Eek! An eensy-weensy SPIDER!

Wait. False alarm...

     It's only an eensy-weensy "Halloweensie" STORY—100 words or less, for kids, and using the three challenge words goosebumps, goodies, and glow-in-the-dark (whew! that last one's a doozy). Find out all about it on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog. She runs this wonderful contest every year for those of us who enjoy writing with a prompt, under pressure, for a chance of a payoff of eternal story glory!!! (Oops. I got a little carried away there.)
     I love this contest so much. Better even than the sackful of tiny Junior Mints boxes I buy for myself every year when I'm loading up on goodies for trick-or-treaters. (Hey, what can I say? Halloween makes me hungry.)
     Good luck to everyone participating in this year's contest, gratitude to Susanna for all she does to support and inspire picture book writers, and thanks for stopping by to read my entry, MEAN HALLOWEEN.

Mean Halloween
 
On mean Halloween, the Greedy Green Ghoul
ignored every Halloween trick-or-treat rule.
 
Instead of a necklace that’s glow-in-the-dark…
it carried a torch with a fiery spark.
 
Instead of a “thank you” for Halloween hosts…
it cursed them with goosebumps and cackling ghosts.
 
We offered to share—a candy-corn trade.
It took without asking—a sugar-sack raid!
 
It gobbled my goodies, pilfered your treats,
lifted our candies, robbed us of sweets!
 
We tangled it tight…in a tied-taffy knot.
(That Halloween meanie deserved what it got!)
 
Hey. It’s okay. Don’t worry or pout.
Later, the meanie just licked its way out.

     Awooooo!
     I do love a Halloween-themed writing contest!
     When I got word of this one, I couldn't resist. I plopped right down and spun this yarn in one sitting. Yup. There's nothing that gets my writing-rhyming juices flowing like a time-sensitive challenge. (Reminds me of my Madness Poetry days. *sigh*) And yes, my story/poem comes in at 200 words, on the nose.
     Without further ado (and with many thanks to the contest organizers), here's my entry for this year's Fall Writing Frenzy, sponsored by author Lydia Lukidis and agent Kaitlyn Leanne Sanchez. Also posted are the two photos that served as my inspiration.
     (p.s. Learn more about the Fall Writing Frenzy challenge here.)