Monday was Halloween and Isabel dressed up as a cool and scary Vampire, named Dracula. She had blood on her chin, a black and white wig, a very swirly cape and a chilling laugh."Ah, ha, ha, ha!" she would exclaim to anyone who came close enough to her to be terrified.
The blood, the blood (well, it was red liquid sugar, but no one knew that!), dripped down her chin and tickled her lips.
"Mummy," Isabel said quietly, "can you please wipe some of the blood away? It tickles."
Isabel's mummy carefully wiped away the dripping blood.
At Isabel's school, where Isabel was in Kindergarten (in room K3, with her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Kato...a lot of K's!), the school was holding a Halloween contest and carnival.
Isabel paraded around the yard with the other children in Kindergarten.
"And NOW, the nominees for Kindergarten costumes, " announced the principal, Mrs. Kaplan (another K!), "and for the scariest costume, our nominees are..." Mrs. Kaplan announced two names... and then...."AND Isabel Spooky!"
Isabel was SO excited and she ran up to the nominees circle where all the children were.
And that was it. She was allowed to leave with her Mummy and have fun at the carnival.
But, lo and behold, the next morning, the morning after Halloween, the morning after all the eye makeup and blood had been washed away, Isabel stood with her classmates at Assembly.
"And now," announced Mrs. Kaplan, "here are the WINNERS of yesterday's contest."
No one said a word. Everyone was listening for their name. It was very, very exciting.
"For Kindergarten, for the scariest costume....the winner is...Isabel Spooky!"
Isabel ran up to the principal, who gave her a gorgeous orange ribbon with a gold number one on it. FIRST PLACE. Isabel had never won such a beautiful award in her life!The rest of her day was fun-tastic.
The end.
