Harriet hated Halloween. "What's the point?" she sighed, not understanding why the other kids in her class were so excited about it. "You get all dressed up in dumb old costumes, and then you walk from house to house begging for candy? I don't even like candy!"
Mrs. Wesley, Harriet's teacher, noticed that Harriet wasn't carving her pumpkin. "What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Wesley asked, looking down at Harriet over the top of her glasses.
Mrs. Wesley was a very old lady with bright blue eyes, and she always wore rose-colored reading glasses.
"I hate Halloween!" Harriet said. "What's the point?" Mrs. Wesley took off her reading glasses and laughed. "The point, my dear? Why, Halloween is the time when you can dress as anything you like! Something scary, something spooky? Something funny, something kooky? My dear Harriet, on Halloween you can be whatever you want to be!" But Harriet still didn't think dressing up was that much fun.
Later that night, Harriet was sitting home on the couch when the trick-or-treaters began to arrive. Ding-dong! went the doorbell. Harriet reluctantly handed out candy with her parents to kids from her class.
They were dressed in every costume imaginable--cowboys, mermaids, aliens, frogs, princesses, ninjas, wizards, butterflies, trolls, and even hot dogs!
After many hours greeting trick-or-treaters, harried Harriet finally ran out of candy...and patience. Ding-dong! went the doorbell again. "I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE STUPID CANDY FOR YOU!" Harriet screamed while opening the door. But sitting on her front porch was a small black cat with bright blue eyes. It looked up at her and wagged its tail.
Harriet looked around, surprised. "Hello there, kitty," she said, bending down to pat the cat on its head. It purred and rubbed up against Harriet's legs. "Where'd you come from?" When Harriet looked at the back of the orange and black collar the cat was wearing, she found a name and an address: "Boo! 100 Jack O'Lantern Lane."
"We've got to get you back to Jack O'Lantern Lane!" Harriet said, scooping Boo into her arms. She told her parents she'd be right back, set Boo in her bicycle's little carrying basket and started pedaling as fast as she could. She zoomed through the streets, dodged costumed kids left and right, and sent up gusts of red and orange leaves as she went.
Finally, Harriet arrived at a giant, dark house. She wasn't scared though, and knocked on the front door. A green-skinned witch in a pointy black hat opened the door. "Harriet, my dear!" cackled the witch, "what a lovely costume after all!" Now Harriet was terrified. How did the witch know her name?
At that point, Harriet saw the rose-colored reading glasses hanging around the witch's neck. It was Mrs. Wesley, Harriet's teacher! "Mrs. Wesley?! I think I found your cat!" Harriet turned and pointed to her bicycle's carrying basket, but Boo was no longer in it. "Oh no! It was right there a moment ago!"
Mrs. Wesley smiled, her bright blue eyes twinkling. "I'm sure she jumped out when you weren't looking," Mrs. Wesley said. "She's probably inside now, drinking from her saucer of milk." Mrs. Wesley turned towards her kitchen. “Oh look, there she is, slurping away!”
Mrs. Wesley was overjoyed to have her cat back. Wanting to find a way to repay Harriet for her kindness, she pointed to a bowl full of candy corn. "Won't you take some candy corn?" Mrs. Wesley asked. "Thank you, but I don't like candy," answered Harriet.
"But it's candy corn!" Mrs. Wesley encouraged, scooping up a handful. "It's much better than regular candy, and it's only around on Halloween." Harriet tried a piece of the candy corn. She chewed slowly. Soon, a big smile lit up her face. "Mmmmm…it's really good!" she exclaimed.
Just then, Harriet remembered something. "Mrs. Wesley," she said, "what did you mean when you said you liked my costume after all? Because I'm not wearing a costume..."
Mrs. Wesley smiled. "Oh, but you are!" she said. "I told you that on Halloween you can be whatever you want to be. By returning my cat tonight, you dressed as a hero, and that's the loveliest costume of all." Harriet grinned bashfully, her mouth full of candy corn. Maybe Halloween wasn't so bad after all!
Mrs. Wesley, Harriet's teacher, noticed that Harriet wasn't carving her pumpkin. "What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Wesley asked, looking down at Harriet over the top of her glasses.
Mrs. Wesley was a very old lady with bright blue eyes, and she always wore rose-colored reading glasses.
"I hate Halloween!" Harriet said. "What's the point?" Mrs. Wesley took off her reading glasses and laughed. "The point, my dear? Why, Halloween is the time when you can dress as anything you like! Something scary, something spooky? Something funny, something kooky? My dear Harriet, on Halloween you can be whatever you want to be!" But Harriet still didn't think dressing up was that much fun.
Later that night, Harriet was sitting home on the couch when the trick-or-treaters began to arrive. Ding-dong! went the doorbell. Harriet reluctantly handed out candy with her parents to kids from her class.
They were dressed in every costume imaginable--cowboys, mermaids, aliens, frogs, princesses, ninjas, wizards, butterflies, trolls, and even hot dogs!
After many hours greeting trick-or-treaters, harried Harriet finally ran out of candy...and patience. Ding-dong! went the doorbell again. "I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE STUPID CANDY FOR YOU!" Harriet screamed while opening the door. But sitting on her front porch was a small black cat with bright blue eyes. It looked up at her and wagged its tail.
Harriet looked around, surprised. "Hello there, kitty," she said, bending down to pat the cat on its head. It purred and rubbed up against Harriet's legs. "Where'd you come from?" When Harriet looked at the back of the orange and black collar the cat was wearing, she found a name and an address: "Boo! 100 Jack O'Lantern Lane."
"We've got to get you back to Jack O'Lantern Lane!" Harriet said, scooping Boo into her arms. She told her parents she'd be right back, set Boo in her bicycle's little carrying basket and started pedaling as fast as she could. She zoomed through the streets, dodged costumed kids left and right, and sent up gusts of red and orange leaves as she went.
Finally, Harriet arrived at a giant, dark house. She wasn't scared though, and knocked on the front door. A green-skinned witch in a pointy black hat opened the door. "Harriet, my dear!" cackled the witch, "what a lovely costume after all!" Now Harriet was terrified. How did the witch know her name?
At that point, Harriet saw the rose-colored reading glasses hanging around the witch's neck. It was Mrs. Wesley, Harriet's teacher! "Mrs. Wesley?! I think I found your cat!" Harriet turned and pointed to her bicycle's carrying basket, but Boo was no longer in it. "Oh no! It was right there a moment ago!"
Mrs. Wesley smiled, her bright blue eyes twinkling. "I'm sure she jumped out when you weren't looking," Mrs. Wesley said. "She's probably inside now, drinking from her saucer of milk." Mrs. Wesley turned towards her kitchen. “Oh look, there she is, slurping away!”
Mrs. Wesley was overjoyed to have her cat back. Wanting to find a way to repay Harriet for her kindness, she pointed to a bowl full of candy corn. "Won't you take some candy corn?" Mrs. Wesley asked. "Thank you, but I don't like candy," answered Harriet.
"But it's candy corn!" Mrs. Wesley encouraged, scooping up a handful. "It's much better than regular candy, and it's only around on Halloween." Harriet tried a piece of the candy corn. She chewed slowly. Soon, a big smile lit up her face. "Mmmmm…it's really good!" she exclaimed.
Just then, Harriet remembered something. "Mrs. Wesley," she said, "what did you mean when you said you liked my costume after all? Because I'm not wearing a costume..."
Mrs. Wesley smiled. "Oh, but you are!" she said. "I told you that on Halloween you can be whatever you want to be. By returning my cat tonight, you dressed as a hero, and that's the loveliest costume of all." Harriet grinned bashfully, her mouth full of candy corn. Maybe Halloween wasn't so bad after all!