As he walked in the direction of the forest, he noticed that the chill in the air increased and the sun moved behind the clouds just a bit more often. When he reached the edge of the wood, he could feel the anticipation mounting in his chest. It was too cold, he’d brought the wrong coat. He thought perhaps he might go home, get his other coat, or maybe just stay there. This wasn’t his case anyway. But something in the trees almost seemed to call out to him. Just beyond the reach of the sunlight he could see where the forest became dark, and he couldn’t help but walk towards that darkness, his curiosity overwhelming his fear. 

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Helen opened the door as quietly as possible. The screaming from the lower level had died down to faint whimpers, and a hacking noise like a cat coughing up a fur ball. The two crept down the stairs until they had a good vantage point of the kitchen and the entrance to the living room. No one was in the hallway, but Theo could just see Sally, crouched behind the kitchen island with a knife, peering around towards the living room. 

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Cecily rounded the corner into the kitchen first, and was so stunned by what she saw that she stopped dead in her tracks and Alan bumped into her. The both stared into the room, unable to explain the sight in front of them. George sat on her kitchen counter, the contents of her cabinets were emptied, bags of chips and other foods ripped open and scattered everywhere, and the monkey himself was holding a Poptart, sniffing it. 

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The boys entered the kitchen and immediately their hands flew up to their noses. It smelled like meat and fruit, and cat poop. The stench had a sweet tinge to it that made it even more potent. All the surfaces were covered in food scraps and the garbage can was piled high with what looked like used up boxes of frozen lasagna. 

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Carlos tapped Ralphie on the shoulder and then pointed to the front of the bus, out through the windshield. There, obscuring the stars behind it, was a large space vessel, and the bus was headed right towards it. Ralphie thought of Miss. Frizzle's space dress and her planet earrings and wished for a time when the idea of space had been theoretical and the threat of something alien wasn’t so imminent. 

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This was written for the Why I Geek collection of Harry Potter fandom essays, which was cancelled after JK Rowling’s most recent foray into being a human pile of garbage. Nevertheless I’m very proud of it, so here it is.

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