By Aunt Dena Bean for Colin Wayne, Penny Bonneville, Cain Andrew, Birdie Jean, & Gian Joseph

“Thank you all for coming to visit me as your first Halloween stop,” Aunt Bean said, sharing smiles & mugs of steamy cider with her 5 nephews & nieces, all sitting around her large front porch, lit by jack-o-lanterns & the bright setting sun & rising full moon.  “Go, have fun, but first hold out your bags & say the magic words!”

“Trick ‘r Treat!” said Wayne, the oldest, costumed as a cowboy from his favorite video game, zombified from a side quest for extra scare.

“Trick or Treat!” said Andrew as Lego Darth Vader, light-hearted dark side. 

“Tricker Treat!” said Bonneville, the prettiest pre-teen pirate queen.  She nudged her little sister, who rammed out her bag for Auntie: “Trick Trick Trick!” said Duckie, a kindergarten Wonder Woman.

“ROARRRRRRR!” said Joseph, a terrible two dinosaur!

Aunt Bean dropped the same thing into everyone’s bag:  a single orange seed.  “This is a pumpkin seed that’s actually called EZ Gro Monster.  When you leave, toss the seed into my garden & you will get a trick & a treat!” Each of the kids tossed their seed into the thick growth of Aunt Bean’s autumn garden, then headed out to hit houses for candy!


The seeds started glowing when they hit Aunt Bean’s special soil, nutrient-rich compost with extra fat blood worms & dead dragonflies.  

The soil absorbed the seed, digesting its’ richness & the full moon turned orange, a great pumpkin in the sky. 

Tiny growth sprouted & continued without stopping, each of the 5 vines growing quickly, curly, glowing bioluminescence.  

Frilly flowers bloomed & pollenated themselves & snapped up moths up in their petals.  They turned into gooey pods, streaked with veins, pulsing with energy & growth.  

The pumpkin grew enormous, mirror images of their costumed counterparts – similar in looks but the EZ Gro Monsters were truly unique.  

& while most were human-like, one was a full-sized dinosaur!

The kids were a few blocks away when a ROAR shook the street & the screams tore through the town.  The air thickened with the atmosphere of fear. 

“Let’s head back to my house; it’s the closest,” said Wayne, tipping his cowboy hat up, zombie makeup shiny on his stress-sweaty face.  Andrew took off his Lego Darth Vader helmet, & agreed with wide blue eyes.

Then, out of the blue, Joseph took off running toward the commotion, a green dino blur, growling happily & weaving between stunned people.

Bonneville reached to hold her sister’s hand, but Duckie ran off too, commanding “Get back here,” & disappearing in a few fast steps.  

The little ones were gone!

“Don’t you just want to kill her?” said a female voice, deep, dark & dangerous as the ocean, from behind Bonneville & the older boys.  

A beautiful Pirate Queen with skin glowing with orange tones stood with swagger, dressed exactly as Bonneville, except REAL! “Let’s locate the kids before something bad happens.  I know how to find someone’s personal treasure, & it seems like your little sister is yours,” said the Pirate Queen moving off on long sea-legs.  

Andrew couldn’t follow along: he was stuck & choking as a long shadow grew, & scratchy breathing filled the air with powerful static, the force-choke deepening as he was lifted off his feet & hovered in the air above the evil jedi, “Andrew, I am your father,” said the voice of Darth Vader.  “HaHa, just kidding, your father is way more evil than me, that’s just my most famous line,” said Lego Darth Vader as he placed Andrew down & they headed toward the continuous ROAR in the distance…but getting closer…

Wayne took a wrong turn & accidentally found himself in a trash-filled alley, blocked in on all sides, by zombies, a horde hungry for brains & heading his way!  “The EZ Gro Monsters grew to look like us, but I wonder if they can be altered,” the quick-witted teen thought as he peeled off his expertly applied zombie makeup.

The neighbors snapped out of their brain-lust as a darkly dressed, elaborately accessorized Noble Cowboy revealed himself from the crowd, “Smart thinking partner, now let’s put those brains to use & figure out how to save the youngins!”

Roars shook the ground as the 3 older kids & their EZ Gro Monsters met up with the Giant Dinosaur, stomping, destroying & shattering town with feet, jaws, & claws!

“Where are Joseph & Ducky??” everyone & their Monster asked!?

“ROARRRRRRR,” yelled Joseph from above; he was riding the back of his EZ Gro Monster, showing him what places to crush, & laughing!


“STOP,” commanded Ducky, flying up to the Giant Dinosaur with the Amazon warrior Wonder Woman. They used all their strength & Lasso of Truth to hold his attention.

“Sit.  Roll Over,” said Andrew giving the Giant Dinosaur puppy commands, which Darth Vader used the force to make happen, as the Pirate Queens tossed Joseph candy & the Noble Cowboys strummed guitars & sang heartful songs that started everyone dancing.

 The Giant Dinosaur licked Joseph with a big sloppy tongue, a string of pumpkin guts smeared on his cute face & plush dinosaur costume.

*

Aunt Bean wrote stories through the night, her EZ Gro Monster beside her dressed in the exact same outfit, but now chained to the chair – never to be released to give kids invasive EZ Gro Monsters again!