Werewolves Shouldn’t Wear Wolves for Halloween

By M.B.

Peter hung the phone up, and looked at his chair. On it was the tuxedo, and white hands, along with the large feet almost always seen on Mickey Mouse. Turning his attention to his dresser, he took a long look at the rubber Mickey Mouse mask that he would be stuck inside for the evening. Minnie was coming to get him in 20 minutes, so Peter decided that he had better get ready, lest he make Minnie wait.

He stripped down to his white briefs and an undershirt. Peter took one last look at himself in the full size mirror on his wall before walking over to the chair and picking up the mouse suit by the neck. He unzipped the one-piece body and stepped in, closing the zipper behind him. Next he put the big rubber soled shoes on followed by the oversized white hands. He looked like Mickey wearing a human head. All this changed when Peter picked up the rubber head, opened the bottom up, and slowly pulled it over his own head. Feeling satisfied that he could see okay, he attached the one half of the zipper on the bottom of the head, to the other half on the costume, and zipped it up. Mickey was born. As a last attempt to make the best of his favorite season, Peter walked over to his bookshelf and grabbed a very realistic foam-latex wolf mask, the one he had worn last Halloween, before he had met Shannon. Peter stuffed the mask into his pocket, there was hardly any bulge.

Peter stood in front of the mirror for about three minutes studying the life size Mickey Mouse as it impolitely stared back. The doorbell chimed, breaking the silence. He took one last attempt to adjust the mask before walking into the hall, to answer the door. A headless Minnie was at the door waiting, and immediately started laughing at the sight of her boyfriend inside the costume. Peter growled at her, though his voice was partially lost inside the smiling rubber head..

"C’mon Mickey take your head off or you’ll never fit in the car..", Shannon taunted as they walked toward her car. "I’d love to!" Peter eagerly replied already unzipping his head. He pulled the mask off and put it in the back seat of Shannon’s Sundance next to minnie’s head. The two wearing everything but the heads sat in the car, looking rather comical.

After a short drive, the two arrived at the large hall where the party was being held, and noticed that they had to park quite a distance away. The lot was packed full of cars. The distance wasn’t exactly a problem because they liked the long walk into the party wearing their costumes so they could impress everyone. The two stepped out of the car, and reached through the back window, grabbed their masks and put them on top of the car and kissed quickly before grabbing their alter egos and sliding them over their heads. The two, Minnie and Mickey, walked hand in hand into the hall, impressing many people. The evening went fairly well. It was about eleven-forty, just before the costume judging followed by the unmasking. Peter had been bugged by his buddies for his costume choice all night, and this, Peter thought, would be the payback. Mickey walked into the one-person washroom at the side of the dance floor, and locked the door. He pulled the mouse head off and set it on the sink, sighing with relief. The cool air was refreshing. Sweat from all evening spilled into the sink. But Peter didn’t notice the dripping water, he was too busy reaching into his pocket. After a bit of digging, he produced the wolf mask. He looked at the very realistic head for a minute before grabbing the bottom and spreading it open to accept his head. With one fluent motion Peter pulled the wolf mask over his head and grinned widely. He knew he looked very convincing. Peter tucked the bottom of the wolf head under the neck of his Mickey suit and stopped to look in the mirror. He growled, the mouth on the mask moved right along with his own.

Feeling satisfied that he could scare anyone he grabbed his mickey head and pulled it over the wolf which was now on Peter’s head. Securing the rubber head to his body, and looking quite normal, Peter exited the washroom to rejoin Minnie on the dance floor.

"Where have your been?", Shannon demanded, "Well never mind, we have to go on stage for the costume judging." Peter simply nodded assuming that the two masks would muffle his voice anyway, and walked hand in hand onto the stage with Minnie. Not too long after being pronounced the contest winners, hands down, the unmasking began. Everyone else in the room went first, while Mickey and Minnie waited patiently.

"Now for our winners, c’mon guys yank those rubber heads off and show us your real faces.." The DJ yelled. Shannon and Peter both began unzipping their masks, Shannon pulled her head off first and turned to look at Peter, who had waited for Shannon to finish. He suddenly yanked the Mickey head off and dropped it on the stage. The wolf took one look around, and growled loudly into a nearby microphone. He startled everyone in the room, including Shannon who had fallen back on the stage. Peter just laughed, his wolfish face realistically moving. Shannon got up and slapped the rubber mask, "PETER!". Peter’s large white glove rose up to touch his wound. He was still laughing and now his buddies in the audience began cheering. Finally after what Peter felt was enough gloating, his white glove reached up and grabbed the top of his wolf head, and began stretching it upward in an attempt to remove it. In classic cartoon fashion, the rubber mask made a stretching sound and finally a loud snap as the rest of the wolf mask joined it’s top above Peter’s head. Peter dropped the hand to his side, the wolf still in hand, wobbled as it descended. Peter just took a bow to a cheering crowd.

About 20 minutes later inside Shannon’s car on their way home, Peter was silent. Shannon had not spoken one word either. She appeared to be alright, maybe angry, but Peter couldn’t tell. He sighed and turned toward the back seat to stare at the two mouse heads, and of course his wolf mask, which was draped over Mickey’s face.

"You know Peter, that was quite a trick... I’m actually impressed.." Shannon began

"Really? I...I thought that maybe your were... well..."

wolf though..." Shannon pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped. They were next to a large field, near Peter’s home.

"Why...why, do you say that?", Peter was confused.

Shannon turned and grinned at Peter. She moved one hand off the steering wheel and grabbed a part if her cheek and slowly pulled outward. Her face stretched before she let go, allowing her cheek to retain it’s original form.

"I thought I may actually have found a mate.." Shannon calmly said, with a humorous tone. Peter merely stared in horror, frozen into his seat as Shannon grabbed a tuft of her blond hair and pulled slowly upward. Her eyes seemed to grow larger as her face stretched up in a point. She made one final jerk and Peter could see the bottom of her neck slide up from under Minnie’s bow tie. Her neck was now replaced by dark black fur. Shannon yanked the rest of her face off and threw it into Peter’s lap. She let out a low growl through her furry snout, and showed her teeth. Peter was almost in tears.

Shannon leaned towards him, "But now you know my secret, I can’t let that get out now can I?" Peter turned quickly to open the door, but while fumbling with the lock, the wolf took a bite of his left arm. He screamed, and grabbed Shannon’s mask with his free hand and firmly holding it’s neck he flung it at the wolf striking it in the muzzle. As the wolf wailed in pain, Peter whipped the door handle open and flew out the car into the field, not consciously realizing he was still grasping Shannon’s face in his right hand. He ran into the forest which give way to a small playground next to some townhouses. Peter bleeding out of his left arm stumbled towards the houses finding his own down a small poorly lit street. He ran to the front door, threw it open, ran in and slammed it shut behind him, locking it. He sat on the hall floor looking at the mask he still held. The empty eye-holes made shivers run down his back. Shannon’s beautiful but rubber features perplexed him momentarily, only to be awakened from his haze by a loud crash in the kitchen. The window had been broken. Peter got up and bolted up the stairs just down the hall in the opposite direction of the noise. He ran until he was in his room, slammed his door and pushed everything he had up against it. He could hear a low growl outside his door, followed by the sweet voice, "C’mon Peter, we need to talk, I’ve got to tell you.." her tone changed "how I’m gonna kill you! Gimme back my face!". Shannon took a run at the door, but made no progress. "I WANT MY FACE BACK PETER!"

Peter thought for a second, and grabbing the mask he pushed all of the things away from the door. He knew that his parent’s room down the hall had an exit to their deck. If he could get inside maybe he could escape. "Alright, I’m coming out, please, don’t hurt me." He opened the door slowly and could see Shannon, her mouse gloves had been replaced by hairy paws with razor sharp claws. She was panting wildly. "Shannon...", Peter raised her mask, holding it by the hair "I’ll give this back to you, but....YOU GOTTA FETCH!", he tossed the head down the stairs, as Shannon turned, Peter ran towards his parents bedroom, right past Shannon.

He had gravely misjudged her actions. She reached out a paw and sank her claws into Peter left shoulder as he flew by. Peter turned and fell down. The wolf took one leap and was on top of him, her panting became rhythmic as Peter stared into her eyes. "Oh Peter, when we first met, I thought we would make a great couple, but then you had to embarrass me like that. Besides, I’ve grown kinda tired of you lately. I’ll tell you what, " the wolf scraped it’s paw across Peter’s stomach, drawing blood. Peter groaned in pain. Shannon continued "I think that I’ll let you die...slowly!" She laughed and took another swipe, this time across Peter’s face. He yelled, and could feel blood running into his open mouth. The wolf smiled showing it’s huge teeth. Peter took a swing and connected with Shannon’s eye. She yelped in pain, but immediately drove her fist deep into Peter’s stomach. He gasped for air, but his attempts were futile. Shannon opened her mouth and took a lunge at Peter’s face, she made contact and bit hard, pulling away Peter’s nose, and parts of his cheeks and chin. His face was a bloodied mess, and he was crying. Feeling nothing but anger Shannon took one last punch connecting with Peter’s neck, her incredible force crushing his wind pipe and breaking his neck. Peter was dead.

Shannon got up calmly, walked into the bathroom inside the master bedroom and began washing the blood from her furry paws and off her snout. The wolf toweled down very civilly and walked down the stairs to where her face had been tossed. She picked it up, stretched open the bottom of it’s neck and pulled it over her wolf head. Next she reached into her pocket and pulled out the mouse gloves from her Minnie costume and put them back on. Feeling satisfied with her costume the wolf walked to the mirror in the hall and looked at herself. No one would ever know any better. Shannon turned and walked out the front door, heading down the street to her car still parked on the highway on the other side of the forest.

At the car, she reached into the backseat and tossed the Mickey Mouse mask into the ditch. She picked up the wolf mask and studied it for a moment. "Not a bad likeness" she chuckled, shoving it into her pocket. The squealing tires momentarily broke thought the night’s silence as Shannon drove away, never to be seen again.