by Judy Delton
“He’s so lazy,” said Ashley. “And selfish.”
“What a baby,” said Lisa.
Molly felt sorry for Sonny. He was spoiled, but he could be nice sometimes too.
After Mrs. Duff was sure everyone knew what treat they were bringing on Halloween, and whom they were bringing it to, the Pee Wees worked on their costumes. The ones who had bought theirs, or already had them finished, helped the others who were making their own. Soon the room was filled with colorful goblins and pumpkins and crayons and paper and glue. Mrs. Duff played some scary Halloween music and passed out pumpkin cookies. The afternoon flew past. By the time they cleaned up and got ready to leave, it was getting dark.
“Whooooooooo,” hooted Tim. “I’m a Halloween owl!”
“It gets dark so early now,” said Kevin.
“All the better to haunt you with!” said Jody. He had paper pumpkins taped all over his wheelchair.
“Well, I think we’re all ready for the big day,” said Mrs. Duff.
“The big backward day!” cried the Pee Wees.
CHAPTER
10
Tricks or Treats, Pee Wee Style
On Halloween night, the Pee Wees were ready. The two candy bars met the dragon and ghosts and goblins at the town hall. Even Mr. and Mrs. Duff had costumes on. They were dressed as Dracula and his wife. Everyone carried a big bag, but it was not for collecting treats. It was for giving them out.
“We have to go to my person’s house first,” said Tracy, “because my treat is a dinner for Mr. and Mrs. Matson, and they have to eat it while it’s hot.”
When the Pee Wees got to their first stop, the Matsons were expecting them.
“Your mom called,” they said. “What a wonderful treat! A home-cooked dinner for two! We saved our appetites all afternoon!”
Tracy took the dinners out of her bag. They smelled good, thought Molly. The Matsons gave Tracy a big hug and thanked her over and over again. Then they gave each Pee Wee a fat caramel apple.
As they left, Tracy said, “This is more fun than asking for stuff.”
Molly agreed. It gave her a nice warm feeling to help someone and give gifts.
“Look at all those kids,” said Sonny, pointing his Spider-Man finger across the street. “They’re all asking for stuff, instead of sharing.”
Mary Beth laughed. “This is the first time Sonny shared anything, and now he thinks everyone else is greedy!”
The Pee Wees went from house to house, making people happy with warm mittens, scarves, home-canned fruit, and promises of yardwork and household help and games of cards. One man even had tears in his eyes.
“No one ever did this for me before,” he said. “It’s like Christmas.”
“I think we should do this more often,” said Jody. “It’s so much fun!”
Everyone agreed. It was fun to share.
“Here’s where the mean guy lives,” said Roger. “I’ve got a pie for him, but I don’t want to ring the bell. He might throw a pumpkin at me.”
The grumpy man opened the door. “Go away,” he said. “I don’t have any candy to give out.”
“But we brought you something,” said Mr. Duff. “Roger has a homemade pumpkin pie for you.”
“I can’t chew anything,” said the man. “I have no teeth.”
“You don’t need teeth,” said Lisa bravely. “Pumpkin pie is soft. My baby sister can eat it, and she’s only a year old.”
“Soft, is it?” said the man. “Well, hand it over then.”
The man took the pie and slammed the door.
Roger made a fist at the closed door. “See, I told you! He’s mean!”
“People are all different,” laughed Mrs. Duff. “He may have lots of problems and no family to love him. That’s the kind of person who needs a treat the most.”
“I still think he could have said thank you,” said Kevin.
The next stop was Brandi’s house. Brandi answered the door. Her hair was dyed green.
“Hey, you guys!” she said, snapping her purple gum. “It’s good to see you again! I’ll bet Sonny is Spider-Man, and ho ho, that’s my friend Roger in the dragon suit!”
“We just wanted to say happy Halloween and thank you for helping us out that Tuesday,” said Mrs. Duff, handing Brandi a small package.
“Well, I guess Scout leading isn’t my thing,” said Brandi.
“That’s for sure,” whispered Molly to Mary Beth. She was thinking of the flour, water, and newspaper mixture.
“I’m not too good at things I do with my hands.” Brandi opened the package and said, “Hey, thanks, you guys! I’ve been wanting one of these little lighted makeup mirrors!”
“It’s for your purse,” said Ashley. “My aunt has one.”
Molly wasn’t sure Brandi had a purse, but she could probably use the mirror anyway.
After Brandi gave them each a hug, the Pee Wees left.
“Maybe now she won’t put on so much makeup,” said Sonny. “She probably couldn’t see what she was doing.”
“Now our last stop,” said Mr. Duff. “The captain’s house.”
When the captain came to the door, he was dressed in an army uniform.
“Hey, he really is a soldier!” said Kevin.
“Well, if it isn’t the Pee Wee Scouts,” he said. “Fall in, all of you.”
The Pee Wees fell in. Into his living room.
“Are you in the army?” asked Tim.
“Not anymore,” said the captain, clicking his heels together. “I just got out my old uniform and dusted it off for a Halloween party tonight.”
He gave the Pee Wees each a candy bar.
“Hey, a Chocolate Delight for a Chocolate Delight,” said Jody to Molly.
“They’re my favorite,” said Molly.
“Mine too,” said Jody.
Did Jody mean the candy, or me? wondered Molly. Either way, they had something in common.
“We brought you some warm socks,” said Molly. “My grandma knit them.”
“Why, thank you,” said the captain. “Look, they match my uniform. I’ll put them on right now. They’re not regulation, of course, but no one will notice.”
The captain began to tell them old war stories, but Mrs. Duff had to cut him short because of time.
“We have miles to go before we sleep,” said Mr. Duff, quoting from a poem that Molly knew was his favorite. They didn’t really have to go miles. Just blocks.
“Ready, march!” said the captain, opening the front door. And march they did, right down the steps and down the block.
“Now!” said Sonny. “We get to go regular trick-or-treating!”
“Just on this block, where we can see you,” said Mrs. Duff.
The Pee Wees dashed off, shouting, “trick or treat!” They came back with even more candy bars.
On the way to the Duffs’, Rachel said, “It really was more fun taking treats to people instead of getting them.”
All the Pee Wees agreed, even though Roger and Sonny pretended they didn’t.
CHAPTER
11
Badges for All
“As soon as we get in, I’d like to take a group photo of everyone in their costumes,” said Mr. Duff. “We want to remember this backward Halloween for years to come.”
Everyone walked a little faster, thinking of the party that awaited them. Roger and Sonny began to race. “Last one there’s a rotten pumpkin!” yelled Roger. A few of the other boys joined in the race. Roger, who had trouble with his long dragon’s tail, could not move very fast. When he saw that he was falling behind, he gave Sonny a shove. Sonny shoved him back, and Roger tripped on his tail and fell right into the only big mud puddle on the sidewalk!
Mud splattered everywhere, but most of it was on Roger. The green dragon turned brown, and the dragon’s face looked very, very angry. Roger caught Sonny and tried to push him in the puddle too.
“Boys!” said Mrs. Duff in her Scout leader’s voice. “That’s enough!”
&n
bsp; And it was enough, thought Molly. Enough to soak Roger to his underwear. When they got to the Duffs’, Mrs. Duff had to help him off with his costume and into an old pink bathrobe of Molly’s. Roger turned bright red. “I can’t wear this!” he said.
“It’s all we have right now,” said Mrs. Duff. “You can’t stay in those wet clothes for the whole party.”
Everyone tried not to laugh, except Sonny, and even though Roger was in the back row of the picture, the pink bathrobe with the lace collar showed up very well.
“Just think of it as another costume, Roger,” said Mr. Duff. “You’re at the party dressed as a Barbie doll.”
“Hey, yeah, that’s what I am!” said Roger, prancing around to show off.
After the picture, the Pee Wees bobbed for apples and played games. Mr. Duff told scary stories with the lights out and only one candle lit. At the end of the evening Mrs. Duff said, “Now it’s time for the Backward Halloween badges!” She gave them out, saying, “You’ve all been good Halloween helpers.”
Molly pinned her badge on her shirt with all her other badges. The more badges the better, she thought. Molly guessed that was true of many things. It was fun to collect things. Especially badges, because they meant something special.
The Duffs brought out hot dogs and buns, baked beans, and batwing cookies. There was apple cider to drink. Molly noticed that all the chairs were at the table backward! When had her dad done that?
“I think,” said Mrs. Duff when everyone had turned their chair around, “that we’ll start with dessert tonight.”
The Pee Wees looked surprised. They all liked dessert best.
“Oh, I know!” said Ashley. “It’s a backward meal for a backward Halloween!”
“That’s right,” said their leader.
While they were eating, Mrs. Duff made an announcement.
“I’m glad to be able to tell you some good news,” she said. “I have a letter here to all the Pee Wees from Mrs. Peters. She said she loved your letters, and that her mother is better. She’s coming home next week.”
The Pee Wees cheered.
“But you were just as good a leader as Mrs. Peters,” said Mary Beth to Molly’s mother. The rest of the Pee Wees agreed.
“I enjoyed it,” said Mrs. Duff.
“I think we should end by giving a prize for the best costume,” said Mr. Duff. “Molly’s mother and I will be the judges.”
Molly’s parents put their heads together and talked in low tones. Then Mr. Duff said, “There are wonderful costumes here tonight, but we both agreed that one of the costumes stands out over all the rest. The best costume prize goes to—Roger White, the Barbie doll!”
Roger stood up in the pink bathrobe and came to collect his prize—a pink hair ribbon to match the robe!
Roger put it on, and Mr. Duff said, “You’re a good sport, Roger! And that’s what is important to learn in Scouts—how to be a good sport!”
Roger bowed and did a little dance, and everyone laughed and clapped.
“He’s not really a good sport,” said Rachel. “He just likes the attention—even when he looks silly.”
Before Mr. Duff drove the Pee Wees home, they all stood in a big circle and held hands. They sang the Pee Wee song and said the Pee Wee pledge.
The backward Halloween was over. It had been a big success, thought Molly. Even though their real leader was gone, her mom had saved the day, rescuing them from Brandi and the captain. They had helped others, had fun, and gotten their badges. Next week they would see Mrs. Peters again, and baby Nick, and meet in Mrs. Peters’s basement where they belonged.
Rat’s knees, what more could a Pee Wee Scout ask for?
Scouts are helpers, Scouts have fun
Pee Wee, Pee Wee Scouts!
We sing and play when work is done,
Pee Wee, Pee Wee Scouts!
With a good deed here,
And an errand there,
Here a hand, there a hand,
Everywhere a good hand.
Scouts are helpers, Scouts have fun,
Pee Wee, Pee Wee Scouts!
We love our country
And our home,
Our school and neighbors too.
As Pee Wee Scouts
We pledge our best
In everything we do.
