Why Halloween is full of treats | News, Sports, Work

A long time ago, many moons ago, there was a village called Harrow on the Manguni River. Its inhabitants were hardworking farmers who lived in cozy little cottages.

Several men owned shops, and there was one blacksmith in town. Harrow’s wealthiest family, the Jujubes, owned most of the land and made their fortunes by renting it out to farmers.

Grumpy Jack Jujube ruled not only his family, but everyone else in Doodle County. He made laws, served as judge, meted out punishments, and was meaner than a garbage man. He forced farmers to work 16 hours a day and forced their wives to bake pies and bread, which he then sold to neighboring villages. Grumpy Jack also put children to work, making them mow his grass, trim his bushes, wash the 500 windows of his mansion and pick up stones from the dirty streets of Harrow.

Grumpy, like all Jujubees, never smiled. Even though they were rich, lived in a magnificent estate, and had everything money could buy, they never smiled. The whole family was downright vile.

Although their lives were miserable, the villagers at least looked forward to Halloween every year. This was the only time Grumpy Jack gave people free treats. He paid for food, drinks and candy and even gave people the day off work. Eight-year-old Tiffany and her friends couldn’t wait for the day when they could play pranks on each other and dress up in colorful outfits.

The winner of the costume contest did not have to work for a week. However, Grampy Jujubee made it clear that if anyone tricks him or a family member, there will be no Halloween.

It was on the eve of Halloween that the incredible happened. First, someone soaped all the windows in the mansion. Second, someone else put a pumpkin in front of Grumpy’s shop with a huge scowl and two beady eyes carved into it.

It worked! Before the very beginning of fun, the old man gathered the townspeople and announced that Halloween will not be this year, or forever!

Tiffany and her friends were heartbroken. Before they left the town square to go home, they saw Jujubes smashing a pumpkin into a hundred pieces.

That night, when everyone was asleep, a strange purple-pink light appeared from the sky and focused like a flashlight on the broken pumpkin. Slowly the pieces began to come together until a huge pumpkin-faced man appeared in the middle of the square. PUMPKIN MAN!

He sprinted towards the Jujube mansion, making loud screeching sounds that woke up Tiffany and the entire village. Pumpkin Man ran right through the door, up the stairs and into Grumpy Jujube’s room.

He grabbed the old man and pulled him out into the street. Grumpy’s eyes were bulging right out of his evil head.

“Hear, hear” Pumpkin shouted. “Grampy Jack Jujubee has no right to cancel Halloween. No one does!” He then turned back to the Jujubees and continued: “You don’t deserve to be rich. You are evil, selfish people. From now on you will work and live like everyone else. As for you Grumpy, you’ve spent your whole life making people miserable, you’ll spend eternity making up for what you’ve done.’ Then, with a wave of his hand, he turned Grumpy Jack into a pumpkin with a smiley face. Tiffany and her friends started jumping for joy.

“Meet Jack O’Laughter, my friends” Pumpkin shouted. “To make sure that Halloween will always be there, and to remind you all of the importance of being kind to others, as your Tiffany always does, put a Jack-o’-Lantern in your window every year the week before Halloween. The year you forget to do this will be your last for Halloween. And Grampy Jack Jujubee will be back to make your life miserable again.” With these words Pumpkin disappeared in a cloud of red and yellow dust.

Today, as you go for treats, show off your colorful outfits, and collect a ton of candy, be sure to wave to every Jack O’Lantern you see. And, like Tiffany, remember to be kind to others every day of your life. If you never forget why jack lanterns appear in windows, then you will always enjoy the happiness that Halloween brings.

Ray Lenarczyk graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1965 and lives in Herkimer.