NARRATOR: In fact, The Once Ler hadn't thought about his childhood for years.

(The scene becomes a flashback. Kids in Halloween costumes run about, up to a door. Lucy Wild opens it.)

KIDS: Trick or treat!

Lucy Wild: Oh, who do we have here? Ruthie, Veronica, Terrence, Phillip... and who's that under the sheet?

(Young Once Ler lifts his ghost sheet off, revealing disgusting orthodontic headgear.)

Lucy Wild: Little Once Ler.

(Young Once Ler walks off, embarrassed. He heads home.)

NARRATOR: The Once Ler was the son of the city's most famous dentist. Dr. Yap, D.D.S.

(Dr. Yap, Young Once Ler's father, takes the candy bag from his son.)

Dr. Yap: Now, let's see what the damage is this year, shall we?

(He dumps out the candy and examines it.)

Dr. Yap: Caramels. They'd get stuck in your braces, wouldn't they? Lollipops. Ought to be called cavities on a stick! Then we have all of this... chocolate. You know, just last week I was reading in a very important medical journal that some children are allergic to chocolate. It makes their noses itch.

Young Once Ler: Maybe I'm not allergic. I could try it.

Dr. Yap: Really? But why take a chance?

(Dr. Yap scoops up the candy and throws it away, into the audience. Young Once Ler looks sad. They disappear and the action onstage continues, with The Once Ler still in a trance.)