A short while later, Tommy and Timmy Tibble return to their grandma's house, still wearing their Siamese twin outfit. As they run through the door carrying sacks full of candy, they trip and fall again, and their sacks spill onto the floor. They start to collect the pieces of candy from the floor, but it becomes a problem to determine what belongs to who...

"Hey! That piece is mine!" shouts Tommy.

"No, it's not!" Timmy retorts.

Tommy and Timmy start fighting again, which proves to be awkward and difficult due to the costume that binds them together. Finally, Grandma Tibble draws a line halfway through the spilled candy with her foot, and he twins stop fighting.

"No fair!" complains Tommy. "There's more candy on Timmy's side of the line!"

Grandma Tibble once again picks up the boys and sets them on their feet. "No more arguing," she commands. "Now, let me get you out of that costume."

Moments later Tommy and Timmy are wearing their usual clothes again, and are wolfing down their Halloween candy. "It's too bad D.W. couldn't go with us," remarks Timmy.

"Yeah," says Tommy. "I wonder if she saw any aliens."

"Maybe she was abdicated."

"What does that mean?"

"Uh...it means the aliens took her away."

"I don't think that's the right word."

"How long have we been eating?"

"I don't know. I can't tell time."

"I can eat more than you can."

"No, you can't."

----

At the police station, two police officers are questioning Binky, whose bandanna mask has been removed. "...but I didn't want the other kids to know I was watching for the

aliens, and that's why I put on the mask," the boy explains.

"Aliens?" repeats the first officer. "Did you see any?"

"No," replies Binky, "because you had to come and drag me to the stupid police station. For all I know, the aliens have come and gone already."

"So you say you were wearing a mask and using binoculars so you could see the aliens when they landed in your friend's backyard," sums up the second officer.

"You asked for the truth, and that's it, scout's honor."

"And did it ever occur to you that somebody might see you, and think you're scoping out the place for a possible burglary?"

"I wasn't gonna steal anything," Binky insists.

"Maybe so," says the first officer, "but you did look suspicious."

"I'm not a criminal!" exclaims the worried Binky.

"Nobody's accusing you, son," says the second officer.

"We'll let you off with a warning this time," says the first officer. "I'll call your parents and have them come and pick you up."

"My parents? No way! If word gets out about this..."

"What's your phone number?" asks the second officer "You do know your own phone number, don't you?"

"Oh, man!" Binky groans. "I'm gonna be the laughing stock of the whole school!"

"You can let your parents drive you home, or you can go home in a squad car," says the first officer. "It's your choice."

Binky drops his head into his hands.

----

At about the same time, Arthur, Brain, and Francine approach the front door of the Crosswire mansion, still wearing their costumes. Arthur rings the doorbell, and suddenly the door swings open by itself, accompanied by a strange voice. "Come in, my friends," it intones creepily. "Muwahahahaha!"

As the three kids enter the Crosswire house, they see a large, cavernous opening in front of them. Tracks have been laid inside of it, and there are several roller coaster-like cars. The cave-like structure appears to snake throughout the house. "This must have cost several thousand dollars," Brain remarks.

"I don't care," says Francine. "I just want to see what's inside."

The door opens again, and Prunella enters, breathing heavily. "I ran here as fast as I could. Am I late?"

"It's eight-o-clock now," says Arthur, checking his Bionic Bunny watch.

Suddenly Muffy appears, having changed out of her fairy costume into normal dress. "Only four of you?" she marvels. "Where is everybody?"

"Fern's gone home to recuperate," answers Prunella, "and Buster, of course..."

"Oh my freaking gosh!" exclaims Muffy in horror. "I totally forgot!" Quicker than lightning, she picks up her cell phone and pushes a button. "Bailey, the limo! Quickly!"

Several minutes later, the Crosswire limo pulls up in front of Buster's house. Muffy jumps out and hurries to the back yard, where she sees Buster sitting and eating snacks. D.W., meanwhile, is arguing with her mother, who has come to fetch her. "Mom, can't I stay up just another ten minutes? I don't want to miss the aliens!"

"There are no aliens, D.W.," Muffy confesses. "It was just a prank."

D.W.'s jaw dropped. "What?"

Buster's jaw dropped. "What?"

"There were no alien voices, Buster," Muffy explains. "It was me, Prunella, and a couple

of bass speakers. I was going to tell you sooner, but I was distracted when Fern got her nose bashed in."

Buster's eyes bulge. "She WHAT?"

"I'll tell you about it on the way to my house," Muffy urges him. "Come on, the limo's waiting."

"You mean...they're not coming?" Buster stares gloomily into the night sky.

"You lied!" D.W. roared at Muffy. "You're a lying, lie-y lieface! You made me miss trick-or-treat! Now the Tibble twins will make fun of me all year!"

In a brief aside, we see the Tibble boys after they have finished eating their candy. Their bellies are swollen, and they are visibly nauseous. "Oooooohhh..." they groan in unison.

"I can throw up more than you can," says Tommy.

"Go ahead," says Timmy.

In Buster's back yard, D.W. is continuing her rant against Muffy. "I'll sue you, Muffy Crosswire! I'll sue you for every penny you're worth! As soon as I find out what 'sue' means!"

"Come along, D.W.," says Mrs. Read. "It's past your bedtime." She leads her daughter away by the hand, but not before D.W. sticks out her tongue and makes an ugly face at Muffy.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Buster?" says Muffy, pulling on the rabbit boy's arm. "It's time to enter...THE CROSSWIRE TUNNEL OF TERROR! MUWAHAHAHAHA!"

"If it's all the same to you," says Buster dejectedly, "I think I'll just go to bed now."

Muffy watches with surprise as Buster, his head hanging low, walks into his house. "Hmph!" she complains. "How rude!"

As she walks back toward the limo, she sees a police car driving down the street. In the illumination of the limo's headlights, she thinks she sees Binky riding in the passenger seat next to a police officer. "Huh?"

----

The next morning, the kids are starting to gather in Mr. Ratburn's classroom. Muffy enters the room and walks over to Binky's desk. "What were you doing in a police car last night?" she inquires of him.

"You're the tenth person to ask me that today," says the depressed Binky, "and my answer is the same. I don't want to talk about it."

Then another depressed boy walks into the classroom—Buster. Muffy tries to greet him, but he sits down without a word.

"Buster, I'm really sorry about the alien prank," she says contritely. "I can tell I hurt your feelings..."

Suddenly angry, Binky jumps to his feet. "What...? The aliens were a prank?"

"Yes, a prank that went a little too far, I'm afraid," Muffy admitted.

Binky shakes his fist. "Why, you... If you were a boy, I'd clobber you!"

"Hmph! Excuses, excuses."

Arthur, Francine, and the red-nosed Fern step into the classroom. "Hey, Fern," Muffy welcomes the girl. "How's the old schnozzola?"

"Still pretty sore," Fern answers. "Should be back to normal in a week or so."

"Well, if it doesn't get better by Christmas, then you can be Rudolph."

"Did we ever find out who that girl in the ninja suit was?" wonders Brain, who is seated near the others.

"Not me," says Francine. "I guess she's a friend of Prunella's, but she's too embarrassed to meet us after what happened."

"What did you find out about her, Fern?" Arthur asks.

"I...uh..." Fern begins.

"What?"

"Nothing," Fern lies. "Nothing at all. Didn't learn her name, didn't see her face."

"So, the identity of the ninja girl remains a Halloween mystery," says Brain ominously.

"Yes," says Muffy, "but I have a feeling we'll see her again."

"Maybe she's an alien," says Buster, suddenly smiling.

"Good to have you back with us, Buster," says Arthur with relief.

THE END