All of the creatures and people, with Mary, Jake, Jessica, Elizabeth, Cinnamon, Nuggets the dwarf and Mister Greely Putterwig found themselves back in the pine forest where the adventure first began.  “Time to go home,” Mister Putterwig sighed, but before he could do anything, he was interrupted.

“We got you now.”  It was Marrow the goblin.  Worms and Maggot were with him, as was Big Tooth, the troll.  “You need to take us to Earth or we will tell Lady Alice that you stole a human child.”

“We already did that part,” Mary got right into the goblin’s face and did not even blink.  “Lady Alice has forgiven him now that he has set Elizabeth free.”

“Hey.”  Worms sounded very unhappy.  “Does that mean we can’t go and scare the children to death?”

“You are not going to scare any children to death,” Jake spoke up, loud, but it was from fear.  The goblins were frightful to look at.  “I won’t let you.”

“Me neither,”  Jessica stood right beside Jake, and they both protected Elizabeth between them.

“How are we going to feast?” Maggot asked.

“Quiet.  I’m thinking.”  Marrow frowned and pulled on his chin.

“The portal,” Big Tooth suggested.

“That’s right,” Marrow grinned, which was almost more frightening than his frown.  “You got an unauthorized portal to the human Earth.  You need to let us go there or we will tell Lady Alice.”

“I am sure she already knows,” Cinnamon said.

“No doubt about that,” Nuggets agreed.

“Puts!” Marrow swore.

All that while, Mister Putterwig was opening the way to Earth, but he was not quite finished when they were all interrupted again, this time by the ghost of Thackery James Barrett, Esquire.

“Sir,”  Thackery came up beside Jake and Jessica as if to protect them, and he stared at the goblins.  “You are brigands to be sure.  You should certainly be hanged for highway robbery, but I confess you have the upper hand at present.  Thus I implore you, in the name of Christian decency, let the women and children go unharmed.”

“You’re not a woman or a child,” Marrow responded.  “I suppose that makes you free game, doesn’t it?”

There was a sudden flash of blinding light as the portal between here and there formed. Thackery let out a chilling shriek before the light settled down and Thackery was able to speak with more calm.  “I remember,” he said.  “I remember those very words.  Suddenly a great light appeared beside me.  I was facing certain death, so I ran toward the light.  I heard the gun.  I stumbled into the light.  My God, the man shot me in the back and killed me, and I ended up here.”  Thackery began to weep.  “Gone.  Gonnnne!” He wailed a true ghostly wail and then shouted.  “Abigail.  Abigail.” And he went into the light.  There was silence for a moment before Jake spoke loud and clear to the goblins.

“Doesn’t matter.  I won’t let you eat any children.”  He reached for the cutlass and was a bit unhappy to realize it had vanished along with the Lady Alice.

“What eat children?” Marrow responded with a dumbfounded shrug.

“Do you know the penalty for eating humans, especially children?” Maggot said, and the goblins, troll, and several of the others in that big group from the circle moaned at the thought.

Marrow spoke.  “We just want to scare them so bad they drop their bags.  Then we plan to feast on all that Halloween candy.”

“I want to eat so much I throw up,” Worms said, and sounded happy with that prospect.

“Don’t forget,” Maggot said.  “I claim the vomit.”

Most of the people moaned at that thought.

The portal wavered.

“Hey!”  The goblins yelled, but Mary, Jake, Jessica, Elizabeth and Mister Putterwig went though first.  Everyone else followed and were directed by Mister Putterwig out the back door, toward the big back yard where an old fairy circle was already present.  It wouldn’t take long to put up some lights and get the music started.

Jake, Jessica, Elizabeth and Mary went out the front door and were a bit surprised to find Tommy, Blockhead, Mike and Serena still there, sitting around, nibbling on Elizabeth’s candy.  It turned out to be a bit after seven, and they had been waiting for more than an hour.   At least they were sitting and waiting before the ghost came through the locked door.  They backed up to the yard and the fence, and Blockhead looked ready to bolt every time Thackery wailed for Abigail.

“Watch it!  There’s another one.” Mike shouted.  It did not help being by the street, under the street light, when another ghost came floating up into that light.

“Thackery?”  the ghost called.  It was a woman, dressed in a fine traveling dress and cloak.  She was pretty, even if she did not appear to have any feet.

“Abigail?”

“A very fine and proper lady named Alice said I would find you here.”  The woman ghost said.

“Oh Abigail.  I searched for you for ever so long.”  He flew to her and they embraced.

“At last, at last.” Abigail hugged him before he set his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.  The two faded from sight and were not seen again in this world.  Everyone sighed except Blockhead, who looked relieved.  Then Jessica made a decision.

“Serena,” Jessica said.  “Call Vanessa and tell her the party is being moved to the old Putterwig house.”

“Really?”  Serena looked uncertain.

“Hey, we are talking Halloween party.”  The music began to work its enchantment from the back to the front yard.

“There is that,” Serena said and she got out her phone.

“Tommy,” Jake called.  “I got twenty bucks.  Take Mike down to the supermarket and buy as much candy as they have left.  We got some big kids that are dying for Halloween treats.”

“Keep your money,” Tommy said.  “For the ghost show it’s my treat.  So how did you do that?”

“Holographic?”  Mike suggested.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Elizabeth said, and she tugged on Jake’s hand to take her out back.  Fortunately, just then Sage and Thyme, with their mother Cinnamon, all in their natural small fairy form, came to fetch the little girl.  This time, they sprinkled her all over with fairy dust and Elizabeth giggled when she lifted right off the ground and flew with the fairies down the hall and out the back door.

“Serena shut your mouth and get the party here.”  Jessica yelled, while Jake reached over and took her hand.  Jessica stared at their hands for a minute.

“Blockhead, how’s your dancing?” Jake asked.

Blockhead said nothing.  He just began to bounce up and down in a way that showed he had no sense of rhythm.  Serena interrupted.  “Hold it big boy.  Save it for when we get to the dance floor.”  She grabbed his football jersey and pulled him toward the back.

Jessica suddenly turned Jake to face her.  She looked him square in the eyes.  She tried to listen to her thumper, and she said, “I am loving you.”

“Well.”  Jake hardly knew what to say, so he returned the words.  “I am loving you, too.”

“Goody,” Jessica said, like a genuine fairy, and she locked her lips to his.  Jake was surprised for all of a second.

Tommy and Mike came back after a while.  A bunch of other kids from the high school came.  But neither Jake nor Jessica wanted to stop long enough to take a breath.

Greely Putterwig came out of the house, looking once again like an ordinary enough old man.  Mary had pulled up a chair and was quietly knitting, have gotten her needles and yarn from some unknown source, presumably by magic.  She gave the hobgoblin a look that he thought to explain.  He pointed at himself.  “You might call this my un-Halloween costume.”  He chuckled.

Mary merely smiled and patted the seat on the rocking chair beside her.  Greely sat and then stared at the witch for a few minutes before he spoke again. “So,” he said.  “Want to go out on a date?”

Mary stopped knitting and her jaw dropped.

“Then again, we could just get some DVDs and stay in and cuddle by the fire.

Mary’s face turned red, but she did not say no.