Purdy the plaster pumpkin had decorated the Kingsley's front porch since 1965. She had watched so many children step around her over the years that the children of the early days were now grandparents of parents bringing their children to the Kingsley's for treats. Purdy loved looking at all of the costumes, hearing the giggles and the little voices saying, Trick or Treat!"
Purdy had a spooky frown carved on her face and her eyes were just as spooky. She loved her soft warm light though and would always hope that the children would just see her light. She didn't like scaring the little ones. Most of the time...the children would say,"Hi Purdy" and smile. One Halloween night....a little girl saw Purdy a became so scared that she wouldn't even go to the door and get her candy. One of the parents had to take the bag up to the door as the little girl cried.
This made Purdy feel so sad. A strange wind blew the colored leaves around that night. The moon seemed to get a little brighter and the stars twinkled twice as much. The next morning, Mona Kingsley was going out to gather the paper skeletons from the windows, witches from the walls, spiders from webs from the ceilings and ghouls from the grounds. When Mona stepped on the porch she gasped and cried,"Purdy is gone!" Alfred Kingsley came running and shouting,"What is wrong dear?"
Mona sat on the porch step and sadly said,"Someone has taken Purdy." She sighed,"We had her so many years...she lit up so many little faces as she sat at the top of our steps." Alfred grumbled,"Well...back in my day...we had respect for other people's property....there ought to be a penalty for people who pick pumpkins off of people's porches."" Mona sighed again,"I know...I know....Halloween just won't be the same without Purdy....our pretty plaster pumpkin." She added,"And I just put four new batteries in for her light ."
The next Halloween...the Kingsleys decorated their front yard and porch again. Same old skeletons, same old witches on walls, same spiders in webs and same old ghouls on the grounds. The new edition was Polly the plastic pumpkin. "She was OK," Mona thought but she just wasn't Purdy. Polly's face was much scarier than Purdy's. Polly had a ghoulish grimace and her bright light flashed off and on.. Mona was a little worried that Polly the plastic pumpkin might be too scary for the children. She made a little name tag that read,"Hi...My name is Polly" and placed it next to the plastic pumpkin.
Halloween night arrived....Mona and Alfred prepared the candy as the clock ticked around to trick or treat time. The children started coming right on schedule. Mona began to notice that the faces of the little ones she could see would smile at Polly. They didn't act afraid at all. Mona decided to get a chair and sit behind Polly to hand out candy. A little boy in a Ninja Turtle costume stepped up and said,"Trick or Treat...Hi Purdy." Two little girls did the same...then another and others.
All of the little ones were saying, "Hi" to Polly but calling her Purdy. A little girl, wearing white makeup on her face stepped bravely to Polly...smiled and said,"Hi Purdy." A woman stepped up behind her and said,"Last year...she was so frightened by your pumpkin...we had to take her home." She added,"This time...your pumpkin looks much more frightening and she isn't the least bit afraid."
Mona asked the little girl,"Why did you call the pumpkin, Purdy?" The little girl got a big smile on her face and said,"Purdy is on every porch...she is every pumpkin." The little girl stepped down the steps, saying,"I love Purdy, she taught me a poem."
Imagine the witches are licorice ladies
Goblins and ghosts are just bubble gum babies
Spiders spin sugar and monsters make dough
For cookies of skeletons and skinny scarecrows
Be Halloween happy and say Hi this night
To Purdy the pumpkin and smile at her light