Willa and Her Friends’ Halloween Adventure

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a big girl named Willa who loved adventure. She loved adventure so much that on Halloween she decided to dress up as an explorer who travels the world in search of unexplored places and hidden treasures. Willa came up with a story about herself that she was on an expedition in search of the Amazons, a mythical civilization of all female warriors that no explorer had ever found. On Halloween night, Willa went trick or treating with her three closest friends Alice, Clio and Mila. Alice was dressed as a mermaid with a beautiful sparkly tail, long flowing hair and a top made of seashells and sailors’ rope. Clio went as a powerful fairy with feathery wings and a wand that lit up when she tapped it to grant wishes. And Mila was an ancient vampire with sharp teeth, ivory skin and a rich velvety cape. The girls carried great big pillow cases for their candy and their goal was to completely fill them by the end of the night. 

They were close to doing just that - each girl carrying a heavy pillowcase that was almost ¾ full, when between two brightly lit decorated houses swarmed with trick or treaters they noticed a narrow driveway up a hill to an older house with its porch lit by a single yellow bulb. The girls knew from experience that houses that fewer trick or treaters visit tend to give out more and bigger candies so they decided to move away from the crowd and trick or treat at the quiet house. When they got up to the porch they saw that the owner had left out a bowl with just four candies in it and a strange note that said, “Eat me to be real.” The girls had been trick or treating for over an hour and were hungry so they didn’t think much about the note but just unwrapped the candies and popped them in their mouths. They were cream filled chocolates bursting with flavor and eating them brought a delicious feeling of warmth all over their bodies.

The girls paused a moment so savor the flavor, looking around at one another with happy grins. It was then that Willa began to notice something odd. Alice’s tail, which had always been sparkly, began to get more sparkly. Clio’s wings, which had been beautiful but mostly still strapped as they were to her back, seemed to be flapping slightly. And Mila’s teeth, which were still fairly covered in chocolate, seemed to be changing as well with the canines beginning to look a bit longer and pointer. As Willa was contemplating all of this Alice said “whoops!” and fell to the ground. Willa looked and easily saw the problem - Alice’s feet had disappeared, replaced by a real mermaid tail! Clio’s wings were also now real, flapping at will, and her wand glowed with a new intensity. Mila still looked like Mila but also like a vampire, with skin that was paler, hair that had gone jet black, and real pointy teeth. 

“You guys,” said Willa, “I think . . . . I think you’re real!”

Alice, looking a bit sick, said “suddenly I don’t feel so well.”

Clio though for a moment and suggested “do you think . . . do we need to get Alice to water?”

“The beach is five miles away,” Willa said, “how will we possibly carry her?”

“I suddenly feel really strong,” said Mila. “I think maybe I can do it.”

Mila picked Alice up easily, tail and all, and began to walk in the direction of the beach. Willow began to follow Mila and Clio, but they hadn’t gone far at all when she noticed something strange. Both of them were walking, but not on the ground. They were both hovering about six inches above the ground. “Guys,” Willa said, “This is going to sound crazy but . . . I think you can fly.”

Vampire Mila and Fairy Clio looked at each other and shrugged. “I guess,” said Clio, “there’s no harm in trying?”

Right before Willa’s eyes Mila in her vampire cape began to lift up higher. Clio did as well, her wings flapping steadily now. “We can get to the ocean much faster this way,” said Mila. Clio, do you think you can bring Willa?”

Clio looked thoughtfully at her wand. “I think I can,” she said. She pointed her wand at Willa and it began to glow. Willa felt as though she were enveloped in an invisible bubble and began to float just above the ground. “Here,” Clio said extending her other hand, “grab my hand.” Mila did and then the four were off with Mila still carrying Alice, and Clio flying hand in hand with the floating Willa. They arrived to the ocean in no time, and Alice began to feel better as soon as she was in the water. “You guys,” she said, diving through the water, “look at me swim! This is amazing!”

“Look at me!” Said Clio as she flew about letting off sparkles from her wand. I’m a real fairy. “Watch this!” said Mila, and she flew straight up into the air without moving a muscle then dove down and came to a smooth stop just above the ground. “So cool!”

They all looked at Willa as though waiting to see what she could do, but what can an explorer do? Not fly, not swim like a fish. Willa thought for a moment. “Guys . . . if I’m an explorer searching for the Amazon warriors and nothing changed about me when we ate the candies, do you think maybe what’s changed is that the Amazons are really out there?” 

“Well,” said Mila, “there’s only one way to find out.” 

“Meet a society of fierce female warriors?” said Clio, “Sign me up!”

“I’m in!” said Alice. “Where do you think we should look?”

“We need clues,” said Willa. “Since you guys all got your powers from eating the candies, maybe I also got some clues to guide us on our adventure.” She began to check her pockets and to her surprise and delight, she found both a compass and an ancient map with an X on it that she knew must be the location of the Amazons. Using these tools, Willa determined a course for them that would take them mostly by sea (since Alice was a mermaid) to the location of the Amazons on the Black Sea, near the modern city of Terme. With Alice swimming, Mila and Clio flying, and Willa riding in Clio’s magic bubble, the girls sped their way our of the San Francisco Bay, into the Pacific, across the Panama Canal, across the Atlanic Ocean and into the Black Sea by way of the Mediterranean Sea. Upon arriving at the home of the Amazons they found the Amazon warriors engaged in an epic battle with the Greek warrior Hercules and his friends, who were attempting to steal the armor of the great warrior Hippolyte so that he could bring it back to his own king. Seeing that Hercules was about to win, Clio cast a bubble of protection around Hippolyte and lifted her high above the battle to safety, while Mila zoomed around pushing Hercules and his friends back onto their ship with her incredible strength and speed. At the same time, Alice swam around their ship so furiously that it caused great waves that forced Hercules and his friends to admit defeat and return to their home. 

To celebrate their victory and thank their new friends, the Amazons threw a great feast which Willa, Alice, Mila and Clio were very happy to join after their arduous trip and the fierce battle. The girls, remembering that their parents would always bring something to share when invited to a dinner party, took out their pillow cases full of candy and shared it with the Amazons as a part of the feast. The Amazons had never seen such treats before and were delighted, as were Willa and her friends with the delicious and hearty meal the Amazons had prepared. At the feast, Hippolyte thanked the girls for their friendship and declared that wherever their travels might take them they would always know that they were fearless warriors and could do anything they set their minds to. 

The girls were very tempted to stay but as the sun began to rise they knew they had to get home or their parents would worry about them, so they began their long journey home and were in bed just in time to be woken up for breakfast. When they woke, their special powers had disappeared and they looked just like they had when they had left for trick or treating the night before. Their parents, seeing their halloween candy bags empty, were not at all surprised to see that they were not hungry. There may not have been any outward sign of their adventure, but from that day and onward the girls had a new confidence that they could accomplish anything they set their mind to and always called themselves The Four Amazons.