Transcript for Parent Storytellers
One day, Oni Pepperoni was playing in his room, pretending to be a grape farmer. He had stuck purple grape stickers all over his cheeks, covering his usual pepperoni spots.
“I’m Grape Face today!” he announced to his stuffed animals, who sat in a row on his bed watching him. “The greatest grape farmer in the world!”
Oni grabbed his special explorer flashlight – the one with the bright beam that could “see through anything” – and began searching around his room for new places to explore.
In the corner, behind his toy box, Oni spotted something he’d never seen before: a tall, fancy lamp with a shade that sparkled like stars.
“Where did this come from?” Oni wondered, moving closer. The lamp seemed to glow with a special kind of light, even though it wasn’t plugged in.
Oni shined his explorer flashlight at the lamp. To his amazement, the light beam didn’t bounce off the lamp but went straight inside, as if the lamp were a doorway!
“Wow!” gasped Oni. He cautiously poked his head toward the lamp. “Hello? Is anyone in there?”
Suddenly, Oni felt a gentle pull. Before he knew what was happening, he was sliding right into the lamp!
“Wheee!” Oni called as he slid down what felt like a smooth, twisty slide. When he finally stopped sliding, he found himself standing in a long, dark hallway.
“This is amazing!” Oni said, looking around. “The lamp is huge inside! It’s like a whole other world!”
He switched on his explorer flashlight and began walking down the hallway. The walls sparkled with tiny lights, like stars in the night sky.
As Oni walked, he heard a gentle fluttering sound. He pointed his flashlight ahead and gasped in surprise.
Flying toward him was the most beautiful owl he had ever seen. She had soft pink feathers with blue and yellow ones mixed in, and tiny sparkles that shimmered when she moved. Most amazing of all, she had delicate fairy wings on her back, just like the fairy from the Halloween fun house!
“Hello there!” said the owl, landing gracefully in front of Oni. “I’m Olivia, the fairy owl. Who might you be?”
“I’m Oni Pepperoni,” Oni replied, “but today I’m also Grape Face because of these stickers.” He pointed to his cheeks.
Olivia giggled. “I’ve never met a boy with grape stickers before! Would you like to see more of our lamp world?”
“Yes, please!” Oni nodded eagerly.
Olivia flew ahead, leading Oni down the hallway. Soon, the corridor opened up into a huge space. Oni couldn’t believe his eyes. Above him wasn’t the inside of a lamp – it was a bright blue sky with fluffy clouds!
“But… but… how is there a sky inside a lamp?” Oni asked, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
“Lamp magic,” Olivia explained with a wink. “It’s bigger on the inside!”
As they walked through the grassy field under the lamp’s sky, Oni spotted a familiar figure. It was the friendly goat from his adventure with Sparkle the Unicorn!
“Hey, goat friend!” Oni called out, running over. “What are you doing here?”
The goat looked up from munching on some grass. “It’s Christmas, dude!” he replied.
“Christmas?” Oni’s eyes grew wide. “Already? But it feels like the year just started!”
“Time moves differently in the lamp,” explained the goat. “Would you like to go trick-or-treating for Christmas with me?”
Oni couldn’t believe his ears. “Trick-or-treating? On Christmas? But that’s a Halloween thing!”
The goat nodded. “That’s what makes it special here in the lamp world. On Christmas, everyone dresses up AND gets presents AND candy!”
Oni’s jaw dropped. Halloween was his second favorite holiday after Christmas. Having both together sounded like the best thing ever!
“That’s AMAZING!” Oni shouted, jumping up and down. “YIPPEE!” He ran in circles around the goat and Olivia, his arms outstretched like airplane wings. “This is the BEST!”
Olivia laughed, her fairy wings twinkling. “Let’s get you a costume then, Grape Face!”
They followed the goat to a large tree. Inside the trunk was a wardrobe full of costumes. Oni chose a space explorer outfit, complete with a helmet that made his voice sound robot-like.
“Now we need a trick-or-treat bag,” said the goat, handing Oni a small red stocking.
Just then, they heard the jingling of bells. Coming across the field was a group of familiar faces – all dressed in Halloween costumes!
There was Captain Milky Way the astronaut cow, dressed as a pirate. Betty was there too, wearing a butterfly costume with sparkly wings. And behind them was Sparkle the Unicorn, dressed as a race car driver.
“Oni!” they called when they saw him. “You made it to Christmas Trick-or-Treat!”
“My friends are here too?” Oni gasped with delight.
Soon, they were all walking through a village that had appeared on the other side of the field. The houses were decorated with both Christmas lights and Halloween pumpkins. At each door, they would say “Merry Trick-or-Treat!” and receive both candy and small Christmas gifts.
Oni’s stocking was soon filled with chocolate coins, candy canes, tiny action figures, and other treats. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
As the day went on, the lamp sky began to darken, and snowflakes started to fall.
“It’s time for the Christmas Trick-or-Treat Parade!” announced Olivia, as music began to play from somewhere.
Everyone lined up behind a small sleigh pulled by Sparkle the Unicorn. They marched through the village, singing a mix of Christmas carols and Halloween songs that made Oni giggle.
At the end of the parade, they all gathered around a tree that was decorated with both Christmas ornaments and Halloween spiders. They sipped hot chocolate and shared their treats.
“This is the best day ever,” sighed Oni happily, his grape stickers starting to peel a little at the edges.
Suddenly, he felt himself getting sleepy. His eyes grew heavy, and he leaned against the goat’s soft fur.
“I think someone needs to head home,” whispered Olivia.
“But I don’t want to leave,” Oni mumbled sleepily.
“You can come back,” promised the goat. “The lamp will be waiting.”
Oni felt himself being lifted up, and then he was sliding again, up through a swirling tunnel of light.
When he opened his eyes, he was sitting on the floor of his bedroom, next to the toy box. The fancy lamp was still there, glowing softly.
Oni touched his cheeks. The grape stickers were gone, and his pepperoni spots were back. But when he looked down, he was holding a small red stocking with a candy cane peeking out the top.
“It was real,” he whispered, hugging the stocking close.
From inside the lamp, he thought he heard the faint sound of Olivia hooting and the goat bleating a goodbye.
Oni smiled. He couldn’t wait until his next adventure.