Weirdo Halloween

  I felt its warmth. Like standing in front of an open oven. Wave after wave of heat.

  “No! Stop! Leave me alone!” I cried.

  I grabbed the glowing Horror in both hands. And squeezed it with all my might.

  A shock of yellow light shot out around me. Blindingly bright, it wrapped me inside it. Like a bright yellow glove spreading around me, tightening … tightening …

  I let out another cry as I felt myself lifted off the floor.

  I tried to toss the glowing Horror away. But it stuck to my hands.

  I heard a whoosh. A wind blew hard at my back.

  The light surrounded me. So bright I had to close my eyes. I clamped them shut tightly and struggled to breathe against the powerful wind that carried me … carried me … where?

  Suddenly, the wind stopped. A hush settled around me. I felt the billowing heat fade away.

  I opened my eyes slowly. Blinked a few times.

  “Where am I?” The words escaped my throat. “Where am I?”

  I expected to see my empty bookcase. My totally wrecked and messed-up room.

  But no. I was standing in a brightly lit store. Hunched in a narrow aisle between high, cluttered shelves. I saw grinning skulls … a two-headed monkey … a fortune-teller’s crystal ball … giant rubber cockroaches.

  “Oh, wow,” I muttered. I knew where I was.

  I didn’t believe it. But I knew where I was. Back in Chiller House. Back in HorrorLand.

  I heard a cough. I turned to see Jonathan Chiller step out from behind the counter.

  His balding head gleamed under the store lights. He peered at me through the square glasses perched on the end of his nose. When a smile slowly crossed his face, his gold tooth glimmered.

  “Welcome back, Meg,” he croaked in his old-man voice. He took a step toward me.

  I took a step back — and bumped into a giant stuffed Godzilla.

  “What’s going on?” I cried in a trembling voice. “How did I get here?”

  His smile grew wider. The shoulders of his old-fashioned brown suit rose up and down. “Magic,” he said softly.

  He reached for the little Horror. I didn’t even realize I still had it gripped tightly in my hand. I handed it to him. He tucked it into his pants pocket.

  “I … I don’t understand,” I stammered. “Why did you do this? Why did you bring me back here? Didn’t that ugly Floig cause me enough trouble?”

  He motioned with one hand. “Take a deep breath, Meg. You are perfectly safe here. I know you’ve had a surprising time.”

  “Surprising?” I screamed. “You call it surprising? It … it was horrible! I want to go home — now!”

  Again, he motioned for me to calm down. “Shhhh. You’re going to have fun,” he said in a whisper. “I brought you here for fun.”

  I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry as sand. “Fun?”

  He swept a hand back over his thinning hair. “Halloween is the most exciting time of all at HorrorLand,” he said. “The park is a huge Halloween party. I thought you would enjoy it.”

  “You grabbed me from my house and pulled me here through some kind of weird magic so I could enjoy Halloween at HorrorLand?” I rolled my eyes. “Tell me another one. What is this really about?”

  “I’m telling the truth,” Chiller said softly. “I love to play games, Meg. I had a lonely childhood. I spent day after day in my room, making up all kinds of games.”

  I stared hard at him. “Boo hoo,” I said. “Will you please send me home now?”

  He ignored my question. “I thought you might like to come back here and play a game, too,” he said.

  I crossed my arms tightly in front of me. “What kind of game?”

  His gold tooth gleamed. “A masquerade game,” he said. “You know. For Halloween.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “Thanks anyway. I’ve already celebrated Halloween. How about you send me home now?”

  Chiller picked up a stuffed python and pulled it back and forth through his hands. “Don’t worry, Meg. I’ll send you home safe and sound,” he said. “I promise. I’m not a bad man. I just like to share my games with others.”

  I stared hard at him. “Not interested.”

  The stuffed python slid through his hands. “It’s an easy game,” Chiller said. “You just have to do one thing to win.”

  I rolled my eyes. “One thing? What? What do I have to do?”

  His expression grew serious. “Prove that you are you,” he said.

  “Excuse me?”

  My mouth dropped open. I leaned back against the counter. “You want to see my I.D.?” I said. “My school I.D.? I don’t have it with me. I didn’t know I was coming here, remember? I didn’t think I’d have to bring I.D.!”

  The words tumbled out of me. My heart was thudding so hard in my chest, I could barely hear myself think.

  Chiller set the stuffed python down next to a pile of plastic spiders. “No. No need for an I.D. card,” he said. “That won’t help you, Meg. This is a game.”

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Outside the shop, I heard kids laughing and shouting to each other.

  “The game is called Double or Nothing,” Chiller said.

  I crossed my arms tighter over my chest. “I told you — I don’t want to play.”

  His eyes narrowed behind the weird square eyeglasses. “You want to go home, don’t you?” he said softly.

  I felt a chill roll down my back.

  He looked so kindly and old-fashioned. Like somebody’s grandfather. But was he totally evil? Was he insane?

  He motioned to the front door. “Go out and have fun, Meg. You’ll be amazed at how different HorrorLand is at Halloween time.”

  “But —” I started.

  “Go out there and enjoy it,” Chiller said. “And as you explore, you will find a way to win my game. Prove to me that you are you, and you will win.”

  He walked to the front of the shop and squeezed behind the counter.

  “Please — tell me what’s really going on,” I pleaded. “I don’t understand your game. What are the rules? If you want me to prove who I am, why are you sending me out into the park?”

  “That’s part of the game,” he said. “You’ll see. I expect you to be confused at first. That’s the fun of it. But it will all become clear to you.”

  “But … but …” I sputtered.

  He lowered his head and began going through a tall stack of papers.

  I could see he wasn’t going to tell me any more. I hurried past him and pushed open the door.

  I stepped into Zombie Plaza, crowded and noisy. Kids and families hurried past, laughing and talking. Everyone seemed to be in a costume.

  Glowing orange jack-o’-lanterns hung on all the light poles. None of them had smiles carved on their faces. They all looked angry and menacing.

  Creepy music blared from the loudspeakers. Frightening, evil laughter rang out every few seconds.

  I didn’t want to explore HorrorLand. I knew I had to get out of there.

  Penny will go crazy if she wakes up tomorrow morning and I’m not there, I thought.

  I knew my parents were on their way home. They’d be frantic when they learned I disappeared.

  “No. No way,” I said out loud. “I’m outta here!”

  With a trembling hand, I pulled my cell phone from my jeans pocket. I raised it to my face. Orange jack-o’-lantern light was reflected on the screen.

  I squinted at the keyboard. And punched in my dad’s cell number.

  It rang once. Twice.

  “Come on, Dad. Pick up. Be there. Please be there!”

  And then I heard: “Hello?”

  “Dad — it’s me,” I said breathlessly. I had to shout over the noise of the crowd. “Dad, I don’t know how to explain this. You’ll just have to believe me. But I’m not home. I’m at HorrorLand. I —”

  “Meg, don’t try to call your parents,” a man’s voice boomed into my ear.

  “Huh??
??

  I nearly dropped the phone. I squeezed it tighter and pressed it to my ear.

  “Wait a minute! You’re not my dad! Who is this?”

  “Don’t waste time, Meg.”

  Now I recognized the voice in my ear. Jonathan Chiller.

  “Don’t waste time trying to escape,” he repeated. “Just have fun. Play the game.”

  “But … I don’t know what you mean,” I said. My voice came out shrill and high. “I don’t know how to play. How can I prove to you who I am?”

  “You’ll find your way,” Chiller replied.

  “But —”

  He clicked off. I stared at the phone for a moment, then tucked it back into my pocket.

  My head spinning, I took a few steps into the plaza. The long row of shops was glowing in orange light. A line of people stood outside the mask store.

  A gorilla carrying a trick-or-treat bag bumped into me. “Sorry,” a boy’s voice behind the mask said. And then he added, “Is it really you?”

  I stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  “Is it really you?” the gorilla repeated. “Have you tried The Haunted Pumpkin?”

  “What do you mean?” I demanded. “Tell me what you mean!”

  But the gorilla lumbered off, swinging the trick-or-treat bag beside him.

  I stopped to let two masked kids on stilts walk by. They were followed by two witches with long, crooked noses.

  The park was jammed with kids and families. I saw a two-headed fire-breathing dragon waiting at a water fountain. The two heads reminded me of Carlos and his space alien costume.

  I wished Carlos and Chris were here with me now. Maybe they could help me figure out this crazy game of Chiller’s so I could get home.

  Where should I start? Was that gorilla kid giving me a clue?

  A green-and-purple Horror — one of the park guides — held a big sign in front of his furry chest. It had arrows pointing in all directions.

  One arrow pointed to THE HALLOWEEN HOUSE OF SCREAMS. Below that, an arrow pointed to THE HALLOWEEN HOPPER. Another arrow pointed to THE HAUNTED PUMPKIN.

  The Horror saw me staring at his sign. “Know any good Halloween jokes?” he called to me.

  “No,” I said.

  “Neither do I,” he said. He turned and stomped away.

  Weird.

  I saw a food cart across the way. I suddenly realized I was starving. I pushed my way through some ghosts and ugly skeletons and stepped up to the cart.

  A Horror in a black apron was turning hot dogs on a grill with a spatula. I gazed down at the sizzling hot dogs. They were black-and-orange!

  “Care for a Halloweiner?” the Horror growled. He shoved a bun in my face. “Free for the holiday.”

  I laughed. HorrorLand really does a big thing at Halloween. Even the food is different.

  I bit into the black-and-orange Halloweiner. Not bad at all. Tasted like a regular hot dog. So I had another one and a cup of Apple Spider, which was cider with little candy spiders in it.

  The food made me feel a little better. I crossed the plaza and kept walking.

  A gigantic jack-o’-lantern — as big as a circus tent — rose up in front of me. Bright yellow light poured out from the jagged eyes and nose and the crooked mouth carved in the front. A blinking sign read: THE HAUNTED PUMPKIN.

  The boy in the gorilla costume was giving me a clue, I decided. I’ll go inside.

  I saw a line of kids climbing into the huge pumpkin through the open mouth. While I waited my turn, a girl in a green lizard costume caught my attention. She stood across the way, next to a light pole, staring at me. She didn’t move or glance around. Just stared hard at me through her lizard mask without blinking.

  What’s up with her? I wondered. I didn’t have time to think about it. It was my turn to enter The Haunted Pumpkin. I lowered my head and pushed my way inside.

  Hundreds of kids were running around on the soft, gooey floor. They were bouncing off the wet orange walls, laughing, dancing, and goofing around.

  The walls were spongy, and pumpkin strings hung down from the top like orange streamers. The pumpkin smell was so real — strong and gross.

  My shoes crunched over a thick carpet of white seeds. Pulsing yellow light shone from the pumpkin walls. I could see the sky through the carved-out eyes, nose, and mouth.

  In front of me, some kids were furiously tossing handfuls of pumpkin guts at each other. This really felt like being inside a pumpkin!

  Suddenly, screams rang out. The giant pumpkin started to tilt. It tilted forward rapidly. Kids stumbled and fell to the soft floor.

  The pumpkin rocked from side to side. Then tilted again, forward then back.

  It took me a few seconds to realize this was part of the fun. Everyone screamed and laughed. The floor came rolling up — and I stumbled back into a bunch of screaming kids.

  The pumpkin rocked again. Kids stumbled and staggered.

  I remembered the earthquake my family was in when we visited my aunt in Oakland. I laughed. This was like being inside a pumpkin during an earthquake!

  Suddenly, the laughs came to a sharp stop. A hush fell over the pumpkin. Then gasps rang out.

  I spun around, dizzy, and saw flames shooting off the back wall. The flames danced high and quickly spread over the back of the pumpkin.

  Were these special effects? Part of the pumpkin ride?

  The fire crackled. The pale walls were turning black.

  Kids stampeded to the jagged mouth. Screams rose over the roaring flames. Running fast over the spongy floor, kids pulled each other to the jack-o’-lantern face. And dove out through the open mouth.

  I lowered my head and ran. I could feel the heat of the fire on my back. Someone pushed me hard from behind. I dove to my knees and rolled outside through the pumpkin mouth.

  Everyone was screaming and shouting. I climbed to my feet and turned back to the burning pumpkin.

  But the flames had stopped. The pulsing yellow light gleamed from the eyes, nose, and mouth openings. The giant pumpkin stood still and silent.

  “All a joke!” a boy shouted.

  “It’s a fake!”

  “No fire! No fire!” a girl shouted to her parents. “It’s a joke!”

  “Awesome! Let’s go in again!”

  Some kids started back into the jack-o’-lantern. Others hung back, watching them.

  I took a deep breath. My heart was still pounding hard. I pulled some pumpkin seeds off the knees of my jeans. I brushed some more off the laces of my sneakers.

  When I looked up, a bunch of masked people were watching me.

  Was I imagining it?

  No. A family of seven, dressed in pirate outfits, were standing perfectly still. They all had their eyes on me.

  Two teenage couples wearing Star Trek masks walked past. They all turned to gaze at me as they went by. Beside them, I saw the girl in the green lizard costume again. Her tail trailed along the pavement. Her eyes were locked on mine.

  I turned and saw a tall Horror, furry arms crossed in front of his overalls, watching me intently.

  What’s up with this? I wondered.

  A shiver ran down my back. Why is everyone STARING at me?

  “Are you wearing a mask?” the Horror asked.

  I squinted at him. “What?”

  “Are you wearing a mask?” he repeated. And then the family of pirates repeated his question: “Are you wearing a mask?”

  As I stared in total confusion, everyone around me began to chant: “Are you wearing a mask? Are you wearing a mask?”

  I looked from face to face. This must definitely be a clue, I decided. They must be part of the game.

  Were they telling me to join them? To get a mask?

  I could see the mask store across Zombie Plaza. I turned away from the chanting masked faces and started to jog toward the store.

  I stepped up to the front of the shop. The sign above the door read: MAKE A FACE!

  Blue light glowed in the window. I pressed my
nose against the glass and peered in. The display was nearly empty. The masks had almost all been sold.

  A shrill scream rang out when I pushed open the front door. I jumped.

  A fat Horror behind the counter tossed back his head and laughed a booming laugh. “Did I get you?” he demanded. “Did I get you with that one?”

  “Kind of,” I said. I blinked in the deep blue light. It was a little like being underwater.

  I stepped closer to the counter. I could see that the Horror was wearing a mask of a Horror. What a joker.

  I gazed around the store. The shelves were nearly empty.

  “I need a mask,” I said.

  The Horror squinted at me through his Horror mask. “What’s wrong with the one you’re wearing?” His booming laugh rang out again.

  “Don’t feel bad,” he said. “I say that to all the girls.”

  “Very funny,” I said. “I think I need a mask and a costume.”

  He leaned an arm on the counter. “Guess you’re the kind of person who likes to plan ahead,” he said. “Why wait till the last minute — right?”

  This dude was a riot!

  “I … just got here,” I said.

  He waved to the costumes hanging on the back wall. “Not much left. See anything you like?”

  I walked over to the rack of costumes. In the blue light, I couldn’t tell what they were. I pulled a costume off its hanger.

  And another shrill scream of horror rang out. I gasped and dropped the costume.

  The big Horror laughed. “Just playing with you,” he said. “You know. Just doing my job. I used to be an elevator operator. Did I enjoy it? Well, it had its ups and downs!” He roared with laughter.

  I pretended to laugh. I mean, I didn’t want to hurt the guy’s feelings. I just wanted a mask and costume so I could get out of there!

  I held up the costume. I think it was green. Impossible to tell in the weird light. It had spindly legs and a pinkish tail. “What is this?” I asked.

  “You don’t want that one,” the Horror said. “It’s a rat. Besides, that costume is haunted.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Haunted?”