Ben and Tony Bear. Book 1. Ben meets Tony.

Ben and Tony Bear Stories. Book 23. Halloween for Ben and Tony Bear.

Mummy really loved Halloween on October 31st. The costumes the children wore were always very good. Mummy , Daddy and Ben always got dressed up for Halloween. Tony Bear loved seeing the children looking like ghosts and witches, and vampires. When the children knocked on the door, Mummy and Daddy always had a big orange pumpkin bowl filled with sweets too give to the children.

Ben had never had sweets or anything really. He showed no interest at all in eating anything else but the two to twenty pieces of the two dry cereals that he had every time, or the two to ten small mouthfuls of the two desserts that he would eat. Four food items, it was always the same ever since Ben had been able to eat.

Ben had been put onto a special milk that contained all the stuff that his body needed to grow and give it energy. Every day Mummy, Daddy and the nursery and then the school tried to get him to try different things and to eat. But Ben had never eaten anything else but those four things. Ben was very thin and not very big. Tony Bear even tried to get him to eat different things but so far it has not worked.

One day, thought Tony Bear, you will eat. In your own time. In the meantime, Tony Bear enjoyed the children coming to get sweets for trick or treat. That is what it is called when you knock on a neighbors or friends door that you know on Halloween, dressed up as a ghost or a witch.

Mummy knew Ben was missing out on so much not eating or wanting to touch food. And dressing up on Halloween was a big thing for Ben.

    Ben had only ever gone trick or treating at his Nanny's house. Nanny always gave him something nice. It was either his favorite dessert or a car that he wanted for his collection. And Nanny's was always done in daylight hours. It wasn't the same as going out at night to lots of houses. But Ben did love trick or treating Nanny.    

Ben watched from the window now and then, he wondered why he should stay dressed up. He never went trick or treating like the other children did.  He did not like dressing up or sweets any way.  

But deep down, Tony Bear who sat with Ben at the window watching, knew that Ben would have liked to go out and join the other children. Mummy and Daddy knew too, as they watched Ben get up and wander back up stairs to his computer.

Mummy had an idea. She knew that Ben liked cars. So when Halloween came round again she was ready to give Ben and Tony Bear a great Halloween treat. Mummy arranged with the neighbors that she would give each of them a small gift for Ben. But Ben had to give them a little piece of card with the words trick or treat on first. Mummy got eight treats, one for each friendly neighbor.

Mummy got Ben dressed in his costume. Ben was dressed as Frankenstein. He had a t-shirt with bolts on it and brown jeans. He would not wear a proper costume, but that was alright with Mummy. Tony Bear to dressed up, he went as Dr Frankenstein. They both looked really good. Mummy gave Daddy a trick or treat bag to carry, and sent Daddy and Ben off with a little list of the houses that they were to go too.

Ben cried, he really did not want to go. People were only going to give him sweets and he did not like sweets.

" Come on," Said Tony, " I don't think you will get sweets. It will be fun, and other children will be out there too." Ben sniffed. Halloween was not good fun, grown ups just gave you sweets and wanted you to eat, and Ben did not like eating anything.

Daddy knocked and when the doors opened, Ben handed over the little piece of card. Ben went to Aunty Lorraine's first . Aunty Lorraine dropped a little car into the bag. Ben looked in the bag. It was not sweets. It was a car. Ben smiled.

" Sign Thankyou Ben. " Said Daddy. Ben signed Thankyou.

" Your welcome Ben." Replied Aunty Lorraine.

" Come on Ben, we still have more houses to visit." Said Daddy. Tony Bear looked in the bag too and smiled.

" Told you so," he said. " It 's not sweets. " He laughed. Ben and Tony went with Daddy to Aunty Debbie's next, and then Aunty Nikki's after. Aunty Debbie dropped in a little car and then Aunty Nikki dropped in a little car too. They carried on walking in the freezing cold and dark. The next house was Aunty Anita's. Aunty Anita was out with her three girls around the street. The three of them were dressed as witch's. Ben glanced up and smiled when he saw them, and quickly put his head down again. Aunty Anita had left Uncle Steve indoors though and he was giving out the treats. When Ben knocked on his door and gave him the card, Uncle Steve popped in another car.

Ben smiled broadly. Trick or treat was not as bad as he had thought it was. In fact he was really enjoying it. Ben and Tony signed Thank you to Uncle steve and carried on to Aunty Saran's and Uncle Graham's house.

" This is the last house on our list. " Said Daddy.

' The last house', thought Ben. He wondered what he would get from Aunty Saran and Uncle Graham. Ben had really enjoyed himself this time. Tony Bear too had enjoyed himself. Daddy knocked on the door and Ben handed Aunty Saran the little card. Aunty Saran handed Ben a little car. Ben smiled and signed thank you. Aunty Saran smiled, and Daddy said thank you to her too.

Ben pulled Daddy's hand. Ben wanted to get back home and look at his treats. He was so excited. No one had given him sweets. They had all given him cars.

Ben tipped out his back when he got in and counted the cars. Five cars, he had five cars. They were great. He had got a black car, a blue car. A silver car,a red car and a yellow car. Ben looked at them all and smiled. No one had given him sweets. They had all given him a car. Ben liked cars.

" Told you so, " Said Tony Bear sitting on his lap looking at the cars. " Not one sweet in sight." Ben smiled happily. Going trick or treating was fun.

Mummy smiled. She had made Halloween and trick or treating fun for Ben. Ben was happy.

Mummy was glad that they had some very nice neighbors.

That night Tony Bear told the other toys all about trick or treating. The little ones thought it was scary knocking on someone's door.

"Trick or treating is not a good idea to do if it is a total stranger's house your knocking at, or an elderly person that does not like Halloween. The neighbor' s Mummy, Daddy and Ben had been too all liked Halloween and had put a pumpkin out in the garden to show they were Halloween friendly." Said Tony Bear.

" It still sound's scary though. " Said the little white and brown cow.

" Always trick and treat safely." Said Tony Bear. " And always be polite. Ben can't talk but he did sign thank you to everybody who gave him a treat. That is the best way to do trick or treating." Smiled Tony Bear. Tony Bear was very proud of Ben for having done it right.

Daddy and Mummy were very proud of Ben too, but most of all they were proud of themselves for coming up with a way to make his Halloween special.