Yes, sir, that's the magic word! ('involvement,' Halloween party in a nursing home)

by Ann Champeau

A long, skinny red devil, unaware that his tail was bouncing gymnastically, stopped at re first door and, holding his sack in front of him, called out, "Trick or treat." Impatiently, he waited for the wrinkled, liverspotted, trembling hand to drop a balloon into the sack emblazoned with an orange moon and a black witch flying on a broomstick.

If the young devil had happened to look up, he would have seen the fun and joy sparkle in the eyes of Laura Louise Best [names of all people mentioned in this article have been changed], the person belonging to those shaking hands. But he quickly moved on to the next door as though he were afraid the goodies would be gone if he didn't hurry.

This Halloween night had brought between 350 and 400 youngsters (two to 10 years old) to the Four Seasons Nursing Center in Norman, Oklahoma; and over half the residents Beeted them at the doors of their bedrooms with Halloween treats.

Laura Louise Best was all smiles later as she talked about the children.

"They were so cute, those costumes! I had so much fun. When I was growing up we didn't do things like this. The big boys put the outside toilets on top of buildings. A terrible prank, I admit, but not nearly as terrible as putting pins and razor blades in candy. I'm glad the children can come here and be sure they don't get that kind of thing."

She talked about what the party had done for her in fighting her worst enemies: boredom and self-pity.