Trick or Treat

The kids came tearing in last Friday evening high on sugar. “Hi Mum, can we go trick or treating?”

The answer was no, but I suggested they get dressed up to answer the door for the trick or treaters who would inevitably call.

They shot off downstairs, the dinner I’d just prepared abandoned. I caught a glimpse as they raced back past me and up the drive to see if anyone was coming: Master Eight had donned his Spider man costume from when he was two – the pants now came up to his knees and the top was rendered a boob tube; Master Six was wearing a mask and the extent of Miss Six’s costume was some fairy wings.

“They’re coming, they’re coming!” she shrieked from up the drive, before they all skittled excitedly back into the house.

”Where are you going?” I asked, following them around the corner into the lounge where they were all huddling on the furniture.

I was answered with giggling.

Next minute, ‘knock, knock, knock,’ a skeleton and miniature female Spiderman appeared at the door eyeing up the bowl of lollies waiting nearby on the benchtop.

“Come on guys, this isn’t my job. You wanted to do it,” I cajoled. But, suddenly shy, they wouldn’t budge.

Meanwhile, the miniature Spiderman wandered into the house and peered around the corner at my cowering children. She was followed by her big sister who apparently goes to the same school. Master Eight went pink in the cheeks.

“Do you guys know each other?” I asked, as they eyed each other.

“Mum you’re so embarrassing!” emphasized Master Eight once they’d gone.

“Well, I’m not playing this trick or treating game. If you guys aren’t, then you can go to bed and I’ll pull the curtains.”

The next lot came down the drive and, once again, mine hid.

This time, Miss Six cautiously crept out from her spot and shyly offered the bowl to the six kids standing on the doorstep.

After I reminded them their manners they left and were followed by another two who said nothing but took the lollies and ran.

And that was it. Despite my lot waiting up at the top of the drive for about an hour, we had no more trick or treaters.

Not that I minded. By now, they’d calmed down so I bathed and tucked them in bed and pulled the curtains ready for their big day.

It began with the parade for Whangarei’s birthday, followed by the party at the Town Basin. This was fun. The music was good, the Mayor was dancing and we saw heaps of people we knew but we had to cut it short to head off to another party in Auckland – their cousin’s birthday.

There they had a visit from ‘Fairy Clare’, a well-known children’s party entertainer in Auckland. Despite having an audience which ranged between one and eight, she managed to hold everyone’s attention throughout. Apparently eight-year-old boys aren’t too cool for Fairy Clare when their friends aren’t watching. The party hosts concluded it was money well spent and Fairy Clare declared, before departing, that she was going to shrink herself back into a tiny fairy before disappearing into fairy dust. 

But several of the tiny tots were most disgruntled to spy her out the window getting into her car further down the road.

Not to worry, she’d left them each with a bag of fairy dust to put under their pillows for sweet dreams and while changing the kids’ sheets this week I came across those bags under three pillows.