Anastasia VinogradovaThe night of the party was perfectly spooky. A huge, pale circle hung in the sky, lighting up the clouds from behind and making the whole world look blue and strange. We were all gathered in a field behind Jake’s house, huddled around a giant, crackling fire that shot sparks up into the cold air.
My best friend Leo was wearing the most ridiculous outfit I’d ever seen. He was supposed to be some kind of disco king, but the glittery jumpsuit and big wig just made him look like a confused pineapple. I, on the other hand, had gone for a classic look: a simple white sheet with two eyeholes. It was comfortable, if a little hard to see through.
“This is so boring,” my voice echoed from inside my sheet. “We’re just… standing here.”
“Patience!” Leo said, striking a pose that made his plastic bones rattle. “The night is young! And I came prepared for emergency fun.” He held up a can of that foamy, stringy stuff that comes out in a rainbow-colored mess.
We’d put a carved pumpkin on a tree stump nearby. We’d tried to make it look fierce, but it had ended up with a lopsided, cross-eyed expression. As I adjusted my sheet, I spotted Mr. Abernathy, our grumpy neighbor, glaring from his kitchen window. He definitely did not approve of our party.
“This is our chance!” Leo whispered, shoving a can into my hand. “Let’s give him a real reason to complain!”
We ducked behind a pile of hay bales, waiting for him to come out and yell at us. But the person who stepped into the firelight wasn’t Mr. Abernathy. It was a tall, lanky figure, moving with an unnatural stiffness. Its head was a white, bony sphere, and its body seemed to be made entirely of… well, bones. It wasn't wearing a glittery jumpsuit like Leo. This thing looked real.
Leo and I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs. This was no person in a getup. This was the real deal!
The bony creature shuffled over to our cross-eyed pumpkin and picked it up, tilting its head as if confused.
“It’s a real one!” I hissed, my sheet trembling. “It’s come for our pumpkin!”
In a burst of pure terror, Leo leaped out from behind the hay. “Hey! Put that down!” he yelled, and pressed the button on his can. A stream of bright green foam shot out, wrapping around the creature’s arm.