The dentist who handed out toothbrushes on Halloween

Every Halloween, Dr. Miller at the end of the street handed out toothbrushes.

Not candy. Toothbrushes. Soft bristle, individually wrapped, with a little card that said “Brush twice a day! – Dr. Miller, DDS.”

The kids hated it. Every year his house got toilet-papered by 9 p.m. One year a kid dressed as a cavity stood on his lawn for an hour, just staring at the window.

So this year, the whole street was shocked when Dr. Miller flung open his door and started handing out full-size candy bars. Snickers. Caramels. Taffy. Jawbreakers the size of golf balls. He gave the Johnson twins three each. Kids were running home to change costumes so they could come back again.

Mrs. Kowalski from next door marched over. “Dr. Miller, what happened? Did you finally give up?”

Dr. Miller smiled, dropped another handful of taffy into a pillowcase, and waved to a tiny Spider-Man.