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Dracula hits the town

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 2011.10.31

Kenny and Mari have discovered "trick or treating".

We had no one come to our door at all, so I went out with Kenny and Mari. It turns out that there's a street on the far side of Woodbine that puts on a big deal with a haunted house that spans the front yards of half a dozen of the cookie-cutter houses. All the kids from kilometers around were there.

Kenny loved being Dracula, and although he had no fangs everyone complemented him on his costume and he had a ball yelling "Raaaar". Mari had him in his fancy dress shirt, a dark vest, and a dark coat and he looked perfect with his better-than-day-to-day shoes and the red-fabric-lined taffeta cape and top hat. I tried to tell him that the roaring was a werewolf thing but no use.

Funny enough, I did nothing more than spend $1 on a "Jason" hockey mask and throw on my black MEC goretex jacket, and had people in real costumes asking to take their photo with me! I scared several small children too, which is always fun. Mari really enjoyed it, too, saying many times what a great time she was having and how she liked "this culture".

The stores were handing out treats, too: the boy got some pita chips, and an ice cream cone from the "Licks"!

rand()m quote

It is the ancient wisdom of birds that battles are best fought with song.

—Richard Nelson