He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, all the while eying the clock on the wall as the big hand crept slowly closer to the six, 3:30 Pm. Just twenty more minutes, and he could go to meet Jimmy Higgins and Petey Fontz. This was the day that they were to plot their route out for Halloween night. A kid's route would determine the size of the bounty they would haul in treats. And this time it was Jimmy Higgins who would decide the route that they would take. Almost a quarter after now, “soon Marvin, very soon” he thought.
“Marvin Tallmadge!!”
He sat up abruptly in his seat at the sound of Mrs. Myrtle’s stern voice bellowing throughout the room.
"Young man! Are you daydreaming again?"
Shaking his head back and forth repeatedly, he struggled inside his ten-year-old mind for a viable answer.
“Umm. N.N. No Mrs. Myrtle. Umm. I was just wondering if the clock was broken, ma’am. I don’t think it's moved in like an hour or sumpthin.”
The classroom erupted into a sea of laughter just as the bell rang, saving young Marvin Tallmadge from further cross-examination by the annoyed Mrs. Myrtle.
He emerged from Coves Port elementary school and headed on a dead run right for Jimmy Higgins house, where they would meet on the back porch to hear what Jimmy had planned for their route on Halloween night. He ran through the gate and down the side walkway beside of the Higgins home, almost tripping over the garden hose that lay across the walkway. He made the turn at the back porch and slowly walked up the steps, to where Jimmy was sitting. He had both feet propped up on the porch railing. He was running his finger across his chin, tapping his forefinger against his front teeth, and seemed completely lost in thought. Over in the corner sat the redheaded, freckle faced form of ten-year-old Petey Fontz. Both looked like someone had shot their dog.
He sat his chubby frame in the chair next to Jimmy Higgins, who was now running his fingers through his thick black hair. Marvin looked at Petey and then at Jimmy.
“So what gives? did you plan out our route for tomorrow night or what?”
Jimmy put his baseball cap on, as he turned to face Marvin.
“Yeah I did… But I can’t go out with you guys unless I take my little sister Jennifer trick or treating with us.”
Petey was shaking his head sadly.
“Yeah.” he said. “And we saw Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Conners and Miss Alrute all over at the Bag and Grab supermarket buying bags and bags of peanut butter and chocolate Nutty Buddy bars, and Mrs. Larson was there too, and together they must have bought like fifty bags or sumpthin. And all of them live on Jimmy’s Route.”
Marvin sat down dejected in his seat. His hands limp at his sides. He was staring at the floor.
“Man, we would have cleaned up. But Jenny. She’s only 8! man, Jimmy, she’ll slow us down.”
He thought for a minute, and slowly a look of concern began to grow on his face.
“Hey.-Wait-a-minute! Mrs. Larson lives by the old Miller place over on March street. Man Jimmy! what were you thinking?? that place is haunted! And we’d have to walk right by there!”
Jimmy stood abruptly, extending both hands while explaining.
“Yeah? And NOBODY else will go by there, and we’ll have the whole street to ourselves!”
Now it was Petey Fontz’s turn to stand.
“Hey, this could still work! What if we take turns pulling Jennifer in that old wagon of yours so she doesn’t slow us down?”
Marvin’s eyes lit up.
“Man. Now that’s a plan and a half!”
“Man. Now that’s a plan and a half!”
And so the plan was set in motion, and the following night they would take turns pulling Jimmy’s little sister in the wagon behind them. Haunted house or no haunted house, the lure of scores of peanut butter chocolate Nutty Buddy bars was too much for a ten-year-old boy to resist.
~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2008
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