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Learning the Ropes

by

Ofavon

Here's a comic piece for Halloween, the prompt was a jack-O-Lantern.

In the old days, on Halloween after school was out, Mommy and I would dress up real sharp like we were going to the Oscar Awards dinner and we would go trick or treating in our neighborhood. The houses were very far apart in those days and it took hours to fill my bag with treats.

Mommy was no help, she always had to stop and talk. Sometimes she would go inside and leave me standing outside in the dark. Then, when she came back out again, she would say, "Oh look at the pretty necklace the man gave me!" Mommy was always getting treats from men -- even when it wasn’t Halloween.

I use to complain and show her that my treat bag was still empty, but she promised me that when I grew up to be a big girl like her, she would teach me to do tricks and treats too -- and my bag would always be full.

Mommy had a list of the best houses for tricks and treats and she would tell me to -- "Skip that one, the man of the house is away on business," or "Here’s a good one, the lady of the house works on the Late, Late Show." It always seemed that it worked out better for her than it did for me. She would explain it away by saying candy would make me fat and it was bad for my teeth.

When I look back on those early days I have to admit I was lucky to have a Mommy as smart as mine. I don’t have to wait for Halloween any more, in fact I don’t have to walk the streets either. All the men know where they can find me. They come bringing all kinds of treats with them -- the kind of treats you can stash away in a bank security vault for a rainy day.

The End

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