Write Team: Kiki the Witch makes her appearance

On Halloween my granddaughter was 2 years and 8 months old. It would be June’s first real involvement in the fall holiday. My wife and I went to her house to enjoy the fun. No one knew what to expect, except that June was going to be Kiki the Witch.

If you’re not familiar with Kiki the Witch, don’t feel bad. She was new to us too. Kiki is a character from “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” a 1985 book written by Eiko Kadono and a 1989 Japanese anime film directed by Hayo Miyazaki. June’s parents are strict about both her screen time and what she watches. Kiki’s Delivery Service made the cut. June loves everything about Kiki.

I wish I could show you a picture of Kiki, aka June. Her Mom got her a little witch’s broom, put a big red bow in her hair, got her a navy-blue dress, red tights, rouged her cheeks, lent her a messenger bag and the costume was complete.

We were a bit worried about her reaction to the whole getup. In the runup to Halloween we’d ask June what she was going to be. Think of how weird it could sound to someone just learning language let alone holiday traditions. Who am I going to be? She has only recently figured out she’s June. Now we’re telling her she is going to be Kiki. Sometimes she was smiling, excited at the prospect, and other times she would loudly say “I don’t WANNA be Kiki the Witch,” and stick out her lower lip.

Her Mom gave June a small broom early so she could practice flying. You’ve got to see the movie to understand but Kiki discovers her power to fly on a broom, only to lose it later. Things go wrong. June loves that part. She runs around the house with the broom between her legs, then suddenly slows down, sprawls on the floor, and says, dramatically “Ooh no, ooh no!”

That’s the cue to ask “What’s wrong Kiki?”

June looks up with pretend sad eyes and says mournfully, “I lost my powers!”

I have this theory when little kids want to communicate before they master words they learn to act, conveying feelings through facial expressions, sounds and body language. As they mature the most charismatic among them, even after developing a wide vocabulary, never lose that ability to handily convey emotion outside of words.

As it turned out, there was little Halloween action in June’s neighborhood. She and her dad carved a pumpkin into a jack o’lantern, got candy ready, but nothing happened. Up and down the block there were only a few porch lights shining, and no kids in costumes. But her parents had a plan. Their back up destination was next-door in Logan Square. So off we went - Mom, Dad, Papa, Goggy, and Kiki the Witch.

We parked near the intersection of Altgeld Street and St. Louis Avenue. If it was the 60s, you would call the scene there a “happening.” Stately old houses with surrounding porches, trees and shrubs were all lit up and decked out. Spooky sounds of creaking doors, rattling chains, and screams were piped in from somewhere. Nearly everyone was in costume - candy givers, candy seekers and hangers on. The sidewalks were jammed.

And in the middle of it all was Kiki the Witch. She took to Halloween like a Labrador retriever to a duck falling out of the sky. Once Kiki spotted a bowl of candy offered by a homeowner, she was on it. Kiki had trouble remembering to say thanks and didn’t catch on quickly to the concept of waiting in line. But despite the cold and snow that night, which made Kiki shiver, she didn’t want to stop. I can’t wait to see who June is next year.

Dave McClure lives in Ottawa. He is a long-retired director of a local private agency. He is also a blogger. You can read more of Dave at Daveintheshack.blogger.com