Monster in Miniature (35 page)

Angelican Hills School went all out for its Halloween
party. A small stage play, with our haunted dollhouse as an outstanding prop, was a big hit. Maddie got accolades not only for her performance as one of Shakespeare’s witches but also for doing such a wonderful job on the house.

I was very proud of her. She’d finally figured out all on her own how to make the flimsy white ghost stick out from an upstairs window. She’d attached a white pipe cleaner to the ghost’s body and glued one end to the edge of the windowsill in such a way that the support didn’t show. The ghost appeared to be emerging outward and upward into the night.

In a predictable move, we headed for ice cream after the play, at Palo Alto’s equivalent of Sadie’s.

Everyone acted true to form.

Richard questioned the use of the school’s tuition money on such an extravaganza.

Mary Lou explained how the arts in all forms were an important part of a child’s education.

Maddie said, “The sundaes here are wicked.”

Skip said, “I’ll have two.”

Henry said, “My treat.”

The ice cream parlor was located in an upscale strip mall where every store handed out treats to anyone who was in a costume. While we enjoyed our sundaes and shakes, we greeted the usual ballerinas, pirates, vampires, clowns, and assorted Disney characters. This year there seemed to be many more high-tech costumes, too, like the toddler with a racing car, complete with running lights and a loud horn, protruding from his stomach, as if he were the driver. A teenage girl with the right side of her hair bleached blond and the left side a dull dark brown reminded me of my favorite cookie in the windows of New York delis: the “half-moon” or “black and white.”

If we’d been asked to vote, mine would have gone to a miniature nun, about six years old, pushing a baby carriage. I wondered what the message was.

Dorothy from Oz appeared in a blue pinafore and red slippers. I was happy to see she hadn’t brought the scarecrow.

Skip’s costume was a big hit: a T-shirt with stencils of bees all over it, some with thick red marks through them.

“To bee or not to bee,” Maddie had squealed.

One highlight of the evening was when Beverly leaned over to me from my left.

“I’m going to renew the endowment to Sunaqua Estates,” she said.

The other highlight was when I decided to lean over to Henry on my right.

I gave him my best smile. “I’ve been thinking about that trip to Chicago.”

This fun witch can be as detailed or as simple as you like. Adjust the pattern to make it simpler for younger children by eliminating smaller accessories such as the belt buckle and the necklace. Older children will want to add accessories of their own choosing.

 

 

You’ll need flowers for that Halloween trip to a cemetery. Here are some ideas.

 

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