1 It was a cold fall evening. Jake had gone to Matthew's house right after school. Then Matthew's parents had taken them to the Autumn Carnival in town. They liked everything, especially the apple doughnuts and the apple cider. However, they had been freaked out by the haunted house.
2 In the haunted house, it had been very, very dark. They saw a witch with a large cauldron boiling a horrid potion. There had been monsters in every corner. There was a mad scientist looking to turn them into monsters. There had been spider webs, flying objects, and small creatures that seemed to be scurrying at their feet.
3 Jake and Matthew knew what they had seen at the haunted house had been created for fun, but now walking home with Matthew's parents in the dark, they couldn't shake that scary feeling.
4 Everything felt so eerie tonight. The moon was full. The wind was cold and howling. The boys could have sworn they heard something flying close to their heads. As the group approached Matthew's house, Jake even mistakenly thought the family's jack-o'-lantern was making faces at him.
5 Jake thought to himself, "I'll be glad to get inside," as he ran up the front steps.
6 Matthew's mother said, "Come on, boys. Go get your pajamas on. I'll make some popcorn. Who's up for a scary movie?"
7 Jake and Matthew both yelled, "Me!" After all, who can resist a good scare? Well, two scary films later, and it was time for bed.
8 "Upstairs, guys," Mom said. "I'll be in to tuck you in in just a bit."
9 So the boys went upstairs. Jake grabbed an extra blanket out of Matthew's closet. He thought he heard a scurrying noise and quickly slammed the closet door. "What was that?" Jake asked.
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