Washington, D.C. - While 2,000 children lined up patiently in front of the White House, awaiting their turn to get a treat from the Obamas, one little boy was not so lucky.
8 year-old Adam Brickman, fresh from graduating grade one and from one of the less populace states of the union, Wyoming, had been accompanying his two sisters and grandmother on a whirlwind tour of the capital city when they learned of the opportunity to spend their 'All Hallows' Eve' in the company of President Obama and his family. Unfortunately, the Brickman group had left the costume buying to the last minute and were forced into very little choice as the Walmart in neighboring Virginia was down to its last stock.
Adam's sisters, Bridget and Michelle, both managed to acquire two innocuous costumes, a fairy and a princess. However Adam was forced to chose between a gorilla and one another costume that was left.
Says Adam's grandmother. "I was against the gorilla outfit from the start. They always warn you that you shouldn't let a child wear a costume if he has trouble seeing out of the mask." It was at that point that they decided to go for the only other choice - An Al Qaeda freedom fighter, complete with mock hand grenades, machine gun with straps of rounds and an authentic looking headband. Around the vest were stuck several rounds of dynamite in succession.
"It was very realistic," said grandma Brickman. "In fact too realistic. Local authorities as well as Secret Service took the costume as the real thing. They ended up blowing my grandson to smithereens. It's left quite a bad taste in my mouth. And I mean that literally."
Longtime White House security guard Leroy Johnston concurs.
"My pappy was a security guard here. And his pappy before him. In fact I'm fifth generation White House security guard in my family. The only other incident I can recall that was similar was when my great-great-grandpappy had to break up a lynching on Halloween during Grover Cleveland's time on account of a little white boy who came dressed as a black boy. We spared him the lynching but it took a week to get the tar and feathers off. Funny thing was, the next year he came as a chicken. Go figure."
The mall has been closed down since the incident and will not open at least until Monday. All events surrounding the White House Halloween have been canceled and the 2,000 or so participants have been sent home.
Leroy Johnston concluded, "You know the French have a saying..'Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose'. Course I better not be caught speakin' French or I may get my pay docked. Go figure."
