Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Did I scare you?

Of course I didn't.

Alas, I have no scary photos to share, no images of ghosties or goblins.

I thought instead I might share my favorite Halloween memory with you. This happened when I was six years old.

One year I dressed as a hobo. I wore a tie, a hat, patched pants, and makeup on my face. I was six years old, and my mother took me around the subdivision where my grandmother lived in Salem. She stood out  in the street and watched while I marched up the sidewalk, sack in hand, and rang doorbells.

I remember it being a warm night, no need for a heavy coat, but still spooky because the trees were bare and leaves littered the sides of the roads where we trudged from house to house in the subdivision where my grandmother lived.

The owners of one home went all out for the holiday. They had a spooky sound track coming from a window, tombstones in the yard, and a ghost in the corner of the porch. I was not so sure I wanted to visit this place.

"Go on, it's okay," my mother said, giving me a little shove.

The fact that there were no other children around should have been a cue, I suppose. I headed up the sidewalk, looking back at my mother every so often to be sure she hadn't left me in this scary spot.

I rang the doorbell. Ding. Dong.

The door opened a crack. An evil eye peered out, and then the door opened.

There stood a witch.

A real Wizard of Oz looking witch, with a green face, crooked nose, and a wart. She had dark scraggly hair and a black hat on top of her head.

"Well, just who I was waiting for!" the witch cackled.

I was so scared I could not say "trick or treat" so I simply held out the bag. She put some candy in and opened the door wider. Inside stood a big black cauldron with steam coming out! It was big enough that I would fit inside.

"I just love little girls," the witch crooned. "You look like a dear. I could eat you all up. Won't you come into my house?"

I swallowed and took a step back. "No thank you," I said politely. "I'm not allowed to go into the homes of strangers."

With that, I turned tail and ran for my life. The sound of the witch calling for me to come back followed me all the way down the sidewalk.

My mother scooped me up in a hug, because by this time I was terrified and crying. She was laughing but she also applauded me for not going inside.

And that is my favorite Halloween memory, because it has every element you could want from this day of the dead. Chills and comfort, candy and a costume.

"I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!"