Of course, Hallowe’en belonged to Big Al.
It grew dark by five today. The last streaks of the pale grey light slipped away, leaving a wet town with an air of expectation.
Not every house was decorated: but our estate had its share of houses festooned with elaborate stage-cobwebs and severed limbs. I don’t know when wraiths gave way to horror stories as tale of choice, but somehow the poetry has slipped away, though the pumpkins still grin through the rain.
But the poetry burst in this evening, through the door, dressed in a diminutive black bat outfit and mask.
It was boisterous poetry: you know, the kind written by Roger McGough or Michael Rosen. But it was poetry, nevertheless.
It charged past me, up the hall, and hung an enthusiastic left in the direction of the party food. “Auntie Kate, let’s sing a Hallowe’en song!” the bat cried joyfully. We paused. I think it must have occurred to us both at roughly the same time that there were not many of those about.
It did not seem to bother Al. He is great at diversifying. And at that moment, a skeleton walked in, which caused a dog’s leg bend in the conversation anyway.
“Hello Felix, I’m Flappy the Bat!” Al bellowed joyfully.
Al’s mother entered, brandishing snacks for the bat. The skeleton eyed the bowl of onion rings wolfishly. I decided that it must surely be time to sit down for tea.
“Everyone,” I projected operatically. “Teatime!”
And in they came: the zombie Victorian maid – how much longer will my daughter dress up at Hallowe’en? – and the diminutive witch. The corpse bride, the final princess, had repaired to her friend’s for a sleepover. We were depleted, yes, but you would never have known it. Al was bellowing for five.
Never have the undead devoured cocktail sausages with such devastating speed and efficiency, or iced doughnuts with more panache. The tea disappeared quicker than you could say Nosfiratu, and we prepared for our trick or treating.
We have a sedate programme: we visit one house, that of Granny Norma, my husband’s mother. We telephone ahead to advise her there will be a knock on the door: and pop in for a cup of tea before she bestows Haribos on the assembled ghouls.
Accordingly we set out into a rather damp world in which various small wraiths, corpses and vampires drifted, always accompanied by an adult, from door to door, collecting sweets in buckets, drawn by the grinning pumpkins to sympathetic householders.
Each encounter was a delight for Al, who would strike up conversations with anyone. It appears he had already invited a lady at the costume shop to our party. The more the merrier, as far as this bat was concerned.
“Felix, will you play with me?” he enquired of the skeleton, who had been charged with the superhuman task of holding Al’s hand through the murky forest to Granny’s.
Felix mumbled something non committal. Al’s sister seemed reluctant to play, too. “I’ll play, Al,” I said.
“I’m flying up to the spooky castle, Al said. “But you can’t follow me.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because you will get scared. The door will open and there’s a very scary spider who will look like this -” Al transformed unsettlingly into a gothic gargoyle – “and you will get scared.”
Right-ho, then. Flappy clearly wanted some me-time.
We visited Granny; the sweets found the way to each ghostly apparition’s pocket and we stepped back out to find it was pelting with rain.
But Flappy the Bat didn’t give two sonic squeaks. He dodged the raindrops, a bat living in the moment, ecstatic, surrounded by all the ghouls he loved most in the world.
Personification of the poetry of Hallowe’en.
Kate Shrewsday 
The kids are looking cute as well as spooky 🙂
They were lovely, Jas 🙂
“A dog’s leg bend in the conversation?????”
Priceless. No wonder Halloween’s such an occasion at your place with that kind of language.
We all practice it here, Barb 😀 Life is never dull…
Al as poetry? Sublime.
He is,Tilly 🙂
Wonderful 🙂
🙂
They had some close up photography of English bats on TV last night which showed them in a very loveable light.
I wonder how easy that was to do, Roger? The poor souls have such a very bad press…
As soon as I saw your post title as a Big Al story, I started smiling. It would be so much fun if we could all go back and be 4 or 5 years old and enjoy a Halloween night of Trick or Treating, especially with a favorite Auntie.
I must be sure to treasure these times as much as I can, Lou: I know they will pass, though they seem eternal.
Flappy didn’t give two sonic squeaks! Love that, and LOOOOVE the stories you tell about Al and his shenanigans 🙂
Thank you Lexy 🙂 It is always a treat, not just to spend time with my nephew, but to relay it suitably later…
For next year, when Big Al wants some Halloween songs……
http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Hits-Various-Artists/dp/B0000032GJ
Ah, most useful, thank you, Andra. I can start mugging up ready for next year!
Gorgeous, and long my he remain in that delightful world of his.
And so say all of us, Rosemary 🙂
Flappy as Poetry… I very much enjoyed this entire post.
Hi Colleen, and thank you for taking the time to read and comment! I’m having Flappy all day tomorrow, minus the bat costume, as part of his half term holiday. Wonder if he’ll retain the poetry by the end of the day? 😀
Dear Kate, this posting was poetry in motion–Al’s flapping! Peace.
Thank you, Dee. Peace to you too!
Sounds like a great time. Our Halloween was postponed until tomorrow due to Hurricane Sandy. We didn’t get hit hard in Ohio, but enough that trick or treating was postponed. But that’s okay. My son feels a Friday is much better for trick or treating than a Wednesday. 🙂
Relieved you didn’t get hit too hard, Carrie: I have blogging friends in New York and life has changed considerably for them. Enjoy your Friday Hallowe’en!
Thanks!
How precious. I just want to hug him 🙂
I’ll administer a hug for you, Tandy 🙂
But of course he was named Flappy. What else would you name a bat?
What else indeed. Fang doesn’t have the same ring to it…
Oh, how I miss those Halloween nights of yore – more the gratitude now for a poetic bat, a skeleton, diminutive witch and zombie maid!
I love the way you all set down for tea. Loved your post this day, Kate.
Thanks, Penny, Tea time comes round as certainly as the setting sun.
Loved this!
Hi Annie! Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. So pleased you enjoyed it!
Wonderful Hallowe’en romp, Kate. Teatime at Aunt Kate’s . . . and a cup of tea at Granny’s to collect some candy.
Poetry in motion. 😀
It was, for a while, there, Nancy 🙂
A fabulous Halloween tea, Kate!
Sounds like you all had a howling good time!
We did. It was quite noisy, Tom…
Does Big Al know he has a universal following?
Totally oblivious, Ruth. It will make interesting reading when he is older…
Batty, the lot of you, but a nice kind. )
Thanks, Col. We do indeed have bats in our belfry 🙂
People without such wildlife are SO boring!
I love the choices in costumes. All are so ghoulish and go well with the themes you’ve presented this week! 🙂 Dear Al…I am sure going to miss his little boy ways when he decides to leave them behind. I hope it isn’t too soon, but because he is the same age as Sophia I can imagine certain things that go with this stage of development. Delightful story!
Thanks, Debra. It is a rather lovely age. We treasure it while we are there….hope Sophia enjoyed Hallowe’en…
Beautiful story. Big Al’s appreciation for Halloween matches my own. I remember feasting on the contents in my goodie bags long thru the night. The night’s been given over to severed limbs and Scream costumes. But, I prefer the little bats, ghosts, princesses, and cartoon characters.
Me too, Judy. They are much preferable, and they allow our children to stay young a little younger.
What sweet little ghouls 🙂
Oh, precious Al!