My Friends Are Dead People
skeleton.
    “ Trick,” said Jacoby
without hesitation.
    “ Proceed at your own risk.
Next!”
    Dorian nudged my stiff body toward the
skeleton. I didn't want to go in. How could they risk our lives? We
looked human!
    The stomping of the crowd
outside shook the tunnel, so I could barely hear the skeleton
shout, “ The proclamation must be read or
you may not enter! ”
    Dorian nudged me again. I read the
proclamation, unable to hear myself say any of it. The skeleton
didn’t order me to speak louder so I spoke in my normal voice.
    “ . . . the same punishment
would apply. I am not a . . .” I paused. I wasn't going to say
“human”. If they caught me, then I could say I never read it. “I am
aware that if I enter in violation, I will be killed. May I come
in?”
    The skeleton couldn’t hear me over the foot
stomps.
    “ May I come in?” I
repeated a little louder.
    “ Trick or treat?” said the
skeleton.
    “ Trick!” I shouted
clearly.
    “ Proceed at your own risk.
Next!”
    Katie stepped up and didn’t even recite it.
She read a note written next to the proclamation about safety tips
and candy littering. Lin was even worse. He called the kitis
skeletis names and recited stupid limericks. After Lin was done
messing around, Dorian read the proclamation. Finally, we were
going to enter, but just before the stadium showed itself, Jacoby
and Dorian turned down into a stinky tunnel, webbed with rotting
vines and glowing algae. It seemed to go on forever. It felt like
we were hiking to the center of the Earth. Jacoby spent a lot of
time quietly talking to Dorian. I couldn’t make out anything they
were saying, even after the foot stomping died out in the
distance.
    Katie and I stopped before a huge archway
with text running from one side of it to the other.

    THE game
    To secure a victory, the
samhain (player 1) must drive Jack (player 2) into the eternal
realm (10-meter-deep circular black hole) and have him/her touch
the back of it before the 3 minutes are up. The one with the
fastest time or most awarded points, will be granted the option to
choose who they play for the next round, with the exception of the
final three matches, in which players’ positions will be assigned
to them by the games’ officials.
     
    Flying or hovering 10
meters above the ground level will result in disqualification.
Maiming your opponent is forbidden and will result in being banned
from all future festivals. The game will be halted if any player
uses magic that threatens the opponent’s life or if potentially
dangerous magic not listed below takes place, and a ruling shall be
reached before the game may resume. Perpetrators will be subject to
Haunt House penalties. Transforming more than twice in the same
game will result in disqualification. If a player receives outside
assistance before or during the match, the game shall end
immediately. Both the player and the abettor will receive severe
punishment. The Bellnicsi is considered extreme magic, and anyone
who summons it will be killed immediately.
     
     
    THE code OF
magic
    The game is over if there
is use of the following magic:
    * Ugo - invisibility
    **Agigian - rapid
aging
    Lo mosk - severe weight
gain
    *** Masme - memory alteration
    **** Binlisac - internal suffering
    *** Endosac - external suffering
    ** Qualop - loss of a bodily function
    Psyclin - transportation
    ** Treeplex - transformation
    **** Scienfluke - chronic torture
    *** Forsili - body control
    ****** Bellnicsi - sound loss
     
    
    The following three shall
be prohibited from playing due to their possession of violent and
baneful magic. If any of these three enters in disguise, the
penalty will be death.
     
    the woman from
Brazil
    ******** Joriylalsecotol - extreme transformation
    other extreme magic
unknown
     
    Dorian, menala
    ******** Olisvmasian - extreme body control/torture
    other extreme magic
unknown
     
    Jack
Ottaggaemenel
    ****** Blin - vision failure
    *********

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