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My friends and I loved the idea of the new magic shop that opened in our town last summer. Marnie, Drew and yours truly were among the first to go in the place.

It’s called Chuck’s Tricks-and-Treats. It’s the kind of shop that specializes mainly in magic trickery, but sells many other curious items, as well. We went in looking for both tricks and treats. We left with only tricks.

They have a prop section that is pretty neat.

They have human eyeballs by the six-pack. Severed hands and feet made out of this fancy material that fills like real human skin. They sell fake blood by the gallon�"which comes in handy during Halloween.

The three of us love horrible things, I know. And it’s true. It’s so true.

We love horror movies. Even Marnie is a horror-lover. She never turns her eyes away no matter how scary a movie is�"unlike most of the other girls in our grade.

We love anything and everything eerie and creepy.

Our parents say we are a twelve-year-old Terror Squad.

And, man, was it ever the place for us...?

Chuck’s Tricks-and-Treats made all the other shops on that block of Court Square instantly look ancient and boring�"which they were, to anyone our age, at least. But Chuck’s was anything but boring. The things they sell there are anything but boring, too.

The kind of things you have to see to believe.

But you, my friend, will have to settle for my description of it.

My name is Robbie Brewer, and I am pleased to tell you that the three of us (I and my friends Drew and Marnie) were among the first in the town of Bridgewater to enter the new store. I am also very, very pleased to tell you that we somehow survived everything that happened afterwards.

It all started after Drew found this strangely labeled jar containing a horrible smelling liquid. As it turned out, it may be the only substance ever that does exactly what the label says it will do.

It ATTRACTS monsters!

 

“Look at this place!” I exclaimed, as we walked through the entrance. “Can you believe it?! Right here in our own town...! Of all places!”

“Is it something, or what?” Drew asked Marnie.

“It really is something,” Marnie agreed.

When I looked around, the place suddenly seemed quiet and eerie. It was quiet, except for the three of us.

The store was open, sure enough. But there didn’t seem to be anyone minding the place right then. There was no one behind the counter, or anyplace else we could see.

“Where do you think the owners are?” Marnie asked me.

Drew had moved away from us and was now plundering through the aisles wildly. I would say he was like a kid in a candy store. Except this was no candy store.

Marnie and I went up and down separate aisles, totally amazed at everything ourselves.

That was when we heard Drew call out from a few aisles away.

“Hey guys,” he exclaimed. “You’ve got to come see this!”

Suddenly Marnie and I were on the move. We shuffled like rats in a maze, along the red-carpet floor. We regrouped on the aisle where Drew stood curiously.

“Look at this,” he said, holding a small jar of something up in front of his face.”

“What is it?” Marnie asked, peering over our shoulders.

Drew held it up as if it were some kind of rare gem.

“Monster Bait,” he whispered. “Is this the coolest thing ever, or what?”

“Monster Bait?” Marnie returned. “What in the name of Pete is Monster Bait?”

Drew turned the jar around so we could all read the back.

A small white and yellow warning label declared that this substance was Very, Very Real! And Potentially Hazardous!

It ran on to mean that it was not dangerous in the way I’d thought. You know? Toxic, like some permanent markers are. Instead, this label warned us that the substance in the jar was potentially hazardous by way of Attracting Real Monster!

That’s what it said: Attracts Real Monsters!

Me and Marnie picked up our own jar and looked it over.

“This is the greatest gag ever!” Drew exclaimed.

At that moment, I think me and Marnie both agreed with him… It was the greatest.

I know all three of us wanted to be the first among us to own our own jar of Monster Bait. But when I did the math, it was only Thursday. I was the only one of us who received my allowance on Thursdays.

I knew Marnie and Drew wouldn’t have money until tomorrow. And, as always, they had blown all of their money from the previous week at the arcade. The arcade was on the other side of Court Square, and those two spent almost every dollar they made during last summer there.

The arcade was their “cool” spot. And because of that, I got the first jar.

I looked past the jar I was holding for the price of the stuff.

$7.99. That’s what the sticker price was.

That was a good price to me.

Since I was known for saving more than I spent, I had more than enough.

And that was all it took. I had to have a jar for myself.

“This is going home with me,” I said, turning to leave the aisle.

As I turned around to make for the counter, I became so frightened to the point of almost dropping the jar of Monster Bait.

A dark figure stood just a few feet behind the three of us. And it was moving closer.

Closer and closer.

It was some kind of ancient evil, which had escaped from some dark and foul place beyond our world.

My thoughts scattered but my body was scared stiff.

A second more and it would reach out and snatch up all three of us!

Reviews

[light and ashes]

"Twelve year old Terror Squad," love that lol 😆. It's so cute. What a fun little story. Love how it starts.

[Louis McKraker]

Thank you love. I'm happy you liked it.