1. Pumpkin Spice
"Pumpkin spice scented candles, pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin spice glitter stickers, and pumpkin spice perfume!" Sara stood back and admired her handiwork, the entire living room smelling like the seasonal food.
"Whoa, you weren't kidding when you said your sister was the queen and ultimate authority of pumpkin spice," Zack commented.
"If you think this is impressive, wait until we start carving jack-o-lanterns!" Milo threw his hands up excitedly, forgetting that he was still holding a mug of hot pumpkin latte. The liquid splashed on Zack's hair, causing him to yelp in pain.
"My bad," Milo chuckled nervously. "I'll grab a towel. But on the bright side, your hair will smell like pumpkin spice!"
2. Lovely Weather for a Hay Ride of Death With You
"Whoa! Whoa!" Milo tugged at the reins, determined to stop the out-of-control hay ride he and his classmates were in. The carriage clipped a lamp post, everyone hanging onto each other and screaming for dear life as they were knocked around mercilessly. The horses neighed and bucked, completely out of sync.
"No worries, I got this. Unless we lose a wheel-" A rear wheel broke loose, rolling in the opposite direction and crashing into a pistachio stand. "Spoke too soon, if you'll pardon the pun."
"Milo, we're heading straight for the farmer's market!" Amanda shrieked.
"If we all go out in a glorious fireball of hay and organic fruit, I just want everyone to know that it was me who used all the hand sanitizer that one day in lab when we were dissecting the alpaca eyes," Chad confessed.
"YOU WHAT?" the class yelled at him, momentarily forgetting their predicament.
They were about to slam into an apple stall when the horses suddenly stopped, sending everyone flying out of the carriage and into various stands.
Melissa groaned, picking fresh produce out of her hair. "I really hope there isn't a break and buy policy here..."
"At least the carriage is in mostly one piece, exception being the hind wheel!" The carriage immediately fell apart. To their credit, the horses didn't spook, only munching on Granny Smith apples to the seller's dismay.
"Guess we're walking the five miles back to school."
3. Leaf him Alone!
Vinnie sneezed, the leaf camouflage tickling his nose. "You know I have bad allergies around this time of year," he complained. Not to mention the stiffness, the itchiness, or all the other -nesses.
"Well, we can't just leave these leaves to rot," Balthazar said. "We must be resourceful when it comes to outwitting Agent Murphy, and these leaves were ripe for the taking."
Their leaf costumes rustled as they walked, people in this city being surprisingly tolerant of giant leaf piles with legs and glasses.
"I doubt resourceful means stealing garbage bags filled with dead leaves and supergluing them-"
"Shhh! Enemy sighted! Assume position!" Balthazar grabbed Vinnie's hand and moved to the lawn as Milo Murphy walked down the street with a dog and leash in hand.
They stood still, waiting for Milo and his dog to pass so they could begin an intelligence-gathering mission. "Diogee, you shouldn't run off like that," Milo scolded gently. "I know you like Veronica, but you can't just show up at her house whenever you feel like it. That's rude."
Diogee barked, then stopped directly in front of Balthazar and Vinnie. He sniffed the sidewalk, a pillbug, and the grass for several minutes. Vinnie stiffened, holding his breath as he silently begged Diogee to go away. Diogee's snout bumped into his shoes several times, until finally he stopped, lifted his leg and-
In a split second Vinnie decided he still had a little dignity left and hightailed it out of there.
"Dakota, get back here!" Balthazar shouted, then mentally cursed himself. He just gave himself away!
Milo Murphy smiled and waved as he ran after his partner. "I like your leaf camouflage! See you guys some other time!"
Moral of the story: Do not stalk Milo or else Diogee will urinate on you.