By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller
Moral of the Story:
Sometimes things seem spooky, but
when we stay calm, we realize they’re not so scary after all. Our imagination can make shadows and noises seem bigger than they are.
The best way to face a little fear is with courage, friends, and laughter. Halloween is a night for costumes, giggles, and adventure, not real frights. When we explore the unknown with kindness and curiosity, we often find
something fun. Working together and believing in each other make any challenge easier. It’s okay to feel nervous, but never forget how brave you really are. Every spooky night becomes a great memory when you share it with friends.
It was Halloween night in Maple
Hollow, and the forest was glowing with lanterns, pumpkins, and tiny lights
strung between the trees. Three best friends, Wally the Wolf Pup, Penny
the Porcupine, and Hazel the Hedgehog, had just finished putting on
their costumes.
Wally wore a cape and called himself
Captain Moonbeam.
Penny had glittery wings and called herself the Sugar Fairy.
And Hazel had a big floppy hat and said she was a Marshmallow Witch, because she
was way too sweet to be scary.
As the full moon peeked above the
treetops, the trio grabbed their candy buckets and set out for
trick-or-treating.
“Let’s go to the pumpkin patch
path!” Wally said.
“Nooo, that’s the spooky way!” Hazel
whispered.
“That’s why we should go,”
said Penny with a mischievous grin. “It’s Halloween! It’ll be fun!”
So off they went, down the
leaf-covered trail that twisted past the cornfield and behind Farmer Bear’s old
barn.
As they walked, the wind began to
rustle through the trees. The leaves skittered across the path like tiny
dancers. Suddenly… “Whoooooooosh!”
The wind howled, and something in
the trees above them whispered, “Boooooo…”
“Did you hear that?” Hazel squeaked,
holding her candy bucket tight.
“It’s just the wind,” Wally said
bravely. “Or maybe… a talking tree.”
Penny giggled. “Trees don’t talk,
Wally!”
“Maybe on Halloween they do,” Wally
grinned.
The friends kept walking, just a
little closer together than before.
Up ahead, they saw a tiny, crooked
house made of twigs and moss. A crooked sign out front read, “Knock for a
Trick or a Treat.”
“Let’s try it!” said Penny.
Hazel hesitated. “What if it’s… what
if it’s a trick?”
“Then we’ll laugh,” said Wally. “And
if it’s a treat, even better!”
They tiptoed up to the little door. Hazel
gave three soft knocks: tap, tap, tap.
CREAK!
The door opened slowly… but no one was there.
Then, a puff of flour exploded into
the air, POOF!, and three tiny cupcakes floated down on little paper bats,
landing perfectly in each of their candy buckets.
“WHOOOOA!” they all gasped at the
same time.
“A treat!” Penny giggled.
“With extra magic!” added Wally.
Hazel took a tiny bite. “It tastes
like cinnamon and clouds!”
They skipped down the path, braver
now, their giggles echoing in the night.
But then… “SCREEECH!”
They stopped.
Ahead, a spooky scarecrow stood in
the middle of the path. It was wearing a crooked hat, its arms stretched out as if it wanted a hug, but its face was stitched in a frown.
“I… I don’t want to go past it,”
Hazel whispered.
“I’ll go first,” said Wally,
stepping ahead.
As he walked past, the scarecrow’s
arm twitched, and a crow flew out from behind it!
“CAWWWWW!” the crow cawed, flapping its wings.
Hazel jumped behind Penny. “A
haunted scarecrow!”
But Wally laughed. “It’s just a bird
hiding! Not haunted, just startled like us.”
Hazel peeked out and laughed, too.
“That was a silly scarecrow.”
Onward they went, their costumes
glowing under the moonlight.
They came to a clearing where a
single pumpkin glowed at the center. It was HUGE, bigger than a wagon! A sign
beside it read, “If you dare, give it a scare!”
“What does that mean?” Penny asked.
“I think we’re supposed to… scare
the pumpkin?” Wally guessed.
Hazel looked nervous, but Wally held
out his paw. “Let’s do it together.”
The three of them took a deep breath
and shouted,
“BOOOOOO!”
Suddenly, the giant pumpkin popped
open like a treasure chest!
Inside were piles of candy, glittery
leaves, and a little note that said:
“You were brave! Enjoy your reward!”
The friends laughed, clapped, and
each grabbed a few goodies for their buckets.
“That was the best trick AND treat
ever!” Hazel said, now bouncing with excitement.
The wind began to whisper again,
this time softer, as if it were smiling.
They made their way home, the moon
above them and stars twinkling like sugar on a cookie.
As they reached the edge of the
woods, Hazel looked up at the sky.
“You know,” she said, “this
Halloween started a little spooky…”
“But it turned into the best
adventure ever,” Wally said.
“Because we did it together,” Penny
added.
Grandma Hedgehog met them at the
door with warm cocoa and pumpkin muffins. “Did you have fun, my brave little
explorers?”
“We sure did!” said Hazel. “The wind
whispered ‘boo,’ the scarecrow flinched, and a pumpkin popped open with candy!”
“Well then,” Grandma chuckled,
“sounds like Halloween magic to me.”
And as the three friends curled up
on the couch with their treats, they knew this was a night they’d remember
forever, not for being scary, but for being spooky, silly, sweet, and just a
little bit magical.
Moral
to the Story Poem:
A spooky wind may shout out “boo,”
But that’s just Halloween saying “hi” to you.
With costumes, friends, and brave delight,
You’ll find the fun in every fright.
A creaky sound, a flying crow,
A giggle comes with every “whoa!”
So hold your friends and take a peek.
Halloween’s the magic we all seek!
Questions
for Thought and Discussion:
1.
What part of the Halloween adventure
made Hazel feel nervous?
2.
How did Wally, Penny, and Hazel help
each other be brave?
3.
Can you think of a time when
something seemed spooky at first but turned out to be fun?
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