The Halloween House

Written and Illustrated by Carol Moore

Inspired by and dedicated to John D. Barrett, Jr., Esq.

The Halloween House is big and old. I'm told that

on Halloween night things happen there.

Now Suzie's moved in--she's only 4--along with

her brother, her father and mother, and little
Picador. He's their dog. Well, maybe half a dog. He's
a Chihuahua, as small as they come.
Suzie's room is in the attic. It's no fun. With a high
ceiling, cold and gloomy, and shadows that run
halfway up the walls. Suzie hides under the blanket.
Picador too. Come on, he's no guard dog.
Suzie's mom bought her a bear. A teddy bear
named Teddy. He's big and fluffy and Suzie adores
him. "I love you so much" she says. Then she wraps
her arms around him, snuggling like a cat ready to
purr while Picador buries himself in all that fur.
The Halloween House's attic may be scary, but
Teddy's not. Around his neck he wears a blue scarf
with red polka dots. On his back paws are black
tennis shoes tied with lace and plenty of knots.
Something is silly about that teddy bear. He's got a
goofy smile from ear to ear. It's kind of lopsided and
sweet, although not quite complete. He was cheap
when Suzie's mom bought him at the Dollar Store.
But his smile is always there.
When scratching and squeaking come from the
walls,
Teddy smiles.
When clothes on the floor become strange figures
in piles,
Teddy smiles.
 When an invisible spider's miles of cobweb fades
away in the morning,
Teddy smiles.

Page 2

Tonight is Suzie's first Halloween at the

Halloween House. She has finished her trick
or treating, she did it earlier in the evening.
She dressed up as a pumpkin with an orange
glow--and now her two bags of candy
overflow onto the floor.
 It's midnight and everyone's asleep. Not a
peep, until suddenly there's a tapping at the
door.
"Tap, tap....tap." It starts out soft and low
and then changes into a steady beat, beat,
beat as though a giant's heart is nudging the
door.
Teddy smiles.
A thin mist streams from a crack in the
corner, turns into a snake sliding across the
floor.
Teddy smiles.
 Next, at the window appears a witch 200
years old with a black hat hiding half her face
and the wrinkles it holds. She slips right
through the glass as though it isn't there at
all. Once inside, she stands up, six feet tall.
Teddy smiles.
A long legged spider with big fangs drops
from the ceiling and hangs only five feet over
the bed where Suzie and Picador peacefully
sleep.
The snake, the witch and the spider slither,
creep and dangle closer, growing bigger as
they go. They're up to no good. This can't be
happening.
But Teddy is watching. He smiles no more.
The upturned side of his lip droops down,
while the other part of his lip lifts up.
Teddy's smile turns into a snarl.
When the three monsters almost reach the
bed, Teddy gets up. But more than that, he
begins to grow, although much faster and
bigger than they. His tennis shoes pop off
and his scarf floats away. Sweet, smiling
Teddy turns into a Grizzly bear, the biggest,
meanest Grizzly of your imagination.
Standing on his back paws, stretched to the
 ceiling Teddy is terrifying. Fortunately, Suzie
and Picador are still sleep.
The snake, the witch, and the spider stop
growing. They stare at him. There's wonder
and shock in their eyes. This is an
unexpected surprise.
Then Teddy roars! It's so loud, it doesn't
help to cover your ears. And the ghouls hear
it. This Grizzly is beyond their worst fears.
With a puff and a poof they disappear.

Page 3

Suzie is instantly awake, her eyes big and round.

With a frightened yip Picador bolts from under the
covers trembling with dread. But they see nothing,
nothing at all, because the monsters have fled.
And Teddy is suddenly Teddy again. How could
that be? It happened so fast, there was nothing to
see, except his shoes are across the room and his
scarf is at the bottom of the bed.
 Gone is the snake. Gone is the witch. Gone is the
spider and the beating heart at the door. It's quite
obvious they'll never return. Nevermore. At least not
to this Halloween House so long as this bear stays
around and he will stay. Because he is loved.
Have no fear, Teddy's here.
...and he smiles.