Heidi is a girl of about eight who is dying of something or another. Her last wish is to go trick or treating as a "little princess" on Halloween. With the last of her strength, she manages to get into her costume and walk around the neighborhood, escorted by her older brother, Josh. (I've always wanted a dead baby sister.)
At first, I thought that Heidi was going to drop dead on her journey and then be justly hurled into the lake of fire for partaking in this Satanic holiday. The Jack Chick that I know would have no qualms whatsoever about sending an eight year old girl to eternal torture and agony, but he must be getting soft in his old age. After collapsing twice and refusing Josh's pleas to return home, the last house they visit is owned by a kindly Christian couple. Realizing that they have a dying infidel before them, the couple deliver the good news of the Lord to Heidi, and lo, she is saved. Taking there duty to the next logical step, the couple follow Josh and Heidi home to their parents, who have never heard the story of Jesus and his blood sacrifice before. (The number of people who haven't heard of Jesus is strangely high in Chickland.) Her parents are overawed by the story of Christ, and of course see no logical problems at all with the whole blood sacrifice thing. Heidi dies during the wee hours of All Saints Day with the knowledge that her family is saved, and they all live and die happily ever after. The last panel shows Josh visiting his sister's grave with a loving and grateful smile on his face.
I found this tract sitting on the park bench at Fourteenth and P. This is "the" park bench, the one understood to be the property of the downtown hobos, so it must have been one of them who picked it up at the City Mission or what have you. Whoever it was left out overnight to get rained on, which is an absolute disgrace. People who don't recognize Chick Tracts for the cultural artifacts they are need to be flogged.
Thankfully though, the tract managed to survive the storm, and I was able to turn the pages and read it without tearing it apart.
Like I said, Chick is getting soft with age. I really was expecting another classic anti-Halloween feast of insanity like "The Trick" or "Boo" www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0058/0058_01.asp (Satan himself is summoned on his "birthday" by the sacrifice of a house cat, and proceeds to slaughter random teenagers dressed as a pumpkin, this is Chick at his best, even better than "Death Cookie".) But no, Chick doesn't denounce Halloween here, indeed, Heidi's trick-or-treating is actually the path to her salvation, and the crown from her costume is even seated on her grave.
So I'm afraid there's nothing about "The Little Princess" to recommend it. It simply isn't insane enough or hateful enough towards those who think differently from Jack Chick. A person who reads this tract might get the impression that Jack Chick is a kind-hearted old man, which is of course the furthest thing from the truth. Pick up "Allah had no Son" if you want some real fun. Leaving "Princess" out in the rain might not have been such a bad thing after all.
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