By Valerie Lawson (Angel of Music)
Starring:
The Critter ChicksVickie (Ms. Wings)
Lorrine (Winter Wolf)
Sicara
Celtic Ann
Katie
Valerie (Angel of Music)
Chicks AnimalsSicara's: 7 dwarf hamsters & Pandora Chow Chow the Ewok
Vickie's: Ms. Bandit, Mufassa, Harvey, Sophie, Angel, Spot, Goldie, Frisky, Thumper Cotton Houdini Davis, & Fancy Bird
Lorrine's: LA Gin (Poo Poo), Shadow, Fluffy, & Hip-Hop
Katie's: Chi Chi, Peanut, Tater, & Ida Mae
Valerie's: Frodo, Missy, & Queenie
Disclaimer: I don't own Jaws, Finding Nemo, The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Harry Potter or Hansel and Gretel. I'm just borrowing them. The ladies and pets are based off of my Internet friends (and myself). I apologize for any gross inconsistencies with personalities.
Halloween night came with perfect weather. The evening was warm with a hint of cool breezes. A full moon rose slowly as the sun set and the night became black. The Critter Chicks gathered at Vickie's house for their Halloween adventure. They had planned to go to a Halloween Harvest festival at a local college. Lorrine was dressed up as a werewolf, Valerie had become a Renaissance princess, Vickie as an angel, Sicara was The Lady of the Lake, Katie as a good witch, and Ann was Dorothy. They entered the house, and began chatting instantly. Knowing that Halloween night could get a bit crazy, the ladies had also brought over their pets. This way, the animals would be protected and have fun with each other. The ladies soon left, saying good-bye to their animals. Little did they know the animals had also been planning for this night as well….
Looking around the room, everything appeared to be normal. The fish swam in their tank against the wall. The rabbits, hamsters, and bird were in their cages. The dogs and cats lay quietly on the floor. All seemed peaceful. After a few minutes, Sophie, the miniature pinscher and "lady" of the house, slowly raised her head and pricked up her ears.
"I think they're gone. Let's party!" Sophie barked, waking all the animals. Soon, a full-scale Halloween party was in motion. All in all, there were 29 animals at the party, and everyone was having a good time. Water bowls and treats were set out on the table, along with some fresh vegetables. Spooky music drifted through the room and a fire crackled in the fireplace.
The fish were gathered, and they were reenacting scenes from their favorite movies, including Jaws and Finding Nemo. Angel, Spot, Goldie, and Frisky each picked a scene; then the stepped to the front and directed everyone. Angel could faintly be heard reciting, "Fish are friends, not food."
The hamsters were having a party of their own. Frodo and LA Gin were helping the 7 dwarf hamsters carve a pumpkin. The pumpkin was so large that all of the hamsters could have easily fit inside. They were happily using their teeth to carve out a scary design.
"This is the best!" Frodo squeaked. He stood on a pile of cedar chips to reach the top of the pumpkin.
"We're gonna win first prize!" LA Gin squeaked back at him.
Fancy Bird perched atop the china cabinet, surveying the party. She was having fun but keeping an eye on things at the same time. She began whistling a familiar tune: "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me." She bobbed her head up and down in time to the music.
On the floor below, the cats, dogs, and rabbits had gathered around the fire. They sat in a crescent moon shape, eagerly awaiting something. Missy trotted over and sat down.
"Everyone ready? Welcome to this year's Halloween Party. This is the best turnout ever! I think we're all set to start the scary story contest. Who wants to start with their 'campfire spooky tale'?" Missy looked around and noticed Queenie, Hip-Hop and Thumper trying to get her attention.
"We'll start, Missy," Hip-Hop said. She looked over at Thumper and Queenie, who nodded at her to tell the story. "Well, here it goes. It's kind of a rabbit Hansel and Gretel." The bunnies gathered in the front of the crowd, their backs facing the fire. Their ears twitched, listening to the murmurs of the other animals. Hip-Hop took a deep breath and began.
"It was a Halloween night much like tonight. There were three rabbits, just like us: Hip-Hop, the playful one; Thumper Cotton Houdini Davis, the sweet one; and Queenie, the feisty one. They spent the day playing in the meadow. Soon, night had fallen. The rabbits looked around them at the darkening sky.
'I think we should get home. It's dangerous to be out so late,' Thumper said nervously. She moved her ears, trying to detect the slightest sense of danger. Hip-Hop giggled and tried to involve the others in a game.
'C'mon, it's too early to go in! We should keep playing.' Hip-Hop was always up for playing a game. 'How about peek-a-boo?' she asked. Queenie rolled her eyes, her diva-like personality coming out.
'Really, what are you afraid of?' Queenie looked around, spying something at the edge of the meadow. 'Hey, look at this.' She hopped forward, followed by Hip-Hop and Thumper. The forest began where the meadow ended. A small path disappeared into the forest. Something orange lay on the path. On closer inspection, Thumper noticed that the object was a carrot.
'Why would a carrot be laying here on this path?' She looked around, noticing another carrot a bit further off. 'Here's another one. Who left out these carrots and why? Something smells funny,' Thumper told them.
'Maybe it's an adventure! Mmm, I love carrots,' Hip-Hop said excitedly, hopping in circles.
'I say we go check it out.' Queenie wanted to take charge, as usual.
'I…I don't know. We should get home. My mom's gonna be really mad.' Thumper tried to talk some sense into the other two, but it was hopeless. They slowly followed the path of carrots, periodically looking around to make sure they wouldn't get lost or run into danger. They kept walking, and they finally reached the end of the carrot trail. 'Now what?' Thumper asked.
'Look!' Hip-Hop called to them. 'Over here!' They had come out of the forest into a clearing. In the middle sat a cute little orange house. The three bunnies stared at the house for a few minutes.
'Why is it orange? I've never seen a house like this,' Thumper said. She sniffed the air. 'What am I smelling?'
'It's carrots!' Hip-Hop noticed. 'It smells wonderful.' The three rabbits walked closer, examining the curious building. It was very detailed and had designs carved into the walls. Queenie stood still for a moment, listening.
'I don't hear anyone. Let's try it!' Queenie got a mischievous look on her face. She dashed forward and licked the house. 'Tastes great, come on!' Slowly Hip-hop approached the house and tasted it as well. Finally, seeing nothing bad happening to her friends, Thumper crept up and tasted the house as well. The rabbits all sat there for a minute, enjoying themselves. Queenie got a feisty look in her eye.
'We haven't eaten all day. We should try the house. No one will notice a small nibble,' Queenie told the others. She looked around. 'No one's here.'
'I don't know. We don't want to destroy someone's house. That's wrong,' Thumper admonished Queenie.
'Well, I don't care. I'm going for it!' Queenie hopped closer and took a large bit out of the lower part of the house. 'It's yummy! Try it!' Queenie smiled. Hip-Hop came forward to try the house and then Thumper reluctantly did as well. All seemed fine when suddenly the air erupted in a roar.
'Who dares eat my house! Who dares?' An evil witch came running out of the house, and stopped. She spotted the rabbits and glared at them. 'Why do you come eat my house? I don't wreck your property! You'll get what you deserve!' She ran towards the rabbits, trying to grab them. 'You'll be rabbit stew!' The rabbits each squeaked or squealed, dashing into the forest as fast as they could go.
'I told you; I told you!' Thumper shouted, angry with Queenie and herself for getting into this mess. Hip-Hop's eyes were wide; this wasn't the type of hide-and-seek game that she liked. They ran quickly back to the meadow and stopped to catch their breath. They could still hear the witch roaring in the distance.
'Oh, my gosh! What have we gotten in to?' Hip-Hop couldn't wait any longer. 'I'm going home!' With that, she scampered off into the darkness.
'Wait!' Thumper called. 'We're safer together!' Queenie thumped her feet in annoyance, then followed the others. They reached their burrow safely, panting and shaking with fright.
'That was the worst thing ever,' Hip-Hop declared. 'Next time I want a normal Halloween.' The rest of the night the rabbits were on their best behavior. They never went near that particular meadow or the forest again. One thing they learned: never disrespect someone else, or you just might get thrown into a pot of stew.'"
Hip-Hop bowed and the other animals cheered. She and the other bunnies smiled, then they hopped to the back of the crowd to await the next story. Fancy was still perched up top, looking down on everyone, but she appeared to be listening. The fish were still performing their reenactments, and the hamsters were still partying and carving their pumpkin. Sophie walked forward.
"Who wants to go next?" she said, as she surveyed the room. Pandora slowly crept forward and stopped by Sophie.
"Any of the other cats want to come up here with me?" Pandora looked at the other cats that stood and made their way to the front. "I figure, we're all in this little adventure together, so we should all be up here." Pandora licked her paw and smoothed back her fur. Her eyes sparkled as she thought about her story and pretend adventure. "I'm Pandora Chow Chow the Ewok. You can call me Pandora." She looks around, and everyone is watching her intently.
"Our story begins in Edwardian times. There once was a high-class gentleman who was named Master Gracey. He was a kind man, and he devoted a lot of his time to helping others. He had several cats living in his mansion: Pandora, Shadow, Ms.Bandit, Mufassa, and Harvey. Pandora was the curious one, and she was always getting into things. Shadow was aptly named, as she never left her master's side if she could help it. Ms. Bandit was the adventurer and hunter, and she'd disappear for days at a time. Mufassa was the quiet but lovable cat, and he loved to protect Harvey. Harvey was lovable and craved attention; he was a bit of a chicken, so he always ran to Mufassa for help. Pandora and Ms. Bandit led their "pack". These 5 cats followed Master Gracey all around his mansion. They seemed to be guarding and protecting him. One day, Master Gracey met a young woman named Emily. He invited her over for dinner, and they soon fell in love. The cats loved having Emily in the house. She'd play with them and pet them. Finally, the day came when Master Gracey and Emily were to be married. They had their wedding reception back at the opulent mansion. Ms. Bandit seemed to sense something wrong underneath the cheerful festivities. She went and found Pandora.
'Where are Harvey, Mufassa and Shadow?' Ms. Bandit asked.
'Shadow is following Master Gracey, as usual. She seems to sense something, so she's staying even closer than she normally does.' Pandora paused to think. 'Harvey and Mufassa were playing with Emily when I last saw them. Why? What's going on?'
'I don't know. I feel great evil in the air, even though this day is one of happiness. We should keep a close eye on the master and his lady.' Ms. Bandit looked concerned. 'I'll try to stay with Harvey and Mufassa with Emily. You find Shadow and stay by Master Gracey.' With that, the cats spread out, doing their "detective" work, trying to find out the source of the evil. Soon, Ms. Bandit ran into Harvey and Mufassa, who seemed a bit worried.
'Uh, Ms. Bandit? We can't find Emily anywhere. She walked out to the garden with one of the guests, and now we can't find her.' Mufassa seemed concerned. 'A neighborhood cat jumped in the garden and started making trouble for Harvey. When I finished with the situation, I noticed Emily had vanished,' Mufassa explained. Harvey nodded in agreement.
'Come, let's find Pandora and Shadow,' Ms. Bandit instructed. The three cats silently crept back into the house, dodging guests as they searched. Finally, they met up with the other cats. 'Any word?' Ms. Bandit asked.
'Master Gracey is frantic. Emily hasn't been seen for an hour, and she's not responding to any calls,' Pandora explained. 'The guests are beginning to wonder.' She looked over at Ms.Bandit who was delicately sniffing the sir. The other cats were on alert, waiting for instructions.
'I sense something happening in the attic. We should check there,' Ms. Bandit said cryptically. The five cats hurried over to the stairs. One by one they climbed. Soon, they entered the attic. No one was there, and the air was very still. The room was dark, with only a single candle throwing eerie images on the walls. They looked around, their eyes catching objects in the light. Pandora walked around one side, Ms. Bandit the other. Shadow, Mufassa, and Harvey searched in the middle. Towards the back, Pandora found a trunk. Peeking out from the closed lid was a piece of lace and satin.
'Ms. Bandit, come here, quick!' Pandora called. Ms. Bandit came trotting over, followed by the other three. 'Sniff this trunk. Does it have Emily's scent?' Pandora asked. Ms. Bandit sniffed carefully, then let out a mournful meow. Knowing the truth, Pandora ran downstairs to fetch Master Gracey. She found him worriedly searching the lower levels. She wove her way between his ankles, meowing loudly. Annoyed, Master Gracey looked down. Sensing the cat was trying to tell him something, he bent down and scratched her head.
'What is it, girl?' he asked. Pandora got up and ran over to the stair. She slowly began to climb, glancing back to make sure her master is following her. She soon reaches the attic, and she races over to where all the cats are standing. Master Gracey bends near the trunk. 'Oh, no!' He grabs a nearby hammer and breaks the lock on the trunk. The cats hear a strangled sob from Master Gracey, and they peer inside. Curled up, looking as if she's sleeping, is Emily.
For years, Master Gracey never was able to find out why someone had murdered his beloved Emily. His wedding day was forever tarnished. He never left the house, and slowly Master Gracey and his masterpiece mansion fell into disrepair. The cats were his only company and companionship. Inevitably that day came when Master Gracey left this plane to go join his Emily. The two of them never crossed over, though. Knowing their life together had ended in the house, Master Gracey and Emily haunted the mansion, knowing this way they would finally be together. Over the years many more ghosts came to live in the house, which became known as The Haunted Mansion. The cats stayed around to guard and protect the house. Shortly after Master Gracey passed, a soft light had shone down on the cats.
'Because you have been kind and self-less creatures, I will grant you immortality. Use it well,' a voice said from above. The cats smiled, knowing they'd always be around to protect the legacy of the house. To this day, if you visit the mansion, you will always hear the mewing of a cat and feel as if you're being watched." Pandora and the cats waved to their audience, smiling at the exuberant cheering.
"Next please?" she said. She and the other cats went back to their places as Sophie stepped up to the front. She waited as the other dogs came to the front. "Who wants to tell the story?" She looked at the 6 dogs in front of her. Missy stepped forward.
"I'll tell it. It'll be fun!" Missy said, as the other dogs sat down to listen. "My mistress is obsessed with Harry Potter, so this is appropriate for me to tell." She paused dramatically, listening to the crackling fire behind her.
"This story takes place in recent times. There was a school, buried in the hills, where not many people could find it. This was no ordinary school. All the magical animals from all across England came here to learn magic. Seven dogs had recently learned that they had this magical potential. Chi-Chi came from a family of four Chihuahuas. She was the sensitive, affectionate and loyal one of the family. Next in the family was Tater. She was a sneaky, outgoing, and adventurous dog. Peanut was the only boy in the family. His nickname was Bubba, and his favorite activity was sleeping and snuggling on people's laps. Ida Mae was shy and quiet. She hated baths, but she would play with others…if she felt like it. The other three friends of the Chihuahuas were Missy, Sophie, and Fluffy. Missy was a Beagle-Dachshund mix, and Sophie was a Miniature Pinscher. Missy was a very sweet and playful dog, and she was always affectionate. Sophie was a rambunctious, playful, and loveable dog. Fluffy was the puppy of the group. She loved to sweep with things with her tail, and she was always excited. The seven dogs met at their new school, and they quickly learned their way around. They took many magical subjects, and most caught on pretty quickly. Tater and Missy stood out as the cleverest of the group with the subjects, probably because they had a knack for getting into trouble and having to figure their way out of things. Soon it was rumored that an evil wizard dog was at large. The evil dog was thought to have disappeared for several years, but in the past month he seemed to have surfaced again. He ran around doing terrible things and hurting people and other dogs. Now, Missy and Tater had gotten the idea to try to learn as much magic as possible to go out and fight this dog. Ida Mae and Sophie, hating strangers, were against the idea. They also thought that Fluffy was too young to participate. Peanut didn't really care, as he just wanted to sleep. Chi Chi was worried about her family, so she joined Missy and Tater in trying to convince the others.
'Come on, we have to fight to protect our family and friends! If this dog is loose, there's no telling what damage he might do,' Chi Chi said passionately.
'It'll be an adventure!' said Tater.
'We really should do this,' explained Missy.
'I don't know. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me,' Ida Mae told them. 'We're little Chihuahuas, and the rest of you aren't that big either. What are we going to be able to do?'
'You know I don't like this either. Strangers make me nervous, especially this one,' Sophie told them.
'Just wake me up when you figure this out,' Peanut interjected.
'Really! This is important!' Chi Chi was a bit upset. The dogs continued debating. Soon it was decided that they would gather their wands and go looking for the evil dog, so they could protect others from harm. Not everyone was thrilled by this news, but they went reluctantly along. Just as they got outside, wands and an invisibility cloak in tow, a dark cloud exploded in front of them. Once the smoke cleared, a tall, menacing dog stood in front of them, glaring evilly. It seemed they had no choice, now.
'So, seven little puppies have come to challenge me. Ha-Ha-Ha!' he laughed, chilling them to the bone. The puppies braced themselves, knowing a fight was coming. Soon all you could see was a flurry of fur and wands amidst the glow of various curses and hexes being flown around. The rest of the school seemed peaceful, when all of a sudden some teachers came tearing out, hoping to save the students. They stood, looking around, and when they found the group of friends, they were stunned at what they found. The evil dog lay panting, and he was completely tied up in chains. Sophie and Ida Mae stood towards his rear, while Fluffy, Chi Chi and Peanut guarded his head. Missy and Tater stood on his back, wands ready.
'We've taken care of him for you.' Tater said, unnecessarily.
'We…we can see that', said one of the teachers. Soon the dogs decided to run off and play, as the teachers called the law enforcement to take the evil dog away. They happily realized they had accomplished something important. From that day forward, the seven brave dogs were somewhat of a legend at the school."
Missy took a bow as everyone cheered again. The dogs got back into the circle as they all lay down, just enjoying the company of their friends and the fire. Soon, the party started winding down. The hamsters had finished their pumpkin, and everyone was resting and talking in small groups. Before they knew it, the great clock on the mantle chimed midnight. Doing a final cleanup, everyone lay down and went to sleep. A short time later, the six ladies came in, having had a wonderful Halloween night. The looked around the house, checking to make sure everything was OK. All of the animals were sleeping soundly, and everything appeared to be in order. The humans didn't seem to have noticed that the animals had thrown a party of their own. The ladies went into the kitchen for some tea. Missy rolled over and caught Sophie's eye. She grinned and winked at Sophie, as if to say "They'll never know." Another Halloween had passed, and next year would bring another group of stories.
The End