Happy Halloween! Can you believe that Halloween is just a day away?! With Rachael, Ethan and Emily, Halloween this year would be a lot more fun! I’m helping them decide on their Halloween costumes. I’m also part of the plans with my friends from the “grown up” world. They are relying on me to help with their costumes, too. So my plate and hands are totally full. Talk about Halloween…

Do you know that old wives’ tale about the Candy Corn being made back in the 1880s and it’s still being distributed? Well, my sister Liz and I still argue about that to this day! Somehow she really doesn’t like Candy Corn and almost every Halloween I remember she makes fun of me having Candy Corn.

I LOVE Candy Corn. Sure, there’s not much to it except sugar but I love the simplicity of it. I mean, I can’t think of a Halloween without Candy Corn! So while I was planning the Halloween party with Rachael at their place, Rachael brought up the subject of having loads of Candy Corn, so I said, “Of course we have to have Candy Corn, Halloween won’t be the same without it!” And of course my big sis had to cut in and tell her the whole story about how Candy Corn was never made after the 1880s. We had our old brother and sister annual Candy Corn debate. It was fun. I remember about the old days when we were teenagers and we used to argue back and forth, you know the whole, “Is to!” and “Is not!” rebuttals. Man, we were like cartoon characters. Now we argue just to remember those times and pull each other’s legs. We reminisce about them and think how silly we were. But we’re still not giving up! We’re still sticking to the same sides. For me that brings out the Halloween spirit, silly and fun. And that’s one of the most important ingredients in planning a Halloween party.

Adrian looked a little lost in the recent past. When I tried to cheer him up, he ignored my jokes which would have otherwise made him roll on the floor with laughter. I ordered his favorite food the other day, but he had no taste for it. He just nibbled at it and was done before I had the opportunity to dig in nicely. I knew he was thinking of Cathy. Cathy has been out of town for sometime now, and it could have been that he was beginning to get worried, even worked up. I tried to talk to him about it but he was indifferent and tried to change the subject.

With Halloween coming up in no time, he was missing her a lot. He tried to steer clear of all the party ideas we came up with for Halloween. Rick and I were in the middle of a discussion about Halloween one evening when Adrian strolled in. He was whistling and light on his feet. I looked at Rick. He was open-mouthed as well. It was clear to both of us in the same instant that Adrian has heard from Cathy and a happy news at that. Before we could say a thing, Adrian declared on our surprised faces: “Cathy’s coming to town for Halloween! Dude, count us for the party!”

After his initial burst of excitement, Adrian told us that he convinced Cathy to celebrate Halloween with us. Cathy was a little apprehensive, specially after what happened the last time she partied with us. But Adrian promised her that this time around there would be no cause for embarrassment for her, and he would see to it that things didn’t go haywire. After saying this, Adrian looked at us, with an expression that suggested that he wanted us to second his pledge to his lady love. Rick and I assured him that he was right and we’ll all have a great time. Hope things turn out that way we want them to.

The Halloween spirit is yet to come out in full flow, but it’s already making its presence felt in a strangely spooky way. Donna told me in office that Fred had a dream where his wartime friends paid him a visit. I was stunned. Donna went on to tell me that his best buddies, with whom he fought shoulder to shoulder during the war told him a lot of things in his dream as well. Now this is something that most people would dismiss as aberrations of the mind or part of his post-war traumatic disorder. But Fred is convinced that it was all tangible.

They supposedly told Fred that the war with the external enemy may be over, but the war with internal problems plaguing the country were far from over. They wanted Fred to do something about a cause, any which way. This has inspired Fred and taken up the levels of his incredible energy to even higher notches. He is vehemently looking to bring about a change, however small it might be in scale. He is convinced that if he can make a small positive change somewhere, there will be a ripple effect.

I was having goose-flesh when Donna told me all this. Here we are, the young generation, comfortably and complacently smug in our personal sphere, surrounded by our sense of security. There was a person, who, after having dedicated his youth for the service of the country, continues to think about the country and his fellow citizens. I have no doubt that Fred will ultimately turn his dream into reality. It’s just a matter of time, folks. Wait and watch.

I have to take charge of two separate Halloween parties this time around. One for my little friends Rachael, Ethan and Emily and another for my older, but equally crazy group of friends. The main task at hand now is the designing of costumes for the Halloween party. The kids have decided for themselves. Rachael has chosen a ‘devil girl’ costume, Emily wants a ‘little mermaid’ costume and Ethan want to turn up in ‘Anakin Skywalker’ costume. They are also inviting their friends for the party, so it promises to be a grand one.

On the other front, things are far from decided. That is always the case, so I’m not surprised. What is going on is that Berka’s helping me with the decorations and let me tell you friends, this girl has got an eye for detail. And she sees to it that everything is in a perfect state. Kate and Jeffrey wants to come dressed as ‘bacon and eggs’, Rick and Kaitlin, after a series of fights and arguments, decided to be ‘plug and socket’. Adrian wants to be ‘Prince Charming’ and ask Cathy to be his ‘Cinderella’, but his plans have not received a stamp of approval from her yet, so it might change.

As for me, I have had no time to give my costume a thought. It’s still very much undecided. I’m actually looking for suggestions from you guys. If you have a Halloween costume idea for me, please pass it on. I’ll be waiting.

In the wake of this great attempt by us to find the right costume for the right person, I’m reminded of a quote by Mason Cooley. Let’s designate it the Zen quote of the week: “Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.” I think the statement’s bang on. Friends, if you are planning a costume, keep in mind the person who’ll be flaunting it. Have fun this Halloween and be safe!