Time was running in South Park, and I was approaching to the first big event of my exchange year: Halloween.

In Italy we celebrate it, but it's more like a failed imitation of the American one, so I was pretty interested in the atmosphere of that 31st of October.

How did I arrive to that day? Well, my soccer team displayed great performances, I had recently welcomed Scott Malkinson in substitution of Pip and also started collecting good results at school, so everything went good.

The only thing that could be improved was my relationship with Jessie: we had become pretty good friends, but if only it had been something closer...

I was going out of the school with the boys after our Monday training: "So, guys" I started "Have you already chosen your Halloween costumes? There are only four days missing..."

"My costume has been the same for years and years" affirmed Cartman "And this year is not gonna change..."

"You can't dress up like Hitler again, fat ass!" exclaimed Kyle "It's like a punch in the face of Jewish religion..."

"That's why I'm gonna do it again..." smirked Cartman

Before than Kyle could reply, I interrupted the conversation: "What about you, Stan and Kenny?"

"The usual zombie..." mumbled Kenny

"I think I'll be a vampire this year" declared Stan

"You're gonna suck blood like Jews do with money..." commented Cartman

Kyle clenched his fists and murmured through his teeth: "Can I answer? Or hit him? Or kill him? You can choose..."

"It's not worth it..." I answered looking at the street, where there was a short queue of cars "I guess your parents have arrived"

"See you tomorrow at the hill, guys!" greeted Kenny

Stan dropped his eyes: "I can't come..."

"What?" asked Kyle "Why?"

"Because I have to go and see Wendy's dance training" murmured Stan, looking at his feet "Tomorrow and also Friday, before trick on treat..."

"Who's Wendy?" I asked

"His girlfriend" answered Kyle

"So if I have understood correctly, you'll miss the greatest sledge ride of the century to see some girls dancing" summed up Cartman "I've always said that you're a pussy inside..."

"Enough, Cartman" I said "He only wants to make his girlfriend happy, it's a good thing..."

Stan looked up and smiled: "Thank you, G..."

"See you, guys!" I greeted, jumping in the car "Hello Gerald, how was your day?"

"Tiring but productive" answered Kyle's dad "And yours?"

"Good" answered Kyle for both

"I'm happy for you" affirmed the lawyer "G, so everything scheduled for tomorrow?"

"Obviously" I confirmed

"Thank you, G, really, you're giving us a great hand" thanked Gerald

"You're welcome" I answered, looking at Kyle "We're gonna choose the best Halloween costume ever!"

The following day we entered the "Horror Shop" in order to find something interesting: Sheila was busy with Ike and Gerald was stuck at work, so I decided to go there with Kyle to help him with his research: "Ok, you can start looking around and see if there is something that you like" I commented

"Thank you, G" thanked Kyle, before noticing "I've not asked you what are you going to do for Halloween yet..."

"Don't worry, I'm not doing nothing incredible" I explained "I'm going out with Thomas and Cody and we're gonna drink something and spend time together in a club: I think also Jessie will come..."

"Cool..." commented Kyle, while I was looking around the shop.

My eyes settled on a big, brown book, that looked really old and had an eloquent title: "The most terrifying legends of South Park".

I opened it and started reading some pages, stopping myself at a story titualed "Bloody dancing school": "Wow..."

"Have you found something interesting?" asked Kyle from the costumes section

"I think so" I declared "Come to read"

Kyle came and took the manuscript, starting reading aloud: "The legend says that every 31st of October the South Park Dancing School is the stage for the Devil's show, that every year comes and brings a little kid with him in the deepest part of the Hell..."

"It's crazy, huh?" I commented "Imagine if it was true..."

"Do you think that we should inform Stan about it?" asked my host brother

"Mmh, no" I minimized "It's only a legend, but I'd like to go deeper into it... By the way, have you chosen your costume?"

"Yes" affirmed Kyle, pointing to a Joker disguise "What if I also dyed my hair with one of those temporary hair dye?"

"Supercool" I approved "I'll help you with the cosplaying!"

"Perfect!" exclaimed Kyle "Thank you, G! Now I can go to hill, the others are waiting..."

"Ok, see you later" I greeted "Meanwhile, I'll make a little research on the Internet..."

That was what the way I passed that afternoon: initially I didn't find nothing, but after a couple of hours I clicked on a link that said: "Bloody rituals in South Park"

At that moment Kyle entered the room and asked: "Any news?"

"Maybe" I commented "Here it talks about pagan rituals, and the dancing school has apparently hosted one of them..."

"The article dates back to?" asked again Kyle

"Seven years ago" I said "But this is a proof that something happens in that school..."

"Stan must be informed" affirmed Kyle "We can't permit that something bad happens to him..."

"Tomorrow you have to tell him everything" I concluded "And now let's clean my chronology: if someone spies me, he will think that if a sort of fetishism for the Devil..."

On Wednesday, I came home after school and Kyle was already in our bedroom: "We have a problem..."

"Jesus Christ" I sighed "Thanks for welcoming me..."

"I'm serious, G" said Kyle "I told Stan the story of the Devil, and he initially didn't believe me, but then I showed him the sources and he agreed..."

"And where is the problem?" I asked

"The problem is that Wendy thinks that these are all bullshit" explained Kyle "She still wants to go dancing on Friday evening, and Stan must go if he doesn't want to lose her..."

"Well, this is not a huge threat" I commented "I'll show her the article and she'll believe me..."

"Already done" affirmed Kyle "But she showed it to her mother, who told her that the story wasn't true"

"Is there any way to make her change his thought?" I asked

"I don't think so" admitted Kyle "She's very firm on her ideas..."

"Oh god" I said, before explaining "Ok, the only way that we have to protect Stan is keeping in contact with him: do you have a walkie talkie or something like that?"

"Yes" confirmed Kyle

"Perfect!" I exclaimed "Stan will take one of them so we can communicate with him while he's there, then I'll go there with you and the others and the evening will continue normally"

"It seems a good plan" declared Kyle "Let's do it!"

Friday, 31st of October, late afternoon.

"Why are you so slow?" asked Kyle, whose face was already painted in white, red and blue

"You have too much hair" I answered while I was spraying the green hair dye on his head "Have you ever thought about cutting it, Caparezza?"

"Capa what?" repeated Kyle, frowning his forehead "By the way, I like them the way they are"

"Caparezza is an Italian singer, but it's also an Italian colloquial way to say, 'curly hair'" I explained "Everything good there, Stan?"

"Yes, yes" answered the kid from the walkie-talkie that was lying on the table "It's a real bummer here..."

"Not hard to believe you" I commented, finishing my work "Done! You're ready for Halloween!"

Kyle didn't manage to answer, because Stan interrupted us: "Hey, what's happening!? Oh my god!"

My host brother launched himself on the walkie-talkie: "Stan! Are you ok!?"

"Yes, but everything suddenly turned dark" explained Stan "Oh, well... now lights are returning... What? WHAT!? The girls have disappeared! It's impossibile! Wendyyy!"

"Let's go, Kyle! Fast!" I exclaimed, running out of the door "And call the others, too"

When we arrived to the dancing school, we found a little Adolf Hitler and a vampire waiting for us: "Where is Kenny?" I asked

"He's arriving later" affirmed Kyle

I immediately talked with Stan: "Everything ok? Did someone hurt you?"

"No, no" denied the kid "But I don't know where they are gone..."

"Let's discover it!" I declared, turning the torch of my IPhone and entering the building "Be silent and walk behind me, keeping the other's hand"

"Do you think I am a 1st grader?" asked Cartman

"Do you think it's a useful question?" I demanded "Let's go!"

We started walking in the dark corridors, holding our breath to make the least possible noise: "Where could they be?" wondered Stan

"I don't know" answered Kyle "But I think that thing could help us..."

He was pointing to a red stripe on the floor, that made everybody shiver: "Let's follow it" I said, swallowing a bit of saliva

We walked and walked in that freaking labyrinth, and Cartman started to say: "It's hot here and I'm sweating, could we stop?"

"No, fat ass" reproached Stan "We have to find my girlfriend"

"Yeah, you must suffer in silence" declared Kyle

In that moment I understood a basic thing: "Are you sweating? When did you start?"

"I don't know" answered Cartman "Probably since we started to follow that sign..."

"Fantastic, we're getting closer!" I murmured

"What?" asked Stan

"Satan comes from the Hell, that is made of fire, so it's hot" I explained "If Cartman sweats a lot, it means that we are close to our destination!"

We continued our walk and found an opened door: "Bingo!" I exclaimed, looking through it

Behind the door there was a red, giant being with two black horns that was holding a little girl in his left hand, while a bunch of others was crying in a corner: "Is it Wendy?" I asked

"Yes" confirmed Stan, shaking

"We must be invisible" I recommended to the others "The minimum noise could be lethal for us..."

In that moment my phone rang: "We're fucked" commented Cartman

I fastly answered: "Hi Jessie... I'm at the dancing school trying to solve a difficult situation... see you later, bye!"

I understood that I had made the biggest bullshit in my whole life only when I closed the call, because a terrible voice shouted: "Who's that? Show yourself, little worm..."

I closed my eyes cursing myself and entered the room with the others: "Wendy! No!" cried out Stan

"Who are you?" I asked, with a shaking voice, hiding Cartman and Kyle behind me, while Stan stood at my right

"Who am I?" repeated the creature "I'm simply your biggest nightmare..."

I looked at the others in an inquisitive way: "Who?"

"How stupid are you?" shouted the being "I'm Satan, the King of the entire Hell!"

"I'm innocent, mr. Satan!" cried out Cartman, pushing Kyle in front of the Devil "Take him, he's a Jew!"

"Goddamn you, fat ass!" exclaimed Kyle, going back behind me

I started stuttering: "S-Satan? What are you doing here?"

"Like you don't know that!" exclaimed the Devil "You know that this is the day when I choose my favorite"

"No! You can't! Wendy's mine!" shouted Stan again: he was close to tears

"AHAAHHAAHAH" laughed Satan, monstrously "She WAS yours! And now go away, we're going back home..."

He snapped his fingers and a deep circle of fire appeared: "Maybe we're going to meet ourselves again..." smirked the Devil

In that moment another figure joined the scene, more precisely a little zombie with an orange coat: "Kenny!" exclaimed Cartman

"It's not safe here, Kenny!" I informed "Go out and wait for us"

Satan stopped his descent in the Hell and looked at the kid: "Have we already met before?"

"Yes" affirmed Kenny "A long time ago..."

"WHAT?" I asked "Is it a joke or what?"

"Then I'll explain you everything" said Kenny, then he spoke to the Devil "Let my friend's girlfriend go!"

"I can't, boy in orange" refused Satan "The prophecy must be fulfilled like every year..."

"Wait a minute" murmured Kyle to me

"Mmh?" I mumbled

"I remember the story, and it talked about a kid, not necessarily a female one..." affirmed Kyle

I looked at him in an interrogative way, then I remembered everything: "Yeah, you're right" I confirmed, before saying to Satan "The story is about a random kid, not necessarily a girl..."

Satan thought about it for some seconds, then admitted: "I guess you're right..."

"Perfect!" declared Kenny "So you can bring me instead of her..."

Everybody held his breath, then Satan spoke: "Well, I think it's a good solution..."

"No, Kenny!" I shouted "You're gonna die! I can't let you do that!"

"Don't be worried for me" smiled Kenny under his parka "I'll be fine, goodbye..."

Satan put Wendy on the floor and took the little zombie, disappearing with him in the hole of fire: "Oh my god, he killed Kenny" commented Stan, terrified, hugging Wendy that had run to him

"You bastard!" exclaimed Kyle

I was shocked and not able to speak: "Well, guys" Cartman took the floor "I think we should go now..."

We went out of the dancing school, where we found...: "Jessie!" I exclaimed, hugging her "What are you doing here?"

"You seemed afraid during our last call" she explained "So I thought you were in trouble and went help you"

"Thank you so much, later I'll tell you everything" I declared, then I greeted the boys "I think that now you can go doing "trick or treat", see you..."

"Bye, G" greeted the kids, going away

I told Jessie everything and she surprisingly seemed to believe me, but during that evening I was still destabilized by what it had happened, and Cody and Thomas easily managed to notice that: "Hey, why do you have that face?" asked Cody while we were at the club "It seems that you've returned from a funeral..."

"More or less..." I murmured

"I'm going to the toilet" he informed "When I'll return I want to see another face..."

"Thanks for the info..." commented Thomas, before deciding "I'll bring you something to drink..."

"Thanks, guys" I thanked, looking down at the table "I saw the Devil and permitted him bringing a kid in the Hell, I'm a terrible person..."

"No, you couldn't do nothing" Jessie approached to me "He freely chose his destiny..."

"I know, but I feel guilty" I commented

"Is there something that I can do to help you?" asked Jessie

I raised my head and looked at her face, deciding to do something crazy: I suddenly kissed her on her mouth.

She seemed surprised: "Sorry, I ruined everything..." I murmured, going back looking at the table

Jessie moved my head with two fingers, making me look in her beautiful green eyes: "I actually liked it" was her sentence "And I also like you"

I smiled and kissed her again: "Me too..."

After that event, my evening improved and I started having fun despite the fact that I had Kenny's death on my conscience: at 1:30 a.m. I returned home, entered in my bedroom silently, in order not to make Kyle wake up and fell into a deep sleep...

The following morning I woke up after a series of little stones hit the window: "Who could it be now?" I asked, with a sleepy voice

Kyle went opening it, and informed: "There are the others..."

I heard Cartman's voice: "Come down, pussies!"

I stood up and walked there, and I was incredibly surprised when, next to him and Stan, I saw Kenny: "What!?" I exclaimed "But, Kenny... weren't you..."

"G, believe me, you wouldn't understand" affirmed the kid

I went back to my bed and sat on it: "It was only a dream..." I murmured

In that moment my iPhone vibrated, showing me a message from Jessie: "Hey, sweetheart, what about a brunch today? It's something that every couple does..."

I couldn't help myself and shouted: "YES!"

Kyle looked at me, surprised: "Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing" I smiled "Let's go brushing our teeth..."