Thursday, November 15, 2012

Nightmare of Celery by Christine Stowers



 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and as a child I would always look forward to trick-or- treating. In fact, I would often dream the night before of filling my pillowcase with enormous Twix, Snickers bars and Skittles. I imagined dressing up in my costume and running from door to door with my siblings.

I knew that if someone gave me my favorite treat, I’d grace him or her with my brightest smile.  Even money in my Halloween bag could bring delight. However, there is always the dreaded possibility of receiving some horrible healthy snack. Some adults would attempt to ruin my fantasy with apples, animal crackers and such. These foods are bad enough, but I could imagine worse.

What if, after all of my extensive planning, choosing a costume and preparing my belly for delicious goods, an adult dropped celery in my bag? Celery? Not only is celery my least favorite food on Earth, it in no way implies Halloween. Halloween is fun and exciting. Celery is boring and pale green.

I’m not quite sure how I’d react in that scenario. When a child is instantly overwhelmed with disappointment, her reactions can be unpredictable. I’d probably smile anyway while secretly dreaming of returning later. The smile would be used to mask my intentions of vandalism. Perhaps I would accept the celery and, once the door was closed, toss it into the bushes. Maybe I’d opt to stomp on it, relieving tension by crushing it under my feet.

However, none of the above options fit my personality. I was always a brutally honest child.  I can say with confidence that I would have returned the celery saying, “Is this a trick or a treat?”

 

 

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