Works of Heart Bear proudly watched the reactions of others to her newest Art Exhibit. She had long desired to set up a permanent display of Halloween related Art Works. She knew the historical origins of Halloween. From ancient Celtic Samhain rituals to modern day Trick or Treating and Halloween Parties. She had garnered the help and financial support from Bears such as Good Luck. He was proud of his Celtic heritage. Along with her own Items there were some which had been purchased from artists and collectors. Many had been donated by other Bears and Cousins. They now proudly pointed to their own contributions. Their heirlooms would now be on display for all to see and admire. There were paintings, posters, knick knacks, wall posters and photos. Small brass plates had the names of contributors and a brief history of the Item or Items they had donated. There were also pencils and slips of paper near a decorated jar."Vote for your favorite Display. Help some Bear or Cousin win a Prize for their generous contribution" read a sign.
Treat Heart Pig had her Nephew and Nieces with her while her sister, Sweet Treat, used the Restroom. Beastly Boar had also lagged behind to adjust his Leg Braces. Treat Heart suddenly gasped just as Sweet Treat caught up to them. "Oh my Gosh" said Treat Heart while pointing to an enlarged photo in a battered wooden frame. Sweet Treat now gasped. "Well I'll be, can this be a Trick or a Treat?" Her little Piggies stared at the Photo. Taffy found it mesmerizing. "It looks like there is a real Witch, Wizard, and a weird looking animal with those Bears and Cousins. I can see two Piggies behind them laughing." She tapped the glass over the hairy Beast's face. "Wow, what a hairy Beast that animal is" said Taffy. "It looks like that place got wrecked during a fight." She peered closer and pointed at the Witch, Wizard, and the Beast. "Somehow the Trophy they are holding together and their faces look a bit familiar" said Taffy. "So do the Piggies behind them."
There was laughter behind Taffy. As the Pigs turned they saw Lovalot and Miracle Joy standing there. Lovalot blushed as her Daughter blurted out "Mom told me about that. It was one of the wildest Halloween Parties ever thrown in Care a Lot. Don't you recognize your own Daddy? You just called him a weird looking animal and a hairy Beast!" Sweet Treat now blushed. "Well, this may take some explaining!" Beastly sidled up to his Mate and laughed. "Hey, I'm famous" he exclaimed. "Is that hairy thing really you, Daddy" asked a wide eyed Pepper Jack. His other sister, Candy, giggled. "Daddy used to be a Hippy Pig!"
A small crowd of curious spectators gathered close to hear what was going on. Many pointed and laughed as they looked at the Photo and it's descriptive tag. Among them Share Bear grinned. She had donated the photo. Grumpy had told her it may not be a good idea to publicly display it. However Share felt it important to share it with the Care Bear World. She also had a bet with Grumpy. If her Photo won First Place she would get a Foot Paw Massage every night for a month from Grumpy. Share smiled as she listened to Beastly explain things to his Piglets and the others present. For Share that night had been one of the wildest and most fun one of her Teen Bear years. She was not the only Bear or Cousin to feel that way. That event was even mentioned in The Book of Caring. It had affected the lives of both good and bad citizens of Care a Lot. Now Bears and Cousins who had grown older smiled as Beastly's words refreshed their memories. Soon many more would be laughing and reminiscing.
"Well, I was once a cursed Care Cousin Wild Boar" said Beastly. "The curse was broken when No Heart fired me and I fell in love with a beautiful piggy. You call that piggy Mommy. This photo was taken while I was still cursed and working for No Heart and Shreeky. Shreeky is the girl who lives with Too Loud Bear now. You know her as Sharika. No Heart was once considered an evil Wizard. After he fired me he turned good and worked for a Circus as a Magician." Beastly sighed, "Shreeky and No Heart were known for being bad while I was there. However living with them was fun at times. Especially during Halloween. They were Pagans and still celebrated it as The Samhain. They had decided we should sabotage a Halloween Party being thrown by some Teen Care Bears and Care Cousins. So we went to spoil the party." Beastly happily told the story of that unforgettable All Hallows Eve night.
Beastly was trying to get back in favor with No Heart after misplacing a Book of Spells. So he set out on a crisp October morning to spy on The Care Bears and Cousins. Surely he could find something to do to irritate the good guys while trying to please the bad guy. As Beastly neared the old abandoned Land Without Feelings School House he was startled to hear laughter. The building had been maintained over the years as a historical reminder of The Forest of Feelings once darker past. Now as Beastly crept closer to it he saw Bears and Cousins go in and out with boxes and bags in their paws. Most appeared to be Teen Bears and Teen Cousins. One Bear who was a bit older was heard to groan over having to help.
Beastly snickered to himself, "I think he is called Tender Heart. Today he sounds like that young Grumpy Bear!" Beastly crept up behind a bush. Two female Bears were in front gossiping. Beastly strained his Pig like ears to listen in on what was going on. The Bears were Share and Surprise. "Gee, I am surprised the grown ups are going to let us Teens have a Party" said Share to her sister. Surprise huffed, "I would be surprised if they actually let us have some real fun! I hear True Heart and Brave Heart are going to be Chaperones. They will probably try to keep things too calm for us to have any real fun. Last year True Heart chewed me out for putting fire crackers into the Jack o' Lanterns."
Share laughed. "Brave Heart really got a bang out of lighting what he thought was a candle. I bet there is still Pumpkin mush in his fur!" As the Girls giggled Beastly slunk away. But not before swiping a Halloween Poster nailed to a tree. Soon he was telling his Masters of what he had seen and heard. Shreeky glared at the Poster. "It says their Party is at 7:00 PM on Monday, October the thirty first." "How distasteful" said No Heart. "Throwing a sickening happy party on The Samhain. Our Celtic Ancestors should turn in their Graves to know Care Bears are corrupting our Sacred Holiday."
Beastly grinned. "Gee Boss, why don't you spoil the Party?!" No Heart glared. "I will be busy, why don't you and Shreeky spoil the Party?" "Oh can we" yelled Shreeky. "It may give me a chance to win a Demerit Badge in School. Every year after The Samhain Break we have to do an essay on how many Mortals we nearly scared to death on their Halloween Holiday." "Maybe we can get some candy too" said Beastly. "Don't worry Boss, I'll give you some Sour Balls and Atomic Fire Balls if we get any." "You had better" said No Heart. Despite his fierce reputation he did like Sour Balls and Fire Ball candy. Gummy Worms didn't stand a chance when No Heart was around. Shreeky and Beastly knew that despite his age he could still act like a Bad Boy at heart during The Samhain.
Beastly and Shreeky made plans to wreck the Party. They looked at a Cubs' Halloween book to get ideas. "How insulting" said Shreeky as she pointed at a picture of a Witch riding a broom. "Witches haven't rode brooms in centuries. Young Mages like me are only taught how to ride a Broom to honor old traditions." Beastly stared at the picture. "Gee, Shreeky, riding a broom would be fun! Witches probably had to give that up because you are supposed look scary, not playful." "Beastly" wailed Shreeky. "Call me a Mage! I am a young Girl Wizard, not a Witch." "Well, you all look and sound alike to me" giggled Beastly. Beastly suddenly flinched as sparks flew off his backside. "Ouch!" Shreeky glared as Beastly rubbed his Butt. "Do we all Zap alike" asked a sneering Shreeky. Shreeky looked at the book again. "I guess we will have to do some of the things in this book. If that is what those Fur Balls expect to see on a scary Halloween Night that is what we will give them."
Shreeky realized she need not do much to look like a Trick or Treater. There should be plenty of fake Witches around. Beastly simply used hair grease and a brush to stylize his usually messy Boar's Hair. He smiled as he put on a black bow tie. Now he was a Boar with style. As Shreeky and Beastly prepared to crash the Halloween Party a Black Cat slunk up to them. "Oh, a scary Cat" said a nervous Beastly. Shreeky laughed as she hid a Straw Broom behind some bushes. "Gees Beastly, don't you recognize your own Boss! Hello Uncle No Heart. Are you here to crash the Party too?" Beastly gasped as the Cat stood on its Hind Paws and grew as big as a Care Cousin Cat. "I am not needed at the Samhain Coven until Midnight. I decided to lurk around as a Familiar to see what this infernal Party is all about. I was able to regress my age to that of a Teen Cousin Cat. Let's go inside and see if we rattle those noisy Bears and Cousins."
As the uninvited trio entered the large decorated room they all gasped. They could not recognize most of the Party goers. They were in costumes. One disguised Bear nearly blinded them as a Camera flashed. On the Bear's purplish chest was a tag which read Press Corp. Shreeky guessed the one dressed as a Matador was Amigo. He was muttering in what sounded like Spanish as he tried to hoist up a Pumpkin shaped Pinata. Then he yanked too hard and the Pinata went clear to the ceiling. Several costumed Cubs watched anxiously. A large Ostrich which sounded like Treat Heart ran up to Beastly. "Oh, whoever you are you make for a handsome Hog! I am tempted to molt off my feathers for you." Beastly blushed as he was pulled to the dance floor. Shreeky and No Heart stared in horror as the 'ostrich' did "The Chicken Dance" with Beastly. Then someone hiding their face with a paw held mask walked up to No Heart. Proud Heart Cat lowered her mask and purred out "whoever you are you make for one handsome Tom Cat! Want to go outside and caterwaul with me?"
No Heart was speechless for a moment. "But I am much older than you" he finally gasped out. "Some Girls like older Guys" said Proud Heart. She purred as she grabbed him by the Paw and dragged him out the door. Shreeky was now in shock. "I sure hope that Proud Heart Cat is not in Heat" muttered Shreeky to herself. "I don't need any Kittens as Nieces and Nephews!" Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Cats caterwauling outside. She was horrified to hear Brave Heart say "sounds like some Tom Cat Cousin got lucky with a Girl!" Shreeky shivered in disgust, then remembered her mission. She slunk up to the Apple Bobbing Tub.
Shreeky reached into her black purse and discretely emptied a small plastic bag into the tub. She giggled mischievously as Harmony organized a game of Bob for the Apples. Shreeky watched with bated breath as Champ tried and failed to get an apple. Then Brave Heart Lion bobbed for an apple. There were gasps as he lifted his head. In his teeth he held a large Goldfish. Brave Heart took the fish out of his mouth and held it high. "I won, I got a Carp to eat!" Then he happily gulped the fish down. "Not fair" said Champ. "Bears like fish more than Lions." Brave Heart rubbed his tummy. "Best Apple Bobbing Game ever!" Shreeky could only shake her head in disbelief. That sure hadn't gone as planned!
Shreeky was startled as True Heart yelled "hey you two Lovers, no Nose Rubbing inside!" Shreeky was disgusted to see the Ostrich shedding her costume. "Wow, it sure was hot inside of that thing" said Treat Heart Pig. She grabbed Beastly as he tried to flee from her. Beastly's bow tie was hanging loose. His face was covered with smeared Snout Gloss. A fat Goblin laughed and shouted out "way to go Sis! Embarrass that Boy with another kiss." Shreeky turned away in disgust. Crashing this Party was not fun at all for her! Then a Ghost in a sheet walked up to her. It sniffed loudly and barked out "hey. You are not a Bear or Cousin in disguise. What are you?" "A real Witch" yelled the fed up Shreeky who then cackled. "Yeah, right" grumbled a Clown who sounded like Grumpy. Amigo was atop a step ladder trying to fix the Pinata. He had only freed it enough so it dangled from the ceiling a bit. "Ay carumba, if you really were a Witch you would be able to fly up on a Broom and free this from the ceiling. Your lame costume looks like it came from a Good Will Store!"
Shreeky blushed, "Oh yeah" she shrieked. She then ran up to Beastly to pull him away from Treat Heart. "Hey, he's mine" yelled Treat Heart as Beastly was pulled out the door. Shreeky tried to ignore the caterwauling Cats. She was glad it was too dark to see what they may doing. Shreeky was livid as she fetched the Broom she had hidden. "Hop on Lover Boy" she hissed to Beastly. "But Shreeky, what if I fall off" wailed Beastly. Shreeky cackled out "don't worry, the ground will break your fall!" Beastly held on for dear life as the Broom shakily lifted its passengers. "I sure hope Shreeky has a license to operate a Broom" thought a trembling Beastly.
Shreeky tried to get the Broom under control as she flew towards the doorway. Beastly nearly died of fright as he heard her say "shoot, I forgot to open the door!" Inside the Party goers were startled as the door burst open to the sounds of splintering wood. Wide eyes watched as a Broom with two scared looking riders whizzed around the room. Bears and Cousins ducked as the Broom barely cleared their heads. "How awesome" yelled Surprise Bear. "Now that is what I call surprising" she said as she was nearly hit by Beastly's dangling legs.
Share was glad she had brought a real Camera. She pointed it at the cause of all the commotion. Shreeky tried to gain some altitude when she was suddenly blinded by a Camera Flash. "Ah" screamed Beastly as he fell off near the Pinata. "Oomph" he grunted as he landed in Treat Heart's strong arms. "I caught a live Treat" yelled a happy Treat Heart as she happily rubbed her snout on that of a stunned Beastly.
Amigo had nearly been hit by the Broom and its occupants. He could see Shreeky's wide eyes as the Broom approached once again. "Bravo" yelled Amigo as he jumped from the step ladder. He and the others watched as the Broom and its rider smacked into the Pinata. "Ole`" shouted Amigo as the Pinata literally exploded. "Hurray" yelled Cubs as candy and small gifts rained down on them. Then they yelled with glee as the Broom and Shreeky crash landed into the Tub of water. Water and Apples flew. Cubs happily giggled as they caught flying apples. Laugh a Lot laughed so hard she nearly wet herself. She ran outside to Pee behind a bush. In doing so she startled Proud Heart and the now exhausted No Heart. Their surprised MEOWS echoed off the hills. This time Laugh a Lot did laugh the pee out of herself.
Share had been so caught up in getting photos of the chaos she had stumbled backwards, right into Grumpy. Down they went among the water, apples, candy and various treats. Grumpy's Clown nose went flying like a missile. As Share lay on his chest Grumpy actually laughed. "Hey Girl, are you my treat" asked Grumpy jokingly. Share blushed, then in a spur of the moment act rubbed noses in a kiss. "Wow, you are a treat" said Grumpy as he helped Share to her feet. He put his nose back up to Share's. As she and Grumpy kissed True Heart yelled at them "I said no Nose Rubbing inside. Take it outside with the caterwauling Cats!"
Shreeky crawled out of the tub with the help of a Bear who had got soaked too. "Wow, someone who is clumsier than me" said Oopsy Bear. "Do you have a Date here?" Oopsy was nearly broken hearted when Shreeky said "no. Sorry, but I am not into dating boy Bears." Shreeky stood shivering as Cubs of all ages chattered excitedly. They clutched their apples and their damp candy too. "Thank goodness this candy is wrapped" said Thanks a Lot. "Sure is" said the fat Goblin as she shed some of her wet costume.
True Heart walked up to Shreeky and handed her a bunch of paper towels. Shreeky was expecting to be yelled at and kicked out. Instead True Heart giggled and said "hey Lovalot. Bring the Trophy over here. Treat Heart, haul your new Boar Friend over here. Brave Heart, haul the caterwauling Cats in here. Surprise, bring the awful candy you tried to sneak into the Candy Bags. Everyone else gather around."
In a moment Brave Heart returned with the Cats in tow. Laugh a Lot was right behind them giggling. "I cannot tell a lie" said True Heart as she grabbed Shreeky and Beastly. "I have figured out who you and the Big Black Cat are. We were going to give a Trophy for the best costume." True Heart paused and dumped the Sour Balls, Super Hot Atomic Fire Balls, and Sour Gummy Worm candy Surprise had snuck in with into the trophy. "However, I think we should now present this to the three party crashers who made this a most memorable Halloween!" "Best Halloween Party ever" yelled Surprise Bear. "Sure was" said Share Bear as she handed Grumpy's fur brush back to him. Grumpy was grinning, "can't the Party last a little longer?" "You have had enough fun, Grumpy" said True Heart. "Now back to what I was saying. No Heart, drop the disguise and act your age!"
With a POOF the Big black Tom Cat turned into No Heart. Cheer nearly gagged. "Gross, Proud Heart was making out with an old Wizard!" "Hey, he's great at caterwauling and rubbing fur as a Teen Cat" said Proud Heart unabashedly. "Plus he has a great voice for caterwauling!" "You must be tone deaf" said Harmony. True Heart took the Trophy out of Lovalot's Paws and held it high. "As I said earlier I cannot tell a lie. It is plain to see most of you had a great time tonight. Some of you had a little inappropriate fun." Proud Heart had found her mask. She lifted it over her face so no one could see her guilty looks. Share grinned guiltily as she looked over at a happy Grumpy. Treat Heart felt no guilt at all, rubbing snouts with Beastly was fun! Beastly let out a squeal as Treat Heart pinched his left Butt Cheek.
True Heart sighed, "I need to give a few of you a private talking to later. Still, I must admit you sure seemed to have had a lot of spills, chills, and thrills tonight. I propose that Shreeky, Beastly, and No Heart share the trophy for being the most original Halloween Party Crashers ever. All in favor raise a Paw or Hoof!" To the chagrin of Beastly, No Heart, and Shreeky the vote was unanimous. True Heart handed them the Trophy. Beastly reached in and grabbed a Sour Ball. "See Boss, I did get you some Sour Candy." No Heart unwrapped it and plopped it into his mouth. "Oh, how can you eat that" asked Smart Heart. "This is sweet compared to Shreeky's attempts to cook" said No Heart. "Hey" said a shivering Shreeky as Beastly laughed. Behind Beastly the Pig sisters giggled together. Share had a hard time holding the camera steady as she hollered out "pose for the Camera". She was finally able to stop giggling herself long enough to take a most memorable photo.
As the Party wound down No Heart and Shreeky slunk out. Shreeky had a reluctant Beastly in tow. Beastly nearly dropped the torch he was carrying each time Shreeky yanked on the collar she had magically placed around his neck. No Heart sighed loudly as he held the candy filled trophy. "Alright you two" he hollered back to Shreeky and Beastly. "Let's make a pledge to never mention what happened tonight to any Magical Being." "Fine by me" said Shreeky. "But I thought it was fun getting kissed by an Ostrich who was really a Pig" said Beastly. "Plus it was exciting to see you crash land, Shreeky. I got to see candy and apples fly as you got a bath!" "Beastly" yelled Shreeky as she gave his collar a tug. No Heart actually laughed. "Oh what a night. Hey, this piece of candy looks like an atomic fire ball. Alright!"
Beastly was all smiles as he ended his story. He could hear the sounds of snickering and giggling among his audience. "We went to spoil a party, only to become the Life of the Party. It was worth all the trouble it caused for us. No Heart was nice as long as he had that sour candy to munch on! Even Shreeky liked the sour Gummy Worms. The Trophy looks familiar to Taffy as it was one of the things I packed away the night No Heart kicked me out. It is now in need of polishing. High up on a shelf where three little Piggies can't get at it. I still laugh every time I think of Shreeky crashing into the Pinata!" "Awesome story, Dad" said Candy. "I can't believe you got kissed by Aunt Treat Heart." "We really were meant to be an extended Family" said Sweet Treat. "Destiny is stranger than fiction sometimes." She and her Family watched as Bears and Cousins ran up to the Voting Jar. They were delighted to hear True Heart say "there is no sense in counting. There is one standout among all the others. I overheard Sweet Treat say destiny is stranger than fiction sometimes. I feel Share's photo is destined to win." Sweet Treat's and Beastly's Piglets waited anxiously to see if their Mother, Father and Aunt had been made a permanent part of Care a Lot's Halloweens history. Treat Heart's mate, Messy Bear, smiled as he looked at the photo. Now there was a mess even he would have a hard time topping!
Two hours later their wait paid off. They squealed and yelled with delight as the winner was announced. Laughter and squeals of delight were heard even as the Pig Family finally left for home. Share had nearly squealed too when the winner had been announced. A delighted Share Bear accepted her First Place prize. "Great photo, Share" said Works of Heart. "I bet none of those who were there that night knew they were destined to be in a true Work of Art. It is also of historical value. I hope you enjoy the new Digital Camera and Gift Cards." "Oh thank you" said Share. "I will enjoy them. This means I won my bet with Grumpy." Share's sister laughed. Surprise knew of the bet Share and Grumpy had made. "If I were you I would surprise Grumpy by using the camera to get pictures of him massaging your Foot Paws" said Surprise.
"Oh, good Idea" said Share. "My feet and my camera will enjoy winning my Bet. I am tickled to have won." Later that night Share grinned as she did take a photo of Grumpy as he massaged her Foot Paws. Grumpy didn't mind. He decided to make it fun for both of them. Grumpy looked up at Share and said "Surprise told me your Photo was good for a lot of laughs. She also said that you said you were tickled to have won. Is this what you meant?" Share laughed as Grumpy tickled her Foot Paws. "Oh gosh" gasped Share after Grumpy stopped tickling her. "I would never have guessed my photo would bring about so much laughter!"