"But I don't wanna go anymoooorree!" Angelo whined with a scrunched face.

"I asked you 12, maybe even 13 times to make sure you were really sure about wanting to come with me. You made the decision, so man up and live with it." He lightly brushed his brother's shoulder.

The two stepped forth at least 10 yards in silence.

"Just as I have to live with mine," Michael concluded.

Another minute passed, or maybe it was five. It was hard to tell, walking in the densest thick of the Haunted Woods under moonlight, how time flowed.

"We're almost there," the bigger yellow Aisha said to the littler red one.

At last the thicket cleared, and Meepit Oaks Sanatorium came into view.

"Now," Michael spoke as the two traversed closer, "You can wait outside if you'd like, but shout like Squire Meekel if you happen across any trouble, especially this close to Halloween. Got it?"

"Yes sir," said the smaller Aisha with a tiny smile.

"Else, you can come in with me, but you might not like what we see."

Angelo nodded slightly solemnly.

The two stood outside the wire fence to the main yard. Retrieving a tinsnips from his knapsack, he proceeded to cut it open--

But a low rumbling noise made him cease, at least temporarily.

"What is it?" Angelo inquired.

"I don't know."

It sounded almost like... music. Michael turned his head toward the noise, and noticed there was a very dim light cast throughout the windows of Meepit Oaks.

Michael took his brother's hand. "But we're going to find out..."

"You made this decision," Michael replied, "Don't be such a coward." The smaller Aisha paused, seemingly thinking over the words, and nodded, gripping his older brother's hand tighter.

"This will be fun." At that point, with both apprehension and excitement bubbling inside him, Michael did not know when he said that to Angelo or to himself.

The wire fence made an ugly sound when Michael carefully tore it, but, nevertheless, it did not dampen his spirits as he sneaked through the small entrance, tugging his little brother's hand when he felt Angelo's resolve crumbling.

"Come on," he goaded, and Angelo, as if snapping out of a trance, copied his actions.

Together, the two Neopets made their way through the darkness of the yard and towards the large door of the sanatorium while cautiously watching every step. Standing outside the weather-beaten door, the music became louder...

"Who would be having a celebration here?" Angelo asked.

Michael didn't answer him. That was a good question that left both Aisha wondering. Not a lot of Neopets hung around Meepit Oaks, let alone hold some sort of gathering. It would take a brave soul to be willing to hold a party.

Michael walked around the halls of the old Sanitarium with a bit of wonder of his eyes. He was always into the history of the Tale of Woe. His little brother was a different story. Angelo was constantly looking from his brother to the surroundings around him. The red Aisha wasn't as fond of the idea of looking through a place that had the possibility of being haunted. The fact that there was mysterious music that neither of the two knew where it was coming from didn't help.

The music only grew louder and louder as Michael and Angelo walked the corridors. Angelo thought that Michael wasn't aimlessly wandering around and is now looking for the source of music. It didn't take much longer to find the source of the music. Michael saw an open door that led to the room that had the music coming from it. The two Aisha peered into the room. What was inside of the room was...

"What in the name of Fyora...?" Michael asked, while Angelo just opened his mouth in complete and utter shock. The Meepits didn't hear. The music was too loud.

There was a pink DJ Meepit on the decks, and a green one hanging decorations.

"Why would he be doing that?" Whispered the younger Aisha, trying not to get caught.

"Maybe the party's only just started? That would explain why no other Neopets are here already." Replied his brother, leaning farther into the room. What was all this for?

"Hey, great work on the dude from the Coconut Shy. Hitting him with a coconut! Genius!" Squeaked a blue Meepit to a red one.

"Are you kidding? That work on the Cork Gun Gallery guy was just priceless!" The red one replied animatedly.

"Alright, alright, I know you're all very excited," Started a Meepit who was standing on a chair. "But I would like to make a couple of announcements to make. Thank you to Kevin, who gave us the idea to take over the Haunted Woods..."

The Meepit continued. "Today is a celebration of our achievements so far, but we still have a lot of work to do. It's time for our next assignments. You, Fred. You're on the Bagatelle owner. Shirley, I want you taking out the Test Your Strength tent. And Jimmy, you've got the biggest job of all - you're working with Kevin to watch the big three."

"YEAH!" shouted the crowd of Meepits.

"For now though, let's party!" The head Meepit turned up the music and led the herd of petpets into a shimmying frenzy.

The two brothers stared at each other, half hidden behind the open door.

"Are they really going to try and take over the Haunted Woods?" wondered Michael out loud.

"And who are the big three?" Angelo squeaked nervously, whispering in a hushed voice.

Michael scratched his ears. The big three... in the Haunted Woods... no! It couldn't be!

"Angelo, what if they mean the Brain Tree, the Esophagor and Edna the Witch? They typically watch over the Haunted Woods, and they've been known to come together in times of need. What if they're planning to do something to all of them?" Michael gasped, exchanging a worried look with Angelo.

Suddenly, Angelo leaned a little too hard on the door, and it shifted open slightly with a tiny creak. The two Aisha froze, fearing the worst. They peeked back in the room to find...

Their large, round eyes were focused like lasers on them as they watched them. The music had stopped, the decorating Meepits were letting go of their streamers, and the celebratory mood that was in the room had vanished.

"Ummm..." Angelo said softly, not sure what exactly was going to happen next.

Michael had to think quickly. "We have your pizza!" He suddenly shouted to the room.

The staring Meepits broke their gaze and began murmuring to each other.

"Pizza?" One said.

"What pizza?" Another Meepit asked.

"I didn't order any pizza." The Meepit on the chair said, "Did you order one Phil?"

"I didn't." A green Meepit answered back.

"Well, who ordered it?" The Meepit leader said to the group.

The Meepits shrugged about, as no one seemed to own up to it.

"Well, I could go for some pizza either way." One of them spoke up.

"Yeah, me too." Another one said.

"Can't really have a celebration without a pizza." A third Meepit chimed in.

The Meepits turned back to look at the Aisha's. "Where's the pizza?"

Michael had to think fast. "I... wasn't sure which room it was in, so it's out on the porch. Just wait a second and I'll go get it."

The Meepits murmured out again, several conversations going on at once.

"Alright, alright." The Meepit on the chair said, "Toby, Fred, go with him in case he needs help bringing them all in and then pay him. And hurry up, you don't want to keep a bunch of Meepits waiting."

Two of the Meepits broke off from the crowd and approached the two brothers, looking them over.

"Right...this way..." Michael said, slowly walking ahead of them.

"Wait..." The Meepit leader suddenly said, "Leave the young one..."

"Ummm..." Michael hesitated, unsure what to do next.

"I insist," the leader stated simply, his round eyes never blinking as he watched Michael.

"Yeah, okay, sure," Michael stammered as he backed out of the room. "I'll be right back, okay, Angelo?"

"Okay," Angelo replied, trying to hide the tremor in his voice with a clearing of his throat. "No big deal." He smiled bravely at his older brother.

Michael turned and walked away, trying frantically to come up with a plan. Could he outrun them? They were so small, surely they couldn't move too fast. But what about Angelo? Michael suppressed a groan. Boy, he'd really gotten them into it this time. He trudged through the halls slowly until he had the tiniest seed of an idea forming...

Meanwhile, Angelo stood awkwardly in front of the Meepits who were gazing up at him admiringly.

"He's so tall," one Meepit murmured. "I wish I was tall." A few others murmured their assent.

Angelo, who happened to be rather small for his age, stood a little taller as he overheard this remark. Maybe this won't be so bad, he thought to himself. They don't seem that scary.

As the young Aisha tried to think of something clever to say to impress his new admirers, he noticed a flurry of activity out of the corner of his eye. He turned to get a better look and gasped in disbelief as he saw...

“Are we ready to get the real party started?” he growled with a grin.

Angelo stared in horror as each Meepit looked to him with thin smiles. He gulped and screamed mentally for his brother’s return.

Michael knew his plan was weak, but he solidified his decision when he overheard the two Meepits talking as he led them back down the foyer hallway.

“Oh, you should have seen what I did to that Cork Gun Gallery shopkeeper,” The Meepit named Toby was saying. “Had her screaming like a hungry Kadoatie.”

Michael heard Fred chuckle appreciatively. “Speaking of starving, I’m really getting hungry for that pizza.”

“Yeah kid,” Toby said. “Where is it?”

They had reached the front door, and Michael opened it confidently and pointed out to the darkened porch. “It’s right out there.”

The two small petpets crossed the threshold, and Michael heard Fred say, “Hey, I don’t see any pizza,” but the Aisha slammed the door shut and locked it. Even if one of the Meepits stood on the other’s shoulders, they’d still be too short to touch the lock.

“Michael!”

Michael heard his brother’s scream of terror and he felt his own heart jump into his throat. He raced back into the room just in time to see a chubby Meepit advancing on his brother with a weapon. Preparing to defend them both at no cost, Michael stormed into the room like a mutant Mynci and seethed around at them all.

“Get away from him! Get back!” Michael screamed.

Several dozen blank Meepit faces blinked back at them.

“Take it easy,” the leader Meepit said calmly. “Where’s Toby and Fred?”

“Where’s the pizza?” another Meepit cried.

“You’re not having us for dinner. We will not be your next victims,” Michael said confidently. Angelo squeezed his arm reassuringly.

There was a silent pause, then a humming of raucous laughter echoed around them.

“Eat you?” the leader Meepit said, through gasping breaths. “Why would we eat you?”

“We heard y’all talking about the Coconut Shy booth owner,” Angelo piped in.

“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “I heard Toby discussing what you did to the Cork Gun Gallery Aisha. And the knives.” He pointed to the cutlery wearily.

“These” the fat Meepit said, “are to cut the cake.”

“And what we did to the Cork Gun Aisha,” the leader continued. “Is scare her with a few fake Spyders. She hates those. Freaks her out. Harmless Halloween pranks. Now if you don’t mind, we’d like to continue our Halloween party that you’ve crashed.”

The other Meepits nodded in unison.

“Right,” Michael said, eyeing the crowd hesitantly. “We’ll just be on our way then.” He took a step backward and when no Meepit made a move to stop him, he grasped his brother’s hand and pulled him hastily from the house.

The crowd of Meepits watched them go silently.

“So there’s no pizza?” a voice cried.

“Enough,” the leader cried. “It’s time to continue our project.”

“To party?” one voice asked hopefully.

“For Haunted Woods domination!” the Leader shrieked.

The crowd of Meepits chanted together and the sound traveled through the house and out onto the front lawn sounding like softly playing music.

The End.