Halloween Parade

by Ann M. Martin

  “Yes?”

  “I have an idea. It is too late for the parade. But my friends and I could use these things to make costumes for trick-or-treating. Could I invite my classmates to come over on Saturday? We could have a costume-making party.”

  “Well … sure,” said Mr. Papadakis. “If your mother says yes.”

  Mrs. Papadakis said yes too.

  Hannie could not wait to tell her friends the good news.

  THE PARADE

  The next morning, Hannie bounced into her classroom. Lots of other kids had already arrived, and Hannie was glad.

  “Attention, please! Attention! I have an announcement to make,” said Hannie. Hannie stood on her chair to make herself tall. Standing on chairs was not really allowed. But Hannie felt that this was an important occasion. Plus, Ms. Colman had not arrived yet.

  The kids gathered around Hannie.

  “You are all invited to a costume party at my house tomorrow,” said Hannie. “I hope you can come.”

  “A costume party? But we do not have costumes,” said Terri.

  “Thanks to Hannie,” Bobby muttered.

  “This is a costume-making party,” said Hannie. She told her friends about the boxes in the garage.

  “I can come!” cried Karen.

  “Me too!” said Natalie.

  A few kids said they needed to ask their parents about the party. But in the end, every one of them seemed excited.

  “We will have Halloween costumes after all!” exclaimed Audrey.

  “Real ones,” Sara added.

  Hannie felt quite a bit better.

  After recess that day Ms. Colman said, “It is almost time for the Halloween parade. I am sorry about your costumes. But at least we have our seventeen pairs of funny glasses.” Ms. Colman reached under her desk and pulled out a carton. She opened it. Then she held up a pair of thick black glasses. Over the glasses were fuzzy black eyebrows. Under the glasses was a large nose, and under the nose was a fuzzy black mustache.

  “Cool!” said Ricky. He began to laugh.

  “Yeah, those are funny!” exclaimed Bobby.

  “Yeah, those are funny,” said Karen sternly. “But Ricky’s glasses and Natalie’s glasses and my glasses are just regular. Not funny. Right, Bobby?”

  “Um, right,” agreed Bobby.

  “Well, let’s put our glasses on and go to the gym,” said Ms. Colman.

  When Hannie and her classmates reached the gym, Hannie looked around at the other kids. She saw monsters and princesses and ghosts. She saw the Cat in the Hat and Snow White and a car. She even saw a bunch of grapes.

  “Everyone has really good costumes,” Hannie whispered to Nancy.

  “So will we, after tomorrow,” Nancy replied. “Besides, I like our glasses. They are pretty funny. Look at Ms. Colman.”

  Hannie looked at her teacher and started to giggle.

  The parade began. Class by class, the kids showed off their costumes to the rest of the students and the teachers.

  “And now for Ms. Colman’s class,” Mrs. Titus, the principal, said finally.

  Hannie’s stomach began to jump and flutter. But she stood up with her classmates, and they walked around the gym. Sixteen kids and their teacher with the same goofy face. The other students began to laugh. Some of the teachers clapped.

  “They like us!” Hannie whispered to Karen and Nancy.

  And they did. Later, when Mrs. Titus announced the winners of the prizes, she called out, “And for silliest costume — the kids in Ms. Colman’s class.” She handed Hannie and each of her classmates (and even Ms. Colman) a Halloween pencil.

  Hannie grinned. She had not ruined Halloween after all.

  GOBLINS AND PIRATES AND CLOWNS

  On Saturday morning Mr. Papadakis said, “Are you ready to be a pastry chef, Hannie?” He handed her an apron.

  “I am all ready,” replied Hannie.

  Hannie and her father were going to make cupcakes for the costume party. Hannie knew her friends would not have time to do much at the party except make their costumes. But she at least wanted to serve them a special treat. She and her parents had decided on cider and cupcakes. Hannie and her dad were going to frost the cupcakes with orange icing and make faces on them with black jellybeans.

  “Just like jack-o’-lanterns,” said Hannie.

  By two o’clock that afternoon, Hannie was ready for her party.

  At 2:01 the doorbell rang. Karen and Nancy were the first to arrive.

  “Nancy, you already have a costume!” said Hannie.

  “I know. But I did not want to miss the party. I will just help everyone else make their costumes.”

  “So will I,” said the next guest.

  “Ms. Colman! You came too!” cried Hannie. “Goody!”

  “Where is all the costume stuff?” asked Karen.

  “In the garage,” replied Hannie. “And that is where we are going to have our party, since it is not too cold today. But let’s wait until everyone else gets here.”

  Hannie and her friends did not have to wait long. The kids in their class arrived in groups. Before they knew it, every single guest had shown up.

  “Okay, it is time to go to the garage,” said Hannie.

  That morning Hannie’s parents had parked their cars in the street. They had set up two long tables in the garage. On one table they had piled the wigs and other costume parts. On the other table they had set out the fabric and feathers and sequins, along with glue and scissors.

  “Okay, kids, go to work,” said Mr. Papadakis. “And have fun.”

  “Don’t worry about making a mess,” added Mrs. Papadakis. “The garage is already a mess.”

  The kids set to work.

  “What are you going to be, Hannie?” asked Nancy.

  Hannie looked thoughtful. “I was going to be a magic genie. But now I want to be something different.”

  “How about a mouse?” suggested Nancy.

  “A mouse?” said Hannie. “A mouse. Hmmm. Well …”

  “We could use gray and pink felt to make mouse ears for you. Maybe we could make you little paws or something too.”

  “Okay. Cool!” said Hannie.

  Hannie and Nancy set to work. Around them their classmates were laughing and talking. And cutting and gluing and folding and measuring and thinking. Sara was gluing feathers onto cardboard to make flapping bird’s wings. Bobby had collected a mask and an eye patch for a pirate’s costume. Chris was saying, “What could I use to make a cat’s tail?” Ms. Colman bustled around and helped anyone who needed help.

  “Karen, what kind of costume are you making?” asked Hannie.

  “It is a secret,” Karen replied. “But you will find out soon.”

  Hannie looked at the things Karen had collected. “Are you an old lady? A witch again?” she guessed.

  Karen zipped her lip.

  “This is fun, isn’t it?” said Audrey.

  “Yes,” agreed Hannie. “Much more fun than getting ready-made costumes.”

  MOTHER GOOSE

  Two hours later the parents started to arrive. It was time for the costume party to end.

  “Look at me! I am a parrot!” exclaimed Sara.

  “I am a bee,” said Terri.

  “I am a goblin,” said Ricky.

  “With glasses?” asked Bobby. He snorted.

  “Bobby, have you ever seen a goblin?” said Ricky.

  “Of course not,” replied Bobby.

  “Then how do you know they do not wear glasses?”

  “Ha!” cried Karen. “Good one, Ricky!”

  The kids laughed. (Bobby scowled.)

  “Bobby,” said Ms. Colman gently, “perhaps you do not need to mention glasses anymore.”

  “They really are not all that interesting,” added Chris. “They are just glasses. Ms. Colman wears them. My mother wears them.”

  “My father wears them,” said Omar.

  “My grandma and grandpa wear them,” said Hank. “And my cousin. Well, three of
my cousins. And my —”

  “Okay, okay!” cried Bobby.

  Hannie looked at Karen and Nancy. The girls smiled at each other. Hannie knew the teasing was over.

  “Good-bye, Hannie!” called the kids as they left the garage. “Thanks! Thanks for the cupcakes too!”

  “Good-bye! Happy Halloween!” Hannie called back.

  At last only Karen and Nancy were left.

  “I am staying at my dad’s this weekend,” said Karen. “So I can go home whenever I want.”

  “My dad is not going to pick me up until later,” said Nancy. “He said I could play at Karen’s after the party.”

  “Play here instead,” said Hannie. “At least for a little while.”

  The girls helped Hannie’s parents clean up the garage. Then Hannie said, “Karen, will you show us your costume now?”

  Karen grinned. “Okay. Let me go put it on.” Karen ran into the garage. “You guys stay outside,” she called. “I will be there in a minute.”

  When Karen stepped outside, she was wearing a hood covered with white feathers. She was wearing white-feathered wings too, and pants covered in white feathers. A pink shawl was wrapped around her shoulders. Instead of a mask, she was wearing an orange beak. Above the beak were perched her glasses.

  “Guess who I am,” said Karen.

  Hannie paused. “Who?”

  “Mother Goose!”

  “Oh! Excellent!” cried Nancy.

  “And your glasses are part of the costume,” said Hannie.

  “Yup. Mother Goose wears glasses. At least she does in a book I checked out of the library last weekend.”

  “Hannie? Where is your costume?” asked Nancy.

  “Inside. I am going to be the best mouse.” Hannie thought of her pink ears, her mouse mask with the whiskers, and her mouse paws. “I will wear everything with my gray leotard and gray tights.”

  “Can we see?” asked Karen. “I want to see it all put together.”

  “Well … I was thinking you could see it tomorrow. I was wondering if you — both of you — wanted to trick-or-treat with me.”

  “Trick-or-treat together? All three of us?” asked Nancy. “Now that is a wonderful, Halloweeny idea!”

  THE SPOOKY NIGHT

  “Hannie, are you ready?”

  Hannie had run into her kitchen to answer the telephone. The caller had not said, “Hello” or “How are you?” or even her name. She had just said, “Hannie, are you ready?”

  But Hannie knew who was on the phone. It was Karen. And she wanted to go trick-or-treating.

  “Almost ready,” Hannie replied. “But Karen, it is not even dark outside yet. Don’t you want to wait until dark?”

  “I guess. Nancy is already here, though. And … it is hard to wait!”

  “Well, why don’t you come over in half an hour, okay?”

  “Okay.” Karen sighed and hung up the phone.

  Hannie was already wearing her gray leotard and tights. She was wearing them over long underwear. Even so, her mother had said she would have to wear a coat over her costume.

  “Mice do not wear coats!” Hannie had said.

  “That is because they have fur,” her mother had replied. “But you are a girl. And you do not have fur. Thank goodness,” she added. “So I am afraid you must wear a coat.”

  In the end, Hannie was allowed to wear an old gray coat of Linny’s, so that was not so bad.

  When the bell rang half an hour later, Hannie was ready for trick-or-treating. She ran to the door in her mouse outfit and the gray coat. She was carrying a large goody bag.

  Standing at the door were Karen in her Mother Goose costume, Nancy in her cowgirl costume, and Kristy. Kristy was Karen’s big stepsister, and an excellent baby-sitter. She had said she would be happy to take Hannie and Nancy and Karen trick-or-treating.

  “Let’s go! Let’s go!” cried Karen, jumping up and down.

  “Wait. We have to look at Hannie’s costume,” said Nancy. “Stand back, Hannie.”

  Hannie stood back. She opened her coat.

  “Cool,” said Nancy.

  “Great. Okay, let’s go,” said Karen.

  Hannie and Nancy and Karen took one another’s hands. They ran outside. They ran next door. Kristy was right behind them.

  “Ooh, spooky,” said Hannie as the girls reached the house next door.

  A line of glowing jack-o’-lanterns lit the path to the front porch. A ghost was hanging by the door. Two more ghosts hung from the branches of a tree nearby.

  When Hannie rang the bell, instead of a dingdong, she heard a long, low moan, and then a cackle.

  “Yipes!” Nancy squeezed Hannie’s hand.

  Slowly the door to the house creaked open.

  “Heh, heh, heh.” A monster answered the door.

  Hannie paused. She glanced at Karen and Nancy. Finally Karen said, “Um, trick-or-treat?”

  “I will give you a treat, I guess,” said the monster. “You are wearing such lovely costumes. Let me see. What kind of a treat shall I give you?” Hannie was about to suggest a Snickers bar when the monster said, “An ox knuckle? Or some hair from a hyena?”

  “No!” shrieked the girls.

  “Oh.” The monster sounded disappointed. “Then how about some Reese’s Pieces?”

  “Yes!” cried the girls.

  The monster gave a bag of candy to Hannie, to Nancy, and then to Karen.

  “Thank you!” called the girls.

  “Ooh, that was spooky,” Hannie whispered to Nancy.

  “But fun,” Nancy whispered back.

  “Let’s go to the next house!” said Karen.

  The girls ran off in their costumes. Trick-or-treating had just begun.

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1997 by Ann M. Martin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 1997

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-09266-0