Do I like Halloween? Well, let me put it this way: If I wanted to make a spectacle of myself panhandling in costume, I would be on Times Square shaking down tourists.
So, no. I do not like Halloween.
I do like Susanna Leonard Hill, however. (How can one not, really?) I also like Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog contests, and I enter as many as I can.
Yes, even the Halloweensie one.
Here are the rules: Entrants have to write a Halloween-themed story no longer than 100 words. (In Halloween parlance that means the story is “Fun Size.”) This story also must contain the words “costume,” “haunt,” and “dark.”
So, here’s my submission! Enjoy!
***
Night Ninja
“I’m the black ninja! Hiyah!”
“That costume is too black.”
“The better to haunt my victim’s dreams!”
“Well, you’re going to have to haunt their dreams with a little reflector tape. Stand still.”
“Mom! Ninjas can’t reflect! They gotta disappear!”
“I don’t want you to disappear into the fender of a car. Take this flashlight, too.”
“Flashlight?!”
“It’s cold out. Get your coat.”
“But my coat is green! Light green!”
“Then you’ll be an adorable light green ninja. Out you go.”
“Ninjas aren’t adorable!”
“Have a good time, sweetie! And don’t come back without dark chocolate!”
“I hate Halloween.”
Hey, Look! A Writer Fellow! 
Ha. If we use reflector tape to secure our ninja’s weapons … He will never notice. 🙂 Love your drawing.
Come to think of it, a flash of reflector tape on a ninja sword would look pretty good, wouldn’t it?
Lightsaber like!
Hahaha, fantastic story! ALMOST made me hate Halloween. But more than that, reminded me of the time my brother was 4 and dressed up as Superman. My mom, who evidently was not any kind of superhero expert, drew a mustache on him. Every time I see that picture I wax nostalgic and think, ah, mom, you have inspired me to be completely off the chart.
Maybe he was a 1970s Superman?
Snidely Whiplash, Superhero!!!!
I always liked Snidely Whiplash.
Love this! My (real-life) version – a princess with moon boots and a puffy winter jacket because it ALWAYS snowed on Halloween where I lived. I was willing to put up with pneumonia for one night of looking the part. Mom was not.
Hoping you’ll have at least a piece of candy this Halloween 🙂 Great story!
One year, to avoid the winter coat thing, I went as The Big Bad Wolf, covered in fur from head to toe.
Of course, that year turned out to be the warmest Halloween ever.
I did my hobo Halloween story. That’s my contribution. Boo n Halloween. We send our kids out in the dark, have them beg for candy from strangers, and have to drive by skeletons and witches weeks prior. What’s up with that?!?
I don’t get this holiday — and I never will.
I would go for a National Dress Up Day. Skip the witches. Stickers, no candy. I get the West Coast Petition going–you doing the East Coast?
How about National Don’t Bother To Dress Up, Just Have Some Candy That You Bought Yourself Day?
Pswsht–I do that everday.
See? It’s a holiday that requires no effort at all!
Great “little” story! 😉
Good luck!!
I don’t care for Halloween either….
Another Halloween hater! I knew you were good people, Courtney.
🙂
I’m lucky for two reasons – I have no children to take trick-or-treating and I live in he middle of nowhere so no children will ever show up at my door on that festive night! 🙂 Love the drawing and the story!
Despite living in a kid-rich part of town, I don’t get many beggars — ahem, I mean trick-or-treaters — either.
They must be on to you by now. 😉
But I’m a lovely person!
You most certainly are! 🙂
Oh funny. Sounds like Halloween bring back painful memories. 🙂
Nah, not painful. I’d just rather get to Thanksgiving.
Oh that’s hilarious. My favorite part is the dark chocolate bit. Good luck in the contest!
Dark chocolate is my wife’s favorite part, too.
Oh, the jacket! Fond memories of mom ruining the effect! And it’s supposed to freeze here on Hallow’s Eve too. Love the expression in his eyes, Mike!
Thanks, Julie!
Freezing on Halloween, eh? What part of the country are you from?
Colorado – and not even in the mountains!
Yep. That would do it. Stay warm, my friend.
Will do – thanks!
Ha ha ha. Loved the story. Reminds me of Halloween in Vermont when we had to wear snowpants and parkas over our costumes. What was the point in dressing up as Bo Peep if no one knew?
Sounds like you would’ve been better equipped if you went as one of her sheep.
A sheep! My younger brothers were the sheep, Mike. 😀 😀
Bet they were toasty.
That sounds like what Halloween used to be in my house. Except I dressed my kids in paper bags with holes. (Worst mom award…? but I hate Halloween like you.) The doodle is perfect- love the expressions. Hope you win the contest!
I had a feeling you were not a fan of the holiday. Good for you!
But tell me: what costume was made up of paper bags?
Umm, the paper bag went over the head with a hole for the nose and two holes for the eyes. Bingo. A Halloween costume. (Turning red, soooo bad, but the kids thought it was cool, when they were 3 and 4 years old.) :-0
Ah, that’s the beauty of four-year-olds; they’re not savvy enough to recognize the signs of lazy-ish parenting.
Sigh. I wish Alex was four again. I can’t get away with anything anymore…
There’s nothing like the mom of a ninja! Great story, Mike! Good luck in the contest.
Thanks, Robin!
I’ve seen that Ninja look before…great story!
Yep. That look is not exclusive to ninjas.
Love your format! Great story!
T’anks, Littlebirdie!
That’s akin to having to wear a parka over your costume (like I had to growing up in North Dakota; it’s a little crisp there on October 31st…).
Fun story and great drawing!
North Dakota! Dang!
Every kid there should trick or treat as a wooly mammoth.
Hmm, not a bad idea…
Clearly, you write kidlit as therapy to process all the damage done during your childhood. 😀 Love it, Mike! Not sure if I can get it together to write one this year. I started packing bookshelves over the weekend and now have tape gun wrist, a blister on my right thumb from vacuuming, and bookseller grip ache (pain in the hands from pinching several books at a time between your thumb and fingers).
Normally I would criticize you for not participating, but your vacuum injury gives me pause.
I wish you a speedy recovery, my friend.
You know, you inspired me. I wrote one after reading yours this morning and posted it. Thanks for the kick in the tookus!
What a trooper! Well done!
I don’t know if I’m a trooper, or looking for things to keep me from vacuuming and packing. Gotta avoid further cleaning injuries. Cheers!
Those cleaning injuries are brutal, that’s for sure.
What a dilemma. Hard to be stealthy and safe isn’t it?
Indeed it is.
Your entry made me chuckle! Such a fun story and drawing!
Thanks, Patricia!
Oh, this is good. I may need to rethink entering. I love the green coat. And the illustration, or doodle as you call them, is terrific. Makes me want to be a ninja. A writing ninja, but still a ninja.
Oh, do enter, Sue! There’s still time.
Maybe it’s because I’m from Southern California and didn’t have to dress down my costume with a parka, but I love Halloween. It’s a night of silliness, adventure, and the general permission to let yourself be a kid. My parents go full-on for decorations – they have a giant spiderweb covered in lights, and other fun things.
Maybe the kid could be a Tron or Robot Ninja, and therefore incorporate reflective tape as part of the costume?
Hm. Robot Ninja. Is that a thing? ‘Cause if it isn’t, it should be.
There’s plenty in Anime – though, they might be a bit violent. Here’s an example (not a violent one): http://img.amiami.jp/images/product/review/143/FIGURE-007048_03.jpg
I shall never be an anime fan, I’m afraid.
I think that’s ok. I only am familiar with Anime through friends and family.
You may hate Halloween, but you sure can write a great Halloweensie story. I think my entry’s in trouble… no match for your laugh-out-loud gem. (I entered anyway.)
Thanks, Jen! Personally, I find Halloweensie to be the toughest of Susanna’s contests. How can you tell a story in 100 words?
Ha! I love the line, “Ninjas can’t reflect!” Great entry.
Ninjas may only reflect inwardly.
I’m not sure which I like better, the story or the doodle. You are sure to win, especially since Mom has really cool glasses!
Glasses? Huh. I didn’t notice.
Hey Mike – you must have been listening in when my kids were getting ready to go Trick or Treating over thirty years ago…that EXACTLY what I told them…right down to the dark chocolate! AWESOME hilarious perfectly Mike Allegra story…indeed! Love it, Mike. 🙂
Thanks, Vivian! Apparently more than a few kids had the Coat and Flashlight Argument.
Love the story-I can relate. My Mom never let me go trick or treating because she said that it was panhandling-LOL Everything comes full circle and you just completed mine. Happy Halloween, Vivian 🙂
Oh my. Even for a Halloween Hater like myself, your mom’s response was a wee bit extreme.
Nothing quite like having one’s mom cover up a contest for safety reasons. I grew up in Illinois where it often snows on Halloween. I had to wear a coat over my costume.
In Illinois the kids should trick or treat via text. Too cold to do otherwise.
Love the drawing. I agree with the kid. 😀 😀 😀
Thanks, Tess. I agree with the kid, too.
❤ ❤ 😀
Clever. A good laugh for parents. I like your voice!
Thanks, Hethfeth (if that is your real name)!
HaHa. Mom rules, ninjas can too be adorable, and who doesn’t like free, er, panhandling candy? Funny story!
Candy is sweeter if you pay for it with your own hard-earned money!
Now get offa my lawn!
Great story! I really don’t care about the candy, but just like to dress up. 🙂
This I know, Erik.
Are you ever not in costume, sir?
Too funny! And I’d request dark chocolate too.
Request duly noted.
Ha ha! Good entry.
Mom’s have a way don’t they? Good kidlit story with lots of humor. Made me lol. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Moms do have a way, that’s for sure!
Ha! I was that mom–guilty as charged. Poor ninja!
I think every mom in the Northern Hemisphere is guilty of this.
You totally captured the over protective mom. After seventeen years of teaching elementary age students…I’m not much of a fan of Halloween…or any other holiday for that matter. But, if my grandson where around I’d gush and fuss all over again. He can keep the dark chocolate…I want the milk chocolate.!
I’m a white chocolate person myself — but good luck finding any of that in a typical Halloween basket
Harumph!
Chocolate ghost should do it! 😀
Ghosts are always marshmallow.
Harumph!
Drat!
My son is going as a ninja this year, so your entry hit home for me. I like how you began your post talking about how much you love (okay, don’t love) Halloween. Then in the end your character has a similar disdain for the holiday. Great job on the writing. I’ll remember my reflector tape here in a few days too.
If ninjas were more cheerfully colored they wouldn’t have this problem.
Personally, I would pay good money to see a plaid or an argyle ninja.
Fabulous, MIke! As a person who has both been forced to ruin my costume with a coat and flashlight and forced my children to do likewise, all I can say is “perfect!” The only thing that could have made it better is a guinea pig 🙂 Thanks so much for joining in the Halloweensie fun, and always being such a devoted supporter of me and my hare-brained schemes! 🙂
Well, those guinea pig stories have gotten me nowhere so I thought it was time to change it up.
And thank YOU, Susanna, for devoting so much of your time and talent to bringing out the best in other writers. My Highlights win would never have happened without your contests.
Long story short, I’m taking you out for dessert. Something chocolate, perhaps?
Ooh – a guinea pig WOULD make it better 😉 But I love it Mike!
HA! Very cute. And I like the dark chocolate part. I’m a mom now so I can relate. Thankfully I don’t have any memories of having to mess up my costume with a coat, though I’m sure it happened.
You must have trick or treated in a warmer climate. Where did you grow up, Mishka?
I LOVE this story! I could so see myself telling my kids to come home with dark chocolate too…haha! Please submit this to publishers…so cute!
I have submitted (revised) Susanna contest entries to publishers in the past.
I may give this one a go…
Trick or Treating in Rochester, NY as a kid, you never saw my costume under my HUGE WINTER COAT! lol. Perfect reminder of the parental buzz kill, which kept me alive!
Rochester? You shoulda dressed up as a mastodon.
I don’t want you to disappear into the fender of a car! Haha, that’s a good one. Great humor here. Good luck 🙂
My mom never said that line, but it was something she *would have* said.
Moms rule!
Yes. Yes, they do.
Adorable, Mike! You got my vote! (Happy Halloween. . . .)
You are a kind and wonderful fellow, David.
BTW: Are you ever going to find yourself on the East Coast? For I’ll drive quite a ways to buy you a nice meal.
Great story! I think someone who hates Halloween might start liking it after reading your story!
Drat! I do not want to make people like Halloween!
Haha, awesome! Just read Jilanne’s Halloween story a second ago.
As a pup, my dad gave up on trying to make me wear a layer while trick-or-treating and let me freeze my butt off instead. Had way too much costume pride back then and I didn’t want my outfit ruined by a hoodie.
I adore the term “costume pride.”
You heard it here first!
Great story and pic as always from you! This is a constant battle with my kids, warmth over style, and not just at Halloween! This was the first halloween where we didn’t do anything, and I felt a bit sad about that later in the evening. Well my daughter went to a costume party the night before, but nothing on actual halloween. We didn’t even do any decorations or halloween-themed food this year! My two are too old to go trick or treating now, but I could have at least made a spooky supper for us couldn’t I! Some halloween cocktails or SOMETHING! Anyway it’s 1 November now, I’m off to start my NaNo.
A Halloween where we do nothing would be a Halloween I would enjoy! (Though, in the interest of full disclosure, I do like to mooch my boy’s candy.)
Good luck with NaNo, my friend!
Ugh, Mom’s are totally the worst!!!