HALLOWEEN HOBGOBLINS

Once upon a time there was a grumpy old lady On actually not grumpy, but timid- who had to leave her home and go live with her daughter in a distant place known as Amreeka.

- Lakshmi Narayan

She hated every minute of it there and barricaded herself in their cramped flat when her daughter left for work. They didn't live in a particularly swish area because her beti didn't earn much.

The one time she had dared to venture out on her own, the neighbourhood kids - little goondas! - had followed her jeering, mocking her sari, her accent and the way she shuffled forward in her chappals. They'd thrown spitballs at her and tried to trip her when she tried to get past them. Worse, instead of chastising them, their mothers stood back and laughed.

There was a reason behind this. The old lady prided herself on her green thumb and had managed to grow methi, dhania and sarson ka saag from seeds on her tiny balcony as well as onions, ginger and tomatoes. But the little ruffians when playing a game called baseball, sent a ball speeding in and broke two of her pots. She'd screamed at them in Hindi. But instead of apologizing, they'd stuck their tongues out and run off.

When she complained to her daughter that evening, she dismissed it in her newly-acquired drawl, with, "Maa, don't bother. Kids will be kids". And now, her daughter was telling her about a ghastly festival called

Halloween, when the little horrors would dress up like bhoots and land up at her doorstep, demanding candy! She shuddered at what would happen if she didn't give them treats.