“He’s ten years old,” I added. “And she made him afraid to sleep in his own bedroom.”
Elaine threw up her hands.
She was disqualified.
“It was just a harmless Halloween prank!”
I gestured toward her house.
“Well, apparently, Halloween pranks aren’t nearly as funny when you’re the one receiving them.”
One of the judges shook his head.
“Elaine, this contest is supposed to bring our neighborhood together. We can’t reward someone who deliberately frightened another contestant.”
“You owe Owen an apology.”
He informed her that she was disqualified.
Elaine looked ready to explode.
I turned to her.
“We’ll help clean everything up after the judging. But first, you owe Owen an apology.”
She looked at her grandson.
Elaine had nothing to say.
Owen spoke before she could.
“Grandma, I just wanted to make something nice.”
For once, Elaine had nothing to say.
An hour later, Owen stood on our porch holding a ribbon for the most creative homemade decorations.
