I
grabbed the pumpkin we were entering in the pumpkin carving contest and set it in the passenger seat. As I attempted to get in the driver’s seat, I had second thoughts about the costume. The bottom of the dress’ bell shape kept popping up. Geesh, maybe I should have changed into my other costume. The wool coat, along with the deerstalker hat, would have been much easier to maneuver than this silly skirt. The things the women back in the day had to deal with. I grinned. Not that they had to get into cars, but they had to get into carriages.
I finally got everything tucked in and drove to the Book Nook, the bookstore I inherited last year in the center of town. The sun shone overhead, the air cool and crisp. I watched as yellow, red, and green leaves flew across the street as I pulled into the parking lot. I loved this time of year. I maneuvered my dress out of the car, hoping I didn’t do too much damage to it, grabbed the pumpkin, and went in through the back door. It did not surprise me to find Ciara, my sister-in-law and part-time help, already working in the children’s section, getting ready for the first-year primary school class to descend on us at half past ten. The student being my precocious niece, and Ciara’s daughter, Kayleigh.
I set the pumpkin on the counter to be appreciated by our customers and smiled when I saw Ciara’s costume. Encased in black leggings and a long-sleeved tee shirt, it accentuated her long, slim body. She added a white bib, and around her skinny neck she wore an oversized red bowtie, and topped her head with a red and white striped hat, making her head look extremely small. “What a wonderful Cat in the Hat you make,” I said as I walked into the children’s section.
She stopped scattering pillows on the floor and without looking up, said, “Thanks, but the elastic band under my chin itches.” She glanced up. “And look at you! Gran did a fabulous job!”
“How did you know Gran made this?”
“I know all, sister-in-law. Didn’t you know that?” She stood up and grabbed her hat as it slid to the side, plopping it back on the center of her head, and walked over to inspect my dress.
“Isn’t it fabulous?” I looked down at it. “I didn’t smash it too much in the car, did I?” Using my hands, I attempted to fluff it out.
She walked around me, rearranging it to her liking. “It’s not too bad, but if I were you, you might not want to sit down much.” She smiled.
I grimaced at the thought as I looked around. “The room looks great. Do you need me to make the lemonade?” We were offering the children lemonade and cookies after story time. Nothing like sending them back to school with a sugar rush.
She shook her head. “All set, and in the refrigerator. The cookies are on a wrapped platter on the counter in the break room as well.
I laughed. “I should have known you’d have everything all set. What are your kids dressed up like this year?”
She threw me a pillow as she answered, “You can help me finish these,” she nodded toward the room. “I’m not allowed to tell you what Kayleigh’s wearing. She wants it to be a surprise. The twins, however, dressed up as their favorite Pokémon characters.”
I smiled. “I figured they’d grown out of that by now.”
She rolled her eyes. “Nothing doing. They even have Kayleigh hooked. However, Ethan is Pikachu, and Evan is Charmander. At least they won’t get cold tonight at the castle.”
“I know Pikachu is the yellow one. Who is Charmander?” My mind running through the characters I was familiar with.
“He’s the brown lizard with the end of his tail on fire.”
After I missed catching the third pillow she threw to me, she picked up the large storage bag and brought it closer and handed them to me. I sat them strategically around the room, the colorful items complementing the yellow walls.
I laughed. “Of course, how could I forget that one?” I shook my head, then glanced at my watch. “We might have time for a quick cup of tea if we hurry,” I said as I repositioned a few of the pillows, then took one last look.
“There is already a pot brewing, and it sounds grand. It’s already been a long morning,” Ciara answered as she followed me into the break room.
“Rough morning with the kids?” I asked as I pulled down two cups from the cupboard and filled them with the amber liquid. She handed me the sugar.
“Always. This morning especially though. They’re all excited about the festivities at the castle tonight. Is it still okay I leave a little early today?” She asked as she pulled out some cookies from the cupboard and added them to a plate for us to share.
“Peanut-butter! My favorite.” I took one off the plate and took a bite. The soft cookie melting in my mouth.
She laughed. “You say that about every kind of cookie, Molly. I don’t think you’ve ever met a cookie you didn’t like.”
I thought about it and laughed. “True.” I took another bite.
We had just finished our tea when I heard the chime over the door ring. I looked at the clock, and then at Ciara. “Story time!”
She smiled. “Let me go first. Give me about three minutes to get them settled and then come out.” I nodded and cleaned up our tea things. A few minutes later, I straightened my tiara and walked out of the break room.
“Here she is, Cinderella!” I heard Ciara say as I walked toward the back of the store. I rolled my eyes at her as I passed, and she just grinned. I stopped at the entrance of the children’s area, looking at the green carpet with the fifteen scattered pillows and the children sitting on top of them. One pair of bright blue eyes looked at me and squealed in delight, running toward me, her arms open.
“Aunt Molly, we match!”
Out of reflex, I bent down and held out my arms as she flew into them, hugging me tightly. “You’re Cinderella too. You look so pretty.” I tried to kiss her cheek, but she was holding on to me too tight.
When she finally let go of my neck, and I set her down, but held onto her hands to get a better look at her dress. It was an exact match for mine. “You look pretty, too. Did Gran make yours too?”
“She did, she did! I knew she was making your costume, but I didn’t know we’d match!” She looked at her mom. “Mummy, did you know?”
Ciara was grinning as she answered. “I sure did. Gran wanted to surprise you.”
Kayleigh took my hand. “Can you tell us a story now?” And dragged me over to the chair.
Because of my dress, instead of sitting down, I leaned back against a bookshelf. “Well, this is a story from long ago.” I looked at Ciara, who walked up and handed me the pumpkin I’d brought in, but showed them the back of it first. “Does everyone know what this is?”
Several of the students raised their hands. I chose a young boy with red hair and freckles.
“It’s a pumpkin. My brother and I carved one last night and turned it into a Jack-o’-lantern.”
I couldn’t have asked for a better answer! I smiled at him as I turned the pumpkin around and showed the wild eyes and wicked grin. Several of the kids laughed, along with a few oohs and aahs.
“Do any of you know why we call them Jack-o’-lanterns once they’re carved?”
They all shook their heads.
“Well, I’m going to tell you a story about a man named Stingy Jack. Do you know what the word stingy means?” I looked at the teacher, then at the kids. A few of them raised their hands.
I nodded toward a little girl sitting next to Kayleigh.
“It’s when me mum won’t buy me anything at the store.” She smiled, showing two missing front teeth.
I smiled back. “Yes, it’s when people don’t want to spend money. And that was why they called him Stingy Jack. Well, one day, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. The Devil wasn’t sure about that, but he was thirsty, so he did it. Once the Devil did so, Jack kept the money and put it in his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form.” I stopped for a moment to look at my audience. Their eyes were wide, and some had their mouths open.
“What happened to the Devil, Aunt Molly?” Kayleigh asked.
“Well, Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition he wouldn’t bother Jack for one year. And that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack ran into the Devil again. Jack thought the Devil looked hungry, so talked him into climbing up into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so the Devil couldn’t come down until the Devil promised Jack he wouldn’t bother him for ten more years, which he reluctantly agreed. Shortly after that, Jack died. Now, the legend says how God wouldn’t allow such an unsavory figure into heaven, and the Devil, still upset with Jack’s trickery, wouldn’t let him into hell.” I refused to look at the teachers in case I received a stern look and just kept on. “Instead, he sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the earth ever since as a ghost. He became known as Jack of the Lantern, and then simply, Jack-o’-lantern. When this story became popular, people made their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them in windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering spirits.”
A hand went up in the back row. I nodded toward her. “Do you have a question?”
“You said turnips or potatoes. Then why do we use pumpkins?”
I smiled. “That actually started in America where they had little turnips or potatoes, and they realized the roundness of the pumpkin made a much better Jack-o’-lantern than turnips or potatoes.” Several of the kids chuckled.
The head teacher came and stood next to me. I think it was Mrs. Glover. Tall and thin, her hair cut short and no makeup, with a constant scowl on her face. “Let’s all thank Mrs. McGuire for the story, children, by clapping our hands.”
Several yelled, “Thanks,” and Mrs. Glover leaned over and whispered, “Good story. I just hope I don’t get too many calls from parents telling me their kids were too scared to sleep tonight.”
I grimaced. “Do you think it was too much?” I set the pumpkin down in the chair I’d originally planned to sit.
Ciara walked up just then. “I think it was fine. These children have heard much worse. Besides, most of them are going to the castle tonight to go through the haunted houses. You can always blame it on that.” She smiled at Mrs. Glover.
“We’ll go get the refreshments,” I said, smiling at the teacher. I turned and Ciara followed me. A few moments later, we heard Mrs. Glover.
“Okay, children. We have treats for you, but you all have to stay seated, okay?”
Ciara and I made our way to the break room and pulled out the cups, lemonade, small plates, and napkins and set them all on a tray.
I leaned into her. “How do you think it went?”
She lowered her voice. “It was fine. Mrs. Glover is a worry wort. Those kids are going to be full of so much candy tonight. If they can’t sleep, it will not be because of your story. My grandpa used to tell us that story every year on Samhain.”
“It’s too bad everyone here calls it Halloween instead of Samhain.” I rearranged the tray to fit everything.
“Yes, another part of our Celtic history disappearing. If it wasn’t for them, who knows if Halloween would even exist?”
I had to smile. Ciara majored in history at university, and was very passionate about preserving it.
“Then the Christians got involved and changed it to All Hallows Eve to celebrate the Saints, then added All Saints’ Day on November first!”
“I thought Samhain was celebrating the end of harvest season?”
“It is. But the Celts believed the two days, October thirty-first, and November first, were a time when spirits could cross over from the dead, so they dressed as animals and monsters to scare them away. But then they also left a prepared offering for the fairies too.”
I just stared at her.
“What?”
“You just never cease to amaze me.” I went to take the tray, and Ciara laid her hand on my arm.
“I’ll take the tray, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to clean sticky lemonade off the floor when you drop it.”
I would have taken offense, but chances are she’d be right and I’d trip over my dress and drop the entire tray. “How old do I have to be for everyone to stop thinking I’m a klutz?” I asked her back as I followed her out.
She glanced back at me. “When you stop being a klutz.” She laughed.
I would have stuck my tongue out at her, but we were in view of the children by then, who cheered when they saw the tray.
We were handing out the refreshments when the phone rang. Ciara left us to go answer it. A few minutes later, she came back in, frowning. I raised my eyebrows at her and she mouthed the word, “later.”