十月底了，太阳还是不依不饶。上个星期的天气都创记录了，气温一直徘徊在90－100度，没有一丝秋季的凉意。马路上靠水浇灌的树依然是绿的，没精打采地耷拉在热浪中。下班了，钻进被太阳烤了一天的车内，一边开，一边心里骂着鬼天气。快到家时，才注意到边上的小农场早已经挂起了横幅，上面挂着家喻户晓、呲牙咧嘴的jack-o'－lantern，地面上则摆着金灿灿的南瓜，一捆捆的麦秸。早已是秋天了，万圣节也就在这几天了。
走进社区，拐进熟悉的小路，拐角处的那几家早就张灯结彩，挂满万圣节的装饰，不外乎的是鬼屋、僵尸、死人头、南瓜灯笼、蜘蛛网等等。每年到我们社区来要糖果的人总是络绎不绝，人潮涌动，尤其是去年，停满了车，那几家门口挤得水泄不通，一条街全是人，真是少有的景象。记得那晚自己后来糖也分完了，只好关了灯，趁机去社区转转，跟着人群也热闹了一番。
不由地就想起女儿，大了，不在家了。记得她小时候，我没工作在家，万圣节的下午带着她跟着一群台湾妈妈和小朋友去mall里要糖果。我们走过一家家商店，一家家的要糖果。这么大一个mall，走的都不喊累。晚上还带着她在附近挨家挨户继续要。女儿对万圣节是既爱又怕，怕的是那些精灵鬼怪，一动不动地站在那儿，等你靠近了，突然伸出爪子，在你面前晃动，真是灵魂都要吓出来的。我牵着她的小手，走着，要着，直到走不动了，桶也满了，才打道回府。如今，那个踮着脚尖要糖果的小姑娘已经长大了，飞走了，我想牵她的手都够不着了；那双曾经的小手今日也已经自食其力了。高兴乎，伤感乎？
万圣节从某种意义上说也是糖果节了。据说，今年预估糖果的销量会达到$2.7 billion。虽然我知道糖果并不健康，可那是孩子的节日和欢乐时光，我想我不忍心拒绝那一双双期盼的眼睛，对着他们说，"Sorry，we run out of candy"。得，赶紧多准备点糖果去。
It is late October, when people in the colder areas may expect the season to be ablaze with fall color, we normally don’t have such an expectation. For the whole week the temperature has been hovering around 90 to 100 degrees, a record high for this time of the year. Getting into the sunbaked car, driving along the water-irrigated dull evergreen trees by the road sides, you won’t feel in the fall at all. But a small farm on the street corner, where piles of golden pumpkins and stacks of neatly-cut hays on the ground, as well as a banner of the carved jack-o’-lantern images in the air, remind us it is the harvest time, and that Halloween is just around the corner.
Our community has a tradition of holding annual Best Halloween Decoration Contest, which as a result becomes a well-known destination for trick-or-treating among the neighboring areas. Last year saw the unprecedented crowd, as the winners who sat next to the entrance put on whopping and jaw-dropping Halloween decorations. Spectators, young and old, dressed up in a myriad of costumes, flocked to our community for candies and for the scene. I remember that I bought a big bag of candy from Costco last year, but it ran out unexpectedly in the end. A bit embarrassed, we decided to turn off the light, walked out the house and joined the crowd. As we strolled in the darkness along the decorated houses that were shrouded in smoky and haunting atmosphere with RIP signs, flickering lights, skulls or spooky projected images and music, we did feel the feel.
I was then reminiscent of the old days, when I drove my daughter to the big mall for trick-or-treating, and of the nights when I held her little hand in mine to the neighboring communities for candies. More than once, she was scared to death by the disguised walking dead man, who stood motionless in front of the house until you approached him. But like most other kids, she was excited meanwhile at watching her candy bucket growing full in the end. Now she is grown up and out of nest, I am no longer needed. But maybe it is my time to return the favor, though we did not live here when she was little. I like hearing the doorbells being rung and seeing those cute toddlers or kids in front of my house expecting surprises. Though I know candy is not healthy, it is their fun time and happy moment. I hate to let them down. I am preparing more candies this year.
While trick-or-treating is what may lure most kids, the freedom of putting on any costume they could imagine and being one-night supernatural figure must be equally appealing. Even in the adult world, at least in the company like mine, employees are dressed up for costume contests and shows. Downstairs employees paraded to upstairs, and upstairs people rushing downstairs. Foods, cookies, candies, potluck, and laughters filled the day up. Nobody seems to really care about work. I am looking forward to that day, not as a participant, but more as an on-looker, watching and having some fun in the workplace.
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