One day in early October Jack and Julia had been to a pumpkin patch picking out their Halloween Pumpkins. 

When they’d made their selections their mother, as she was paying for the pumpkins in the big pumpkin tent, looked up behind the counter and saw a big sign.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST

FIRST PRIZE $20 AND RIDING IN THE MAYOR’S CONVERTIBLE CAR LEADING THE TOWN’S ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARADE!

Jack and Julia loved a lot of things and guess what?

Their mother and father knew that Halloween, costumes and parades were three of the things that they really, really, loved.

“Well, kids, it looks like there’s going to be another contest here in town and in this one the winner with the most original Halloween costume not only gets $20 they get to ride in a big car and lead the annual Halloween Parade,” Liz said.

Both Jack and Julia started jumping up and down, shouting so loud that their parents had to take them out of the pumpkin tent and calm them down.

All the way home as they rode in their backseat perches they shouted names of the characters that they might want to be---costumes that would win them the contest.

“Wonder Woman,” Julia shouted.

“Spider Man,” Jack shouted.     

“The girl from Frozen,” Julia hollered.

“SpongeBob SquarePants,” Jack said.

“Madonna,” Julia said, “but I’m not really sure who she is?”

Back and forth they went---Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Elvira, Luke Skywalker, The Simpsons, and finally as they were winding down, Jack said, “How about Alf?”

“Who is Alf?” Julia laughed.

He’s that funny little character that comes to some guy’s house and is just a real pain but funny!”

“Oh,” Julia said. “I thought that was ET, maybe I’ll go as ET! And you can go as Alf!”

“Well,” their mother laughed and said, I don’t think the judges would have a problem believing that you two are from outer space, because sometimes you both act like it!”

Then everybody, including their dada, who had been quiet during all this planning said, “Here’s what I think you two need to do. It’s almost bedtime anyway and I think you both need to sleep and think about this and maybe tomorrow you’ll come up with an idea that is original, one that will make the judges pick you two!”

“What’s original?”  Julia said.

“Well, here’s the thing, all those ideas you had were good ones but they will be the same things that the other kids are going to pick as costumes.  Your dada’s right, you need to come up with something so unusual that it will win, different, like when your Grumps won the prize in the parade in his little town of New Windsor,” Liz said.

“What was that?” Jack asked.

“Well, it was just like now, election time and there are two main parties or groups who vote, there are Republicans and Democrats!”

“How do you dress as a Republican?” Julia asked.

Her mother laughed and said, “Very fantasy!  But the Democrats and Republicans have mascots, the Republican mascot is an elephant and the democrat is a donkey!”

“So what did Grump go as in the costume parade,” Julia asked.

“Both,” Liz laughed and he won first prize. The front of his costume was an elephant, he wore an elephant mask facing forward and in the back he was a donkey, and put a donkey mask on the back of his head!”

“That’s crazy,” Jack laughed.

“Yes, but very original,” his dada said, “And that’s why he won first prize!”

“Now off to bed,” their mother said, “and tomorrow we’ll talk about what you two, DREAMED UP for a costume!”

And that’s exactly what they did. They dreamed up a very original costume.

Liz and their dada could hear them laughing the next morning.

They heard Julia say, “You really dreamed one up this time but I think it might be the perfect MOST original costumes in the contest. Let’s tell momma and dada!”

And they ran down the stairs for their breakfast. Jack and Julia were just busting to tell their parents!

“Okay, kids! What’s the big costume plan?”

“Well, Jack said, “I’m going as an orange bicycle pump and Julia will be attached to me and dressed as can painted orange!”

“What?” their parents said at the same time. “What?”

Then Jack and Julia shouted it out together, “PUMP…CAN!”

Then their parents shouted out together---“PER….FECT!”

“Now, that’s ORIGINAL,” their dada said.

“Your father and I will be so proud when you two----PUMP and CAN ride by leading the town’s Halloween Parade.  But regardless of who wins, you two are WINNERS!” Liz said.  

“I bet Grumps the Elephant and Donkey Man will be proud too when he hears about our original costume,” Julia said.

“If he’s not too busy eating peanuts in the front and munching hay in the back,” Jack laughed.