Fun House
Halloween goblin's career short but sweet

The first Halloween my then-3-year-old daughter, Maria, celebrated in our new condominium was an exciting one. She brought home a sackful of candy, which she placed on her nightstand before going to bed.

The next morning, she awoke and started to cry.

"Mommy," she sobbed, "someone stole my candy and put apples and oranges on my nightstand."

"The Halloween goblin did it," I replied. "He doesn’t want you to have rotten teeth. He wants you to eat healthy food."

She was inconsolable.

I felt like the "Grinch who stole Christmas." In my desire to be a good mother, I had dumped the candy down the trash chute and placed fruits in its place.

The following year, Maria hid the sack of candy under her blanket and was proud of outwitting the Halloween goblin, who never visited our home again.

And Maria’s teeth? To my surprise, at age 22, she still has no cavities.

If you have a true, humorous, unpublished short story about your family or a family-related topic, send it with your name, city and telephone number to: Fun House, ‘Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com; fax 535-8170. Preference is given to stories of 200 words or less.

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