A Howlie-Bone Halloween

Diva stood at the window, watching the orange and yellow leaves blow up the driveway. There was a different feeling in the air today but she couldn’t figure out why. Mom was getting ready for something, there was a black kettle on the table with good smelling stuff in it and she was wearing a funny black dress. What could all this be?

A car pulled up at the end of the driveway. Like a good Golden retriever should, Diva barked to let Mom know someone was coming to visit.

“Shush, Diva! We have Trick or Treaters!” Mom opened the door and there were odd-looking creatures standing on the porch. They sounded like kids when they shouted “Trick or treat!” but they certainly didn’t look like any other kids Diva had ever seen.

Diva was getting more and more confused, especially when Mom picked up the kettle and gave the creatures some of the good smelling stuff. What was going on? And why did one of those creatures look kind of like a Golden retriever, but it just walked on its back legs?

Diva went into the living room to ask Daisy what was going on. Daisy explained to Diva that today was Halloween, a day when kids get dressed up and go out visiting other people in the pursuit of goodies. Diva was getting upset with this whole idea, especially when the fake Golden retriever got treats. Mom didn’t give her anything – not any of the good smelling stuff in the kettle, not even a biscuit!

Soon it was getting dark. Mom and Dad were getting ready to go out, all dressed up in their funny clothes. Mom said something about a Halloween party, whatever that was. Diva was annoyed and pretended she didn’t care where they went. Humph! “Not even a biscuit this evening for us!” she said to Lexi after Mom and Dad left. “I think we should go get our own treats!”

“What do you mean, get our own treats?” asked Lexi. “We aren’t supposed to take things off the table, Mom will get mad at us!”

“I think we should go out like those creatures and get our own treats,” sulked Diva. “Why should that fake Golden get treats and not us?”

“Hey!” Moya exclaimed. “I know where Mom keeps those silly outfits she has us wear to our pet therapy visits! We should dress up like those kids and see what we can get!”

“Ooh, I don’t think so!” said Lexi nervously. “It’s dark out there, and where would we go? Nooo, I really think this is a very bad idea!”

“Stop being such a party pooper,” said Moya as she pulled a costume out of the box. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

The girls each picked out a witch’s hat, and there were pumpkin pails to collect goodies. They were all set for their adventure, but how to get out of the house?

Moya noticed the living room window was open, but there was a screen in the way. The cat was sitting on the window ledge, eyeing the dogs through the screen. Moya tried to talk the cat into helping, but she just stuck up her nose. “Do it or we’ll turn you into a decoration!” threatened Moya.

“Ugh, dogs,” muttered the cat as she pushed in the screen. “I’m hungry anyway. Get out of my way so I can go eat.”

“Come on!” woofed Moya. “Let’s go!” All four dogs hopped through the window and headed out into the night. They crossed the hayfield and came to a stream with a log across it. They trotted over the log and started to cross the cornfield on the other side.

“Whooo goes there??” said a voice out of the darkness.

“Oh, no!” cried Lexi. “I heard there was a who-who that lives in this scary old tree! I knew this was a bad idea!”

“You’re such a scaredy-cat,” scoffed Moya. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Whooo goes there?” said the voice again. “Why are you out after dark? Don’t you know the Howlie-Bones will get you?”

“Wh-what are Howlie-Bones?” asked Diva with a quiver in her voice. “Wh-why will they g-g-g-get us?”

“Howlie-Bones are the skeleton spirits of naughty puppy dogs,” said the who-who in the tree. “They rise up out of the ground on Halloween and search for treats to steal from trick or treaters. You’d better watch out – they know your name!”

“Oh foo,” said Moya. “We’re on an adventure! Come on, let’s go get some treats!”

The girls headed off into town and soon came to a house. They watched as some kids went onto the porch and rang the bell. A person answered the door and gave the kids treats, just like Mom had done back home. Hmm, they thought, this looks pretty easy!

Off they went to the house. Daisy rang the bell and they all sat at the door, holding their pumpkin pails. A lady came to the door. “How cute!” she said as she gave each of the girls a treat in their pails, then went back inside and shut the door.

“Wow, we did it!” exclaimed Diva excitedly. “We got a treat! Let’s try again!”

So off they went to the next house, and the next. Soon their pails were getting heavy with treats.

“Oh no!” moaned Lexi. “We can’t eat these treats, they’re chocolate! Mom says that’s bad for us. What are we going to do now?”

Just then they spotted the kid dressed up as a Golden retriever. “Maybe he can help us,” said Moya. “What if we trade him all this candy for biscuits?” They trotted up to the boy and, because he was a kid and Halloween is a special night, they were able to explain their situation. The boy agreed to trade and got a bag of biscuits from his house. The trade made, the girls happily started off toward home.

“Deee-vaaa – aroooo – roo – roo!!!” came an eerie voice as they headed back into the cornfield. “Deee-vaaa, we are going to get you!!!”

“It’s the Howlie-Bones!!” the girls all cried. “Come on, we have to get home!!”

They raced across the cornfield but the Howlie-Bones were in hot pursuit. Lexi tossed her pail behind her, hoping the Howlie-Bones would take the biscuits and leave them alone.

They reached the scary tree again. “Why are you in such a hurry?” asked the who-who.

“The Howlie-Bones!” cried Diva. “We have to get back home before they get us!”

“Get across the stream,” said the who-who. “Howlie-Bones can’t swim. Make sure they can’t follow you across the water!”

With the Howlie-Bones hot on their heels, the girls headed for the stream. They pushed the log into the water and splashed across, trying to keep their pails dry. Once on the other side they galloped through the hayfield and back to the house.

The cat scowled at them as they came back through the window. A cat would certainly not have gone swimming and then come into the house with wet feet!

The girls hurried to get out of their costumes. Diva and Lexi put the costumes away and stashed their biscuits under the bed in the guest room while Daisy and Moya tried to put the screen back in the window, just as a car pulled into the driveway. Oh no, it’s Mom and Dad!

The girls all ran into the living room and jumped on the couch, curling up and pretending they had been sleeping all evening. Mom saw the screen on the floor and muttered “crazy cat” as she put it back in the window.

“What good girls I have!” Mom said. “Silly cat knocks in the screen and you all stayed right here in the house. Who wants a biscuit for being so good?”

Diva looked over at Daisy and smiled, then trotted off to the kitchen and the waiting biscuit jar.

The end.