Page 5 - Halloween 3
P. 5

When Carmen came home with her new pet bat and accessories, her parents
               were less than thrilled.

               “If that thing ever gets out of its cage and flies around the house, it’s out of
               here!” her mother warned.

               “He’s a he, not an it,” Carmen replied. “And he won’t get out!”

               Because it was almost Halloween, Carmen named her bat Dracula. She fed
               him and gave him attention every evening, as soon as he woke up. She invited
               Adam over to play with him often.


               “He’s nocturnal!” she told her friend. “Just like the real Dracula!”
               Everything went normally until Halloween night. Carmen was in such a hurry
               to start trick-or-treating with her friends, she forgot to latch Dracula’s cage
               properly.

               Later, when she came back home, she noticed something very strange. Her
               house was completely dark, not warm and cheerful like her parents usually
               kept it. Carmen knew they were at home. Her mother had been handing out
               candy all night, after all!

               She stepped through the unlocked front door into the dark, shadowy house.
               “Mom? Dad?” Carmen called softly. There was no answer.

               “Mom? Dad?”

               Still no answer.

               Carmen tried a third time. “Mom, Dad, where are you?” she yelled, reaching
               over to click on a lamp.

               The moment she did, Carmen heard a hideous screech. Then, to her terror,
               three vampires appeared right before her very eyes!

               And these monsters were no trick-or-treaters. Carmen knew that right away,
               for she easily saw that two of the vampires had previously been her parents.
               And the third one…


               All the blood rushed to Carmen’s head as she realized that the third one had
               to be Dracula. I left his cage open, she thought. And he turned my parents
               into monsters! That man at the pet shop was a real vampire—and Dracula is
               a real vampire bat!

               Suddenly realizing that the monsters were after her, Carmen broke into a run.
               But she skidded to a stop when she nearly tripped over a vampire Chihuahua
               in the hallway! Right behind him were a vampire snake and a vampire hedge-
               hog!

               Dracula turned my whole family! Carmen thought.


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