海角大神

OK, all systems go. Candles in the pumpkins are lit, porch lights are on, got the candy in the bowl 鈥� and someone鈥檚 already at the door!聽

Wow, great costumes this year, so fun.聽 Except I鈥檓 not sure who these characters are. Star Wars aliens? Angry Birds?聽Nothing like Halloween to test your knowledge of pop culture.

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Let鈥檚 see, handing out one piece to each kid seems kind of stingy, but it looks busy out on the sidewalk. I hope I have enough. Somebody like the Gallup organization should do pre-Halloween polling so we get a better idea of what the turnout鈥檚 going to be.

Ah, here come some familiar figures 鈥� Superman and Green Lantern. I鈥檒l let each of them choose what they want. Oh, great, they鈥檙e picking through the whole bowl now. C鈥檓on guys, you鈥檒l never make it to the end of the block at this pace.聽

Yikes, suddenly it鈥檚 like a flash mob. Hard to see who鈥檚 getting what with so many hands reaching in. I think that little Pooh Bear kid might have grabbed three pieces, but he鈥檚 so incredibly cute, and only a real monster would scold Winnie the Pooh for taking too many treats.聽

Whew! Time to fill the bowl back up. Wait, what鈥檚 this? Some kind of strange jelly worm thing 鈥� hey, this is a treat from another house somebody didn鈥檛 want!聽 Hmm, do I toss it out or put it back into circulation?聽 I better toss it. I don鈥檛 want to get a reputation for giving out loser candy.

Oh my gosh! The biggest group yet! Pirates and ballet dancers and ninja assassins and, what鈥檚 that you say? A tiny policeman needs to use my bathroom. Well, I know that feeling. Down the hall and to the left, officer. Is everybody else getting what they wanted? That kid in the toga 鈥� I feel like he's been here once already. It's hard to聽tell where one group leaves off and the next one begins anymore.聽 And there was somebody covered by a sheet who was skittering around and panting. Was that a person, or did I just give candy to a dog? Oh, goodbye Mr. Patrolman, almost forgot about you. That would have been awkward.

Here comes a nice pair 鈥� a man and his daughter together, playing Beauty and the Beast. I think the Beast should get an extra piece of candy, my gift, one dad to another. The girl instantly snatches it out of his hand and they both laugh. 鈥淚 believe some day this will happen with car keys,鈥� he says.

In what seems like a short time, the groups begin to thin out. The street quiets down. Now who鈥檚 coming? A trio of ghoulish visitors, boys with white face paint dressed in ragged shabby clothes. They step onto the porch and one of them puts a cell phone to his ear. 鈥淵eah, we鈥檙e almost done,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ee you soon.鈥澛� Zombies on the wireless network 鈥� what would Bram Stoker think?

Finally done. Several of the jack-o鈥�-lanterns have already gone out. There鈥檚 a candy wrapper lying in the driveway. Somebody liked my treats so much they ate one before leaving the yard. I can鈥檛 think of a better Halloween compliment.

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