Experience Writng October 10th prompt is: Behind The Mask– this prompt asks what is behind the mask that people wear? Sometimes a mask isn’t always made out of plastic or paint and sometimes you don’t need to hide your face to give yourself the courage to hide your true intentions and cause a little mischief.

 

Every Halloween my Mom and  my Grandma Ginger and Grandpa Bert would take me and my brother to Woolworth’s to choose our Halloween costumes.

My Mom didn’t like shopping for Halloween costumes- well. She didn’t like shopping with me for costumes because unlike my brother, I looked at the rows and rows of plastic masks and I would freeze up.

Acutally I wasn’t frozen up. I just wasn’t crazy about the choices.

But one Halloween that all changed.

On this trip  to the store  my Mom was ready with my selections. ” What do you want to be, a Princess?  Look. Here’s a nice mask”

” Princess. ” my Grandpa Bert would snorted.

I looked over to him and he nodded at me and grinned.

” Princesses are dumb. Plus. They have to kiss boys- and frogs. I hate frogs. How come they can’t kiss  puppies instead? I like dogs.”

” That’s my girl. ” Grandpa Bert said.

My Grandma Ginger pulled a Gypsy Mask down. ” Look a Gypsy. They can curse people and tell the future. ”

” It’s very pretty. ” I said. ” Taking the box from her hand.

My Mom and Grandma Ginger smiled. They  were ready  to celebrate a job well done with a cigarette.

My Grandpa patted me on the head and  I held it up  over my head for him to see.

He snickered.

” My Granddaughter doesn’t need a mask to curse, do you Anita Marie? She does stuff like that at least twice a day by lunchtime. That’s not Halloween to her. ”

I handed the box back to My Grandma  and smiled- it was a sideways smile. It was my Grandpa Bert’s trademark smile.

My Mom and my Grandma didn’t always get along in those days, but they were on the same team on this day and they had had it with my Grandpa Bert’s shenanigans.

” What do you want to be? ” My  Mom demanded to know- her eyes were going all squinty so I knew things were ready to take a grim turn, ” A cat? ? What? You choose. Go on, You pick one out.”

” Okay. ” I put my arms out to my sides. I closed my eyes.

My Grandpa Bert spun me around a few times and  when he stopped me I pointed.

What do you know, I was pointing at a Devil Mask.

My Mom pulled the box down and she shoved it into my Grandpa Bert’s chest.

” The both of you – ” she was at a loss for words but my Grandma Ginger was not.

” The two of you should have been left in the woods to be raised by wolves. ” My Grandma Ginger spat at us. I mean, for real. She was mad.

We watched them stomp down the aisle and my Grandpa handed me the costume that  there was NO WAY my Mom and Grandma would have let me choose because it wasn’t pretty.

Walking behind them, because there was such a thing as overkill in shenanigans, me and my Grandpa Bert strolled to the check out stand with my Devil mask and a set of sideways smiles between us.