Horrible Harry at Halloween (3 page)

“Thanks,” I said. “I've been reading a book about myths from the library.”

The teacher beamed. “Wonderful! I think you'll like the story I'm reading this morning. There's a horse in it and it's spooky.”

“Cool,” I said. Then I galloped over to the pumpkin table.

“Can I help scoop out the seeds?”

“You sure can, Doug. I'd appreciate your help. It's slimy stuff! I listed the seed estimates we made yesterday on this chart. We'll see how it turns out today when the class actually counts the seeds.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Everyone thinks there's lots more seeds in the big pumpkin than in the little pumpkin.”

Ten minutes later, I had all the seeds out on the trays ready for counting. Just as I was washing the orange slime from my hands, the first bell rang. I quickly dried my hands and raced over to the doorway and waited for the kids.

Mary danced into the room waving a silver wand. Tiny bells were sewed on her hem so she tinkled as she moved. “Make a wish!” she exclaimed.

Miss Mackle closed her eyes. “I wish ... that everyone would get 100 percent on their spelling test.”

Mary opened her gold satin box and sprinkled some pixie dust on her wand. Then she touched Miss Mackle's head three times with the wand. “Your wish is granted!”

Just as the teacher clapped her green hands, Ida leaped into the room.
“Meow!”
she said as she clawed the air. She was wearing a black cat costume.

Song Lee came in wearing blue pants and a blue shirt. Her hair was completely tucked inside a white cap. She wore latex gloves and a stethoscope around her neck. She went over to Mary and listened to her chest. “Good heartbeat,” she said.

“Thank you Dr. Park,” Mary replied. “Did you scrub your hands for surgery?”

“Of course,” Song Lee answered.

When we heard someone singing, “You ain't nothin' but a hound dog,” in the hallway, we knew who was coming next.

Dexter dressed like Elvis.

“So where's Harry?” Mary asked. I could tell she was curious about his costume.

We all looked around.

“He hasn't showed up yet,” I said.

“Someone's coming now,” Mary said pointing to the door with her wand.

It was a big brown Kodiak bear.

“Harry?” we all called.

The mystery person took off his bear head.

“It's me ...
Sidney!”

“You're one hairy dude,” Dexter said.

“Cool, huh? Mom made it from a fake fur coat.” Then he growled in Mary's face.
“Grrrrr!”

“Don't growl at me!” Mary snapped. “I might change you into a frog with my magic wand! It just needs a little more pixie dust.”

Everyone watched Mary take a pinch of pixie dust out of her gold satin box and sprinkle it over her wand.

Sidney made a face. “That stuff looks like baby powder. My aunt uses it on my little cousin. It keeps his bottom dry.”

“It's
magic pixie dust
for Halloween,” Mary insisted.

Sidney sniffed the air. “It smells just like baby powder.” Then he put his bear head back on. “Where's Harry?” he asked in a muffled voice.

“The second bell is about to ring,” Miss Mackle said. “It's time to return to your seats, boys and girls. You'll find a Halloween search-a-word on your desk.”

Mary was the first to sit down. “I bet we won't be able to tell Harry's disguise,” she said. “But the next person . in the room has
got
to be Harry. He's the only one not here.”

The red second hand kept hopping closer to the twelve. Everyone moved their eyes from the wall clock to the doorway, then from the doorway back to the clock.

No one started their Halloween search-a-word. No one wanted to miss what Harry was going to be this year!

Suddenly, Mary got an idea. She popped out of her seat, tinkled her bells, and waved her wand. A puffy white cloud filled the air. “Magic pixie dust, make Harry appear at the door!”

Three seconds later, the bell rang, and Harry walked in.

W
e must have stared at Harry for ten seconds. No one said a word.

Finally, Mary broke the silence. “That's no costume. Who are you supposed to be?”

We all looked at Harry's neatly combed hair, and his suit and tie. His shoes were even polished.

Sidney took off his bear head and placed it on his desk. I think it was making him hot. His forehead was dripping wet. “You just get out of church, Harry?” he asked.

Harry slowly reached in his jacket, and pulled something out. It was a silver badge with the number 714 on it. When he talked, he used a business tone. He was very matter-of-fact.

“My name is Sergeant Joe Friday. I carry a badge. I'm from the Los Angeles Police Department. When there's a crime,
that's
when I go to work.”

Mary started to make fun of Harry. “You're not scary or even horrible this year. You're just acting silly!”

Harry shot Mary a look. “Silly? Joe Friday is smart. He solves crimes.”

Mary scoffed.
“Puleeze!”

Miss Mackle walked over to Harry. “Hello, Sergeant Friday. I know who you are. I used to watch Dragnet all the time when I was growing up. How do you know about him?”

Harry answered like a detective. “I watch old-time TV, ma'am. Tuesday and Thursday, six-thirty P.M., WNBX, Channel Thirty-three.”

“Well, Sergeant Friday,” Miss Mackle said. “You certainly know your facts.”

“Yes ma‘am, just the facts. And this is where I keep 'em.” Then Harry took a notebook out of his pocket and held it up.

Mary and some of the other kids giggled.

That morning, shortly after the pledge, Miss Mackle turned off the lights. “I'm going to read you one of my favorite Halloween stories, ”The Headless Horseman,” adapted from Washington Irving's classic
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Then she handed two students flashlights and sat down on the teacher's chair in front of the room. “Shine the light on me as I read, please.”

As soon as Ida and Dexter did, Miss Mackle's witch face lit up like a jack-o'-lantern. The raisins that were on her chin and nose really looked like warts. There was a large shadow of her head and hat just behind her on the blackboard.

“Oooooooh,” we responded.

We all leaned forward as Miss Mackle read the story about Ichabod Crane and his spooky ride through Sleepy Hollow.

You could hear a pin drop.

When she finished the story, someone started making a horrible groaning sound ... “Ooooooooh! Ooooooooh!” It sounded like they had a bad stomach-ache. “Ooooooooh! Ooooooooh!”

As soon as Miss Mackle turned on the lights, we discovered who it was.