“Cheddar,” said Mrs. Nibblekin. “Your little brother Bo isn’t a baby anymore, and your father and I have a lot to take care of at home. We’d like you to take Bo with you on your trick-or-treating this year.”
“But Mom,” Cheddar groaned. “I’m going with my friends!”
“I know, I know,” Mrs. Nibblekin replied gently. “But you’re a big kid now, and your friends are even bigger. We trust you to take care of him. You’ll still have your fun, you’ll see!”
“What if he cries, or gets too scared?” Cheddar asked.
“Then, you’ll show him how to be brave!” said Mrs. Nibblekin. “Bo looks up to you so much.”
“Fine,” Cheddar sighed. “We’ll take him with us. Bo, do you have your bucket?”
Bo waddled up to Cheddar, in his duck costume, and held his Halloween bucket up high. “Yes!” he said proudly. Then, he looked to Cheddar’s friends and said, “I’m a duck! Quack quack!”
“Alright, let’s go!” said Cheddar.
“What’s that?” asked Bo, pointing to a pumpkin with a glowing face.
“That’s a jack-o-lantern,” said Cheddar.
“Wow!” said Bo. “And what’s that?!” he asked again, pointing to a giant figure on their neighbor’s lawn.
“It’s a skeleton,” Cheddar replied. “It’s a decoration!”
Further down the street, Bo pointed to another Li’l Woodzeez wearing a cape and a big set of pointy teeth. “What’s that?”
“You ask so many questions,” said Cheddar. “That’s a vampire costume, they have pointy teeth!”
“Oh,” said Bo, as he waddled along in his duck costume. Tilly and Jake giggled.
“Why don’t you take the candy yourselves?” said Mr. Healthnuggle, as he presented them with a big bowl of candy. In the bowl was a big black spider.
Jake, Tilly, and Cheddar giggled at the spider, but Bo wasn’t so sure about it. Instead of grabbing candy, he hid behind Cheddar.
Cheddar took a deep breath and gave Bo some encouragement. “It’s OK, Bo, it’s just a toy! There’s nothing to be afraid of.” She had to show her little brother how to be brave!
Ever so slowly, Bo reached for the candy in the bowl, when suddenly the spider jumped onto his hand! He let out a screech and pulled his hand from the bowl, only to realize that the spider wasn’t real. It was a toy spider on a string! He laughed, then everyone laughed with him.
“We got so much candy!” said Bo with a big smile. “Can I try some?”
“Sure thing,” said Cheddar. Everyone looked in their bags to see which kinds of candy they had gotten so far. Amongst the lollipops, gumballs, and caramels in Cheddar’s bag, there was a big chocolate bar – her favorite. Cheddar reached for it to have the treat for herself, when she hesitated. Had Bo tried this chocolate before?
“Here, Bo,” Cheddar said as she handed him the chocolate. “Try this.”
“For me?” he squeaked. “Wow!” Bo unwrapped the big chocolate bar and gave it a bite. Then, his eyes widened in amazement. “It’s so good!”
Tilly and Jake smiled at Cheddar, then they offered Bo some of their favorites, too. It was fun to see Bo’s reactions, and to share their joys with him! Together, the four friends traded candies and laughed over their favorite treats and traditions. Bo became a part of the Halloween crew, and it would be a Halloween they’d always remember.
