TheMonstersBanquet

                        The Monster's Banquet

     On a hill just outside of town,there is an old mansion.The walls around the estate are crumbling with weather and age.The lawn is high and the trees unkept.What at one time,was a beautiful pool, now looks like a swamp,bubbling with gas.Legend has it,that every year on Halloween night,strange things happen in the mansion. There are reports of lights in the great hall and music and voices coming from all around the estate.Of course no one believes this, except those who have seen it,but those are very few.After hearing so many stories about the mansion,I decided to check things out for myself.So on Halloween night,just before midnight,I started up to Phantom Hall.When I got to the hall,I noticed there were lights on in the main diningroom!This was very strange,since therehasn't been anyone living in the mansion for fifty years!
     As I looked in the window,I couldn't beliee my eyes!I saw a long antique diningtable being set by a group of gremlins!There were 13 place settings at the table.I noticed a very large heavy looking chair.
There was something very strange about that chair.After a minute or two,I realized what it was,it was an electric chair!Just acrossed the tableI saw a gremlin place a large chrystaline goblet filled with a deep red glowing liquid.I also noticed there were two places with no chairs at all.Looking around the rest of the room,I noticed that the ceiling was being supported by eight large pillars.The pillars seemed to be covered in a dark moss.The rest of the room was empty,except for a large chest against the wall,a grandfather clock in the corner and a coatrack by the door.
     As I looked at the clock,it started to chime the hour.One!TWo!THRee!Each chime seemed louder than the one before.When the clock struck twelve,everything went still.Then I heard a long slow squeaking noise coming from the chest.The top of the chest began to rise and a long,thin,boney hand slid over the side of the chest.In a blink of an eye,a tall guant figure emerged from the chest and crossed ove to the table.As he seated himself in the chair by the chrystaline goblet,I knew who the first guest was.Count Dracula,Prince of Darkness,had arrived.
     While the Count was seating himself,one of the gremlins scurried over and opened the diningroom door.Outside the door,footsteps could be heard.The first set of steps heard were very hard,as if made by a very heavy man.Suddenly,the doorway went black,for standing in the doorway was not one man,but the construction of several men!Frankenstein was the next guest.The monster lumbered over to the electric chair,where two gremlins waited to connect the wiring of the chair,to the bolts in his neck.
     The next thing I saw were a pairof red glowing eyes,peering from the darkness of the doorway.They belonged to what seemed to be a large wolf.But as the creature plodded toward the table,it started to change it's form.It transformed from a wolf to a man.Then with a second look I realized it was not just any man,but the Wolfman!Next I saw something that seemed out of place.A handsome young man,dressed in the style of an English gentleman of the 1800's,entered the room and approached the table.Upon taking his seat,the young man took a small vial from inside his cape.He then proceeded to place several drops of liquid from the vial into a glass of water,which he then drank.After he finished his drink,the young man began to have violent convulsions.As his shaking grew worse,his chair fell over backwards.A couple minutes later,a clawed hand reached up onto the tables edge.Dr.Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Were making a haunted house call!
     Once again my attention was drawn to the doorway,as I heard another set of footsteps coming.But I was not prepared for the sight I saw next.I was expecting to see some strange misshapen creature enter the room,but all I saw were a pair of black dress shoes!I watched with awe as the shoes strolled over to the coatrack.The next thing I saw were clothes flying off the rack and taking shape.First came the pants,the shirt,a white tie and tails,followed by a pair of gloves,a roll of bandages,a pair of dark glasses and topping it off a top hat.The Invisible Man had arrived in Style!
     By 12:15 all the places were filled except for three.The other guests included the Phantom of the Opera,the Fly,Vampira,the Mummy and the Hunchback.A couple minutes later,I heard a strange humming noise.Everyone's attention was drawn to one of the places,where there was no chair.Slowly a panel in the floor slid open and a small tank-like structure began to rise.When the tank reached floorlevel,I saw that the Creature had surfaced for the party.
     With the Creature's arrival,the guests started asking each other if they knew who the missing guest and host were.As if in answerto one of their questions,a panel in one of the walls slid open.Behind the panel everyone could see the silhouette of a tall thin man.As the man stepped from the shadows,he spoke,"Good evening,I am your host for the evening."As he stepped into the light,I saw it was the living king of monsters,Vincent Price!
     As Vinnie took his place at the head of the table,the Phantom spoke.
     "I notice there are thirteen places set,but only twelve arrivals. Who's missing?'
     "No one."
     "What do you mean no one?"
     Suddenly another voice answered,"He means that I've been here all along!"
     Everyone was startled and slowly looked up in the direction of the voice.As I followed their gaze upward,I realized that what I'd thought were moss covered pillars,were really the legs of the giant arachnid,the Tarantula!!
     Since all guests were now there,the party went into full swing. Dracula finished his drink and asked for a Bloody Mary.shortly after that the gremlins came back with a beautiful blonde!!!

     Mr.Hyde:" I heard you tried out for a part in a movie,Invisible man.How did it go?"
     Invisible Man:"Not to well."
     Mr. Hyde:"Why not?"
     Invisible Man:"The director said "He couldn't see me in the part!"

     Vampira:"How's your singing carreer coming,Mummy?"
     Mummy:"It's doing better since I formed a band."
     Vampira:"Why couldn't you make it as a solo?"
     Mummy:"Because my agent said I needed a band-aid!"

     Tarantula:" Hey,Hunckback,I heard you passed up a position as a vice-president with Avon!"
     Hunchback:"Yes,I figured everyone would be calling me a big ding-a-ling."

     Phantom of the Opera:"Excuse me Vinnie,but I need to ask you a question."
     Vinnie:"Go ahead."
     Phantom:"How did it feel working with Alice Cooper and Michael Jackson?"
     Vinnie:"Working with Alice was a Nightmare,but working with Michael was a real Thriller!"

     Creature:"I've always been curious about something,Wolfman."\par
     Wolfman:"What's that Creach?"
     Creach:"How did it feel when you fist transformed into a wolf?"
     Wolfie:"Let me tell you,it was a hair-raising experience!"

     Fly:"I don't know why I bother coming to these parties,everyone seems to ignore me as if I wasn't even here!With my high pitched voice,most people don't pay attention to me at all and it really bugs me!
     I'm in the mood for shoefly pie and I'm going to have it if you don't stop complaining!"
     The Fly fell silent!

     The jokes and conversation continued on through the night.then just before the sunrise,the party started to break up.The gremlins unhooked the wires from Frankenstein's neck and he stomped out the door.The creature's tank decended into the depths from which it came.When I looked at the Invisible Man's chair,all his clothes were there,but he had disappeared!Hyde rose from his chair and passed behind the electric chair,but it was Dr.Jekyll who walked out the door.The Hunchback leaped up from the table to the chandelier,then swung out the doorHe was followed by the converted Wolfman plodding away.
     As I looked around at the remaining guests,I noticed that sometime during the evening,the Fly had winged away.I also notied as I looked toward the ceiling that the Tarantula had totally blended back into the ceiling and pillars as if he had never been there.
     Once I removed my eyes from the ceiling,I noticed the only guests left at the table were Vinnie & Dracula.I then noticed the first rays of the morning sun coming through the trees.The Count quickly rose from his chair and moved toward the chest.His movement was so quick that the lid was almost closed before I realized he had gotten into the chest.
     Now the only ones left in the room were Vinnie & the gremlins.The gremlins all started to babble at once.Vinnie raised his hand and the gremlins chatter stopped imediately.Vinnie then spoke to them.
     "Yes my friends you have performed your duties well.You can be assured that you will be called upon again when needed."
     When Vinnie had finished speaking,the gremlins faded away as if they had never been there!He then looked toward the window,smiled and spoke once again.
     "I hope to see you again next year.Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,h_______!"
He then faded away until the only thing left was his laugh.As it died out,I began to wonder.Had he actually seen me and invited me to join them or did I imagine the whole thing????I guess I'll have to wait until next year and see!