One October evening after the sun went down for the night, Wheeler, who was from Brooklyn, New York, decided to take Halloween off this month. He'd been looking forward to Halloween every year. It was always his favorite time of the year. He was actually the only American when he and his friends became famous by saving the earth.
His other friends had something else in mind. Wheeler talked his friends into letting him have sometime alone and that didn't involve the blonde Russian. The gang didn't seem to care if he had time alone. While on his free time, Wheeler took his ring off his finger and placed it on a faded wooden desk.
He thought he'd go out and buy treats and scary decorations for his part of a huge house he lived with the other Planeteers. He also wanted to dress up again this year. He'd planned on being a ghost this year. Last year he was a knight. It was his first time dressing as a knight. He thought it wouldn't be necessary to bring his ring along so he left it.
He walked out of the big house with his wallet in his hand. He decided to catch a cab to the nearest town for his journey for this Halloween. 'This is going to be fun!' he thought to himself. The cabbie actually took Wheeler to two cities in Brooklyn. Wheeler told the cabbie he didn't have to wait, so he tipped the driver one dollar.
His friends had no idea Wheeler left the house without telling his friends where he was going. He thought it wasn't a big deal to his friends so Wheeler still did not return. The other Planeteers had not yet noticed the fire Planeteer snuck out of the house.
It was after nine that night when the Planeteers noticed Wheeler was gone.
"Where did Wheeler go?" Linka, the Russian asked.
Everyone shook their heads, telling her they had no idea.
"Did you check out his room?" Kwamee, the African asked.
"No."
"Let's go there and see if his ring is there," Gi, the Asian suggested.
"Or a note of some kind," Ma – Ti, the heart South American agreed.
Therefore, the friends headed up the creaky staircase to Wheeler's room. Kwamee went to check it out before letting the others in.
"You were right, Linka. He isn't here. No note," Kwamee told his friends.
"Where could he have gone?" Gi asked.
"Good question," Kwamee answered.
Ma – Ti looked at Wheeler's fading desk.
"Look here," Ma – Ti told them.
"What?" they asked in unison.
Ma – Ti had the red ring on his hands.
"You're saying it's Wheeler's ring?" Linka asked in a shocked voice.
"Yes, but no Wheeler."
"Are you saying he's disappeared?" Gi asked.
"Looks like it," Kwamee spoke up.
Wheeler didn't pay any attention to the time on his Timex wristwatch. He was busy trying to decide what to give the kids this year when the store's employees and customers left for the night. Wheeler saw he was in the dark store since he had trouble reading labels.
A couple of seconds later, he screamed! He remembered he was scared of the dark. He'd never been locked in a store like this before. A minute later, he wanted to use his ring to contact his friends but did see he left his ring behind.
"Drats!" Wheeler said aloud.
He'd hoped his friends would search for him eventually.
"Ma – Ti, can you figure out where he could've gone?" Gi asked.
"I could try," he answered.
They watched as the heart Planeteer used his ring to contact Wheeler.
"Where is he?" Linka asked.
"He is two cities away from here in Brooklyn. It looks like he's locked up in some sort of store with no lights on. He looks scared. He is pounding with his fists to let someone come and let him out," Ma – Ti described.
"No wonder he left this ring behind," Kwamee replied.
Everyone knew this was the Wheeler they knew. Wheeler had done it a lot recently but the other Planeteers noticed. Back at the store, Wheeler was hearing someone open the front door. His guess was it might have been the nightly security guard.
He was wrong. He looked like a thief, trying to break and enter this place. It looked like a woman was entering this joint, Wheeler thought to himself. To him the body looked more woman than man. Wheeler jumped in surprise as he watched the doorknob turn. He was wrong about the breaking and entering bit. The woman looked like she was on night duty.
Wheeler did those two things: jump and scream.
"What are you doing here?" a late thirty – ish light blonde asked.
Her nametag told Wheeler her name was Jamie Alyce.
"I was trying to figure out how to get out of here. Am I glad to be free again!" he exclaimed.
"I thought I heard fists pounding, so here I am."
Jamie Alyce looked into Wheeler's shopping cart. It had some candy, all right. The cart had Peanut and chocolate M&M's, Kit Kats, Reese Peanut Cups, Skittles, you name it. Wheeler watched her hazel eyes look inside his cart.
"You're not planning to steal this stuff, are you?" Jamie Alyce asked.
"No, ma'am. I'm here to buy goodies for Halloween," Wheeler said truthfully.
"We'll see about that, buddy," she said, pulling a pair of handcuffs and put them on his hand. Jamie Alyce left a note for the store manager to let him know the store had an overnight robbery. While parking the Nissan into the parking lot at the police department, his friends arrived.
Gi read the note to the manager.
"There has been a robbery here. The customer is in custody."
They all looked at each other, thinking: 'Wheeler!' Once more Kwamee took the wheel.
"I guess our next stop is the police station," Kwamee replied.
"They made it to the police department within minutes.
The receptionist saw Wheeler's friends head her way. She said nothing.
"We're here to bail our friend out. Where is he?" Linka asked.
"Talk to the officer on duty, Miss," was the answer.
At that time, Jamie Alyce had left. The store manager had been notified by telephone so he would know what happened.
He had curly thick brown hair, glasses, etc. He was not in work clothes. He did seem a bit worried about his store robbed. He saw Wheeler with the officer on duty. Wheeler was thankful he didn't have to be locked behind bars this time. He sighed with relief when he saw his friends enter his way.
"Am I glad to see you guys! How did you know I was here?"
"We found the note," Linka told him in her Russian accent.
There was no time for romance.
"We saw you left your ring behind. We've had the conversation many times before," Kwamee said seriously.
Wheeler had always been the one to blame when he left his ring behind. Ma – Ti handed him the ring.
"Thanks, Ma – Ti."
The officer in charge of Wheeler let him go within five minutes after hearing the truth from Wheeler why he was in the store. The officer looked like he was on a diet. He also had dark circles in his eyes as if he hadn't slept in months. He believed Wheeler in telling the truth. There was silence between all the Planeteers until they entered the vehicle. The store manager let Wheeler have the Halloween goodies he was shopping for and gave him the receipt.
"Thanks, sir."
After climbing in the vehicle and buckling their seatbelts, Wheeler said, "Let's go home. Tonight was a nightmare."