All Hallows Eve and the OCTC Inc.

"Nothing beats a haunted moonlit night on All hallows Eve... And on this fatal night, at this witching time, the starless sky laments black and unmoving. The somber hues of an ominous, dark forest are suddenly illuminated under the emerging face of the full moon." Kim Elizabeth

Chers Amis,

Oh, to have the honey light of a full harvest moon on All Hallows Eve, alas, it was but a third glowing through the scattered clouds. But it was spooky enough as we clamoured through our back woods and scrambled over a rusted and flattened barb wire fence to emerge like dark phantoms into the street light of the adjacent subdivision. What? Let me explain. The houses on our street are widely spaced and sparsely populated by trick or treaters and there are no sidewalks for goblins. In 10 years chez nous we have had but 2 or 3 knocks at our door. So every Halloween we make the candy corn pilgrimage down our mossy lawn, along a back path, across our little footbridge, up the leafy embankment, over the barbed wire fence of farms long past and into the shiny, fancy, elegant subdivision behind our property. I often wonder what people think when they see us approaching, flashlights cutting the inky black. It makes for a slightly eerie hunt for goodies.

Here are my goblins - Caddie the gypsy/pirate, Scarlett a Southern belle/ American girl and Pippin the ghoul. I did not approve of the ghoul mask. His father did. I shall remain silent.

Thus began a joyous, high sucrose loop through the subdivision during which I admired the beautifully lighted and decorated homes. I marvel at the gardens and decorations and lights. Our own mill is very simple and humble. We chose wooded acreage, a HUGE deck and a hot tub over post 1979 kitchens and neighborhood life. I still like to take a peek during our yearly jaunt :-) When we returned the OCTC Inc. activity began. Caddie took charge as the contents of each bag were examined and valued. "Mom, this is the OCTC - the Official Candy Trading Company!" No trader on Wall Street or Appraiser on the Antique Road Show could out do her. She proceeded to make multiple trades with her siblings while doing a running play by play inventory and worth. "Grunts are very valuable, they are worth two Crunches and a Jolly Rancher. Scarlett, you see, has a fine collection of lollipops. I will trade her this orange pop for her Reese's pumpkin cup. This was an excellent deal, I got a chocolate covered carmel eyeball for only one Tootsie roll!" So it continued until the closing bell rang. After hours trading continued as they discussed their candy assets en route to tooth brushing. It makes me wonder if Caddie will become a biologist or an MBA. All in all it was a warm and dry evening and best of all, Mom has dibs on all dark chocolate!

-- Marjorie