Jenny looked once more at her tired face in the bathroom mirror then walked into the bedroom. As she went through the doorway, she flipped the bathroom light off. She padded barefoot across the carpet and crawled into bed next to her husband then reached over to the nightstand and turned off the bedroom light. The bedroom was plunged into darkness.
As she pulled the blankets up close under her chin Jenny whispered, "That's the last of Halloween for this year. Good night, darling." Jack was beyond hearing as he lay on his side. The sounds of his snores reverberated around the darkened room. Jenny rolled on her side, snuggled up next to Jack, and closed her eyes. Even after taking a deep breath, she was still too excited to sleep with images of the night's party still fresh in her mind.
The party had been a smashing success. The guests drank, chatted and danced in their costumes. Anita Martin came dressed as a streetwalker to everyone's delight while her husband, Bob, played his part dressed as a Keystone Cop sent to arrest her for selling her ass on the street. Of course, Anita propositioned everyone and was arrested time after time. Jenny smiled to herself as she thought there might even have been a "freebee" or two handed out by Anita during the evening if the rumpled bed in the guest room was any indication.
The biggest laugh of the evening had come when the next-door neighbor, Ken, a bachelor, showed up costumed as a giant tampon. Somewhere or other, he had found a piece of cardboard nearly seven feet long and made a tube out of it. After he had painted it white, he had cut out a large hole for his face and a hole on each side for his arms. The crowning glory was a long white cord that protruded from the top for a string. Everyone laughed until they cried when Ken tried to dance around the party room in his silly costume. Over and over he tripped and fell to the floor. Each time he fell, he needed aid to stand upright again to the delighted cheers and applause from the guests.
Jenny had worn a long black wig and matching dress cut down to her navel. Her "Morticia Addams" costume clung tightly to her hips and small waist. Even though she used double-sided tape, she had a problem keeping her ample boobs from popping out of her bodice. In fact, while she was dancing with tampon-Ken they had popped out. This happened late in the evening much to the delight of the well-oiled guests. When he saw what had happened, Jack, dressed as Gomez Addams, remarked, "Morticia, darling, I see the Mountains of the Moon." Everyone roared with laughter at that as Jenny, feeling completely embarrassed, stuffed her boobs back in her dress.
The alcohol flowed freely throughout the party and by eleven; the partiers were more than a little drunk. Everyone agreed they had had a great time and hugged Jenny in thanks as the party broke up. The last to leave was Ken who stayed to help clean up the mess. After he packed two garbage bags of trash out, even he left. Ken was so drunk Jack had to help him home. Together they weaved their way down the walk and across the front lawn to Ken's house. Jenny watched from the doorway as the two men staggered and sang at the top of their lungs.
A few minutes later Jack returned and kissed Jenny. Still staggering he started up the stairs saying, "Going to bed, love. You coming?"
Now that the party was over and it was only another Tuesday night. Both Jenny and Jack had to be back at work in the morning. Jenny smiled, snuggled closer to Jack and drifted off to sleep under the warm blankets.
The bed jiggled. Jenny opened her eyes for a moment. Then thinking the movement she felt was only a figment of a beginning dream closed them again. The bed jiggled again. This time Jenny was instantly wide-awake and sat upright in bed as she looked around at the darkness. She brushed her blonde hair from her face with her hand and shook Jack's shoulder roughly. "Jack. Something's in the room. Get up," she whispered
Jack rolled over on his back. "Wazzit?" he said rubbing his sleep eyes.
"Get up. Something wiggled the bed. Someone is in here."
Slowly, Jack sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. He shuffled his feet around the floor by the bed searching for his slippers. "Damn it. Where are my slippers?" he said as he slid off the bed onto his knees to search. As he swept his hand under the bed, he felt something brush his arm. "Jesus. Shit. What was that?" Then after a moment he answered his own question, "A rat I think."
Jack bent over to peer under the bed. "Shit!" he screamed followed as the bed almost leaped into the air, followed by the sound of something scraping across the carpet.
"Jack?" Jenny whispered. There was no answer. Jenny tried again louder, "Jack? What do you see?" There still was no answer. Jenny moved to Jack's side of the bed and peered over the edge. There was nothing there. She leaned over farther to look under the bed.
The bed seemed to leap upwards then crash back to the floor. Jenny jumped out of bed and ran towards the bedroom door. She grabbed the doorknob and jerked. Nothing happened. The door would not open. Frantically, Jenny tore at the knob and shook the door but it held immovable.