Twisted ding dong ditch: round one.

Oh! That was close! It’s a quarter to midnight, and I JUST remembered that I have to post for NaBloPoMo.

I guess I got caught up in the unspooling of Halloween Eve. (Yes, that would be the eve of the eve of All Hallows Day.) I just finished watching American Horror Story. The kids are now watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The laundry is drying. We spent the earlier part of the evening getting ready to try out twisted ding dong ditch, then doing it.

I’m going to withhold final judgement about this particular game until after we give it a shot tomorrow night. (Halloween itself.) Tonight’s attempt was a bit of a let-down.

The evening came on foggy – which we thought would be a good thing – but by the time we left the house, it was also raining lightly. And very, very dark.

Most of the houses we’d marked on our mental maps as recipients of our prize, were dark too. I don’t know where everyone was on a Wednesday night before Halloween, but they certainly weren’t home. Finally we spotted one place that looked as though life was going on inside. We parked about a half-block away. The kids donned their ghost costumes. We crept up on the house, and I took up a position at the end of the walk with my camera.

They carefully placed the prize on the front stoop, knocked loudly, and retreated down the path.

Nothing happened.

We got all the way around the side of the house and waited. We had already shrugged and turned toward the car when we heard someone open the door. Then close it. Or sad little tree remained unnoticed on the step, getting soggy.

We ended up going back, knocking again, WAITING for the girl to answer the door and putting it into her hands, while apologizing for bothering her twice. Apparently we’re not cut out for even nice pestering. She did seem pleased, but also a little freaked out by the two six-foot sheet-ghosts that had come to call.

We’ll see how it goes tomorrow night.

Gotta go fold laundry now.

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