Puppy...
A Halloween Story By: Miles Buxton
Act 1… The mask.
Hi! I’m Emma. Have you ever felt that feeling where you feel like you're being watched? Well, that’s happening to me. I am at Greenleaf Middle school as a photographer for the school paper. The story is about the disappearance of Owen Dragonborne. I was in math with Owen and just a while ago, Ms. Oslia took him out of the classroom to talk. Once Owen disappeared I was immediately suspicious. It was around Halloween and we were setting up for the harvest festival. I was investigating the school when I found a mask. It was a creepy doglike mask with small eye slits with whites around them. The thing made me have a chill down my spine. “Cool!” I said, Oblivious to the thing’s power. “I’ll wear this for the harvest festival!” But first I checked with my friends. “Hi guys!” I said to them all.
“Hi.” Pablo said.
“I have a question for you.” I replied.
“Yes? Go on.” May interrupted.
“rghh.” I growled. “Anyways. Wha---.”
“What smells… Off?” Kiko noticed, sniffing.
“THIS MASK!!!” I yelled in anger. “THIS Is what I was telling you about. And YES! It smells weird.”
“Hmm… Creepy.” Pablo observed.
“Good enough for me!” I shouted whilst dashing off with the mask.
“I was gonna say. It may be tied to the creepiness of the Rainbow Friends encounter a week ago!” Pablo yelled, knowing it was hopeless, for I had already run off.
I looked at the mask and I, once again, felt like I was being watched.
I heard the bell ring. It was the 5th period… PE… I am not the physical type of person. I think physical education is a waste of time. I can’t wait for next quarter, it’s science next quarter. But anyway. I was on a team against Xavier and Ciara.
“Oh no. Owen Isn’t here and we do not have any strong people on our team.” Pablo pointed out.
Boomerang Ball of doom… I thought. These are the Instructions for it in Owen’s words.
1. you grab a ball.
2. you throw the ball right over the opponent's head.
3. they say “you missed! Ha!”
4. As they say it, the ball flies right at them from behind.
5. you catch it and save all your teammates.
I can’t do it. I thought. Then…
“YAAAA!!!!” Kiko yelled as some kind of battle cry. She threw it. All of the steps happened. “Dang it I missed.” Kiko said. “KIKO CATCH IT!!!.” I yelled… Kiko caught it. I watched in awe. Nobody in the school has ever pulled it off but Owen. Eventually PE ended and I was satisfied with our dodgeball scores: 5-2. We were the 5. The rest of the day was fairly normal and boring…
Act 2… The Curse.
I went home feeling as if I had just had a nice sleep and woke up without my sister bugging me. I was gonna get ready for the harvest dance. Then, I saw the mask again. I shrugged and continued to take off my clothes and put on my best dress. I looked at it again, still feeling that someone-watching-me-feeling. But then I noticed someone was watching me. After I unlocked the door to go out my sister was staring at me.
“What are you getting in your best dress for?” The 9 year old girl asked.
“I’m going to the harvest festival Mia!” I patted her on the head and continued to study the mask. I flipped it around and it read
“He who puts on this mask, never returns.” Ok, sexist mask. I am still putting you on at the harvest festival. I said in my head.
“Hello.” My mother said almost sarcastically cheery. I jumped.
“AH! Oh, it’s you, mom.”
“You are not going to that dance without me!” my mom exclaimed.
“But I'm 12, mom!”
“Oh! I won’t bother you!” Mom replied.
So, at 6:15, we went. When we arrived my friends said happily, “Emma! You’re here!” “Yeah. Oh! This is Mia, and this is my mom.” I responded. “Do you want to try this mask?”
“Yeah, but this really and I MEAN really Creeps me out.” Pablo said in response. So I tried it on with my friend’s hands on my shoulders.
“ARGH!!!” We all yelled whilst choking. When we stopped choking we were in the same place… But there were no other people, just us.
“It’s the rainbow friends incident all over again!” Pablo sighed. A dark, mysterious, tall figure started walking towards us.
“Erm, is someone gonna say something?” Kiko asked.
“Uhh. HELLO!” May shouted toward the figure. A tail as sharp as a knife flinged out of its side. Claws, long as a pencil, poked out of its fingers. Bushy ears popped out of its head. It finally came into the light of the one lamp above us.
Its breathing was raspy, like it was dying. We saw the face. It was the same as the mask. Hazelnut brown fur, with a chocolate brown spot on its left eye. Its pupils, just thin slits. And the smile. The haunting smile…
“Hellllooo. Youuu must plllaayy hiidee annnnd seekkkk with meeeeee.” It said in its rough voice. “Ooor LOOOSSSEEE YYOOUUURRR LIVIIIIVEEEEVVESSSSS!!!!!!”
“Ok?” Kiko questioned. secret
“Oooooh, IIIII lliiikkke yoooouuuu. IIIII wiilllll eaeaaaatt yyyooooouuuu llalalllllasssstttt.” The monster looked at Kiko. Kiko was trembling, sweat dripping down her face. “LLLLLEEEEETTTTTT TTTHHHHEHEEHEEEEEEE GAAAMMAMMEESSS BEEGEGIINNNNNN!!!!!!” The creature yelled. “One, two, Puppy’s coming for you… 3,4, better lock your doors… 5,6, grab your crucifix… 7,8, gotta stay up late… 9… 10… Never… Sleep… AGAIN…” Puppy continued counting.
“COME!!! GET YOUR HIDING SPOTS!!!” Pablo yelled out. I ran in the haunted house. Come on, come on… I thought to myself. I had to find a hiding place before puppy finished counting.
Meanwhile… Snap out of it Pablo! This isn’t the rainbow friends, this is serious! Pablo thought.
Meanwhile… Kiko was sniffing out the perfect hiding place (If you didn’t see Pablo’s adventure in the rainbow friends then go check it out to see why Kiko is sniffing for a hiding place.) “Oooh.” She had found her perfect hiding spot. It was in the mud, next to a tree. Really deep mud puddle too!
Meanwhile… May was in the cafeteria and saw a god spot. On the roof of the serving counter. Puppy will never find me here! She thought. “99, 100, Once hunter. You’re. Now. The. Hunted.” Puppy came…
Act 3… The game.
I found my hiding spot in a cabinet in the ER part of the haunted house. Puppy had actually started close to the haunted house so, at this time I was shaking in fear. I heard puppy sniffing vigorously. I scrunched into a ball. This is the end, this is the end! Was repeating in my mind. It opened my cabinet. But stopped and heard a clatter from the cafeteria. I was safe… For now.
Meanwhile… May saw puppy dashing to her position. Arms extended, for
its vision is not the greatest. May shivered. But not the cold shiver, the scared shiver.
Meanwhile… Pablo was hiding in a vent that he miraculously fit in. He was climbing around the vent as softly as a cat would on a blanket. He looked down through the vent opening above the cafeteria and saw the events unfold. (Ha ha ha, get it? events. I am SO funny!!! Anyways, continuing on.)
May was dodging claw swipes left and right until puppy caught her.
What would May do? Oh! I got it! Pablo thought. “AAAAAAH!!!!” He yelled, breaking through the vent.
“Pablo?” May saw.
“Yes!” Pablo replied. He led the monster away from the cafeteria.
May hid under the serving counter in the kitchen this time. But Pablo didn’t have as much luck as May.
“Uhhh… Nice doggy?” Pablo said to puppy.
Meanwhile… I was still in my “VERY COMFY” hiding spot and heard. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” Pablo was caught.
Meanwhile… May heard the scream as well. “Pablo…” May whispered, holding tears back.
Meanwhile… Kiko was still in the mud puddle. She, as well, heard the scream. She tilted her head and shrugged. Puppy started wandering outside… Where Kiko was…
She kept soaking herself in mud, not knowing the dangers that lurk 17 feet away. Puppy walked toward the unsuspecting Kiko…
Meanwhile… May was frozen in place under the counter and finally snapped out of it and looked out of the window. She saw puppy getting dangerously close to Kiko. “KIKO!!! RUN!!!” May screamed. Kiko heard and so did puppy. Kiko saw puppy then ran. Remember May… Remember. May’s conscience told her. She had a flashback… From May’s Perspective In Rainbow Friends…
Pablo and I journeyed back to the theater. We saw Dave being chased by Blue. “AHHHHHH!!!” He yelled. I sighed.
“OVER HERE YOU BIG BLUE MORON!!!” I shouted. Blue then gave chase.
“Get in your box, Dave.” Pablo whispered. I came back, fine.
May remembered. She gave herself motivation and ran to puppy and yelled at it, “COME ON YOU MANGY HAIRBALL!!!” She led puppy away from Kiko. May distracted puppy and outran it so she turned a corner and hid.
Meanwhile… I Was STILL in my “comfy” hiding spot, when. Puppy turned the corner whilst chasing May and came back to the ER room in the haunted house. The creature remembered almost checking a specific cabinet. The one I was hiding in…
He found the cabinet and checked in it again. He saw me… He grabbed me and put me in some kind of cage with Pablo. “Pablo!” I exclaimed. “Yes, any way you think you can escape?” Pablo asked. “No.” I replied. “AHHHHHHH!!!!!” We heard screaming. “Who do you think that is?” Pablo asked.
“I have no idea.” I said in response.
Meanwhile… Kiko was looking for a new hiding spot when puppy saw her. “AHHHHHHH!!!!!” She screamed. Kiko tried to do a crazy stunt which was actually kind of practical but, in Jake’s words. “I guess she failed her dexterity check!” And she was caught and put in the same cage as we were. “Hi.” Both me and Pablo said in an unenthusiastic voice.
“Hi.” Kiko said in the same voice. May was the last survivor.
Meanwhile… May was still in her same hiding spot. I gotta change it or puppy will find me! May thought. She looked for puppy. The coast was clear. She thought if you go in a hiding place once and get caught, and another person takes that hiding the seeker wouldn’t find them. But that was far from right…
Act 4… The escape.
May ran toward my hiding spot but she started in the doll room. She stepped on a doll and it said, “MAMA!!!!!!” Puppy heard. It ran as fast as possible toward that position and caught May red handed. “Oh! May. So we’re all here…” I said to May. “We need an escape plan.” May said.
“But this cage is inescapable!” Pablo commented.
“Well my plan wasn’t sitting here and getting eaten.” May frustratedly said.
“So if we distract puppy long enough to be able to get the key with some kind of thing.”
“Like this?” Kiko questioned with her hand full of a stick.
“Kiko! You brilliant dog-girl you!” I exclaimed. The stick in Kiko’s hand was just long enough to reach the key. Pablo threw a bobby pin from my hair. Puppy ran to the source of the noise. I stuck the stick out of the bars of the cage and grabbed the key with it. “YES!” Pablo accidentally yelled. Puppy heard and ran to the cage. It saw us trying to get the key. Puppy snatched the key and put it further. “PABLO!” We all yelled at Pablo.
“If we don’t make it out alive,” Kiko said. “I’m sorry Emma! I photobombed you in the stolen pizza story, not… MARY!!!”
“I always knew that Kiko.” I said.
“I can agree with Emma, we all knew it was you.” May added.
“Oh.” Kiko realized.
“We are getting out though!” May said with empowerment. “We just need a plan.” Puppy grabbed May out of the cage. May struggled, and struggled but she couldn’t get out of the monster’s strong grip. May was about a foot from the soup before. “PUPPY!!!!!” I yelled.
“Emma?” May questioned.
“I CHALLENGE YOU TO A TUG OF WAR CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!” I continued yelling.
“Chhhaahhahllllleeennnenennnnnggggggeeeggegegeeeeeee, aaacccacccceeepeppppppttttttttteeeeeeeeeeded.” Puppy replied.
“All of us, against you.” I added.
Puppy grabbed a rope, put it in its mouth, and gave the other end to us. We pulled as hard as possible and almost won. But the first round went to puppy.
Round 2 I noticed something was off. Pablo wasn’t helping. “Pablo come on, we get eaten if we lose!” I shouted with tears in my eyes.
“But I don’t have even half-decent upper-body strength!” Pablo commented.
“Come on. We need one more helping hand!” I wipe away my tears as I tell him.
I reached out my hand and he grabbed it. Some kind of force of all of us working together helped beat him. Round 2 went to us.
“Now it’s just the tie-breaker.” Kiko pointed out.
The force held up and we all beat puppy and he fell into the soup pot.
“IIIIIIIIIIII’LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL BBBBEEBEBBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BAAAAACCAAKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Puppy shouted.
We teleported back to our own dimension and it was after the dance sadly.
“Hey, what we experienced was better than a fall dance!” I said.
“Yeah!” Everybody else said. I went back home, but my mother was NOT happy.
“Emma Kota! Where have you been!” Mom yelled angrily.
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it but I’ll tell you anyway, in another dimension.” Was my excuse, a true excuse though.
“You know what. I’m not gonna talk because it’s been a long night.” My mother tiredly said. And that’s the story. So just these two words left: