Mini-Moribund Mini-Moribund

The Great Halloween Adventure, part 2
a Mini-Peter Adventure transcribed by Nikki, 2007

October 31: Mini-Peter saves Halloween!

     The night we'd been waiting for had finally arrived!! Mini-Peter primped his outfit and touched up his face paint while I got into my own costume. We gathered up his bucket and lantern and a nice Orange kitty bag for me, then got our roommate to take a picture of us together!

ready to Trick-or-Treat

     We started out in our own apartment complex and got a good little stash of candy to start the night off right. Everyone was delighted with Mini-Peter's costume, and those who didn't recognize him listened intently while he told them all about Real Peter and sometimes even did a bit of the Shock the Monkey dance for them to demonstrate. We hit apartment after apartment, house after house, gathering up candy and admiring everyone's costumes and decorations.

trick or treat!

     Mini-Peter collected the treats in his bucket, then emptied it each time it was full into a bigger bag that I carried for him. We ran into some kids who were out Trick-or-Treating with their father, and he was a fan of Real Peter and recognized our costumes, so Mini-Peter happily posed for a picture with the kids!

with kids

     I promised to e-mail them the picture, and when we told them about this website they said they'd be honored to have the photo included in Mini-Peter's adventure.

     As the night progressed, we made our way around the block. By about 8 o'clock, the crowds were thinning out - it was a school night, after all. There were some older kids still lingering about, so we weren't ready to head home just yet - besides, Mini-Peter was having far too much fun. We turned a corner, laughing and joking, when we saw a young girl crying to her mother in such a crushed tone that it took the smiles right off our faces.

     "But Mommy!!" she wailed. "I don't have any candy left!!"
     "I know, sweetie," her mother tried to comfort her. "I'm sorry. I'll get you some at the store, but it's already past your bedtime. You have to go home and get to sleep."
     "But he took it ALL!!!"
     "Excuse me," Mini-Peter said, approaching cautiously. "Did you say someone took your candy?"
     "Yeah," the girl sniffled. "Some big bully just grabbed it and ran away."
     "He had a huge bag filled with other kids' candy," the mother elaborated. "Be careful, he's probably still out here."
     "How could anyone do such a thing?" Mini-Peter asked, disgusted. "Please don't cry. Here, you can have mine."

crying kid

     The girl's eyes lit up as she looked down at Mini-Peter, then up at her mother.
     "Oh no, we couldn't accept your candy," the mother replied. "Then you wouldn't have any!"
     "It's all right," Mini-Peter assured her. "Look at me, I could never eat all of this. Besides, I don't have to go to bed early, so I'll get more. Please, I insist. Take it."
     The girl's whole face glowed as she accepted the bag of candy. "Thank you," she delighted.
     "Thank you so much," her mother said, leaning down to shake Mini-Peter's hand. "You're very kind, this really means a lot."
     "You're welcome. It's nothing, really. We can't have anyone crying on Halloween, now can we?"

     The mother and daughter thanked us a few more times before we finally parted ways, and I kneeled down to talk to Mini-Peter. "That was a very good thing you just did. I'm proud of you."
     He smiled. "Did you see how happy she was? We couldn't just let her go home without any candy."
     "No, we couldn't, you're right. But it was still a great thing to do. You can have as much of my candy as you want, okay?"
     "Thank you, but really, it's not so much about the candy anymore. It's the costumes and the decorations and the atmosphere, and more than anything it's all the people out having fun and being silly. I can't believe that anyone could spoil that for all the kids because they can't be bothered to get their own candy the proper way. If I could get my hands on that bully, I'd--"
     "Watch what you say, Mini-Peter, you might just get your wish," I interrupted him as I saw a huge black billowy figure with a glowing white ghost face careening down the street in our direction. He carried a giant Orange trash bag filled to capacity with the loot of other children and ran from a skeleton, a Batman and an angel who chased him. I tried to stand in his way, but he dodged me skillfully and took the opportunity to snatch the bag right out of my hand on his way past! In these shoes I knew I could never keep up with him, so Mini-Peter and I just watched, stunned, as he bolted off with the last of our goodies. The other kids who had been chasing him gave up just a few yards later. He was bigger and faster, and they were hopelessly out of breath.

     We just shrugged at the kids, and they shrugged back at us.
     "Well so much for Halloween," said Batman.
     "Yeah dude," the skeleton agreed. "This sucks."
     "I'm going home," the angel announced, removing her halo and turning to leave.
     "Right," Mini-Peter stated, and marched off with intimidating determination in the direction the Bully had fled.
     "Where do you think you're going?" I asked.
     "He can't have got very far, he was out of breath as well. He must be hiding 'round here somewhere, and I'm going to find him."
     "And do what, exactly?" I asked.
     "Ask him to give back the candy," Mini-Peter called over his shoulder as he began to jog.
     "Mini-Peter, wait!" I called, taking off after him. I took one small step for every five of his bounds, keeping pace as he peered under every bush and shrub along the pavement, looking for the bully.

tracking the bully

     "I don't think it will be that easy," I warned him.
     "Then I'll just have to get persuasive," he declared.
     "Persuasive?" I questioned. "I can't imagine you mean violent!"
     "Of course not!" He turned to give me the most startled expression, as if I'd just suggested that the moon was composed of guacamole and Real Peter made bad music, then continued his tracking. "No, I have my ways, don't worry."
     "This is not a good idea. Seriously. Just because you won't get violent doesn't mean he won't. All he has to do is step on you. I'm bigger than he is and I don't want to confront him. If we find him, let's call someone--"
     "Shhh!!" he suddenly hissed, and before I could say or do anything he scurried under a bush and was gone!
     "Mini-Peter!!" I whispered urgently, as loudly as I dared, afraid to alert the bully to our presence if he had indeed been found. I bent down to look under the bushes, but I only saw flashes and shadows and heard whooshing of leaves and something that sounded like the rustling of a large trash bag. Then I heard a yelp, a thud, and lots of grunting and struggling. I couldn't see anything from here! What was going on? Mini-Peter could be in danger - I couldn't just stay behind! I clambered straight through the bushes, shone my light into the small clearing, and even with photographic proof I still cannot believe what I saw.

caught!

     "Mini-Peter-- you-- HOW-- what happened??!"
     "No worries. Everything's under control. Right, Bully?"
     "Help! Get this monkey off me! What is it?!"
     "He's not an 'it', he's Mini-Peter," I laughed, "and you are busted."
     "What are you gonna do to me?" he asked from behind his mask, clearly frightened now that he no longer had the advantage of intimidation.
     "Oh, relax," I said, "we're just gonna take back all the candy you stole."
     "Are you gonna leave me here all night?"
     "I dunno..." I teased. "What do you think, Mini-Peter?"
     "Naw, I think he's learned his lesson."
     I picked up the giant bag of candy and slung it over my shoulder while Mini-Peter untied the bully, who clambered up to stand and took a few steps away from us, still afraid.
     "You have a cool costume," I told him, almost feeling sorry for him now. "It's still early. If you want candy, go door to door and earn it like all these kids did," I pointed at the bag. "Go on. Get outta here."
     He turned slowly then scrambled away, and Mini-Peter and I just laughed.

     We spent another half an hour or so wandering around looking for kids with no candy bags. We found a few, and when confronted they confessed that they'd had their candy stolen, so we dug through the bag and found theirs to give it back. However, by the time the streets were clear and most of the houses were dark, we still had a huge stash left. We'd done all we could do tonight, so we hauled it home and contemplated what to do with it.

lots of candy

     "Even after all my training, there's no way I could ever eat all of this," he sighed.
     "No, I couldn't either. I hate to see it go to waste, though."
     "Is your bag in there?"
     I dug through the stash until I found my familiar Orange kitty bag. "Here it is," I confirmed, pulling it out and dumping its contents onto the floor between us. There were peanut butter cups and fun-size chocolate bars and lollipops and tangy candies and bubble gums and - well, all sorts of goodies.
     "Guess we'd better start somewhere," Mini-Peter decided, picking up a peanut butter cup.
     He ate a bit of this and a bit of that and a bit of something else until he'd given himself quite a sugar rush, so he cued up Shock the Monkey and danced around to that until he'd worn himself out again.

shock!

     The next morning we went around the neighborhood posting signs stating that we had recovered the stolen candy and giving the address where it could be picked up. That afternoon, almost every bag was claimed, including the one belonging to the girl Mini-Peter had given his candy to. When she saw it was him she told him to keep hers, because she'd already eaten a lot of his and she didn't have it with her to give back anyway. Her mother smiled proudly as the kindness had been returned, and Mini-Peter graciously accepted the gift.

     As we sorted through our candy that night for a chocolatey treat after dinner, our hearts were warmed by the spirit of Halloween. Who says this kind of stuff only happens at Christmas??

jack-o-lantern