"Now, Jackie, I want you back from your contest by 4 PM tomorrow, after all Halloween Night is a big night for us lycanthropes, and that means, I want Jeff back to his former self by then too."
"Ah, mom, I was going to keep Jeff like this. I set the Chronivac to permanent," whined Jack.
Jeff's heart would have skipped a beat, if he still had a beating heart. What the hell had his kid brother done to him? He was a pumpkin or Jack O'Lantern or something. It was hard to think whatever he was. He was hoping he was a Jack O'Lantern already. He didn't like the idea of Jack cutting him open and gutting him, if he was a pumpkin.
"Well, you just turn him back tomorrow at 4:00 PM. Besides he hates hunting down and eating neighbors."
"I hate to spoil the surprise, but we're not eating at home tomorrow. We're going out for Vegan."
"Vegan? We're eating vegetables for Halloween dinner," whined Jack.
"No, of course not. Outside of Waverly, some cult has opened a Vegan Commune. We'll be eating Vegans. Strictly organic fed humans for my family this Halloween."
"Oh, well, I kind of think Jeff would prefer a sheep," Jack said softly.
Jeff was agreeing. He hadn't considered that he would be a werewolf logically if his mother was one. He should have specified that she had been bitten and become a werewolf, but her offspring weren't. No problem, the clock was running down, as her transformation wasn't permanent. Everything would be normal after tomorrow. Or would it? Jack hadn't existed, so he should disappear tomorrow, and then Jeff would never have been a gourd. But Jack had made Jeff's transformation permanent, would that take precedent? Jeff didn't want to be a gourd forever.
"Where are those kids, and your dad? I howled for them five minutes ago," Lauren reached inside her tight halter top blouse and pulled out a dog whistle. She blew it. Jack covered his ears with his furry claws, and Jeff's ears felt like they were going to bleed. Oh, right, he didn't have ears.
The sound of racing feet could be heard on the back step.
"Honey, you promised not to blow that thing," said a nine foot three inch monster of an Anthropomorphic red hairy wolf wearing only Addidas running pants which hung down just below his knees. "I was practicing hunting with the kids for tomorrow."
"Ma, I got Miss Taylor's cat!" said a seven foot wolf girl wearing a bloodied white fur hat on her head.
"OH, NATHAN! What did I tell you about hunting pets! There are plenty of rabbits, squirrels, pheasants and deer to hunt around here," sighed Lauren.
"Well, we're going to be hunting the neighbors tomorrow, anyway," Nathan said.
"No, we're not," said Lauren softly.
Everyone froze. Jeff was freaking all those big hairy monsters were his siblings. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...counting himself that would be 11?
Then everyone started yammering and snarling at once.
"NO!"
"GRRRRR!"
"We're not eating live humans for Halloween?"
"Errrr!"
"Say it ain't so?"
"Honey, what are you talking about?"
"Well, I'm tired of moving after each Halloween, and the mobs with silver bullets and swords, and all that. So Emily and I found this lovely cult commune over by Waverly. All organic fed Vegans, so we decided to surprise our families, and go out for Halloween this year."
"I really wanted to sink my teeth into that stuck up Ethan Vladice this year," whined one a ten foot tall male werewolf.
Lauren was completely wolfed out now, Jeff noticed. He hadn't considered how many teats a wolf had until he saw them sticking out below his mother's halter top.
"Jeremy! What have I told you about eating the undead? You would be sick for weeks if you ate that Vampire boy Ethan. You know vampires really creep me out, I don't know why the Vladices keep him in high school still. He was at High School when your father and I were your age."
"Well, honey, you know Ethan's always had a crush on you. That's why his family keeps moving to wherever we are. As for why his family goes along with it? I was chatting with his father at the Blue Moon Tavern the other night, and well, they don't have a choice. Seems Ethan is the head vampire of their clan, he turned his parents and siblings into vampires, so they have to do what he wants. You know he's over 600 years old. Can you imagine being 16 for that long? Being in puberty for that long? I kinda feel sorry for him. I say we follow Jeremy's advice, and stake the teenage vamp."
"Your venison's getting cold. Say grace, and we'll talk no more of feuding with the vamps."
Nathan bowed his head, and then he raised it in a howl of thanks to the creator for putting prey on their table. The children and Lauren raised their heads in howl with him.
"Oh, gawd they're at it again. I swear, Martha, we ought to move before they eat us in our sleep," Lonny Chaney said sitting down for dinner.
"Oh, you complained when we lived downstairs from those bible thumpers in Waverly. They were always singing or chanting or some such."
"Well, they were a Satanic Cult, I'm sure of it. Did you hear they bought a huge farm outside of Waverly, and turned it into a commune. Hippy Satanists, I'm sure of it!"
"Oh, dear, I don't know about that. I thought they were just born-agains."
"What's for dinner?"
"Venison, Lauren and I were chatting earlier and she said Nathan had gotten a big buck out hunting, and she had extra. And I know how you love venison."
"I do love venison, I guess living next door to werewolves does have it's benefits. We haven't had mice in years."
"See, now eat your venison while it's still hot. I've got to get the phone," Martha said walking toward the ringing phone, "I hate it when people call at dinnertime."
"If it's a salesman, tell him to come round to Lauren's house tomorrow night at 7PM," Lonny said wickedly grinning.
"Now that's enough from you. Caller ID says it's Miss Taylor," Martha said picking up the phone.
"Oh, Virginia, calm down, your cat- Oh, I'm sure you're mistaken - well, children - I'm sure they didn't mean - it was an old cat perhaps they found it dead alr- no, no, I didn't - yes, Virginia...."
Lonny cut into the venison, and took a bite. I was delicious. Maybe he should invite Nathan to go hunting with him sometime to get some hunting tips....The image of going hunting with a bloodthirsty 10 foot tall werewolf made Lonny a bit nauseous. He swallowed his regurgitated food, took a drink of water, and continued his dinner trying not to think about his neighbors.