not about a beauty contest with a bewitching Dracula. It's about a Halloween contest with a scary zombie witch". Marianne deserves it. She played the part fantastically well. Kris and Marianne is already back at the table. Dad rises up and nods at Mom then tells the kids, " Sally Ann, Kris, Marianne and Mike, it's time to go home. 

By Sally Jenkins