"Why do these pumpkins have faces on them?" Min Jun asked as he colored his pumkin picture orange like he saw the other kids doing.
"It's for Hallowmeen." Tommy explained holding up the paper."It's called a Jack o lantern."
"What's Hallowmeen?" Min Jun asked looking confused. The other kids looked shocked.
"It's only the bestest holiday ever! Phil exclaimed.
"You dress up in costumes and go to people's houses and they give you candy." Lil explained.
"We're making jack o lanterns at my house tonight." Kimi said.
"And me and Dilly are helping my mommy make special spooky treats to give out to the trick or treaters." Tommy said excitedly.
"Hallowmeen sounds fun." Min Jun said.
After preschool Didi let the kids decorate a Halloween sahped cookie for their snack. They had a choice between a ghost, a pumpkin, or a bat. Phil and Lil chose bats. Tommy and Dil chose a ghost and Chuckie and Kimi chose pumpkins. Min Jun didn't know what to choose.
"I know the pumpkin but what is the other shapes?" Min Jun asked looking at the three cookies spread out before him.
"That's a bat." Phil pointed.
"And that's a ghost." Lil pointed to the cookie next to it.
"Oh, we have ghost in Korea but they don't look like that. They're call gulshin." Min Jun explained picking up the ghost shaped cookie.
After the cookies had been decorated with icing and sprinkles, the kids went outside to enjoy them. As Tommy was eating his cookie he noticed a big pile of leaves in the middle of the yard.
"Look guys, my daddy made us a big leaf pile to jump in." The kids hurredly ate their cookies and then all jumped into the pile, throwing leaves all over the yard. They played in the leaves until it was time to go home.
"Why are we not going home?" Min Jun asked as Mi Sun turned on a street going in the opposite direction from home.
"We're going to pick out pumpkins for Halloween." Mi Sun explained."They'll look like the pictures you made in school.
"So we get to have Hallomeen like my friends?" Min Jun asked hopefully.
"Yes." Mi Sun answered as they neared the pumpkin patch.
Once he stepped out of the car, Min Jun looked around and all he could see were rows and rows of green with orange sticking out randomly. They walked over to Jin, who was casually leaning against his car as he waited for them.
"Are you ready to pick some pumpkins?" Jin asked. Min Jun nodded his head eagerly and ran to the first row of pumpkins.
"I want this one." He called out soon after he ran into the field.
"That looks like a daddy pumpkin. We need to find a Min Jun size one." Mi Sun said coming over to see the pumpkin that Min Jun was standing by.
"There's one!" Min Jun exclaimed pointing to a much smaller pumpkin a little ways down the path.
"That looks perfect for you." Jin said coming over and lifting the small pumpkin up and putting it into a wagon.
"Can I get this one?" Min Ho asked pointing a pumpkin. It was completely round and slightly bigger then Min Jun's. Jin added the pumpkin to the other two in the wagon. They had decided to get the big pumpkin that Min Jun had found earlier so that each family member could have a pumpkin of their own.
"We need a mommy pumpkin and a baby oone and one for Min Hee." Min Jun said looking around. He soon spotted a pumpkin that was as tall as it was wide, it would be perfect for his older sister.
"I found my pumpkin and Ji Yeon's." Mi Sun called from the far side of the patch. The boys all came over to look and saw a medium sized pumpkin and next to it was a tiny pumpkin with a long stem sticking out of the top.
"It looks just like her." Min Ho laughed picking up the little pumpkin and giving it to Ji Yeon, whao was sitting in the wagon with all the pumpkins."It even has her same hair."
Once the pumpkins were paid for the family decided to go inside the corn maze. They had the choice of three mazes. One was a small, easy maze, the next was a little larger and harder, and the last was the biggest and hardest. The boys wanted to go in the biggest one. Eventually they became lost.
"Can we go home now?" Min Jun asked in a whiny voice."I'm tired of walking.
"We can go when we find the way out." Jin answered. He noticed the light was starting to fade. He bent down to the wagon where Ji Yeon was slumped against the mommy pumpkin sleeping soundly, still clutching her baby pumpkin by the stem, the pont tail on top of her head fell in her face.
"What are you lookiing for?' Mi Sun asked.
"I put a flashlight in here but I can't find it." Jin answered as he moved the pumpkins around.
Mi Sun picked Ji Yeon, careful to not wake her up and the flashlight rolled out from under her.
"Look for a red arrow." Jin said lifting Min Jun up and handing him the flashlight.
"I see it." Min Jun yelled."It's this way."
They had to run to catch up with him. They made it back to the entrance just as the street lights were coming on.
"Yay. I'm free." Min Jun cheered as he stepped out of the maze.
They loaded up into the cars and left for home. school was out the next day so when they got home they carved the pumpkins in the garage. Jin cut all the tops of the pumpkins open and everyone scooped out the seeds and pumpkin guts, even Min Hee had some fun as she threw the slimy pumpkin guts at her brothers. She ahd been at Korean school while they went to the pumpkin patch.
Ji Yeon was having fun helping her mom scoop out the pumpkin stuff, once she realized she wasn't allowed to eat it. The fun stopped for her however when some of got thrown on her head by one of the big kids. She didn't like the cold slimy feeling and started to cry.
"Ok, enough throwing the pumpkin stuff." Mi Sun declared standing up and going into the house to start dinner.
"This looked easier when I watched the video." Jin said as he began carving Min Jun's pumpkin. He wanted thekids to feel at home in America but still know where they came from, which is why they started going to Korean school. Once the pumpkins were all carved, each having a different face, they lined them up on the porch steps.
"What is that?" Ji Yeon asked eyeing the enormous pumpkin with a face and glowing candle inside as she and her family sat on the porch and admired their first jack o lanterns while they ate dinner.
"My friends says it's a jack lantern." Min Jun explained as he put the top of the pumpkin back on.
"So the pumpkin is named Jack?" Ji Yeon asked.
"I guess." Min Jun shrugged.
It was the day before Halloween and the preschool class was having a Halloween party. They had Halloween themed snacks and watched Hotel Transylvania and read a story of how Halloween came to be. Some kids came dressed in their costumes but some forgot.
Min Jun was excited and once the movie was over couldn't sit still. He was going costume shopping for the first time. He didn't even eat his snack. Instead he just wrapped it up in a napkin and put it in his pocket for later.
"You want one of our dirt cuos with a worm in it?" Phil asked as he sat down at the table.
"It's not real worms and dirt." Lil explained."It's chocolate pudding with cookies and a gummy worm. Our daddy made them for us to take to the party."
"Ok." Min Jun said. Lil sat a small cup of the chocolate dirt and worms in front of him."It's really good."
"How come you didn't eat your ghost cookie?" Tommy asked after as the party was winding down and the class was getting ready for the story as they sat in the circular red and blue rug waiting for the story to start.
"Lil gave me another snack. I can give my ghost cookie to Ji Yeon cause she doesn't get a Hallowmeen party. I get to shop for a ostume today." Min Jun explained.
"Ooh. What are you going to be?" Phil asked."I'm being a garbage man. I even gots a trash bag to put my trick or treat candy in." Phil explained excitedly.
"I don't know what I want to be yet." Min Jun said just as the teacher told them to be quiet and listen to the story.
As soon as the bell rang, Min Jun ran outside to meet his mom, who was really his aunt but felt more like a mom to him then his real mom, so he called her mom even before he was adopted.
They soon arrived at the Haloween store, it was a seasonal store so it was only open in September and October. As they walked inside they saw all things creepy and Halloween themed. The kids costumes were located towards the front of the store so they bypassed all the creepy anamatronic zombies and skeletons.
"Look. They have a Minnie Mouse dress." Min Jun pointed as they looked at the baby costumes first."Can she come trick or treating with us"
"She's still to young for candy. She's going to stay with Mun Hee and help pass it out." Mi Sun explained finding Ji Yeon's size in the wrack of pink shiny dresses. She soon found what she was looking for and added the matching pink bow and pink shiny slippers with Minnie's face on them. They walked over to the next isle that where the little boy costumes were located.
"I want to be Chase." Min Jun pointed excitedly to a costume of a German shepeard in a police uniform. The costume had brown arms with a blue police uniform, brown pants, tan hand and feet coverings, and a blue hat with brown pointy ears sticking out of it. There was also a blue backpack that you could use for trick or treating.
"Can we look at the stuff over there?" Min Jun asked pointing to all the animatronics.
"You won't get scared?" Mi Sun asked. Min Jun shook his head no.
"But Ji Yeon might. She can have this so she look at the scary things." Min Jun said unwrapping the cookie and handing it to his sister."I saved it from our Hallowmeen party."
They walked over to the moving Halloween decorations. They came upon a door that was closed, on the floor was a little black circle that you stepped on to activate the decoration.
"I think it's broke." Min Jun commented.
"Go stand on the black circle and see what happens." Mi Sun told him. Next to the decoration was the box and in the picture it showed what would pop out of the door.
Min Jun slowly walked over to the black circle and causiously stepped on it, as soon as he did, a white ghost with red eyes popped out of the door and screaming was heard. Min Jun stepped back in surprise.
"Can I do it again?" He asked after the shock had wore off.
"Go ahead but we have to go soon." Mi Sun answered. Min Jun played around with the decorations for a few more minutes and then they went home.
The next night all the kids got dressed up and met at stu and Didi's. They had agreed to take Min Jun and his brother Min Ho tricking treating since their parents had to work.
"You have to hokd still." Mun Hee said as she attempted to zip up the jumpsiut that made up Min Jun's costume.
"I'm to excited." Min Jun yelled moving even more. Mun Hee grabbed him by the shoulders and made him stand still while she finished zipping him up.
"Can we go now?" Min Jun asked hopping up and down."I want some candy."
"Be good and don't eat any candy until you get home." Mi Sun told the boys as she handed Ji Yeon, dressed in her Minnie Mouse outfit minus the ears because she wouldn't keep them on, to Mun Hee."Ok, let's go."
Mi Sun and the three older kids went outside and got in the car. After dropping Min Hee at her party, they made their way to Stu and Didi's. They soon arrived and found everybody waiting for them.
"Leave the soccer ball." Mi Sun called beofre Min Ho, who was wearing his soccer uniform could get out."I got you this to put your candy in."
Min Ho dropped the soccer ball into the backseat and grabbed the trick or treat basket the looked like a soccer ball and went over to join his brother and friends.
Stu and Chas hearded all of the kids onto the sidewalk and walked them up and down a few streets. After a few houses, Min Jun and Min Ho began to catch on to trick or treating and would race each other to see who could ring the doorbell first.
"I want to ring the bell this time." Min Jun announced loudly pushing his way to the front.
"Ok. Go ahead." Tommy said moving aside. Min Jun rung the bell and soon after a lady came to the door hokding a purple bowl decorated with spiders and webs on it. When she saw Min Jun was at the front she quickly replaced the bowl with a black one couldron and handed him and his brother pieces of candy from the couldron and gave Tommy and all his friends candy from the orange bowl. Chuckie noticed Kimi got candy from the couldron also.
"How come you guys gots different candy?" Chuckie asked as they left the house.
"Maybe it's special candy." Kimi shrugged and hurried to catch up with the other kids.
The kids noticed Min Jun, Min Ho, and Kimi all got different candy at random houses in the neighborhood. They didn't think much of it because it only happend a few times.
As they were getting close to the end of the neighborhood it started to rain, so Stu decided to take the kids home a little early. He had been driving along side the kids all night while Chas walked with them on the sidewalk. Everyone took a seat in the van and Stu dropped Min Jun and Min Ho off first.
"Hey, somebody smashed our family pumpkins." Min Jun whined as he walked up the porch steps of the house.
"They're just pumpkins." Min Ho muttered more excited about his candy then anything else.
Meanwhile as Stu was driving home he swereved so he wouldn't collide with another driver that was heading straight for them. He couldn't correct in time and slid off the side of the road and slamming into two care on the other side of the road. Several people including Stu, Chas and the kids were taken to the hospital to get checked out.
Back at Min Jun's house the boys had dumped their candy out all over the floor and were trying to decide which one they would eat first.
"I found a special candy!" Min Jun exclaimed as he picked up the bright red package with a skull on it.
"I got one too." Min Ho cried excitedly.
"Did you guys have fun tonight?" Jin asked as he walked through the door and found the boys going through their candy on the floor.
The boys nodded their heads yes and swallowed the special candy they had gotten. A few minutes later they began vomiting. After turning the boys heads so they wouldn't choke on their vomit, Jin called for an ambulance.
"What's gong on?" Mun Hee asked coming down the hallway after putting Ji Yeon to bed.
"I think somebody put poison in the candy." Jin told her just as the ambulance arrived.
"Why would anyone do that?" Mun Hee asked.
"I don't know. Just throw all of the candy away." Jin ordered getting into his car and following the ambulance to the hospital.
Over at the hospital it was starting to get chaotic. Mi Sun and Mihu were standing by the nurses station finishing up patent charts when Lucy ran by.
"Car crash victems and some poisoned kids. I need all hands on deck." She called. The two wamen dropped what they were doing and quickly followed her to the ambulance bay.
"Male, mid to late thirties, he was unconsious at the scene, possible broken ribs." The brown haired parametic listed off all of Stu's injuries and he was rushed off to be evaluated.
Chas was in the next ambulane. He was responsive and had far less injuries. All of the kids were a little banged up and were taken for further testing.
Miju and Mi Sun were busy with the other kids so they weren't around when the ambulance carrying their nephews pulled up a short while after the car crash victems.
After putting Tommy's arm in a green cast and giving Chuckie some motion sickness medicine, Mi Sun walked out of the room to find her husband standing in the room across the hall.
"What are you doing here?" She asked as he came out of the room when he saw her.
"Sombody gave the boys tainted candy." Jin explained."I have some men gong around the neighbohood and checking all of the houses now. Dr. Karev says they should be fine."
Jin stayed with the boys while Mi Sun went back to work. Four more cases of poisoned candy came in, all of the patients were Asian.
"I hope that's the last one." Lucy said leaning against the counter to take a break.
"Halloween is supposed to be fun and some idiots come along and ruin it." Miju grumbled.
The hospital eventually quieted down and no more poison cases came in. Mi Sun, Miju, and Lucy had just finished their last rounds and were about to head home when the lights went out.
"Looks like the storm knocked out the power." Miju observed. After checking on their patients once again, the three woman decided to head home. Jin offered to stay with the boys since his wife had just worked an 16 hour shift and somebody needed to be home with their daughter. It was slow going but all three made it home safely.
In a room in the children's wing of the hospital, Chuckie was shivering under a blanket.
"Don't worry Chuckie. It's just a storm." Tommy assured his best friend from his own bed.
"I wish we was at home with our mommies and daddies. Hospitals are scary, specially at night." Chuckie cried.
"Hey chuckie, member our daddies are here somewhere. They gotted taked here in that big loud car." Tommy said excitedly."Let's go find them."
"But Tommy, we don't even know where they are." Chuckie groaned from beneath the blanket.
"That's why we gotta find them." Tommy said taking Chuckie's blanket off of him.
"Fine." Chuckie sighed reluctantly climbing off of the bed, careful not to bang his cast on the floor.
"Here, chuckie. Sit in this." Tommy said pushing a wheelchair up to Chuckie. Chuckie sat down and Tommy pushed him out into the hallway.
"Now what?" Chuckie asked as Tommy pushed him down the dark deserted hallway as lightning flashed occasionaly, giving them flashes of light.
"I guess we look in every room until we find my daddy." Tommy suggested."He gots to be around here somewhere."
Lightning flashed illuminating the room Tommy was currently searching, inside he saw Phil and Lil huddled togeather on one bed.
"Stop making that sqeaky sound Lillian." Phil whispered to his sister.
"I'm not making that sound Philip." Lil yell whispered back.
"Than what?" Phil didn't finish as lighting flashed bright and illuminated Tommy's face casting an eerie glow on him. The twins screamed and grabbed a hold of each other.
"Guys, it's just me and Chuckie. Stop screaming." Tommy hollared to the twins to get them to stop screaming.
"Tommy?" Lil asked letting go of Phil.
"Is that really you?' Phil asked feeling Tommy's head.
"Ow." Tommy yelped as Phil accidently poked him in the eye."Yeah it's me. Now come on let's get out of here."
"Phew. Me and Phil thought you guys was ghosties." Lil said jumping from the bed, Phil following behind her.
"There's no ghosts here is there?" Chuckie asked fearfully from the wheelchair.
"Of course not. Ghosts only live in old buildings like castles and stuff." Tommy assured him.
They made their way down the hall but stopped suddenly when they heard moaning coming from a room across the hall.
"If there's no ghosts here then what's making that noise?" Chuckie asked.
"I don't know." Tommy answered a little scared himself.
Tommy was brave but being all alone in a dark place he didn't know very well scared. He gathered his courage and tentativly peaked into the room. He gasped at what he saw inside. He watched as something got off the bed wrapped in a sheet, it started coming closer. Tommy backed away just as another flash of lightning lit up the room. He recognized one of the moaning figures in the bed was Min Jun. He quickly made his way back to his friends.
"Guys I think that special candy turned Min Jun and his brother into ghosts." Tommy explained.
"What special candy?" Phil asked.
"Oh no." Chuckie gasped."Kimi got some special candy too."
"We gotta find her afore she turns into a ghost." Tommy said pushing Chuckie down the hall faster. They looked in every room but couldn't see Kimi anywhere. The kids soon ran into three dark figures at the end of the hallway. They all screamed just as the lights came back on. They all stopped screaming as they realized the figures were their moms.
"Tommy?" Didi asked."You should be in bed."
"I can't go back to bed yet." Tommy pleaded."My new friends turned into ghosts and we gotta find Kimi afore she turned into one too cause of the special candy."
"I think you had a nightmare sweetie." Didi said taking Tommy by the hand and leading him back to his room.
"Wait." Tommy yelled as they passed Min Jun and Min Ho's room.
"They're not ghosts. They just got sick from some candy." Didi explained as they watched Jin help Min Ho back into his bed.
"Eating candy can make you sick?' Tommy asked.
"Eating to much can but in this case some bad people put something in the candy to make your friends sick." Didi explained as they reached Tommy's room.
"How come they got the bad candy and we didn't?" Tommy asked.
"Some people don't like people who look or act different from them." Didi answered.
"Why can't people just be nice to each other?" Tommy asked.
"I don't know but your friends will be fine. Now get some sleep." Didi said tucking Tommy in and giving him a kiss on the forehead.
Tommy had one final question before falling asleep."Where's daddy and Dil?"
"Your brother is fine. He went home with Susie's mom and your dad will be ok in a few days." Didi explained as Tommy closed his eyes.
A few days later everyone was back home and the police caught the poisoners.