Hi Readers,Before we begin the fun journey in the history of this Trick-or-Treater, I must thank Miz Ginger for asking me to be one of her guest bloggers. It’s always a thrill to be here. I’m paranormal romance author, Tabitha Shay and today, I’m going to share with you some of the funny things and not so funny things that happened to me as child growing up during that special holiday events….Halloween.
The earliest Halloween I can remember, I must have been about three or four. We still lived in California and since I started first grade in Oklahoma, I can easily pinpoint the age to a close margin. Oh my, for a small child, it was a bit overwhelming… Candy?Gosh, I wasn’t even sure why I was out there being dragged from house to house in search of this special treat, but hey, it sounded like fun to me and I was always a sucker for a sucker.
Woe is me! How little did I know this would be one of the most frightening experiences of my life? Of course, Mom and Dad was with me, after all, they wanted to show off their little Trickster. I remember the house that changed my view of Halloween and forever scared my little soul. The house was sooooo dark and creepy and on the front door was this skeleton. Nothing in this world was going to force me up that front door to ask for candy. Heck no! I set my stubborn little mind, planted my feet in concrete and wouldn’t budge. That skeleton was out to get me. I can still hear Daddy’s laughter today and his gentle encouragement.Finally, he gave up, lifted me in his arms and carried me to the front door that housed those spooky bones. Amazing, once the lady opened the door, smiled and dropped candy in my sack, I was fine. After all, the skeleton hadn’t gobbled me up and it left my treats alone. I was a happy little girl.
But one does have to wonder about the trauma we as adults bring on our little ones by taking them out to Trick-or-Treat at such an early age…however, it didn’t stop me from taking my children around when they were the same age. It was tradition, still is, and now that I’m an old lady, I try to make Halloween a fun-filled scary time for the kids who ring my doorbell at Halloween.
Oh, boy…the second memory upper most in my mind is a time when I was about ten. I’d reached the age where I could take a couple of my siblings along with me and walk a few blocks around the small rural neighborhood where I grew up…As we trudged out way up the road, I felt an unusual burning in my left leg. Because it was dark, I had no idea what had happened. I thought a snake had bit me, before I realized it was way too cold for snake to be out crawling on the road. Well, it happened again, but this time, it hurt a bit more and I screamed and rubbed my leg. And I decided a hungry vampire bat had bit me instead of a snake. Had to be a bat…what else would bite me on Halloween?
Come to find out, it was a couple of young boys from the neighborhood hiding in a ditch and when kids walked past them, they’d shoot them with their Bee-Bee guns. I put a spell on them and turned them both into pumpkins. Moving fast forward here, boy, I still have never confessed doing this to my mom, she’d kill me and I’m all of sixty…bad when one still fears their mother’s wrath…Laughs…but this was just too much fun to pass up doing….we still lived way out in the country and had no modern facilities. Oh yes, the dreaded outhouse was a common part of our lives in those days and Mother guarded ours like the wicked witch from the West and East every Halloween. No one was going to tip our toilet over! Ha! Little did she know the culprits came from within? While Mom was busy making the traditional popcorn balls and passing out candy, my aunt sneaked into the house and eased me outside. I was about twelve by this time and no longer went out in search of treats. But I did love a good trick. My aunt said “Come on, we’re going to dump over the outhouse.”
Why I thought this was a great idea, I’ll never know, after all, it was where I conducted business… But we sneaked right past my mother’s guard and tilted over the toilet. It wasn’t until early the next morning Mom discovered the toilet was lying on its back like a big fat turtle. I can still hear her angry shouts.
Would you confess your guilt? Didn’t think so…
There you have it readers, some of the things that happened to me in my early years of growing up. I hope you’ve had a laugh or two and enjoyed the random events in this child’s life, because no matter how old I get, I’ll always be that little girl at heart…Happy Halloween to all your little pumpkins….Tabs
NOTE FROM GING: What Tabitha forgot to mention is that she is the author of a wonderful "Witch" series available at Eternal Press.
You can read more about Tab and her work on her wonderfully, inventive website. Step carefully into the realm.
