Meet Chester. Chester was a curmudgeon. On Halloween, when neighborhood children rang his doorbell, they often found a grumpy old man instead of treats. One particular Halloween was different, however.
As Chester prepared for bed, he heard a soft, eerie whisper, “Chester, Chester…” It was a ghost, as pale and misty as the moonlight filtering through his window. The ghost had a request, “Greet the kids. Share some joy.”
On the night of Halloween, Chester grudgingly filled a bucket with candies. When the first group of children arrived, they found a slightly less grumpy Chester.
As the night wore on, Chester’s heart began to soften. He found himself enjoying the cheerful laughter, the cute costumes, and the delighted squeals of children receiving candies. The ghost had been right.
However, as the last group of children left, they dropped a small, broken mirror. Chester picked it up, and to his surprise, the reflection showed not him, but the ghost wearing his grumpy face. With a chuckle, the ghost uttered, “Chester, you have made me so happy. I can finally move on.”
And so the grumpiest old man in town became the jolliest, teaching everyone that, sometimes, a less grumpy outlook is all you need to scare away even the saddest ghost.