Busy Day

 Well, it is almost that time again ! One more day until we see witches, broomsticks, goblins, ghosts and of course get to enjoy those frightening Halloween movies!  I rubbed my hands together , thinking about the candy and the tricks as well as treats!

 This is my busiest time and my favorite time of the Year !  (As if you couldn't tell)! 

Oh! You can have your Christmas and Thanksgiving ! And Easter? No Thank You ! I'm also finished with the fourth of July!  After all ,Stella  is not a fan , she has been afraid of fireworks since she was a pup!  Birthdays you say ? Nah, at eighty two , going on eighty three I was finished with that day at sixty two.

 “My only worry is , who can take this over after I am gone?”  As I speak these  words aloud , Stella looks up from her place on the rug with a passive gaze and her tail thumping twice. “Well actually” , I say to her , “that may not be my only  worry.”  At my age  I have quite a few .  Oh simple things , like tripping and breaking  my neck or running out of money.

“Anyhow , Stella, let's  get this show on the road  as they say !” I start off by cleaning the floors with my sister Edna’s old carpet sweeper. This is a true treasure she used to say.  She purchased it from the Fuller  Brush man, back in the day.   I say out loud,   “and for  sure  it picks up  someone's long white wiry hair which seems to be all over  every room  in the house.” Stella looks at me as if she knows I'm speaking about her.

“As a pure white half Labrador and half German Shepard,  there is no dealing ! Your hair is all over the dang place!” I shout good naturedly. After going through the small cottage with the sweeper, (mighty fast I might  add), I resume  with my front room dusting and then continue windexing my kitchen counters and the bathroom mirror.  Next, I quickly make the bed and  get ready to take out the trash .  I sit down on the worn chair in the living room, lean over, grab my grey Sketchers  and slip them  on.

“C’mon Stella , Let's go! We don’t have all day!”  We both head out the garage door.  I grab the aluminum garbage can,  Stella padding behind me and we walk toward  the end of the  driveway . I hear a familiar voice . My neighbor Ruthie from next door .

“ Hellooo ,  Annie !  Hope you and Stella  are doing well ! You guys look great ! Getting all prepared for tomorrow ?”

“Hmmph,” I responded. “Yeah , yeah   Ruthie , getting ready for the  big night , and before you ask, No , we do not need any help . thanks  but no thanks!” 

Why does she have  to be such a busy body ? Just because  she is still in her sixties  and Gus is still around , why can’t  she  just leave me  be?

  I let Stella sniff around  the side of our  house for a nice place to squat  and then  the two of us are back in the house.  The yellow  kitchen phone on the wall is just about  to ring itself  right off the wall when I plop down upon my favorite  black kitchen chair with  the flowered orange cushion and pick up .

“Hello?”

“ Hi Mom !  It's Leia ! How are you and Stella doing ?”  

“ Hi  Darling ,  I smile , we are both fine ! How are you and the kids ?”

“ We are all good ! Hey, I wanted  you to give me a list of everything  that you need for tomorrow. You know , candy , a costume , maybe antler ears or a cape  for Stella?”

“ Oh yes , thank you so much !  I have a list here somewhere!”

My daugher is so special !  Even though I am still driving , she handles all of my weekly food shopping and  brings me to my appointments. She calls every day and we laugh and talk like old friends.

I begin to glance around the kitchen frantically for the list . Hmmm it was on the counter before...

“Leia, I can’t seem to get my hands on it. Let me just tell you  from memory . “  I count on my fingers as I say , “I need  a box of fresh candy apples from Windy Brow, 4 bags of M&M  minis,  Snickers ,  Kit-Kat bars , oh and Reeses , potato chips bags  , plus  the antler ears for Stella.”

“Okay great , Ma , I  will make sure I get them over  to you before the big day ! Bye  Love you!”

“Love you too! “ I respond , and hang up the phone .

“Now , Stella, “ I say  “we have to make sure that  the kids  perform tricks  to get their treats and of course  you and I also have to perform a trick , I wink at her , she stares back ,  brown eyes wide , tail thumping . 

At last , the day is here ! Leia has dropped off  everything I have requested .  I head into the  guest bedroom , to put on my costume for the day. I place an old white haired wig with a bun on my head , pull on a  long black skirt and black baggy sweater and lace up my scoffed  black  ankle  boots . I have an old rickety cane that I save especially for this type of occasion and head over to the mirror on my vanity. I apply my old lady's makeup with the utmost care . White pancake makeup , dark eyeshadow that I place  under my eyes , and draw on very heavy eyebrows.  I am going for Bette Davis in “Whatever Happened  to Baby Jane.”  

This  never fails to scare the kids ! Always  frightens the  kiddies , which is what I  aim 

for . It is after all Halloween , right ?

I lean over and place the white antlers on Stella, which gives her that spooky ghostly appeal. I proceed to set up the candy on a wooden folding table by the front door.  I  step back and view Stella and the table and glance at myself in the hallway mirror . 

“ Gosh !  This is going to be so great!  As I step back from the mirror, and try to move away from Stella’s tail ,   I lose my balance and feel myself  falling in slow motion! “Oh nooo.. Stellaaaa!” Darkness.

  Four neighborhood  children are climbing up the steps pushing each other to be the first to ring the bell as their parents huddle together and wait on the sidewalk talking among themselves. 

 One mother says, “Oh Frankie is so excited this year ! He gets to Trick or Treat twice ! His dad is  bringing him around again tonight when he gets home from work!”

 “ Nice!  “ replies  another Mom ,  “Sean is happy too ! He has been wearing his “Scary movie “ mask for the past week!”

With that , they glance up at the kids on the porch as Frankie continues to ring the doorbell and the other boys peek in the window .

  At that moment , Sean yells out in a high pitched seven year old voice, and  backs away from the window.

  “Hey “!  “Hey! It's a real ghost. It's a real dead ghost!  An old one ! She is dead, and she is waking up from the dead! “ The children are all pushing each other  to catch a glimpse  and are mesmerized as they gaze through the window at  someone slowly trying to sit up. There is a white ghostly looking deer laying beside the awakening dead woman.

  The ghost is standing up slowly with a white face and evil grin , think Jack Nicholson’s  Joker from an early Batman Movie.  Then she sits up and begins to laugh slowly and points and shakes a  finger.  The kids  are scrambling and knocking into each other as they  race down the stairs to safety.

 Annie  reaches onto the side of an armchair and continues to stand and cannot stop laughing. She brushes herself off , and pats Stella’s head.

“ You okay girl? Not to worry, I am fine. I just took a fall.  She stands up and says to 

Stella , “that was great ! And I never even planned it !”

 She continues , 

“ From now on , this trick will be a new extra special layer in our Halloween celebrations!”