An All Hallows Tale

In a small village on the edge of a deep dark forest there lived a little girl.

Her favourite pass time in all the world was to scare:

To scare the butcher, baker and candlestick maker, her Teacher Mrs Pearl,

Her brothers, cousins, friends and neighbours. All without a care.

From the first bright light of dawn till finally closing of her eyes at night,

She would jump put from a dark place, put frogs in people’s shoes,

Hide pinecones in beds, let loose mice in class. All in the name of a fright!

Her mother threw her hands in the air, driven to a short fuse.

‘Good God, what are we to do with our girl, that little Holy Terror?

The neighbours complain, the mail man won't deliver,

The cow has never been the same. Did we go wrong, was it our error?’

Her father, shook his head and suppressed a sudden shiver.

‘I still have to check the sugar jar for spiders before my morning coffee!’

From the corner, girl’s wizened old Gran gave a snigger.

‘Perhaps this year for Halloween, she will receive more than toffee.

It happened to my brother, an about face did it trigger.

What happened there scared him out of his mind.

Same as Anna, he liked to fright. Until Pa sent him to the woods.

Logs for the All Hallows fire was what he had to find.

Maybe it was ghosts, or goblins or frightening figures in hoods,

Whatever it was, he ran from the trees white as a sheet.

He locked himself in his room and refused to come out.

When finally he did, he was a changed boy, a delight to meet.’

The parents considered the story with some doubt.

‘I guess it is worth a try, if I get to enjoy my coffee without fear...’

‘And maybe the neighbours won’t be so upset with us.’

Gran beckoned them, ‘All Hallows is tonight, come close so she won’t hear,

let's hatch a plan to turn her round! There is much to discuss.’

When Anna returned home, her mother gave her a chore:

‘Your brother is working, we need lots of firewood for tonight.

Take the wheelbarrow, go to the forest and gather some more.’

So off went Anna, wheelbarrow in tow in the dying light.

Her family waited nervously for her return, listening for a squeal,

A blood chilling scream, a yell or pleas for help.

When finally she came into sight, the only squeal was from the barrow wheel.

Anna skipped from the treeline without so much as a yelp.

And there, balanced atop her load of firewood, sat a Jack-O-Lantern,

The scariest one they had ever seen, with a spooky green glow.

Mother, Father, Gran and brothers watched in trepidation at the last turn,

Into the garden and up the path, coming to a stop at the last vegie row.

‘Goodness me! What on earth is that?’ Pa cried in surprise.

‘Oh Pa! Ive had a wonderful evening with new friends!

I played Hide-and-Seek with a funny clown who has white eyes,

Maro Polo with a mummy who kept tripping on his bandage ends,

Catch Me If You Can with a tall vampire in a a dark cloak,

And a game of Dodge Ball with the Headless Horseman!

I had so much fun, I think I will go play again with those fun folk!’

And with that, Anna ate her dinner and happily off to bed she ran.

After that Halloween night, the villagers and her family got rest,

Because, as Anna would tell her family, it was far more fun

Playing with friends who did not scare so easily was absolutely the best.

I have been wanting to attempt a long form rhyming story in the same vein as The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom for awhile and S. A. Crawford's Spooky Challenge gave me the perfect idea. I cannot even begin to come close to the talents of Julia Donaldson, but I am very proud of my effort.

If you would like to participate in Crawford's unofficial challenge, follow the link below for details!

P.S. Creator S. A. Crawford, this is my favourite part of Halloween, stories and tales!