Every year the faculty and student body at Lighthouse Elementary, in Half Moon Bay, look forward to Halloween. The children and teachers spend the whole month in preparation. The classrooms are decorated in hopes of winning “The Best Halloween Spirit” contest. The month culminates with classroom parties and a costume parade.

The students weren’t the only ones planning a Halloween Party this year. The teachers at the school were to have one as well. Penelope Papadrakakis was determined to make it the best Halloween Party the teachers had ever had. As the new school principal she prided herself on her leadership and organizational skills. She would plan the party to perfection. No detail would be overlooked if she had anything to do with it. She had a sign up list not only for menu items but for the costumes as well. She did not want any duplicate dishes or characters. Miss P., as she was known by students and staff, was a tall woman with an imposing demeanor and booming voice. She had a commanding presence and was the focus of attention whenever she entered a room. Miss P. was a big Star Trek fan and decided this year’s party theme should be all about Star Trek. The teacher’s party was scheduled for the weekend before Halloween so that it did not interfere with all the preparations for the school activities. It was to be held at Miss P.’s house.  She had already decided to come as a Betazoid Princess based on the Star Trek character Lwaxanna Troi. She had a lot in common with Lwaxanna. She was looking for the right husband and had her eye on Mr. Dalal, the Vice Principal. It was a case of opposites attract.

Mr. Achanda Dalal, known as Mr. D., was a short, soft-spoken man who had a difficult time enforcing Ms. P.’s many rules with the students. Ms. P. thought Mr. D. would look just adorable if he came to the party as a Cardasian. She had ordered his costume at the same time she did her own. He did not have the heart to tell her he did not see himself as such an aggressive character.

All the staff and administration of Lighthouse Elementary were looking forward to the party. The menu list was full and everyone was busy with their costumes. They would all be surprised by what would transpire the night of the party.

Claude Clovis was a next door neighbor of Miss P. He was well-known in the community and with local law enforcement. Miss P. often said Claude was just a bit eccentric but harmless. Claude was a true believer in everything extraterrestrial. He faithfully listened to late night radio programs about extraterrestrial space ship sightings and abductions of humans by alien beings. He believed sci-fi films, and much of the popular science fiction TV shows, were based on true stories that the government was covering up. He was expecting an invasion of Half Moon Bay any day and was prepared to defend himself. He had his foil head-gear by his side at all times. The local sheriff’s office was used to getting a phone call from Claude at least twice a month to report strange lights in the sky or mysterious crop circles in nearby fields.

Claude was his ever vigilant self the night of Miss P.’s Halloween Party. He was just in the process of completing a reconnoiter of his backyard when he happened to glance over the fence into Miss P.’s yard. He felt it was his duty to keep watch over his neighbors. What Claude saw that night froze him in his tracks. Lined up in Miss P.’s backyard was a whole raiding party of aliens getting ready for a group selfie. As he stood there, with mouth gaping and eyes popping in his night goggles, Miss P.’s miniature chihuahua, dressed as a miniature Klingon, spotted him and made a low snarling noise while showing his little fangs. Claude let out an unearthly shriek and passed out cold on the spot. He woke up with several aliens looking down at him including a Vulcan, a Romulan, and a short sympathetic looking Cardasian. A very tall female who looked like Lwaxanna Troi, but sounded a lot like Miss Papadrakakis, was talking loudly into a cell phone about sending the paramedics. Claude blacked out again and next woke up in the Emergency Room babbling about an alien invasion. The Emergency Room staff decided to keep him overnight for observation. It took Claude several months to get over the shock of that night and he never completely believed Miss P.’s explanation that it was just the teachers dressed in costumes that night.

To avoid any future interruptions of her parties by Claude, Miss Papadrakakas decided she would have to include Claude on her guest list. The next year Claude attended the teacher’s Halloween Party but insisted on monitoring the skies for any suspicious lights. He told Miss P. that aliens could confuse the party goers as fellow extraterrestrials and try to infiltrate.  He was very suspicious of the chihuahua dressed as a Ferengi.

This post is my contribution to the WEP Halloween Writer’s Challenge.  Featured Image of UFO by Photovision on Pixabay.com. Chihuahua photo by Anthony Kelly on Flickr.

Word Count: 865

Feedback: Welcome