So here it is. After Halloween and before Thanksgiving, a holiday vortex. 

I put away the giant pumpkin head with the sideways glance that looks like he is staking out the neighbor’s house. I took the mini skeletons from the mantle where they were practicing their favorite yoga positions.

I put the plastic bag over the dusty hag and moved her back to a basement rafter. I took down the Happy Jack door wreath, and wrapped and stored my collection of grinning pumpkins, pumpkin people and pumpkin-shaped candy bowl.

I put away the Halloween postcard that my sister sent me in 1983.

It only confused Sig anyway, he told me a postcard had come but had no idea what Shawn was talking about and maybe I could make sense of it.  It dawned on me he thought the 27-year-old postcard was current.

I hadn’t paid any attention to what was written on the card since I had only saved it for the illustration on the front. It was a breezy message about goblins, costumes and pumpkins with a mention of what was up with the family.

It is a curious thing to read something from long ago as if it were written today. 

It’s as if the cat is out of the bag.