#FallWritingFrenzy 2022

Happy Fall, Friends! Ooooooh, am I thrilled that #FallWritingFrenzy is here again? Yes, I am! This season has been busier than ever, as I am back working full-time, this time teaching a class of three and four-year-olds, and whew (!) my writing time has to be carefully carved out and often feels limited. #FallWritingFrenzy is exactly what I needed to get pencil to paper fast and stir up some creativity soup.

Big thanks to Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez (@KaitlynnLeann17), (Lydia Lukidis (@LydiaLukidis), and Alyssa Reynoso-Morris (@AReynosoMorris) for hosting this contest--Find and follow them on Twitter!--and many thanks to all of the prize donors. I'm constantly amazed and inspired by the generosity of the kidlit community!

For this contest, writers choose a fall-themed image from the contest webpage and write a 200 word story for kids, using the image as inspiration. My story is below, underneath this caped-wonderdog I call Tagalong Toby. Thanks for reading! Happy HOWLaween!

Halloween-Credit: Sarah Pflug for Burst

Tagalong Toby

197 words

Every Halloween it’s the same.

Max dresses up…and leaves!

Then the doorbell keeps ringing and all I can do is howl.

Aroooooooooo!

But not tonight.

Tonight, I have a plan.

Tonight, Max will see that dogs can trick-or-treat too!

See my tricks, Max?

Shake

Sit

Rollover

“Good boy, Toby!” says Max.

Oooh! Treats! It worked!

Gobble-gobble-gobble

Hmmm. Tricks…Treats…I’m a Halloween expert!

Which is why I’ll beg…ahem…CONVINCE Max to take me trick-or-treating.

Here goes…

Sniff, sniff, snuggle.

“Not now, Toby. I have to get dressed!” says Max.

Jump, jump, SMOOOOCH!

“Get down, boy! Candy’s bad for dogs.”

Circle-circle-sit

“And dogs aren’t allowed, Toby!” says Max.

Not allowed?

Thump

(I roll over and play dead.)

Boo-hoo-hoo!

“Aw, Toby…Plus, you don’t have a costu—Hey, you’re squishing my sword!”

Costume?? Aha! Max has forgotten my best trick!

Into the dress-up closet I go…

Dig…dig…dig…scoot!

This! Bwahahaaaa.

I scamper to Max.

Woof!

Max does his happy-guy laugh.

“Ha-ha-ha! Ok, boy…” he says. “But I get all of your chocolate.”

It worked! Make no bones about it, old dogs can learn new tricks!

But wait! Christmas will be coming soon… with Christmas CAROLERS.

Aroooooooooo!

I have a plan.

Until then…

Happy Howlaween!