The Skeleton Prince,

with eyes dark and vacant

as an empty mouse hole,

looked down from his lofty

perch.

Feet dangling over  a crescent Moon.

Halloween had come again.

All the little children

were scurrying about from house to house,

collecting their useless tidbits

of candy.

During the year as always,

ignored he was, no matter how

how loud he yelled down through

the clouds.

The children didn’t like him.

He supposed it had to do with his lack of skin.

It was just skin.

Who needed skin on the moon?

But Halloween had come, and for one night a year

the children looked up and saw past his

lack of skin and smiled.

And he smiled back and even waved

at some who stopped and took the time to

really look up.

He knew it was fleeting,

for soon Halloween would be gone.

and the loneliness would return.

But he reveled in their smiles and their laughter.

The witches, the goblins, and skeletons and the myriad

of monstrosities which abounded.

He was one of them, if for the briefest of moments,

and the coldness in his bones  seem to lessen

just a bit.

The night flew like the fall winds

and nary a child walked about.

Most were inside counting their candy

from the mountain dumped upon their

living room floor.

Soon there were none save one

in the night.

A little girl, wearing a dress of

gossamer white, with a diamond studded

tiara upon her dainty head. Crying.

“Why do you cry so.”  the Skeleton Prince asked

“Two mean trolls took my bag of treats” said the little girl

looking up.

“That is no way to treat a Princess,”  he huffed

“Here, I think you will quite like this instead.”  he said, as he pulled from behind

his back a jagged saw  which he placed against the moon and began to cut a piece off.

Bits of the moon crumbled and tumbled to the little girl

below and fell into her lap.

“Take those pieces and place them under your pillow.

Make three wishes before going to bed, and in turn you will wake to them

fulfilled in good stead.  Now GO!”  the Skeleton Prince commanded

The little girl ran.

With that, the Skeleton Prince went also to bed,

head hanging low to wait for next Hallow’s Eve.

A knocking awoke him, and that knocking

was inside his own head.

for the little princess was their tap tap tapping

on his bony skull.

“I made Three Wishes dear Skeleton Prince.”

“One was for candy, and oh, did it come in loads!”

“The second was to be your friend. So here I am!”

“And the third…?” The Prince asked

“Why, for it to be Halloween every single day of the year.”

by Philip Wardlow