By Rosemary
“We really got lucky this year. Halloween is on Saturday, which
means we will be able to stay outside all day, without being stuck
in school,” Rusty happily commented.
“Yeah, just think of all the good stuff we can collect if
we get an early start!” Janie pointed out.
“That’s a great idea, why don’t we go to bed earlier
tonight,” Rusty suggested.
“Well, we do not want to start ringing doorbells too early,
because people could get angry, and we would
get less candy,” Janie calculated.
The twins’ costumes had been freshly ironed by their mother,
as the garments remained untouched in their closets leading up
to the big event.
The next morning, the twins awoke with unusual punctuality,
and immediately started to get ready.
Rusty and Janie were especially enthusiastic about this day
because the meteorologists on television predicted that
the climate would be very mild, without any danger of rainfall.
This meant they would not need to be concerned with having to
wear heavy coats or lug around those annoying umbrellas.
However, their mom insisted that they each bring a sweater along
should a sudden temperature change in the air occur.
Rusty’s decided she wanted to be a princess that year and chose
to wear her floor length white cotton dress. It was trimmed with white
lace and pink ribbons around the neck area and sleeves. The fabric was
also embroidered with tiny pink rosebuds on the entire garment.
She had worn this party frock previously when she attended a wedding.
Her mother was able to find a beautiful inexpensive tiara made of sparkling
soft pink and white imitation stones, for her young daughter to wear
with the costume.
Rusty's carrot-colored ringlets, added to the cuteness of her overall
appearance.
Janie decided that she wanted to look more sophisticated that year and
felt the long soft-colored lavender gown she had previously worn to the
same family gathering would be ideal for the occasion.
Her mom styled her hair in a what was a popular hairstyle at the time,
with the ends of it curled upwards near her shoulders.
Their mother had given her some old inexpensive fun jewelry,
which added to the creation of the character.
Both girls decided to wear comfortable socks and sneakers which
would allow them to walk more easily throughout the day.
Suddenly they heard a knock at the door.
“Girls, are you both dressed yet? I have a surprise for each of
you,” their mom proudly announced.
“Sure, come in,” Rusty stated happily.
Their mother walked through the door carrying two larger orange decorative
bags made out of a soft fabric. They were each adorned with shiny gold and
silver trims. Both sacks had pictures of typical childlike Halloween characters.
The bags were constructed with large sturdy cloth handles.
“I made you both special bags which will be a lot sturdier than paper,
or plastic ones. I worked hard on these, so please try to keep them as clean
as possible,” she instructed in a friendly manner.
She then added,” by the way, I shortened both of your outfits so
you will be able to move better without worrying about
accidentally stepping on the hems, or worse, tripping on them,”
she pointed out.
“Thanks Mom, everything looks great. We promise we will
be careful,” Rusty assured.
“It is my pleasure! I am just glad that you both have found some
use for those dresses you previously wore to your cousin’s wedding.
Otherwise, they would have just remained in your closets unused
for years,” she commented.
Their mother also had another surprise for her two young daughters.
Although they were usually not allowed to wear makeup, she made an
exception just for that day, and decided to allow each girl to wear a little
pink rouge, with matching lipstick. She helped them with the
applications of the color to their faces.
“Girls, why don’t we wait until after breakfast before we put the
lipstick on,” she recommended.
Both twins agreed, as they quickly scampered downstairs towards the
kitchen for their morning meal.
Their father was already getting things ready when they all entered
the room.
“Wow, Margaret who are these two fancy creatures?,” he asked
rhetorically in jest.
“Dad, you know it’s us,” Janie joked.
“Well, why don’t you all sit down at the table. I made some
scrambled eggs,” he announced.
“We usually eat our eggs with sausages or bacon,” Rusty reminded.
“Not to worry, I have not forgotten, “your highness,” their father laughed,
as he was making a comical reference to his daughter’s costume.
As the twins were finishing their breakfast, their mother came back
to the table with the lip color, as promised.
The two little girls then went back upstairs briefly to gather
everything they were going to need for that day.
When Rusty and Janie came back downstairs, their dad wanted to
go over some more rules before they ventured outside.
“Now remember what we discussed. I only want the two of you to stay
around this area. There are plenty of blocks to travel. Do not cross any
big streets unless there is a crossing guard on duty. Since it is Saturday,
and you will be outside all day; you will not need to go out tonight.
As soon as it starts to get dark, I want you both to come home
immediately,” their father instructed.
“Sure, we understand,” Janie replied, as she and her sister grabbed their
belongings, and jolted out the front door, which had a cute decoration
of a friendly-looking pumpkin hanging on it.
Once outside, the twins conversed for a moment on the large turn-around
driveway, before they embarked on their quest for sweets.
As they began to stroll down the sidewalk, their parents were looking out
from the big bay window.
The weather was very pleasant, and the twins were both feeling confident,
and special, in their decorative apparel.
The neighborhood had many children trick-or-treating. They wore a variety
of costumes in different styles, colors, and themes. Some of their outfits appeared
to be homemade, while others seemed to be store bought ones.
The twins also noticed that some of the younger children, and toddlers,
were accompanied by adults.
“Aren’t you glad we don’t need to be taken by a grownup any more
like a little baby?” Rusty asked smugly.
“I sure am!” Janie boasted, as they both began to laugh.
The two sisters waved hello to some of the police officers
they recognized, who were walking around to make certain
everything was running smoothly and safely in their neighborhood.
As the hours passed, their bags were getting more filled-up
and heavier to carry.
“Hey Rusty, let’s go home for lunch. We can take a break and dump
our candy out. My bag is getting heavy,” Janie suggested.
“Mine is becoming hard to carry too. That’s a good idea,” Rusty
stated with approval, as they both strolled down the sidewalk back to
their suburban home.
Once inside, they quickly ran upstairs and poured everything onto their
beds.
“We can find boxes for all of this stuff later,” Rusty decided.
Janie agreed, as they ran down the stairs with their newly emptied sacks
towards the kitchen for their early afternoon meal.
“Hi girls, how’s business,” their dad quipped.
“Great, we got lots of candy. Would you, and Mom, like some?”
Rusty offered.
“Thanks, but I have already snacked enough on those candy bars we
bought to pass out to the children who have been coming here. Your mother
has forbidden me from eating anymore,” he stated in a self-deprecating
manner.
“Kids, I have made you both hot dogs for lunch. I decided not to give
you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because of the treats you will
be eating today,” their mother mentioned sensibly.
“Thanks,” Janie acknowledged, as she and Rusty began to enjoy their
food.
“Before the two of you go back outside, remember, we do not want either
of you to sample any of the goodies you have collected, until you both
have come back and allowed us to inspect everything,” their dad warned.
“We promise,” Rusty pledged, as both siblings finished their meals, and
were ready to go back outdoors again.
The afternoon hours seemed to disappear quickly, as the twins once
again, noticed the amount of candy they had received.
“Rusty, I am feeling tired! Let’s just go to a few more houses and then
call it a day,” Janie advised wearily.
"That fine with me, besides we do not want Mom and Dad to wonder
where we are", Rusty replied.
"Rusty, I have something to tell you, don't look back," Janie instructed
before she continued.
"Okay but why?," she questioned.
"Because Daddy has been following us in his car all day," Janie
answered.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Rusty asked angrily.
"Because we were having so much fun I did not want to spoil things,"
Janie explained.
"I guess there was nothing we could do about it anyway," Rusty reasoned,
before she decided to change the subject.
“Let’s go by that area down there where they have those big homes.
The fancier the houses, the more they will give,” she stated.
Janie reluctantly agreed, as they both veered towards the more
elaborate residential structures.
The construction of the residences were magnificent, but each one
was architecturally different and unique in its own prettiness.
Even the holiday door decorations in this area seemed to be more
deluxe-looking and elaborate.
As they neared the end of the more affluent locale. They noticed one
large white brick house which looked shabbier than the other homes
they had visited. It needed paint, and the greenery outside seemed to
have been a bit neglected.
“Should we ring that doorbell?” Rusty wondered aloud.
“Sure, as long as we are here,” Janie replied rationally.
The twins walked up to the worn-out stone entrance and rang the doorbell.
A pleasant-looking older woman answered.
“Hello children, I just ran out of candy. I am now giving everyone
a book to read,” the elderly adult explained, as she placed one worn out
book in each bag.
The twins were flabbergasted, but were still mindful of their upbringing,
regarding the usage of social etiquette.
“Thank you, I am sure I will enjoy this,” Rusty replied insincerely.
“Yeah, me too.” Janie added without much enthusiasm.
“I am glad you are both happy with what I have given to you. It will
give you something to do after you have eaten everything,” she replied
cordially, before she closed the large door.
After they departed the premises, they looked at each other unhappily,
as they headed towards their home.
“How lousy, I wanted more candy,” Rusty complained.
“Yeah, what are we going to do with two old books?” Janie replied.
“Well at least we were polite, and did not upset her,” Rusty mentioned.
“I agree. It’s not worth hurting someone’s feelings over,” Janie summarized
in agreement.
The two youngsters arrived home just as the afternoon sun began to fade.
Their mother opened the front door and led her two daughters inside.
The two little girls had decided not to mention that they knew their father
had followed them in his car while they were outside.
“How did everything go?” she asked.
“Great, except someone gave us each a book instead of candy,” Janie
reported.
“Let’s see,” their dad requested cheerfully.
Rusty, and Janie, each reached into their heavy sacks and pulled
out the older books. Each one was wrapped in see-through
plastic and had a small orange bow clumsily taped to it.
“What an inventive idea!” their mother praised.
“That’s certainly places a unique perspective on things,” their dad
commented.
“I hope you both thanked her, and did not indicate that you were
disappointed,” their mother inquired with concern.
“No, we pretended that we were happy with what she gave us,”
Rusty dutifully reported.
"Is she that older lady who lives in that big white house in the
fancier area?" their dad inquired.
The twins both replied "yes".
“Good, I am glad to hear that you both behaved graciously,
because I think she may be having some financial difficulties.
That kind lady refuses to accept help from anyone, not even her
adult children. That is what I have heard recently,” their mom
mentioned sadly.
“I do not understand?” Janie asked with a childlike curiosity.
“That means, she does not have enough money to pay for things,”
their father described.
“This is probably why she gave away books she already had from
around her house, instead of buying many bags of candy which could
become very costly,” their mother thoughtfully explained with compassion.
“Gee, I guess we did not know that. She said that she had "just run out of candy,"
so, she gave us each something to read,” Rusty clarified, as she and Janie
both began to feel deeply sorry for the nice woman.
“Well, why don’t you girls go upstairs and get back into your play clothes.
You both walked a lot today. Later this week, you should both write that woman
thank you notes. Those books were a thoughtful gesture, which is
different than just giving out candy bars, and gum,” their mother explained.
The twins climbed the stairs slowly, as they were clearly tired from the day’s
events. They threw all their treats into big boxes they found, and then decided
to take short naps before dinner. They would take their baths later when they felt
less worn-out.
Later, after they all enjoyed a nice supper, the twins decided to watch some of the
special shows on television which were only aired once a year. They especially liked
one cartoon, which featured childish characters and a dog. They always looked
forward to this every October.
This year their parents had one of those large color television sets that had
become very popular at that time, placed inside their family room. This
made it even more fun to watch their favorite shows.
Their father especially liked watching that detective program
which took place in Hawaii. The show was more enjoyable to
view in color.
After they finished viewing everything on television, the twins spent the rest
of the early evening sorting out their candy. Their parents inspected each
large pile very carefully.
“Now girls, I will be monitoring everything very closely. I only want
for you each to enjoy a few pieces a day. I also hope you will
both throw some of your treats into that big donation box at school,”
their dad emphasized.
Rusty and Janie both agreed to their father's terms.
As an afterthought, they each placed the books they had received
into their own individual dresser drawer.
As the weeks passed, the twins were getting tired of the sweets they
had accumulated on Halloween which were beginning to become old
and stale.
One day on a Saturday afternoon as the weather started to become colder,
the twins became bored without anything to do.
There was nothing good on TV, and it was too late in the afternoon
to start calling their friends to see if they wanted to play.
Rusty accidentally came across the old book of simplistic
children's stories that she had received on Halloween,
and had forgotten about. She reluctantly decided
to start reading it.
Her sibling had also begun to read what she had received
on the holiday.
As Rusty positioned herself comfortably on her bed, she began
to enjoy its content.
Several days later, both children were relishing the last chapter, wishing
there was more of it to enjoy.
After they had each finished reading their own book, the twins traded
them, so, they could have more stories to enjoy.
However, they were each surprised as to what was written in their
books on the very last page.
It seemed to be a handwritten message printed in old-fashioned lettering.
It stated, “Reading will get you further in life than eating a lot of candy!”
They were both stunned, but also appreciative, of this kindhearted
and thoughtful lesson.
The pity they had felt for this stranger turned into a profound respect
for the wisdom she had shared with them.
Although the twins were young, they were old enough to understand the
meaning of the special message.
Over time, they treasured the ‘unique gift,’ which they had each been graced
with, from that one special Halloween.
Author’s note:
This fictionalized story, which was inspired by some actual events, is
dedicated in loving memory of the author’s parents.
(*The author registered the original version of this story at the
U. S. Copyright Office in 2023, in "The Adventures of Rusty and Janie.",
Chapter 2.)
