he won’t even listen.”

Baloo soon joined her. He brought his heaping plate, a glass of lemonade, and his friend Wiley Pole, who was dressed in an ape costume. “Mind if Wiley joins us, Beckers?” He stuffed a cocktail weenie in his mouth and picked his teeth with the toothpick.

“Fine,” she muttered sullenly.

Baloo offered her a fantail shrimp. “Want one?”

“No,” she said curtly.

He popped it in his mouth. “Better get in line, honey. The food is fan-dang-ta-bulous,” Baloo averred, chomping down two finger sandwiches at the same time. “An’ it’s goin’ fast.”

Reluctantly, Rebecca rose from her seat and approached the buffet. The mingling smells from the different dishes made the queasiness return, but remembering that she was now eating for two, she placed a few hors d’oeuvres on her plate.

A familiar shaky voice behind her inquired uncertainly, “Are...are those st...strawberries?”

Rebecca turned to see her former employee - a skinny cheetah dressed as a pilot in a blue flight jacket and goggles - The Barber. He held a pair of tongs in his hands. They were used to pick up food, napkins, open the door, etc. His mismatched pale blue eyes emanated fear. He shivered from head to foot when she answered, astonished, “Why, yes.”

Letting his plate fall to the floor, The Barber took off like a shot. “Ooo...strawberries!”

Meanwhile, Baloo had polished off his first round and was making a beeline to the buffet table for seconds. He tapped Rebecca playfully on the shoulder, causing her to jump. Her plate flew out of her hands and onto the table messy side down.

She whirled around, shooting daggers at him. “Baloo!” she hissed, incensed. “I know it’s hard for you, but stop acting like a buffoon!”

The goofy grin disappeared from the big bear’s face. “Sorry, Becky. Here. Let me help ya clean up.” Impulsively, he kissed a splotch of cocktail sauce from her nose, prompting a warm smile from Rebecca.

“Baloo, I’ve got to tell you something.”

“I already know you’re cute in green. Ya don’t hafta tell me that,” Baloo chuckled, gathering her in his arms.

Rebecca blushed, placing her paws on his chest and feeling the velvety material of his shirt. “Thank you, darling.” She smiled fondly up at him and straightened his askew hat. “I have wonderful news.”

“About the thing that’s not the icebox?”

Rebecca nodded. “Yes. We...”

“Yo, Baloo!”

Baloo whirled out of Rebecca’s grasp, causing her to spin like a top. She leaned dizzily against the table. Her countenance darkened as she watched her husband greet yet another friend clanking towards them in a shining suit of armor. Does he know everybody here?

“Hey, hey! If it ain’t my ol’ pal, Clyde Haven’t seen your mug around Cape Suzette these past three or so years.” Baloo slapped a slim black canine with greying temples on the back, causing a ringing clang to reverberate through the ballroom. “Yeowch!”

“I’ve been busy fighting dragons. Can’t ya tell from the getup?” Clyde laughed uproariously. “No, seriously, I own my own air cargo business in Pazuza.”

“No jive, Clyde?”

“Yep. Ol’ Clyde ain’t a cargo jockey anymore. I’m more of a desk jockey.”

“Won’t catch me stuck behind a desk. No sirree, Clyde. Flying’s what life’s all about.”

Plate in hand, Rebecca passed them by the way to the table. Without warning, Baloo wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her to his side.

“Baloo!” She was barely able to hang onto her plate and keep it upright.

“Here’s the desk jockey of Higher for Hire. My boss lady,” giving Rebecca a fond squeeze and a tender smile, he added proudly; “and my wife.”

Clyde looked from Baloo to Rebecca and back to Baloo. His shocked expression slowly changed to a smile. Punching Baloo’s shoulder, he laughed boisterously, “Ya lucky dog! Why doncha tell your friends that ya got hitched?”

“I’m tellin’ ya now.”

“What’s the pretty lady’s handle?”

“Rebecca.”

“And who is this, Baloo?” Rebecca asked, casting a pointed look at her husband.

“Oh, Becky, this is Clyde.”

Clyde pumped Rebecca’s free hand. “Nice to make your acquaintance. Me an your hubby go way back to when we were young pups just starting out in the air cargo game. What was that, Baloo? Nearly twenty years ago?”

“Aw, don’t remind me!” Baloo groaned, slapping his forehead.

“Yep. Afraid we’re gettin’ up there, old buddy,” Clyde chuckled.

“A pleasure to meet you, Clyde,” Rebecca said politely. “What’s the name of your car...?”

Baloo interrupted with, “We’re sittin’ over there next to the shaggy ape. That’s Wiley. You remember Wiley Pole, doncha, Clyde?”

“Sure do, Baloo. Best pilot in these here skies.”

“Hey,” Baloo said with a mock frown.

Clyde laughed heartily, once again punching Baloo’s shoulder. “Just kiddin’, pal.”

“You go on over an’ snag a seat, an’ we’ll catch up on old times. I’m gonna get the ‘Big Guy’ a refill.” Patting his ample stomach, Baloo once again strolled to the buffet table.

Clyde clanked over to the table in his armor.

I love him dearly, but that bear is driving me absolutely up the wall tonight! After glaring at her husband’s retreating form, Rebecca sat at the table across from Wiley and Clyde. She felt out of place listening to them chat about airplanes, places she’d never seen, and people she didn’t know.

Baloo plunked down beside her with his second full plate. He joined in the vociferous reminiscing about old times. “Hey, Clyde, do ya still own that Boang LE-3? That sure was a honey of a plane!”

Rebecca nibbled on her fruit and attempted to take interest in the conversation, but it was futile. Her mind was occupied with another matter. Brightening with an idea, she took a pen from her purse and wrote: ‘Surprise! We’re going to have a baby!’ on a napkin. She slipped it in Baloo’s direction. Baloo, being engrossed in the conversation, absently picked up the napkin, wiped his mouth, wadded it up, and tossed it in his empty glass.

“Oh, Baloo,” Rebecca murmured, becoming discouraged. She knew it was silly and futile, but she wanted to cry. “At this rate, he won’t know about the baby until he’s actually holding it.”

Meanwhile

On the way to the third haunted house, the Jungle Aces were trick-or-treating, much to Molly’s delight. The little girl raced up the porch of a tall two-story house and stood on tiptoe to ring the doorbell.

An elderly female moose opened the door. Her wrinkle-crossed face broke into a smile. “Oh, aren’t you kids cute? Here’s a piece of candy apiece, and two for you, little girl. One for you and one for you dolly.” The woman dropped full-sized chocolate bars in their outstretched sacks.

“Thank you!” they chimed together.

Molly peeked into her half-full sack.  She had twice as much than any of the boys. “I have more candy than you! I have more candy than you!” she sang to Kit.

“Woo-hoo,” Kit said dryly. But he grinned at his sister as they traipsed down the sidewalk to the next house. He didn’t even mind when she slipped her paw in his. Just for good measure, he gave her hand a little squeeze. Who cared what Ernie thought?

On the Iron Vulture

A gigantic airship - painted purple and black with a yellow beak for a cargo hatch - was zooming towards the air pirates’ favorite place to plunder: Cape Suzette. It cast a mammoth shadow over the tops of clouds as it sped along.

At the helm of the huge airship was the suave pirate captain Don Karnage himself - a brown wolf in a blue suit trimmed with gold buttons and grey pants. He was barking out orders at the speed of the airship.“Everybody, get your guns!”

Mad Dog, a skinny brown ferret with a drooping mustache, held up a tiny handgun. “Like this, Captain?” he whined.

“No, no, no, no! Bigger guns! Humungo guns! Guns big enough to blow a hole in the side of this ship!” Too late, the captain realized his mistake. “NO! STOP!” He hit the deck as bullets whizzed over his head.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Every pirate whipped out a gun and shot at the walls of the Iron Vulture, leaving the hull riddled with holes.

“These are big enough, Captain,” the pirates droned stupidly.

“You dum-dums! I did not mean to actually shoot ‘em up the Iron Vulture!” Karnage scrambled to his feet and slapped the pirates nearest him, causing them to recoil in fear.

A squat sepia canine named Gibber whispered a message in Karnage’s ear.

Karnage perked up, striding over to the large window. He grinned an evil grin when he saw the massive cliffs guarding the tropical metropolis. “There she is, men. The glorious loot-filled city of Cape Suzette. Tonight it will all be ours, down to the last piece of Halloween-type candy! This will be a trick that Cape Suzette will never forget! And a big treat for us!”

The pirates cheered.

“To your posts!” Don Karnage yelled over the intercom system.

Mayhem ensured as pirates scurried throughout the Iron Vulture.

A Half Hour Later

“Molly, stop lagging behind!” Kit exclaimed, tugging on the girl’s paw.

“I don’t wanna go in another haunted house and neither does Lucy. They’re boring with the same stupid people in sheets jumping out at you,” she whined. “I wanna go trick-or-treating some more and get more candy.”

Kit glanced at his friends, who were restlessly waiting at the door of the haunted house, then back at Molly. “Tell you what. If you promise to stay here until we come out, I’ll give you one of my candy bars,” he wheedled.

“One of the big ones?”

“Yep, one of the big ones.”

“For really?”

“For really. Now, promise you’ll stay here.”

Molly crossed her heart. “I promise.”

“Good girl. Stay right here.” Kit hurried to join his friends, elated that his little sister wasn’t with them to complain about the cheesy costumes and bad special effects.

Molly fully intended to wait for her brother. After all, chocolate didn't grow on trees. As she

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