Creeping up on the tiny lion, you watch as its yellow paw reaches up to the wooden toys. You leap out as they grasp the block and shout, “Gotcha!” In a moment, your arms are full of a squealing, giggling child.

           After covering them in kisses and pretending to gobble them up, you are both laughing. Then, with one last squeeze, you set them down, saying, “I’ve missed you!” You frown. “But, hey! What happened? When I left, you were a little kid! How did you turn into a lion?” You look scared, pretending to tremble. “And such a scary lion too!”

           Their eyes light up. “I notta lion! It-th Hallooeen!”

           You nod. “Ahhhh. Halloween. I see.” You notice the toy in their hand. “And what do you have there?”

           They lift it up, attempting to make spooky noises. “Oohhhhh! Ooooooooooohhhhhh!!!!”

           Mom pops her head out of the kitchen, preparing for her role as toddler interpreter. “My little lion has been playing with the Love Letter toys all week. It’s the first thing we did when we started getting ready for Halloween.” She winked at the tiny predator. “They know they can play with those special Halloween toys, and then they leave Mommy’s other decorations alone.”

           You point to the other blocks on the shelf, which haphazardly spell ‘Spooky.’ “These toys?” you ask?

           She nods.

           You swipe them down to the ground, where they roll and clatter across the floor. The little lion roars its approval and scampers over, pretending to chase them. “Well, then! Let’s play, tiny lion! Get ‘em, buddy. Get ‘em!” And the happy uproar begins.