"Please, mom, please?" Jess and I begged.

"Oh, alright."

"Yes!" We chorused. This could only mean one thing: we were going to host a Halloween costume party! Jess and I even had our costumes picked out. I was dressing as Zaphod Beeblebrox from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and Jess was dressing up as Titania, the fairy queen from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (her boyfriend, Jeremy, was coming as Bottom, the object of Titania's affection). We hopped in the car and drove off to buy some fabrics.

"Hey, mom, I'll meet you ladies back here later. I'm gonna hit the Salvation Army and Party City." I returned later with a bright purple Disco jacket, a loud red and yellow pin-striped leisure suit, one of those arms that you stick in a doorway, a Ronald Reagan latex mask, and a foam head to put it on. "I'm back, ladies."

"I'm sorry," Jess said, holding an armful of sparkling cloth. "I couldn't hear you, the outfit's too loud."

"Cute." I chuckled. "Actually, if you knew Zaphod, you'd know tacky is his style." I said as I found a length of purple that perfectly matched the jacket.

Later that week, and Jess and I were anxiously awaiting our guests, her wearing a sparkling toga with fairy wings, a fake olive wreath on her head, and glitter makeup, I with two heads and another right arm which, thanks to the use of string, moved when I moved my real right arm.

Ding-dong

I got the door, revealing Jeremy in a toga and plastic donkey mask. I nearly died repressing a joke such as "I hope I don't make an ass of myself."

"Jess, it's Jeremy!"

"Hey, hon." She said as she entered the room.

"Hey. You look great." He told her.

Pretty soon, everyone we had invited was dancing the night away, and there were quite a few different costumes, including prisoners with "24601" printed across their chests, monkeys, a Dorothy Gale or two, etc. There was even a person dressed in blood red jacket and hat with a skull mask.(1) Even mom dressed up as Elphaba, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West.

"I think I drank too much punch. I'll be right back." Seeing as how the downstairs bathroom was occupied, I ran for the upstairs bathroom, and into a wall. A huge, hairy, living wall.

I fell flat on my butt looking up at what looked like some kind of bear/wolf cross in a green hoodie. The beast opened it maw and let out a huge roar.

"AAAAAAAAH!" I screamed as the beast prepared to strike me with its machete-like claws.

"Ne, ne, ne!" Dad, or, rather, his ghost, said to the creature as he appeared. "Friend." The thing didn't seem to understand. "Er, amiko." (A/N: This is real Esperanto. If you wish for translation, go to http / esperanto – panorama . net / vortaro / eoen . htm (without the spaces))

"Amiko?" Said the creature in some weird language.

"Jes, amiko. Jen mia filo, Danny, Jr." Dad replied as the beast sniffed me over before giving me a huge lick.

"Thanks, dad. I haven't seen you in a while, what happened?"

"I was arrested by a ghost warden named Walker for breaking out of jail when I was about your age. A few months ago, he caught up with me."

"Ah. So who's this big lug?"

"This is Wulf. Just so you know, he only speaks Esperanto. He was my cellmate."

"So, what brings you back to the real world?"

"Word is his violent brother, Lupyne, returned from the far reaches of the ghost zone, which is why he was a little skittish when you ran into him. I helped him escape, and now, according to traditions of his species, he owes me what they call a life debt"

"He's skittish? I damn near wet myself. If he's afraid, I'd hate to see what his brother looks like."

"Danny? Are you ok? We heard you scream." Jess said as she ran upstairs, followed by mom.

"Kiu vi virino?"

"Ili mia edzino, Sam. Vi memori sin, prava?" Dad answered

"Jes."

"Kaj si estas mia filino, Jessica."

"Amiko?"

"Amiko."

"Bonan vesperon. Vin estas ambau trey bela" Wulf said to them.

"He says 'Good evening.' and 'you're both very beautiful.'" Dad said, causing both of them to blush.

"Dan, when did you become fluent in Esperanto?" mom asked, calling dad by the name she always called him when him and I were both within earshot.

"When you spend a few months as his cellmate, you pick it up pretty quick."

"You were locked up?"

"Why?" Jess asked.

"Pumpkin, when I was your age, I was arrested in the ghost zone for breaking some rule. I lead a revolt and escaped. Ever since then, the warden's has been trying to recapture me." Dad replied. At that moment, mom, Jess, and I spun around as we heard a loud roar piercing through the screams. A look of panic crossed Wulf's face as a beast not unlike Wulf started bounding up the stairs towards us. Wulf ducked in front of us.

"Mia frato, Lupyne."

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1. Cookie if you can accurately guess what musical/French novel this is a reference to (If you accurately guess what American short story they were referencing, you get to choose your own type of cookie).