Strolling to the Pier on Halloween by Mongolita



It was the end of a hard-working day. I took the road along the seafront to get home. The sun shone brightly on that crisp October afternoon. The sea was calm, smooth, mirroring the blue sky. It looked like it was wrapped in a blue blanket. I parked the car somewhere along the seafront to walk down the promenade to the pier to chill, to unwind, to clear my head after a long challenging week at work. 
Crickey, I was surprised to see the promenade buzzing with people, children running, playing, laughing, celebrating the beginning of Halloween. 
In front of me I noticed a mother walking with her two young children, skipping happily alongside her. One of them stopped unexpectedly when she spotted a van selling funny, scary candy floss, and she turned round to her mum.
“Mummy, mummy!! I want a Halloween candy floss with a spooky ghost face,” pulling a puppy dog eyes-face. 
The mum smiled, “Yes, you can have one each as long as you both promise to eat your dinner tonight.” 
“Yes mummy, we will, won't we bruv?”
“Yes, promise mummy.”
Both children ran to the sweetshop van and joined the queue alongside the other children, jumping up and down with excitement, waiting for their turn. When their turn came, the girl asked politely.
“May I have a vanilla flavoured candy floss with a spooky ghost face and a chocolate flavoured one with a scary green face for my brother, please?” 
Both children, happy with their choices of candy floss and happy with their treats, walked on in front of their mum. The girl didn't notice a bump on the road, tripped over it and grazed her knees. She tried to save her candy floss, but it went flying over the pavement next to the curb. 
She ran to pick it up, but her mum shouted, “Stop! you can't eat that, it is dirty, besides it is next to the road, it's dangerous.” 
The girl was frustrated and annoyed that she wasn't allowed to pick up her delicious, scary candy floss. The mum tried to help by wiping her grazed knee, but the little girl looked at her frowning, stamped her feet on the ground out of anger and screamed at the top of her voice: “Mummy I want my candy floss.” She started crying inconsolably and didn’t listen to what her mum was saying. 
By this time blood was running down her knee onto her sock and shoe. Mum tried to wipe off the dirt and blood, but the girl just wouldn't have it, she was hysterical. Her mum's patience was running thin and trying to stay calm she said firmly: “Listen to what mummy is saying. Let me gently wipe your knees and will go back to buy one. Stop crying. If you don't, I won't buy you another one.”
At that moment I suddenly remembered that my daughter and the grandchildren were coming over the weekend to visit us. I walked back to my car, grinning from ear to ear with excitement and drove home to get the rooms ready for their arrival the next day.


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