A special Halloween full of freedom, fun, friendship, and most of all, love.
While it seems like every Halloween has been joyful, one surpasses all the rest: the Halloween I fell in love for the first time.
In the mid-1950s, living in my small hometown was living with trust. My gang of seven fit right in with the other kids roaming the streets unsupervised.
That Halloween, we flew down the street, turning into every sidewalk, climbing every set of steps, ringing every doorbell, and entering every foyer where treats were laid out on gleaming trays set atop hall tables reword. Every house offered something different: apples, bags filled with candy corn or homemade cookies, bubble gum, and every kind of candy imaginable. As we made our way around the neighborhood, we amassed so many goodies that the older boys had to carry their little sisters’ bags.
Still, we ran, skipped, and jumped along until we suddenly just stopped as if we had reached a brick wall. This was THE HOUSE, the one where the witch lived. We stared at her porch light, daring each other to go up to the door. Finally, Johnny, the oldest at age nine, said he was going. “Why not? After all, her porch light’s on and I’m not afraid of no witch.” Of course, we all tried to stop him, but he remained firm. As we stood there, torn between fear for Johnny’s life and awe over his bravery, he put me on the spot. “You come with me, Sandy. You’re seven now and you’re the oldest of the girls, and I’m the oldest of the boys, so we should go together.”
Nothing could have gotten me to go with him, so I stood cowering with the rest while Johnny ran up the sidewalk and rang the doorbell with no hesitation.
While he was in the house, we waited and worried and wondered how we were going to tell his parents the witch was holding him captive. Finally, the door opened and Johnny hurried towards us, smiling broadly. “She’s not a witch at all. She’s really nice and she gave me a whole chocolate bar.”
Well, chocolate has always been my favorite candy so I quickly decided I was going to go get my bar. There was a unanimous chorus of “Me, too” from the others when Johnny cut in. “You can’t go. It’s too late. You had to go with me. You had your chance and now it’s just too late.” For some unknown reason, we all obeyed him and bypassed the house.
The minute Johnny burst out of the witch’s house; he became my hero. Faced with so much courage. I fell madly, passionately in love. Clinging to the fact that he had asked me to go with him, I stayed close to him for the rest of the night. Time flew by as I stayed in my euphoric bubble while he tolerated my adoration. That night I confided my love to my parents along with my future plans to marry Johnny when we grew up. They were not displeased. While my love didn’t last as long as my Halloween candy, that night remains one of the most magical of my life.
Tasked by his Goddess to find, relocate, and then quicken, the last three Heart Tree gem-seeds, Vanx the bard, and his motley crew of adventurers, set out to do just that.
Tasked by his Goddess to find, relocate, and then quicken, the last three Heart Tree gem-seeds, Vanx the bard, and his motley crew of adventurers, set out to do just that.
