Kevin loved October 31 more than any other day. It made him happy to be able to be anyone he wanted to be. He loved the scary decorations and giving out candy. In all the noise and excitement, though, one house on his block stood out: Mrs. Kimbly’s, which looked eerily empty.
11-year-old Kevin wondered why Mrs. Kimbly, an old woman who lived alone, didn’t join in the fun. He remembered helping her with yard work and thought she might need help. Kevin went up to her house, determined to help.
He was surprised by Mrs. Kimbly’s answer: she rudely turned down his offer and slammed the door shut. Not giving up, Kevin came up with a plan. He went to get Halloween decorations and then went back to her house to make it a fun place to be.
But Mrs. Kimbly’s response was very strong. Kevin was upset when she broke his beloved pumpkin. Kevin could tell she was sadder than angry, though.
Kevin dressed up as a vampire that night, but he couldn’t get rid of the creepy feeling. He was afraid that pranksters would go after Mrs. Kimbly’s house. In order to keep her safe, Kevin sat on her door steps and gave trick-or-treaters his own candy.
As the night went on, Mrs. Kimbly came out, and her face became softer. She talked about how lonely she was and how painful it was for her to be alone on Halloween. Kevin’s kindness moved her, and she said she was sorry for how she had been acting before.
Together, they had a moment of getting close. Kevin smiled at Mrs. Kimbly and asked her to help him carve a new pumpkin. Thanks to Kevin’s kind act, she felt the joy of Halloween for the first time in years.
Kevin learned from their meeting that people need kindness more often than ornaments. His small act made Mrs. Kimbly’s Halloween better and showed us that kindness and understanding can be the best gifts of all.
