3

As I stared into the creature’s orange, glowing eyes, I felt a wave of sheer terror flow through me.

Now I need to fight myself free of its grip my brain said.

I need to run! I need to hide!

But I was too terrified to move. Regardless of what my brain was trying to tell me.

My legs felt useless. My feet felt like I had been wearing shoes that were too heavy for me to walk around in.

Then the evil creature squeezed harder around my throat with its bony, undead hand.

A second later, the hideous thing started to laugh hysterically.

Suddenly, I realized that I recognized the face of the monster.

It was the same stupid mask Scott bought last Halloween.

The jerk had just slipped it on again and scared the pants off of me.

Didn’t I tell you he was a monster all by himself?

Mask or not, I saw him for the horrible creature that he really was. It was in the way he planned and executed nonsense like these stunts.

I flung my bedroom door open angrily and charged at Scott, tackling him in the stairway. The two of us tumbled and tossed until we fell flat on our faces at the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s going on?” Mom demanded. “What are you two terrors fighting about? And don’t you know better than to tackle your brother down the stairs, Scott?”

“What?” Scott screeched beneath his hideous mask.

“It wasn’t me,” he exclaimed. “Robbie tackled me. He’s gone insane�"or something. We should probably have him tested.”

I could see in Mom’s face she wanted to laugh at the sound of Scott’s muffled voice coming out of that demonic-looking mask.

“Well, he almost scared me to death with his stupid mask,” I protested, standing to my feet quickly. “And we should have him tested.”

“Nothing is being tested tonight, but my patience.” Mom assured us. “You both get along,” she commanded. “And try to get along with each other.”

“You want me to be friends with that... thing?” I screeched, pointing at Scott.

He was standing to his feet now.

Mom pulled the evil mask off of my evil brother.

“Ouch!” Scott cried, as the rubber of the mask made friction against his skin.

“I want you to be friends with this,” Mom declared.

The look of his red face, and the way his hair was still standing on end from the static inside the mask was more than I could take. I tried to choke back my laughter, but it was no use.

I cackled with laughter at the sight of my brother.

He punched me in the shoulder and I punched him back. Then Mom interrupted in a stern voice�"the look of hidden laughter now faded from her face.

She scolded us again, and sent the both of us back upstairs�"defeated.

As we made our way back upstairs, Scott picked up the jar of Monster bait.

“Give that back to me!” I demanded. “It’s mine!”

“Shut up, you lunatic,” Scott returned, reading the label on the jar.

“Hand it over,” I demanded again.

Then Scott pushed me down. I fell to the floor, scuffing the skin on my knee.

When I looked up at Scott, he was opening the jar.

“Oh, man!” he exclaimed “That is a horrible smell.”

He screwed the lid back on, closing off the horrid smell.

As I stood back to my feet, he threw the jar at me.

I reached quickly, hoping to catch it before it had a chance to hit the floor and shatter; but I wasn’t quick enough.

The small jar flew right past my hands and hit the floor behind me.