It was a dark and stormy night in Sleepyside.

Seventeen-year-old Mart Belden decided it was the perfect backdrop to the evening he had planned, the evening he’d spent weeks preparing for.

Mart loved practical jokes, and with Halloween coming up, decided to plot the perfect burn, one so dazzling in execution that even its victim would have to be impressed. In fact, he was counting on his victim being so amazed by his brilliance that she wouldn’t, nay, couldn’t stay angry with him. Not for long, anyway.

First, he met with his old friend Ty Scott, who had graduated from tape recorders to short-wave radio equipment. Ty, who appreciated a good joke as much as anyone, readily agreed to his part of the plan.

Then, it was simply a matter of procuring the perfect prop from the local costume rental shop and waiting, rather impatiently, for the Friday evening before Halloween to finally arrive.

Mart tapped his foot as he waited for his girlfriend to emerge from the ladies room at the Cameo Theater. He’d taken her to see the latest horror film. Several times during the movie, Diana had hidden her face on his shoulder, and Mart was sure that she was in the perfect state of mind for what he had planned.

He was anxious to get started, and sighed with relief when Diana Lynch finally came through the door.

"Sorry, sweetie," she said with a smile, taking his hand while he pushed open the glass door that led outside the old theater. "Boy, it looks like it’s going to rain again," she commented, glancing at the black clouds gathered in the sky as she and Mart exited the Cameo.

"Looks like," Mart agreed, giving her hand a squeeze. They had no sooner reached the Bob-White station wagon when the sky erupted. Mart and Diana dove into the car that belonged to their club, the Bob-Whites of the Glen, slamming the doors behind them.

"Whew! Good thing you forgot to lock it," Diana said, smoothing back her damp, black hair.

Mart grinned at her as he started the engine. "I didn’t forget. It’s Sleepyside—what could possibly happen?"

Diana turned up the heater before she replied. "I don’t know—after the movie we just watched, I’m inclined to think anything could happen."

Mart smiled to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot. If she only knew he couldn’t help thinking. "Hungry? Feel like Wimpy’s?" he asked, turning on the radio. He turned the dial until the familiar strains of the Glen Miller band came through the speakers.

"Ugh, I’m so stuffed. How can you be hungry after that ginormous tub of popcorn we shared?"

It was the answer he expected. "It’s early yet. I don’t want to take you home just now. I was hoping we could spend some more time together." It was part of his plan, and yet Mart felt his heart speed up slightly, for it was true—he did want to spend more time with the beautiful girl by his side. His Diana, he thought, as he always did whenever he thought of her.

He stole a sideways glance and saw Diana’s face pinken slightly as she cast her gaze into her lap. It was a sweet moment, and the romantic sound of the old-fashioned big band music that filled the car only heightened the emotion that suddenly filled Mart.

"What did you have in mind?" Diana asked, and the slight, teasing edge of her voice almost made him forget about everything for a split second.

Mart quickly regained his equilibrium and he began to whistle a familiar tune.

Diana’s eyebrows rose slightly as she recognized the song Meet Me in St. Louis. "Old Louis Road? Why, Mart…I thought you were a gentleman."

Mart grinned at her tone. "What? Gentlemen don’t like to make out with their girlfriends?"

Diana laughed, and Mart took that as a yes, driving to the remote road just off of Glen Road that ran beside the woods. Regan’s hand-lettered sign had long been replaced with an official sign that read, "Louis Road—Dead End", but that didn’t stop Sleepyside teenagers from visiting the spot for a little privacy now and again.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Mart supposed it was the weather that was keeping people indoors. He was glad to see the road was deserted—it made his plan even more likely to be a rousing success.

He pulled over and turned off the engine, unbuckling his seatbelt as Diana did the same. They turned to each other at the same moment and were just about to kiss when a loud crack of thunder, followed by a flash of lightening, caused Diana to jump. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Maybe we should just go."

Mart put his hands on her shoulders. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the big, bad storm." He leaned forward and kissed first her cheek, then her lips.

"You will?" she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer.

The rain beat a steady rhythm on the roof of the old station wagon, but the two teenagers barely noticed, so intent were they on each other.

The windows were starting to steam when a voice broke in on the radio.

"We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin. Authorities from the Croton-on-Hudson Hospital for the Criminally Insane have reported that Mark Carstairs, the serial killer with the missing right hand known for disemboweling his victims with his hook, has escaped and was last seen heading south towards the towns of Sleepyside and Pleasantville. Listeners are advised to be on the look out and are warned not to attempt to apprehend this individual under any circumstance as he is extremely dangerous. If spotted, call 9-1-1 or your local authorities immediately."

"Oh, Mart! We had better get out of here!" Diana gasped as the announcement came to an end.

Mart patted Diana’s shoulder with one hand while discreetly reaching under the front seat with the other. "Don’t worry, princess. Didn’t I say I’d always protect you?"

The rain tapered off, but the thunder still rumbled as if in warning. Diana banged her fist on her window. "Hello! There’s a serial killer on the loose with a built-in weapon at his disposal. No offense, but I think I’d rather just go home." Her voice cracked on the last word, and Mart knew that the moment had arrived.

He tightened his hand on the hook stored under the seat and was about to brandish it with a roar when a flash of lightning revealed a figure standing just in front of the car.

Diana gasped. "Mart!" she choked out.

Mart felt his bones turn to jelly and his hands shook as he managed to turn on the headlights, illuminating a tall, masked man who raised his arm, clearly revealing a hook where a hand should be. As Mart desperately fumbled with the ignition, the figure ran to the passenger side, and before Diana could reach over and lock the door, he had jerked it open and pulled her out of the car as she screamed in terror.

"Diana!" Mart cried, throwing himself out of the car. "No!" he yelled in frustration as he felt his feet go out from under him on the muddy ground. He landed on his back and could only stare up in horror as the figure with the hook ran over to him, not knowing what the fates had in store for him, or for Diana, on this dark night in October…

"And then what happened?" Trixie said, her eyes as wide as saucers as she fumbled a hand into the large bowl of popcorn wedged between herself and Jim on the sofa. It was Halloween night, and the Bob-Whites of the Glen were gathering in the cozy living room at Crabapple Farm for an evening of noshing, listening to music, and watching old horror movies on TV. Even Jim and Brian, the oldest members of the group, had managed to get away from college to join the fun.

"That’s when Lester Mundy ripped off his mask and laughed so hard his legs went out from under him," Diana said, with a cheeky grin.

The Bob-Whites burst into collective laughter at this punch line, even Mart.

"What happened, twin of mine, is that within about ten seconds, I realized that my erudite girlfriend is many, many times smarter than I will ever be, and that I must forever more bow to her greatness," Mart said with a wry grin as he got his breath back. He looked at Diana and shook his head, but there was an admiring glint in his eye. "That was, my dear, classic. And you did promise that you’d tell me how you pulled it off."

Diana popped a mini brownie into her mouth. "Simple. I overheard you talking to Ty Scott at school," she admitted. "After that, I knew what I had to do. And it didn’t take much persuading to get Lester to agree to sneak out to Old Louis Road and wait for us. Even though he’s a reformed jokester, he agreed that this was a special exception."

Mart nodded. "But I saw him at the movie theater. How…" he broke off as he remembered. "Ah. So that’s why you took so long in the bathroom after the movie. To give him time."

"Yep," Diana said.

"But how did you know where we were going next?" Mart asked.

"Don’t tell us it was women’s intuition," Brian said as he put another log on the fire and gave it a poke. He glanced at Honey. "You girls can’t, uh, read our minds, can you?"

Honey gave an unladylike snort. "Sometimes," she said, her hazel eyes sparkling.

Diana laughed. "I’d love it if that were so, but honestly, I was going to suggest it myself when Mr. Lothario over here brought it up."

Mart’s face reddened as Dan gave him a poke.

"Busted," Jim said with a laugh.

"People who park on glass, secluded preserve roads shouldn’t lob stones, my dear fellow," Mart said loftily. It was Jim’s turn to redden slightly as laughter filled the room.

Later, Mart and Diana sat in comfortable silence in the station wagon as he drove her home. As he walked her to the front door, the rich, smoky smell of lit pumpkins still filled the air, and the moon hung like a fat, lit globe in the inky sky. "You’re not mad at all, are you?" Diana asked, as she reached in to her coat pocket for her door key.

Mart smiled at her. "Nope. I deserved it. And I believe in giving kudos where kudos are due. Well done, my friend. Well done."

Diana put the key into the lock, but didn’t turn it. She turned to face her boyfriend. "You know, you jumped right out of the car, even though you thought there was a killer out there."

Mart shrugged, feeling his face grow hot. "Well, yeah. Of course," he said, his usual vocabulary escaping him. "You were out there."

Diana’s eyes grew misty and she threw her arms around him. "I love you, Mart Belden."

The couple kissed for a long time, unmindful of the sharp fall air, the darkness, and even the subtle, "A-hem" that came from the intercom system.

A sharper sounding cough finally caught their attention and they reluctantly parted. "I guess I better go in," Diana said, turning the key and opening the door. "Good night."

"Good night."

As Mart started to walk away, Diana called from the doorway, "Oh, and Mart?"

"Yes?"

"Don’t even think about pulling anything like this next Halloween!"

Mart laughed. "Believe me, I won’t. I’ve learned my lesson."

Diana smiled. "Good."

Before she could shut the door, Mart stopped her.

"By the way, "I love you, too, Diana Lynch. And that’s no joke."

Author’s Notes: