Trick or Logic

It was the evening of October 31st and Dad was taking Emma on her very first "Trick or Treat". The weather was particularly hot that Autumn and rain was in the forcast. However, the weather was not enough to dampen the spirits of the Price family, especially not those of Emma's older brother who had been the year before. He was already in his costume and impatiently running up and down the driveway in an attempt to hurry his single Dad Robert and little sister Emma who were putting the last minute touches to a homemade costume.

"I like Princesses."

"I know" said Dad struggling to tie a knot in the tutu he had just finished sewing.

"I also like Soccer. I like it almost more then I like Princesses."

"Yep" he said handing the Tutu to her and going to the kitchen to retrive her other costume pieces.

Six year old Emma pulled on her soccer shoes and straightened her pink tutu.

"That's why, I am a Soccer Player Princess. Not just a Princess, not just a soccer player. A Soccer player Princess."

"That's great Honey."

Dad put a plastic tiara on the top of her head and helped her pull her soccer shirt over the puff sleeve bodice of the princess dress.

"Aw Princess, you look great. Hold still and let me take a picture to send to your Grandma."

Emma struck a stiff and sassy pose with her hip jutted out to one side and her hand on her waist and the other giving a peace sign.

After he finished taking way more pictures then Emma thought was necessary and she had approved them they joined Emma's big brother on the lawn where he had given up hope of them ever coming out and was now laying flat on his back in the grass singing some combination of the Pokemon theme and "Let it Go".

Emma examined her crown in the outside car mirror.

"What am I?" she asked her Dad with a serious tone and expression.

"Your a Soccer Player Princess, remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I forgot I why I asked."

"That's okay. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. I am always ready." she nodded in the same serious six year old tone.

"Here, the orange one is for you." said Dad handing her a plastic bucket shaped like a pumpkin.

Emma frowned and held it out at arms length.

"What is this?

"It's a pumpkin."

She held it upside down over her head and looked up at the empty interior. "What happened to the inside?"

"Oh, no it's not a real pumpkin. It just looks like one. You use it to hold candy."

She liked the sound of that and perked up a bit "I like Candy."

Emma held out her chubby ringed hands.

"Where's candy?"

Dad realized he'd made a mistake mentioning the candy so early on. He'd done this whole bit before with her older brother but still felt nervous when dealing with tricky child rearing moments like this. Knowing how Emma took everything very seriously he knew honestly would be the best policy. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I don't have any."

The soccer player princess scowled, processing this information and for a moment her Dad thought she might cry.

"Then what can I put in it?"

He sighed with relief, there would be no tantrum. Tears had been averted, at least for the moment. "Don't worry, you'll get candy later. Were going Trick or Treating."

"Have I been there before?" asked Emma giving him a very suspicious six year old side eye.

"It's not a place." he explained.

"Is it a store?"

"No, it's not somewhere you can go."

"Am I too little?"

"No, your not...It's like a party."

"I like parties. I like parties a lot. Is the party for me?"

"It's for everyone who likes to dress up and eat candy." said Dad

"I like to eat candy."

"Yes I know. That's good. Are you ready to go now?"

"Go where?" she asked blankly

"Trick or Treating!" Said Dad trying not to lose his temper.

"I don't understand Trick or Treating." she pouted.

"What don't you understand?" sighed Dad

"Well, all of it I guess. The empty pumpkin, the no candy, the place you cant go to and the party that is not just for me."

"Okay, well let me see, how do I explain this..." He rubbed his bald head anxiously and looked at his eight year old son who was running around in a werewolf costume howling at cars.

"So you dress up, usually as a character like a ghost or a werewolf or a..."

"Or a Soccer Player Princess?"

"Yes, or that and then you go outside, usually at dark."

"But you said it's dangerous to go out at night."

"I know I did but this is different."

"Why?"

"Because it's...it just is."

"Is that all we do? Dress up and go for walks in the dark?"

"No, you also knock on peoples doors."

"Strangers doors!!!"

"Yes, and then you say Trick or treat."

"Why"

"Because that's how you get candy."

"What if they don't give us candy? Do we get to play a trick?"

"No of course not."

"Then why do we say it then?"

"Its just the thing your supposed to do."

"And then?"

"Then we go home and you eat your candy after I check it."

"Oh..." she looked down at her plastic pumpkin bucket. "So we walk around disguised in the dark and force our neighbors to give us candy?"

"Something like that."

"Cool. How much do you think it will hold?" she asked and held up the bucket.

"Oh, maybe a pound."

"That doesn't seem like a lot. Maybe we should take our shopping bags."

"I think we should just use the pumpkin."

"You can use the pumpkin, I can use the shopping bags."

"No, were just taking the pumpkin."

"Okay, well how about we leave the pumpkin and just go to the store for candy?"

"Don't you want to go trick or treating?"

"Why would I want to go to all that trouble when there is a perfectly good store where I can buy whatever candy I want without having to use nefarious means and walking?"

"...I'll go get my car keys."

THE END