The Longest Halloween, Book Two. Frank Wood

now a blob of clay.

      “Cool,” Ian said, “glad you can help out Mom and my bros here.” He smiled mirthlessly down at Joel. “We’re planning big things here at the end of the month, you know. Can’t get enough help to make it a success.” He finally let go of Joel’s hand, smiling triumphantly at the fact that he had squeezed it to a pulp.

      “Well,” Joel said, “I’d better be going.”

      Joel felt strange as he went back into the farmhouse to deposit his boots and gloves. He felt doubly strange that he was leaving his ex-girlfriend behind in a situation that Joel wasn’t sure of, but that felt almost perilous.

      “And Joel, once you’re fully hired, we can prorate the hour you spent today for your salary,” Mrs. McClafferty called after him.

      “Yes, thank you ma’am.” Joel smiled uneasily, not really sure what she meant by “prorate”. Lost in his swirl of thoughts and emotions, Joel tripped up the stairs. There was a guffaw, which Joel thought was from Ian, and he quickly scrambled up and into the farmhouse, eager to get on his bike and make his way back to town. He felt all of their eyes on him as he wheeled his way out of the farm. Then he began to wonder just what he had gotten himself into. He would have had even more cause to wonder if he had seen Aaron sidle up to his mother’s side and heard him mutter, “You sure about this, Ma? He won’t get in the way, will he?”

      “Oh dearie, he’s harmless,” Mrs. McClafferty replied. “I wouldn’t trouble my mind. Not when there are other things that are far more important right now…like first getting all these pumpkins cleared out and unloosing the critters into the field before All Hallows’ Eve and secondly, welcoming new and useful acquaintances to our bosum,” Mrs. McClafferty turned to Polly.

      “You’re a very pretty girl, Patsy,” she said.

      “It’s Polly,” Polly smiled.

      “Of course it is,” Mrs. McClafferty said. “And look at your luxurious hair, it’s simply breathtaking, wouldn’t you say?”

      That was weird, Polly thought as Mrs. McClafferty went on. “Ian, why don’t you show young Polly here around the farm and then treat her to some of our pumpkin roll?”

      “Oh ma’am, I’m not hungry,” Polly began.

      “Oh, but I bet you will be, once you have a taste of our delicious pumpkin and cream roll,” Mrs.McClafferty countered.

      “Come on, Polly,” Ian said, pulling her by the hand, “I’ll show you the farm!” As Ian led Polly off, the boys clustered around Mrs. McClafferty.

      “So, Ma, is she the one?” Aaron asked.

      “She’s the spitting image of her great-grandmother, the skank heifer,” Mrs. McClafferty said, her voice darkening. “Your father will be up and about in no time.”

      Discovery at the Lost and Found

      “And on a final note, our county’s been placed on alert,” the middle school principal, Mr. Price, was saying to the gathered elementary school teachers that afternoon. “There is a notorious band of burglars known as the Sugar Hill Gang, I’m sure you’ve been hearing about them on the news. They’ve been committing high-end break-ins down the coast. They dress like pirates and are rumored to have members with connections right here in our community. The authorities have been closing in on them but haven’t been able to make an arrest. We just want to exercise the appropriate amount of awareness and caution when it comes to the children and their deliveries and pick-ups at the beginning and end of the day. According to what the police have told me, this gang tends to lay low, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. We’ll probably schedule a lockdown practice drill next week, so review all of your policies in that respect. Otherwise, you all have a quiet weekend.”

      “Quiet weekend,” one of the teachers, Mr. Ehrlichson, echoed with a snort, “yeah right, after that? You’re just not safe in your own backyard anymore, you know?”

      “Indeed,” came the response from Josiah Scroggins, his tall frame slumped on the sofa next to Mr. Ehrlichson.

      “Bet you didn’t count on this kind of action when you agreed to sub here,” Mr. Ehrlichson said.

      “Yes, it is rather rich for my blood,” Scroggins smiled drolly.

      “Ya have a good one there, Scroggins,” Ehrlichson said.

      “You too, chum,” Scroggins said, when his eye was caught by young Gribbett Keith, whom we have met before, loitering outside the door to the teachers’ lounge. Scroggins unfolded his long frame and dashed out of the lounge.

      “Dreyfuss, hurry up! We’re going to be late,” Jasper Franklin warned his best friend, Dreyfuss Rodgers, who was feverishly rifling through the lost and found box in the school office. Dreyfuss would be spending the weekend with Jasper and his family while his own parents were out of town.

      “Well, maybe if you’d help me, I could get this done faster,” Dreyfuss shot back.

      “Oh, for crying out loud,” Jasper said, dumping his book bag to the floor and sidling up next to his friend. The two pawed through the assortment of hats, mittens, socks, scarfs and shoes.

      “What are we looking for again?” Jasper asked.

      “My red and purple scarf,” Dreyfuss replied. “My Aunt Clara knitted it for me and she’s supposed to be coming to town next weekend and my mom wants me to show it off.” His voice raised to a yelp as he found the much-desired item, “Here it is! Yes!”

      Dreyfuss twirled the scarf about his neck. “We can go now,” he said. But Jasper had found something also: an old—actually super-old—piece of rolled-up parchment paper.

      “What’s that?” Dreyfuss asked as Jasper slowly unfurled the crinkly paper.

      “It looks like a map,” Jasper said, his brown eyes rapidly studying the darkly inked paper.

      “Do you think it’s real?” Dreyfuss asked.

      “I don’t know,” Jasper said, “but we can ask my brother, he’ll know.”

      “Know what?” came a voice behind the boys. They both rolled their eyes.

      “It’s her again,” Dreyfuss muttered.

      “I know,” Jasper said.

      The two boys turned to face Renee Atherton, all around annoying and know-it-all sixth-grader.

      “Hey, Renee,” Jasper said.

      “Hey yourself, Franklin,” she retorted. Renee always called people by their last names. Her father was in the military, so Jasper figured this must be what they did around her house.

      “What are you two up to?” she demanded.

      “None of your …” Dreyfuss began.

      “Just looking for Dreyf’s scarf is all,” Jasper cut in, figuring it was best to keep the encounter between the three of them as simple as possible.

      “What’s that other thing you’ve got there?” she asked, sharp as a tack.

      “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jasper said.

      “I’m talking about this,” she said, snatching the old parchment away from Jasper. “Looks like a map to me,” she concluded.

      “Give that back,” Jasper ordered.

      “I don’t see your name on it,” Renee said.

      “You’re going to see my name on this if you don’t give it back,” Dreyfuss said, holding up his fist.

      “Oh please, you can’t hit me,” Renee said,