Published: 31 Oct 2025

“What do you want to be for Halloween this year?” asked Corwin’s mom as he entered the kitchen after school.

“Don’t know,” came the short reply as fourteen year old Corwin continued through the kitchen on the way to his room.

“Well, be thinking about it,” called his mom while she finished putting away the clean dishes.

Once in his room Corwin plopped his backpack on the floor next to his desk then plopped his butt into the chair and ran his hand through his dirty blond hair. “Doesn’t she realize I’m in high school now,” thought Corwin pulling books out of his backpack.

“Need to think of something impossible for mom to pull off,” Corwin continued his thoughts as he turned to the correct page in his Algebra book. “Not going to be easy though: she’s very creative.”

He put it out of his mind and slogged his way through his homework then headed outside to see if his neighbor and best friend, Alvin, was finished with his homework. The two boys had been friends since Alvin had moved in five years ago just before they started fourth grade.

Rounding the corner of his house he spied the brown hair and blue eyes of his best friend. Alvin was standing there with a big grin and tossing a football up and catching it. The two of them played middle school football and now were on the freshman team at the high school.

It was Thursday so they had the day off because the coaches were concentrating on the varsity team that would be playing the next night. The freshman team played on Monday nights. But Corwin and Alvin almost never took a day off so they met in the backyard to work on plays. Both boys played wide receiver and sometimes cornerback on defense.

“Toss me the ball then line up,” ordered Corwin jogging into the backyard. “Let’s work on your short routes first.”

Standing at five foot nine inches Corwin was one of the starting receivers so he often spent more time being the quarterback when it was just the two of them. He did whatever he could to help his friend improve enough to get more playing time. It seemed to be working based on their last game.

The two friends stayed at it until both were called in for supper. By that time they had run nearly every route in their team’s playbook.

Friday after school the freshman team had a short practice while the varsity got a rest before the night’s game. Corwin and Alvin usually attended the game since they could get in free if they had their jerseys on.

At the game they alternated between standing on the fence and sitting at the very top of the bleachers. That night they sat on the bleachers where they could talk privately.

“You’ll never guess what my mom asked me during supper tonight,” exclaimed Alvin in an excited but hushed voice. “She asked what I wanted to be for Halloween. Can you believe it?”

“Yeah,” retorted Corwin. “My mom asked me the same thing on Thursday when I got home from school.”

“Unbelievable,” Alvin said, shaking his head. “Don’t they realize we’re in high school now.”

“Exactly! They act like we’re still little kids!” Corwin looked around quickly because he had let his voice rise as he spoke.

“What’d you tell your mom?” asked Alvin with interest turning toward Corwin.

“Just said , don’t know, and went on to my room,” Corwin answered with a shrug. “What about you? How’d you answer?”

“I just sorta mumbled something with my mouth full,” admitted Alvin with a slight smirk.

“I’ve got to think of something as impossible to make as I can,” asserted Corwin. “Which is not going to be easy with my mom.”

“That’s for sure,” agreed Alvin, nodding. “I can hardly believe some of the things she’s made over the years. I’ll have to think of something to tell my mom too. I know she’ll ask again.”

After suggesting and nixing several ideas the boys got involved in the football game as the action picked up. At the end of a hard fought contest their Cougars emerged victorious.

On Monday night Alvin again got a considerable amount of playing time after one of the starters pulled a muscle during the first series of downs. He was able to catch both passes thrown his way. Corwin, of course, caught every ball tossed to him except for one. Had he managed to haul it in it would have been worthy of an NFL highlight reel.

Throughout the rest of September the two friends kept their habit of practicing on their own when there was no team practice. They sometimes did their homework together depending on what subjects they had assignments for. Alvin excelled at math and science while Corwin was better at language arts and history.

During this time they would occasionally work on what to tell their moms about Halloween costumes. Neither had the nerve to say they didn’t want to dress up. Their moms were really into making elaborate costumes for their kids rather than buying expensive yet cheaply made ones from the stores.

The calendar was approaching the middle of October and the boys still hadn’t come up with anything to tell their mothers. Said mothers were beginning to get pushy about what their sons wanted to be for Halloween because they wanted to be sure they had enough time to make the costumes up to their exacting standards.

One afternoon Corwin and Alvin were in Alvin’s room reading on their free choice books. The boys’ personal preferences for reading material were similar but different. Corwin leaned more toward pure fantasy while Alvin favored science fiction more.

“I’ve got it!” yelled Corwin laying his open book down on the bedside table.

“What have you got?” demanded Alvin after nearly dropping his book when Corwin hollared.

“What to tell mom I want to be for Halloween,” Corwin answered, still excited over his sudden idea.

“Well,” declared Alvin impatiently. “What is it?”

Corwin pointed at his book; he was reading the second book of ‘The Inheritance’ series by Christopher Paolini called ‘Eldest.’

Alvin just looked at his friend waiting for an explanation since he had never read any of the books in the series.

“A dragon,” stated Corwin like it should have been self explanatory. “Mom will have a hard time coming up with that especially if I’m picky about how it looks.”

“Nice,” Alvin drew out the word nodding his head. “That works for you but what about me?”

“Well. What are you reading?” queried Corwin walking over to his best friend at his desk.

Alvin turned his book over showing the cover. “‘Bloodhype’ by Alan Dean Foster. It’s one of the Flinx and Pip books.”

“Any aliens or something in those books you could use?” Corwin inquired, leaning on Alvin’s chair.

“Yeah, there’s the Thranx and the Aann. They’re the main species besides humans.”

“Can you use one of them? Tell me what they’re like,” urged Corwin.

“Well, the Thranx are like large insects and are allies of humans but the Aann are the villains usually and are like reptiles,” replied Alvin glancing up at his buddy.

“You probably want to go with the first one unless you just want to be a villain,” said Corwin thoughtfully. “Know any more about them?”

Alvin thought for a moment before answering, “they look kinda like a preying mantis and they’re supposed to be very logical.”

“Logical, that’s you,” Corwin asserted, giving Alvin a light slap on the back. “That’s what you should tell your mom. It sounds like it would be hard to do just like the dragon I’m going with.”

“Okay,” agreed Alvin with a grin. “Do we go tell our moms?”

“Nope,” stated Corwin decisively. “We wait until they ask us again. ‘Cause you know they will.”

“Perfect,” approved Alvin grinning even bigger.

The boys went back to their reading for another half hour then went outside and tossed the football around for a while. That’s where they were when they were called in to supper.

After washing his hands Corwin went to the kitchen to set the table for supper as he usually did. He laid out four plates; his mom and dad, himself and his eight year old brother. When he went to the drawer to get silverware it happened.

“So, Corwin, have you thought anymore about what you’re going to be for Halloween?” his mom threw out as she pulled rolls out of the oven. “You’re expected to take your brother out trick or treating.”

“Yes, I have,” Corwin replied, turning back to the table. After a brief pause while he laid out the first set of silverware Corwin finally gave his mom what she wanted. “I found something in my current reading book. I want to be a dragon like the ones in the books about Eragon.”

“Okay, then. That’s going to take some thought,” said his mom as she started putting food on the table. “Go get your dad and brother. Supper’s ready.”

Next door an extremely similar conversation occurred but a little later. Alvin was helping clean up after their supper when his mom popped the question to him.

“I still need to know what you’re going to dress up as for Halloween. So, what will it be?” she questioned pointedly. “You have to escort your brother and sister around the neighborhood, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” responded Alvin with a slight sigh. “I’ve done a lot of thinking on this. You know how I love to read the Flinx and Pip books so I thought I would go as a Thranx. They’re a kind of insect looking people closer to a preying mantis.”

“Alright, I’ll have to put some thought into this costume,” Alvin’s mom said slowly. “You didn’t pick an easy one and I don’t have as much time as I’d like. But I’ll give it my best shot.”

The next day the boys compared notes about their conversations with their moms. Both were pleased with themselves based on their mothers’ reactions to their requests. They were sure they had managed to get out of dressing up for Halloween. Of course they would still have to escort their siblings on Halloween night.

Unbeknownst to the boys, their moms also compared notes from the conversations. They began to suspect that the boys purposely picked hard to make costumes but they chose to rise to the challenge and to work together.

“Hey, Cor,” called his mom a few days after the costume discussion. “Come look at this dragon I found online and tell me what color you want.”

Corwin changed directions and walked up to stand behind his mom at her little work table in the corner of the kitchen. He peered over her shoulder at the image on her computer screen.

“Gosh, no!” Corwin exclaimed after he’d seen what his mom was considering. “That’s way too babyish and not even close to how the dragons in the book are described. The color has to be green ‘cause in the books the dragon’s eyes match the color of their scales.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t get your panties in a wad. I’ll keep looking.”

“M-o-o-o-m!”

“It’s just an expression, son. Now run along so I can try to find the right kind of dragon for you.”

Corwin went on to his room, finished off his homework then headed outside. It was a few minutes before Alvin appeared in his backyard. The two boys started out just playing catch not too far apart as they discussed the Halloween projects.

“You should’ve seen what my mom tried to pass off as a dragon for my costume,” Corwin started off. “I don’t think even your five year old brother would’ve wanted it.”

“Probably not; he thinks he’s more grown-up than he is,” chuckled Alvin, tossing the ball back to Corwin. “Mom’s having a hard time with my costume too. I think she’s trying to design her own now.”

“It’s still too early to tell for sure but I think we might have actually done it, Alvin. I think we picked costumes too hard for our moms to do.”

“We can only hope,” agreed Alvin. “Let’s run a few pass routes now.”

Okay,” consented Corwin holding the ball like it was being hiked to him. “Hey! There’s supposed to be a traveling carnival in town next week. Wanna go?”

“Sure,” Alvin accepted. “Let’s hope we don’t have to take the siblings with us.”

Life for the two friends continued on as usual with frequent updates from their moms about the Halloween costumes. Corwin’s mom hadn’t come close to what he was imagining but she had found the perfect green cloth and metallic things to use as scales.

On the other hand Alvin’s mom was getting close. In fact Alvin finally had to admit that her latest design was almost exactly what he thought the Thranx would look like. Now she just had to figure out what materials to use to make it. Alvin hoped she wasn’t going to get it done in time.

In their football game Alvin didn’t get as much time at receiver as he had been but did play quite a bit at cornerback. He nearly shut down the other team’s top receiver for a good portion of the game. Corwin played well as usual although he bobbled one throw when he was hit just as it got there and although he caught one throw he stepped on the line right as he hauled it in.

The Friday night a week before Halloween was the first chance the boys had to go to the carnival. The varsity had an away game so they chose to stay home and visit the carnival. They did get to go without their brothers and sister; the moms were taking them on Saturday when the boys would be helping their dads with yard work and Halloween decorating.

On arriving at the carnival the boys paid for a bracelet that allowed them unlimited rides and games. The only other thing they would have to pay for was whatever they got to eat while they were there.

“What’re we gonna do first?” queried Alvin after fastening his bracelet on his wrist.

“It’d be best to do the rides first then eat and then play the games,” Corwin answered, fastening his own bracelet .

“Sounds good to me,” Alvin agreed with a qualification. “Except I’m kinda hungry right now.”

“I wouldn’t mind a snack either,” stated Corwin thoughtfully. “I know! Let’s get a funnel cake to share.”

“Yeah!” Alvin was agreeable to that since funnel cakes were one of his favorite things to get at fairs and carnivals.

The boys took off to the food stands and grabbed their treat eating as they walked to where the rides were located. When they had finished they put the plate in the trash and looked for what to ride first.

The swings happened to be next to the trash can and had no line so that’s where they started. Then they went on as many rides as their stomachs and heads could stand. They did the Spider, the Scrambler, the small roller coaster and even took one ride on the ferris wheel. There were also bumper cars, a drop tower and a swinging pirate ship. They did them all and a few they did several times.

When they finally tired of the rides and were beginning to get hungry they went through the haunted house. It was okay but they had been through a few that were scarier in the past.

After the haunted house they went looking for food and spent several minutes checking all their options. Corwin finally settled on a couple of slices of pizza while Alvin chose tacos. They weren’t the healthiest of dinners but it wouldn’t hurt their young bodies this one time.

They sat at a nearby picnic table eating, reviewing the rides and discussing what games they wanted to try. Unlike some of the carnival goers Corwin and Alvin cleaned off their table when they finished eating.

Side by side they strolled from the food court over to the games area. As they reached the first of the games the boys notice the fortune telling woman looking at them with a strange expression on her weathered face.

They quickly forgot all about it once they started trying their hands at the games available. Having passed the football to one another so much they were both able to knock over all the milk bottles in one try at that game. They also scored highly on throwing a football through the holes.

They weren’t as successful at the basketball shooting but neither played basketball except for occasional pick up games at the park for fun. Even though they thought it was a little babyish they still tried the tic-tac-toe toss. Alvin did better at it than Corwin.

The ring toss was a tough one and they played several times without any success but it was still fun. They did pass on the duck pull and the fishing games as they were games that made sure young kids could win a prize.

At the balloon dart game Corwin managed to pop enough balloons to win a small prize but Alvin fell just one balloon short. The guy running that booth encouraged Alvin to go again and got very insistent when he declined. He actually started to grab a hold of Alvin’s arm but Corwin moved between them.

From there they attempted to ring the bell with the hammer. Alvin barely got the bell to lightly ring with his five foot seven inch thin but wiry frame. Corwin, while still considered slender, had thicker muscles and was able to ring the bell more easily. The attendant congratulated them both on their achievement though.

The boys were all played out by now and headed for the exit. This time as they went to pass the fortune teller she called out to them. “Come! Let me tell your futures before you leave!”

The two friends stopped, looked at one another and shrugged. It might be fun so they stepped into her booth with Corwin slightly ahead of Alvin.

“I’ll start with the taller, green-eyed young man,” she announced, dealing out cards and then studying them. “Interesting, indeed! Hmmm. Let me see your hand.”

Corwin hesitated a moment then dutifully stuck his right hand forward. The woman took it both of hers and turned it palm up. Then she traced patterns on his palm with her finger while murmuring some words the boys didn’t understand.

When she had finished she said, “Your wish will be granted when it is needed.”

“What wish?” Corwin asked with confusion.

“The wish of what to be for Halloween of course, Corwin,” was her reply. “Now for you young man,” she continued addressing Alvin while Corwin stood with his mouth open in shock.

Again she laid out a series of cards and studied the combinations. A frown formed on her face as she looked up at Alvin.

“This is very troubling. You need to be careful during the next week. I see danger for you.”

Corwin finally snapped out of his shock, “Come on, Alvin! Let’s get home!”

As they hurried towards the exit they bumped into someone and began to apologize when they recognized the guy from the game booth who had tried to grab Alvin. He reached toward him again with a smirk but Corwin quickly pulled him forward and out of the guy’s reach.

Behind them the guy’s smirk turned into an evil grin. “Wait ‘til next time,” he muttered under his breath as he watched the guys leave the carnival.

The boys briefly discussed the weirdness at the end of their night but soon turned to the fun they had and then to tomorrow’s Halloween decorating. They might feel too old to dress up for Halloween but they took decorating the house and yard very seriously.

After the mowing, the weed trimming and the cleanup Corwin and Alvin along with their dads laid out all the decorations they began planning where everything was to go. They tried to never do it the same way twice in a row.

Everything was planned out and the placements had just begun when the rest of the two families arrived home from the carnival. The younger brothers immediately came running over and started jabbering at Corwin and Alvin nonstop. Alvin’s sister came over at a slower pace along with the two moms.

When Corwin’s brother, Carter, and Alvin’s brother, Reggie, finally calmed down, the older males could understand that they had a great time at the carnival. Becky, Alvin’s ten year old sister, agreed that it had been a lot of fun.

After being filled in on the outdoor decorating the ladies including Becky retired to the houses. They had finishing touches to add to the younger siblings Halloween costumes and they still had to figure out the two teens’ costumes. Becky was helping and learning how to sew and craft costumes.

The boys had just finished putting everything where they wanted it and were surveying their handiwork when an older sedan drove slowly past. At first they thought someone was admiring their Halloween setup until Alvin caught sight of the driver. It was the creepy, grabby guy from the carnival.

“Hey, Corwin!” shouted Alvin. “That was the creep from the carnival!”

“What’s he doing around here?” Corwin called back. “I don’t like this. We need to keep our eyes open.”

During the following week as Halloween approached the boys spotted that same sedan driving down their street twice. The teens were getting worried and mentioned it to their moms who contacted the police. The officer they talked to explained that the man hadn’t done anything illegal and advised them to stay alert.

Halloween morning Alvin’s mom unveiled her creation. Alvin had to agree that it looked like what he had imagined the Thranx would look like even though he was more than a bit miffed that he now had to dress up for Halloween. Corwin’s mom was noncommittal when he questioned her about his dragon costume so he didn’t know what was in store for him.

All day at school Alvin fumed about having a costume and Corwin went back and forth between worrying that he would have to wear a costume and worrying that his best friend would have to be dressed up alone.

The end of the school day finally arrived and the boys headed home. Each went into his own house and started on homework. They wouldn’t go trick or treating until after supper which would be a little earlier than on most nights.

Once supper was over and cleaned up Corwin helped Carter get into his Minecraft villager costume which looked very authentic. Then he went to Alvin’s house and helped Alvin get Reggie and Becky ready to go. Finally he helped Alvin into his costume.

“What about you?” asked Alvin pointedly.

“I still don’t know anything for sure,” Corwin replied with a sigh. “Let’s all go to my house to get Carter and see.”

They all marched over and entered Corwin’s house. They found his mom in the kitchen and on the table lay a huge swatch of green material with metallic attachments.

With everybody helping especially his mom Corwin got his costume on then went to a mirror to look. It wasn’t what he had hoped for if he had to wear a costume but it wasn’t as bad as some of the early pictures his mom had shown him.

With quiet sighs of resignation Corwin and Alvin led their siblings out the door for a night of gathering candy. They started down the street discussing where all they wanted to go to get the best candy. In their preoccupation with what kind of haul they would make no one noticed the car that slowly started following them as they walked.

In their defense there were several cars that moved at a crawl as they accompanied their children along the streets. Also it was not the same car the guy had used previously.

The troop of kids went down several streets never registering that one car had followed them to every house. The teens’ attention was split between keeping track of their siblings, the many different decorations, and watching to see if any of the friends might spot them dressed up like a little kid.

As they approached a neighborhood park Carter needed to make a pit stop. Because of his costume he needed Corwin’s help to get out of it then back into it again when he finished. Reggie also decided he better go while they were at a restroom but his costume presented no problems for him.

He was finished before Carter was all the way out of his outfit. Corwin told them to head on to the other end of the park he and Carter would catch up. Carter finished his business and Corwin helped him back into his garb.

Just as the brothers exited the men’s room they heard screams and yells from the direction their neighbors had gone. As one Corwin and Carter took off as fast as they could toward the sounds of yelling and struggling.

Near the woods and bushes about three quarters of the way they spied a foot sticking out from under a shrub. Together they pulled on the foot until Reggie appeared with a small bruise on his cheek and a ripped shirt.

Corwin left him to Carter and headed into the woods after Reggie pointed out where the others had gone. A short way in he came across Becky sitting on the ground crying and rocking with her arms wrapped around her legs.

It felt like forever but was actually only a couple minutes before Corwin was able to get Becky to relate what had happened. Three men had jumped out of the woods and tried to grab Alvin. While he fought back Becky had screamed as loud as she could and Reggie kicked one of them in the shin. He had been backhanded then tossed to the side.

Alvin had used his quickness to avoid being caught and bolted into the woods with the three strangers hot on his tail. Becky had tried to follow until one of the men had stopped, turned around and pulled a knife out. So she sat down where she was with no way to help her big brother.

By the time she finished her story Carter and Reggie had found them. Corwin helped Becky to stand up and brushed off her clothes. He then told the three younger kids to go back the way they came and find some help.

With a deep, slow breath to calm his nerves Corwin set off deeper into the woods tracking the faint sounds of struggling he could still hear. He wasn’t sure what he would do if and when he caught up with them but he couldn’t abandon his best friend.

The sounds stopped moving away and Corwin slowed down to move stealthily closer to Alvin and his attackers. He inched forward listening intently. He wracked his brain for something he could do when he heard a loud smacking sound and Alvin’s cry of shock and pain.

Corwin was no longer thinking but moved on instinct toward the small clearing where the three men had finally caught Alvin.

“Leave him alone!” Corwin bellowed moving into the open space until he saw the man from the carnival turn with a gun in his hand. He froze at the sight of a gun pointed at him but also from the sight of his friend being held roughly with blood and bruises on his face.

The kidnapper cackled evilly backhanding Alvin again. The one holding him pulled back harder on Alvin’s arms.

“STOP!” Corwin howled even louder than before. Enraged he felt heat building inside of himself at his friend’s treatment

The fiend chortled again as he raised the gun back up and fired three quick shots. Time seemed to slow down for Corwin as he watched the bullets approaching in morbid fascination. He tried to backpedal and throw himself to the side but it was too late.

As Corwin fell back out of sight Alvin broke free from the man holding him screaming out, “NO!” He then fell to his knees in the dirt in anguish and despair thinking his best friend was dead.

The third attacker shoved Alvin down and twisted an arm behind his back. With the help of the guy previously holding Alvin he pulled him to his feet. Together they pushed Alvin forward to join the carnival guy when they heard a noise from the direction that Corwin had fallen.

In the underbrush where he had fallen Corwin groaned almost inaudibly as he sat up slowly. He frantically started checking his chest and abdomen with his hands. What he was feeling didn’t seem right. It was not tactilely what the costume material had felt like when he put it on.

Once he realized he appeared to be unharmed his anger inflamed once again. In fact his blood felt as if it was boiling in his veins. He was unaware since he had no mirror but his eyes were now green flames where the iris had been.

While the three men and one teen paused looking into the woods a low growl that grew into a deafening roar came from the direction they faced. The head guy raised his hand and emptied the pistol towards the sound to no avail. Sounds of breaking tree limbs and crushed underbrush came towards them.

They were all transfixed with terror until a large green scaled snout came into view. The men threw Alvin toward the snout and tried to run away. Alvin fell face first to the ground as a green dragon body followed the snout out of the woods.

It stepped carefully on each side of the prone teen with its body protectively over the top. Then the snout opened wide, emitting green flames that enveloped the three fleeing attackers. It didn’t stop until the three would-be kidnappers were nothing more than fine ash blowing in the wind.

Satisfied that the threat was nullified the dragon again stepped very carefully from over a trembling Alvin. It extended a wing tip and gently rolled the boy onto his back then held the tip still just above his mid-section.

After a moment or two had passed Alvin fearfully reached up and clasped the tip and was helped up from the ground. When Alvin let go the dragon pulled its wing back to its side and gazed at the young man.

Realizing that this creature seemed to mean him no harm Alvin stuttered out, “th- th-thank you.”

The dragon stepped slowly closer, extended a wing and wrapped it around a still trembling Alvin. Wrapped up and pulled against the dragon’s body Alvin felt the warmth radiating outward and finally calmed. He leaned against the beast’s body in relief.

The sounds of the younger siblings’ voices with an occasional deeper voice startled Alvin and the dragon. The green beast withdrew its wing from around Alvin and stepped back. Staring intently at Alvin a low growl reverberated from deep within the dragon. Suddenly Alvin felt very worried and fearful again.

The voices were getting closer causing the growling to increase in intensity. Alvin was frozen in place afraid to make a move but also afraid of what would happen when his brother and sister entered the clearing.

Just when Alvin had decided to make a break for the woods to prevent his siblings from getting to the opening in the woods he noticed a change in the dragon. Pausing to look closer he saw that the dragon seemed to be shrinking. He watched open mouthed as the dragon continued to get smaller.

The dwindling progressed until standing in front of Alvin was his best friend in a tattered green colored costume. Disoriented Corwin was unsteady on his feet and looked to be about to fall over. Alvin shook off his shock and rushed to catch his neighbor before he could hit the ground. The two leaned on each other as their siblings and the help they went for were almost to the clearing.

The two teens stood up straight and stepped slightly apart as the group came into view. Reggie and Becky rushed to their brother as soon as they caught sight of him and hugged him tight. Carter hurried a little less over to Corwin and gave him a quick hug as well.

The police officer looked around the opening in the forest noticing the scuffed up ground before speaking. “I was told there was an attempt at kidnapping going on here. Where are the culprits?”

“They took off when they heard you all coming,” stated Alvin quickly.

“Yeah, we gave ‘em enough trouble that they didn’t want to take on more,” added Corwin forcefully.

“Which way did they go and did you know any of them?” queried the cop, taking out a pen and notepad.

“They ran off that way,” Alvin answered, pointing in the direction the men had been trying to drag him.

“We’d seen the lead guy at the carnival,” Corwin replied. “He kept trying to grab Alvin when we were there and we saw him driving on our street a few times. We’ve never seen the other two before.”

“Okay, let me get your statements and then I’ll escort you home.”

The boys relayed the events as they had happened to each of them minus any mention of a dragon. The police officer commented that their versions matched the younger kids then he walked them home. He brought the parents up to speed on the night’s happenings, left a card in case they thought of anything else then said good night.

Corwin and Alvin went to Corwin’s house for a sleepover while Carter agreed to stay with Becky and Reggie who all piled into one room to sleep. At Corwin’s house the two boys rehashed the excitement of the night.

“Thanks again, dude,” exclaimed Alvin sincerely. “I thought I was gone; never see you and my family again.”

“No problem,” returned Corwin, plopping his butt down on his bed. “I couldn’t let them take you but I wasn’t expecting what happened.”

“Yeah, I about peed myself when you stepped out as a huge green dragon. I guess your wish came true.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Remember the fortune teller? She said your wish of what to be for Halloween would be granted.”

“But I didn’t wish to be a dragon, Alvin. That’s just what I told mom I wanted for a costume.”

“Actually, Corwin. You did. One of the times we talked about it you said, ‘I sometimes wish I really could become a dragon.’ I just don’t know how that lady knew about it though.”

“Really, how did she? I thought it was freaky when she said it but I thought she meant the costume, not that I’d really turn into a dragon.”

“How’d you do it? What did it feel like?” Alvin asked, sitting backwards on Corwin’s desk chair and resting his arms on the back of the chair.

“It mostly started with me getting angry. I was mad that Reggie was hurt and Becky was so frightened but them trying to take you really set me off. And the last straw was when the guy shot at me. The anger made me get hotter and hotter inside and I started changing and growing until I was a dragon.”

“Do you think it was a one time thing? Or could you do it again? Do you have to be angry to change?” Alvin fired the questions one after the other.

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a one time event. I can feel the dragon inside me waiting to be released and I don’t think I have to be mad to do it now.”

Corwin glanced at the clock and saw it had reached midnight. He turned back to Alvin with a grin. “Want to go for a ride?”

Alvin jumped up and headed to the door with Corwin right behind him. Soon Alvin was laid across the back of a large green dragon climbing into the night sky.

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