A Halloween Blast from the Past

When my kids were young, we went all-out on Halloween. Elaborate costumes, several intricately-carved pumpkins for the porch, every room decorated.

Because we lived on a seldom-used road, we didn’t get many trick-or-treaters. Instead of buying bags of fun-sized candies, we’d buy one box of large candy bars. Never even gave them all out, but the few people who came to our house were thrilled with their treat.

When my son was two, he was infatuated with the candy we were offering. He kept sneaking down the hall to try and get a piece, but we kept thwarting his efforts. Then, finally, I grabbed the camera and let him go, curious as to what he’d do.

The following “story” is inspired by him. To this day, we love the photo and remind him of it often.

---

Caught Red-Handed

You wondered where all the candy was going. You knew you had more, but it kept disappearing.

Then you heard the crackling of the wrapper coming from the foyer and noticed someone was missing from the room.

Sneaking down the hall, you watched as little fingers clutched the prize. You stifle laughter and clear your throat.

He spins around and you snap the photo. His face is priceless. He knows he’s caught red-handed. He knows you have proof now, so he has to come clean.

He swears it’s the first one he took, but after he has a tummy ache that evening, he admits to taking others and says he’ll never do it again. Still, a few weeks later, you notice you are missing candy again and decide you’d better start hiding it…

His kisses are suspiciously sweet and sticky.

---

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween!