And now, another entry into Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie story competition. The Rules: must be 100 words or fewer; must contain any form of the words monster, candy corn, and shadow; and must be appropriate for kids through age 12. So here goes! Oh, and I used only 88 words if we’re counting candy corn as one word, according to the rules. Woohoo!
Goblin’s New Blood
‘Tis the night before Monsters, when all through the house,
not a shadow is stirring, except for a louse.
The candy corn stockings are hung by the fire,
in hopes that the goblin will fill them much higher—
than past Halloweens. They’d all been huge duds.
A single, sour gumdrop, plus sprouting-eyed spuds.
The children grew sadder. They gave up the ghost.
Their stockings neglected in dust on a post.
But this year is different! The rumors run wild.
The goblin’s changed heart now that he has a child.
Jilanne Hoffmann 
Great! You have lame candy too! Very clever!
Thank you! Yeah, no one wants a sour gumdrop and old spud. Thanks for stopping by!
LOL-Loving me a goblin whether it be sprouting spuds or duds 🙂 Good luck, Jilanne 🙂
Ha! Thanks, Charlotte! Susanna’s contests are the best!
Yes! I look forward to these contests and the creativity of the writing community 🙂
Love the ending… so much. Great sentiment 🙂
Thank you! I was thinking of this goblin in a Grinch kind of way. Glad it came through!
Very cool! Great twist on the poem and good twist at the end. Hope they have a better Monsters this year.
I’m thinking there’s a lot of candy in their collective futures, LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
What fun! Your take on the Grinch came through right away! And love the sprouting-eyed spuds! Made me laugh! 🙂
Thanks, Rene! I’m so glad that Susanna does this every year. It’s so much fun!
That was such fun, Jilanne! Great rhyming, too!
Thanks, Beth! Sometimes the stories just come out in rhyme. Sometimes they don’t. Can’t seem to predict when it will happen. But very glad when it works out. Thanks for stopping by!
Nice work twisting around something familiar. =) Good luck!
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
What a way you have with story-telling! Love it!
Thank you, Ann! Susanna’s contests tend to light a fire under so many people. It’s fun!
Love this Halloweensie twist on the Christmas poem! You’re rhyming words are great and I enjoyed the detailed visuals… sprout-eyed spuds, haha. I think you could totally expand on this and have a fabulous manuscript
Thank you, Candice! Your kind words are inspiring. Who knows what will come of this? Stay tuned…..
Such a great idea, Jilanne, to use the NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS as your mentor text! Funny an fit even has a story arc. BRAVO.
Thank you, Kathy! You know, it was just one of those things that happen. The synapses all fired at the same time, instead of firing indiscriminately. Can’t wait to read yours!
Sweet and fun. Great work.
Thanks, David! It’s fun to do mash-ups, especially when you don’t have to bang your head against the wall.
Unique! Merry Halloween, Jilanne.
Thank you! I think I hear Gurp! Gurp! Gurp! coming from the darkness, instead of Ho!Ho!Ho! Thanks for stopping by!
Lovely Jilanne.
PS Isn’t the monster in the White House, and hasn’t he been there far too long?
Thank you, LF. That monster is too scary for me to dwell on. The nightmares have been overwhelming. Unlike the Grinch and my Goblin, I don’t hold out much hope for the monster’s redemption.
I’ll just echo everyone else and say, this is really great Jilanne.
btw, I haven’t visited in a long time, and I REALLY love the way you must have redesigned your site while I was away. it looks great!
Thanks, Nick, for the compliment on my Halloweensie story! I appreciate it. And thanks for the feedback on the website. It was a long time in the making. Russ Cox, the illustrator who created the graphic for my home page, is amazing. I LOVE his work! Thanks for stopping by!
Ah, I take it he’s going to cook the child in a nice savoury sauce – that would melt any goblin’s heart!
LOL, I love your critical interpretation, FF!! Gotta tell you a little secret. I’ll be reviewing a book on Halloween that’s right up your alley. Stay tuned!
This should be turned into a children’s short story book. So clever and cute writing!
Thank you! It’s so much fun to play with stories. Thanks for stopping by!
Like your story, and liked you’re comment about Nitro, my story for this 2017 contest. Good Luck!
Thanks, Jenifer! So many terrific stories to read! Cheers!
So fun! And such a sweet ending. The title really fools the reader!
Thanks, Jill! I’d debated about whether the title was right for this story. I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
Fun twist on the Night Before Christmas. good job.
Thanks, Maria! Twas a hoot to write. 😀
Halloweensie is the best contest! And I love your entry…when I got to the end, I said, Awwww. Well done, Jilanne!
Thank you, Vivian! In the end, even Goblins can turn over a new leaf—with the right incentive, of course. 😀
Haha! Isn’t it funny how some people change when they have their own child! Love it
Thank you! Yes! They blossom and develop a bit more empathy, I think. Thanks for stopping by!
Very clever twist on the “Night Before Christmas!” Great job!
Thank you, Judy! It was fun to write. Thanks for stopping by!
Yes, Goblins can have a change of heart. Very clever story and the rhyming was fun too! Good luck in the contest.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
Love the twist on the Christmas classic. Good luck!
Thanks, Christine! This story fits snugly into the blur of the Halloween to Christmas timeline.
A Grinch-take on Halloween – what a great approach to the story. Then add in the rhyme and the adorable ending and you have a winning entry. Awesome job!
Thank you, Colleen! There are so many great entries this year. Not sure where mine will fall in the crowd, but it’s always fun to participate no matter what happens. Cheers!
Definitely makes for some tough judging, but good luck!!
Great entry! Love the word choice and the idea of combining holidays for your creation. Best of luck!
Thank you! I do think that the rush of holidays in the fall-winter makes everything a blur. This story reflects that a bit, I think. Thanks for stopping by!
What fun, Jilanne! I love the riffs on Night before Christmas & The Grinch. And it’s rhyming! Well done!
Thank you! The writing of this story put me into the spirit of Halloween. But all these sweet comments make me feel like it’s Christmas! Thanks for stopping by!
So wonderful! Love contests that get our muses rock ‘n’ rolling! Good luck in the contest!
Thanks, Kate! It’s funny how I didn’t think I had time to write a story, but then sat down, put on my headphones and decided it was now or never. Guess the pressure works. Maybe this is a remnant of my freelance days, LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
Goblin dad with a heart…sweet
and no more spuds.
Good luck!
Just say no to spuds, especially ones with sprouting eyes. Thanks for stopping by!
Very clever, Jilanne! Nice job.
Thank you, Joni! It was fun to write. Cheers!
Awww … funny and sweet! Great job!
Thanks, Jen! Thanks for stopping by!
I totally love this spin on The Night Before Christmas! The rhyme and the great word choices make it such a fun read.
Thanks, Sandy! Everything old is new again, isn’t it, when you give things a little twist? Thanks for stopping by!
So sweet and clever! Love the holiday influences and the twist at the end. ❤
Thank you, Delfina! I’m a big fan of multi-holiday mingling. Thanks for stopping by!
This is really funny Jilanne! I love how you took another holiday favorite and made it into another. This will be a wonderful new Halloween book for sure!
Thanks, Traci! There are so many wonderful entries in this contest, Susanna and company must be overwhelmed by the response.
Great rhyming! Hey if they only understood those spuds could grow an entire patch of potatoes. Nothing like sculpting with them mashed.
Thanks! Now there’s an idea. Trick or treating for mashed potatoes! Love it! Thanks for stopping by!
I love it! Everybody’s nicer once they have kids of their own, right?
Thanks! I’ve seen the hearts of some real goblins grow much bigger, LOL! Maybe it’s because empathy sometimes begins with children….Thanks for stopping by!
Ha ha ha. I love it. So creative! Even goblins are suckers for a cute kid. Good luck with the competition, Jilanne.
Thank you! Lots of fun going round in this contest. So many great stories!
Absolutely adorable! I’m fond of parodies anyway and this one has an awesome ending! Love it!
Thank you! There’s another happy ending tonight. My son gave me his peanut butter cups and a York peppermint patty because he doesn’t like them. Yay!
Haha! So clever. Love the ending!
Thanks, Mare! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
Aww so cute! Love all the fun imagery and especially love the ending! Good luck to you in the contest.
Thanks! I’m running on candy overload this morning. The goblin was good to me. 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
Oh, I dig this! And, yeah, having a child changed my views on damn near everything.
What a fun take-off on the Night Before Christmas! Clever and well done!
Thank you, Jane! It was quite fun to write. Thanks for stopping by!
This is such a fun story. Good luck!
Thank you! It was great fun to write! Thanks for stopping by!
Love your Halloween twist on this familiar rhyme, Jilanne! And the idea of a single sour gumdrop and sprouting-eyed spuds taking the place of a lump of coal 🙂 What a fun story with a great ending! So glad you found the inspiration for a Halloweensie entry! 🙂
Thanks, Susanna! I’m just glad I was able to take part in the festivities! Thanks for providing the venue that appears to be inspiring lots of PB writers! It’s quite an undertaking for you and your judges.