Angel

Yesterday was Halloween, and I was ready to get it done and over with. In obligatory fashion, I scurried home early after work carrying a new pumpkin to replace the two that already had been ravaged by fat local squirrels. After carving quickly a face that resembled Ace Frehley in make-up, I planted and lit the old-fashioned candle and rushed the pumpkin outdoors. I was not amused to discover my first visitor was the same brazen tree rodent who had eaten the first two. With the help of my dog’s barking, I shooed the squirrel away and waited for uninvited guests. Fortunately, as the sky darkened, little human creatures began to show themselves in little groups. Children in costumes evoking classic fairy tales and monsters appeared and asked for candy. They were delightful, actually, and as evening ticked along, I felt less and less like a candy-soaked put-upon crone and more and more like an old soul catching on to the magical spirit of our quirky American tradition. I felt young again! The air was warm and dry, the neighborhood winked and sparkled, and little voices threaded their way around the trees and gardens like crickets. One of our last trick or treaters was an adorable pumpkin, perhaps three years old, who bravely approached our barking doodle while her parents waited on the sidewalk. I got down on my knees for this elfin creature as she carefully, silently chose a couple of items from my humble basket and added them to hers. I told her how much I loved her costume and how much I hoped she was having a special Halloween. Meeting my eyes, she appeared under a spell of sorts. I thought perhaps she, too, felt the numinosity of this strange, communal night of shadows and flickering light. As she turned to the gentle calling of her parents, she stopped, spun, and, looking at me in earnest, placed an unexpected treat in my open hand!