[Gpdd] MISC: Halloween 2019, part 4

[Carol Riley]

Sorry I didn't get this done in time for Sunday's digest. 
The Party and some extra guests
After napping, everyone had a snack and started getting ready for the party. The Piggyfriends had spoken with Ralphy Lauren in trying to come up with costumes that they could all wear. Ralphy decided since they were all different colors and sizes, he would make them bunny rabbit costumes, complete with fluffy tails. The former show pigs were ecstatic! They were dressed as angora rabbits, complete with long hair well brushed and just so. "Uh nice costumes girls," Picchu said when they finally finished primping and preening. "What are they?" Nutcake asked. "Angora rabbits. They are beautiful rabbits but can be a bit tempermental...just like the girls," Picchu answered. He got five dirty looks. The boys all decided to be "wild hares" and planned on behaving like them later in the evening.
The Misfits came out of the room they had been getting dressed in, all looking very proud of their costumes. Some of the others were looking at the costumes, not understanding what they were. Finally, Sugar said, "Excuse me Ethan, what are your costumes?" "Oh, hey everyone, we forgot our lines," Ethan said. Tator Tot and Choc Pudding went back and came out with some blue cardboard lines. The Misfits got in order, behind the lines. "See it now?" Ethan asked. Sugar clapped her paws. "You are musical notes! Blue musicals notes because we are in Memphis!" Sugar was very proud she guessed their costumes.The Prairie Pigs came out of their room next. Bonnie McSMithers was dressed as an Egyptian queen, with the older boys being dressed as litter carriers. Pavarotti, being the youngest, was delegated as the fan boy. "Man Bonnie," Edvard said, "you need to lay off the snacks. Ooof!" "I do not," Bonnie said as she hit Edvard on the head with her small hand held fan.
"Mom, I really don't want to wear this," Avalanche said. He slowly came out of a room, head hung down. "Yes my boy, that's perfect!" his mom said. He looked disgusted. "Hey, what are you supposed to be," Cookie asked. "I'm supposed to be Quasimodo, the hunch back of Notre Dame. Because I have this stupid cyst on my back and shoulder. Mom and dad think it's funny but I don't. Hmmmph," he snorted. "Well, at least you don't look like a Skittles bag," Nugget said. His costume was a Mexican serape blanket with a little matching hat. "My mom said the costume had to be "festive" and this is what I got."
Marinella and Chap were matching dinosaurs. They had long tails that they swatted at the group as they walked by them. Binky and Cookie were dressed as ballerina dancers, with Binky in a short waisted coat and Cookie in a tutu. Ralphy Lauren made his and Sugar's costumes as well. They were dressed as Prince Charming and Cinderella. They made a handsome couple!Josee was dressed as a ghost while Lily was a panda. Willie and Mr. Beasley decided to go as their favorite foods - Willie was dressed as a cherry tomato and Mr. Beasley as a green pepper. Several other pigs looked at the costumes and had some tummy grumbles. Sweetie and Clover decided to tag along with the Prairie Pigs, as cats were revered during Egyptian times and that was just fine with them. Charlie rode in on Bella's back. Charlie was dressed as a cowboy and Bella was wearing a horse costume.
The group made their way down to the main ball room of the hotel, where the festivities were to take place. There were several tables of all sorts of food! There were tables of fruits, veggies, hay, pellets, kibble, cat food, and seed. The group forgot about their costumes and started racing around, trying to figure out where to start first. Bella went to the kibble table and was very pleased to find some honey waiting for her as well. Even the fussiest of eaters found something he or she liked.
The "wild hares" went around to several of the other boars and handed them tiny little mason jars. "Here, this will help you dance better," Casper said to Ehtan with a wink. "Forget the dancing, I just want to get that warm feeling all over," Ethan replied. Bella had heard the boars talking about a honey drink and managed to get one of the jars. Charlie helped her open it and Bella drank it down. It was horrible! Bella made a face that made everyone in the area laugh.
When dinner was finally done, and yes, several snacks were left out for later, the group got on the dance floor. Boars had to share single sows as there just weren't enough sows. "We gotta fix this next time," Lenny said to Avalanche. "Hey, I tried." Ralphy Lauren wouldn't give up Sugar for a dance with Heathcliffe, so Heathcliffe asked Miss Marple, who obliged as long as her hair wouldn't be touched. 
The group cleared the floor for Binky and Cookie, who did their spin dances with grace and elegance. They tried teaching some of the other pigs the dance, but Nutcake fell over trying to spin and after everyone laughed, no one else wanted to take the chance. The Misfits held their note lines and danced around, making is seem like the musical notes were flowing. Bonnie McSmithers got off her litter and was quite happy to have the attention of several boars wanting to dance with her.
"Everyone. Everyone," Avalanche called. "It's almost midnight and time for the pumpkin contest. Please bring your pumpkins up to the stage and put them across the front of it in a line." One by one, everyone brought their pumpkins to the stage. Bella (the guinea pig) was hoping hers would win as she spent a lot of time chewing out the picture of a guinea pig with long flowing hair and a bow on top. 
"We have some special judges this evening everyone," Nugget announced. Three ghosts floated into the room. "The look like Casper!" Alvy exclaimed. "They don't look anything like me," Casper said. "No silly, not you. Casper the friendly ghost." Amaris said. Blank stare from Casper. "Uh, the one on TV and in the movies?" Addison said. "Oh, oh yeah. Yeah." The ghosts floated from pumpkin to pumpkin, alighting on each one. They finally settled on three - Sundance's, Nugget's and Cookie and Binky's, who shared carving a pumpkin. Once on top of the pumpkins, the ghosts threw their little sheets off and went inside, illuminating the pumpkins. Cookie gasped and ran to their pumpkin, hugging it and crying. Sundance stood staring, not knowing what to do. Jasper and Heathcliffe stood on either side of him, patting his back. Binky went to Cookie and patted her back. Nugget put his head on Cosmos' shoulder and cried.
"Wow! Sundance's pumpkin looks just like Butch," Saoirse and Aoife said together. "Hey, there's Stuart Little!" Adreanna cried. "And look, look, there's Raani dancing in a circle," Jasper said. The group stared at the little pumpkins that were transformed into their lost friends for a very long time. Many of the group, boys and girls alike, openly cried for their friends. 
All at once, the three ghosts came out of the pumpkins, retaining the look of their friends that recently went to the rainbow bridge. The little ghosts fluttered about, lighting on the shoulders of everyone in the group. Once the ghost landed on someone, he or she just felt happy. Eventually, all of the crying stopped and there were low conversations throughout the room. "Hey how did you manage this one," Addison asked. "Well, we know a pig, that knows a pig, that knows a pig, you know?" Nugget answered. While pulling together this secret mission to have their ghost friends come to the party was very hard, he was now very happy and content with his brother sitting on his shoulder. Binky and Cookie did their circle dancing with their ghost sister Raani. Sundance grinned from ear to ear, walking about and chatting with everyone with Butch by his side,
After another hour or so, it was time to go back to the room. No one wanted the party to end, but the manager said other guests were complaining about all the wheeking and it was now after 2 AM. The three ghosts waved goodbye and floated out of the room, starting their journey back to the rainbow bridge. Marinella spoke up. "You should all know that each of our friends at the rainbow bridge are ALWAYS with us. You just have to believe." Josee and Lily nodded their heads while holding the paws of Willie and Mr. Beasley. Bounty and Pavarotti looked a little perplexed but didn't want to say anything. The group reluctantly made their way back to their rooms to get some sleep. Funny, every one of them had pleasant dreams about friends and loved ones...
*Note: I want to thank Mieke for giving me the idea for the secret mission this year. Part of her email was: Raani won't be able to join the Halloween party in pigson, maybe she could still be there in ghost form?