It’s Halloween time!
Meh.
And that means it’s time for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie Contest!
WOO!
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 “trick,” “potion,” and “cobwebs.”
Here’s my submission! Enjoy!
Sprinkles’ Big Scare
Everyone laughed at chipmunk. “Scary? You?!” they scoffed. “Fat chance!”
But wee Sprinkles had a trick up his sleeve.
As the crisp Halloween day morphed into an eerie, moonless night, he toiled away, carefully following the handwritten recipe.
“It’s a potion,” the witch had assured him, “sure to strike fear into the stoutest of souls!”
…Newt eyes? Check…Cobweb ribbons? Check…
Once it was well-mixed into a slurry thick as tar, he gathered the naysayers and choked down his concoction. “Prepare to be fearful!” Sprinkles boomed.
And they were fearful—for their poor little friend had turned green with nausea.
Hey, Look! A Writer Fellow! 
Very cute! Good luck!
Thanks, Nancy!
We shall all turn green with envy from your clever conjuring. A sure win.
Are you entering, too, Pam? Cuz you should!
Yours is the winner! I nod to your culinary skills at whipping up a superb entry.
Eek!
I think you mean, “Ick!”
Oh dear! I’d run for my life! Cute story and good luck!
Thanks, Rachel!
Awww…poor Sprinkles!
Fortunately, Sprinkles has friends by his side to tend to his tummy.
Cute story. And the drawing is an added bonus! Good luck!
Thanks, Rose!
Nothing more entertaining to the kiddos than barf. Lol. Well done, Mike. 🙂 Happy Halloween.
I held back on the puke this time around, but vomit was in the first draft.
“What??? I’m here!! Sheesh!!! You woke me! Not a good thing…” she said as her eyes glowed a deep gold. As she stretched, yawned, and shook the cobwebs from her mind, they noticed…her nails were growing longer, her hair was getting thicker, and she was decidedly arching her back…menacingly. THE POTION HAD WORKED!!
“I’ve warned you before not to startle me out of sleep…..” She snarled, “What kind of trick will it take for you to LEARN!??” she screeched!
As they ran, screaming and terrified, they thought ‘We’ve learned!! We’ve learned!!’
Put this on your own blog and enter the contest!
That’s mighty nice of you to do a pingback for MY Halloweensie story, but I meant that you should post YOUR OWN story on your blog!
The surprise ending made me laugh out loud. What a fun story. Good luck in the contest.
Thanks so much, M.A.!
They were afraid for sure. Poor Sprinkles.
Fortunately, poor Sprinkles was surrounded by caring friends.
Poor Sprinkles! The moral: never trust a witch! Great job with your story and good luck with the contest!
A fine moral indeed!
Clever and fun! Good luck!
Thanks, Patricia!
Poor Sprinkles. Love this story. Good luck.
Thanks, Diane!
That is scary & will definitely make others flee. Poor chipmunk.
Fear not, Sprinkles is recovering nicely.
Cute story. And “fun size”–haha! Of course, no one believes fun size candy bars are remotely fun.
There is a special spot in The Bad Place for the coiner of the term “Fun Size.”
Truly. Are you watching the show, The Good Place?
I haven’t, but I really wanna!
Well, you’re not actually missing much.
Oh. Okay, then.
🙂
Poor nauseated Sprinkles! 🙂 This is how chipmunks end up in therapy. Thanks for your funny story!
Perhaps “Sprinkles in Therapy” could be the sequel.
Poor Sprinkles – food poisoning is horrifying! Sounds like he has some sweet and caring friends at least. Love that mischievous glint in his eye in the illustration too!
Thanks, Nicole!
I love Sprinkles. But I think he learned his lesson – only use the best organic ingredients and follow a trusted recipe book
To be fair, newt eyes and cobwebs ARE organic.
You get what you stir up. Such a fantastic theme and message for kids of all ages. I greatly enjoyed the canny use of vocabulary in words and phrases like “wee” and “stoutest of souls” to add voice, while the atmospheric and original descriptions set a fantastic Halloween mood. I especially liked “[a]s the crisp Halloween day morphed into an eerie, moonless night” and “cobweb ribbons.” @AnneLipton
Thanks, Anne. I had fun writing this one.
Cute story and illustration!
Thanks so much, Connie!
Nice story, Mike. Good luck.
Thanks!
Leave it to you to invent a bilious rodent. I did giggle, so you get my vote! Good luck!
Fortunately the poor fellow didn’t puke. Sprinkles’ pals anticipated the wee rodent’s shenanigans and brought along some flat 7-Up.
My mom used to do that. Smart pals!
Ha! Very fun! Plus a Doodle! How can you lose?
Oh, I lose Haloweensie all the tiiiiime!
Oh, Poor little sprinkles. Stick to the acorns dude. I would enjoy a draft with Sprinkles turning green, his cheeks filling up, and then him spewing everywhere. Too gross?
I had him puking in my first draft, but I thought better of it. I do want to win the competition someday, after all.
Oh no, Poor Sprinkles, sounds like one of my patients in the Recovery Room! Love your story!
You have chipmunks in your recovery room? Sounds like a fine place to work!
I like the “voice” and your ending made me laugh! Cute illustration too.
Thanks so much, Corine!
Okay, I’ve got mine ‘down’ to 224 words. Just need to winnow it down a bit. Wait. WHAT? It’s November 6?? I ‘just’ missed the deadline. Sigh. Well, I never had a chance with your cute little Sprinkles tale. Hmm, I wonder if Sprinkles tail turned green too?