Once upon a time, in a magical land far, far away, there lived all sorts of spooky creatures. There was a demon named Dennis, a poltergeist named Polly, an angel named Andrew, a ghoul named Gwen, a phantasm named Phoebe, a phantom named Frank, an apparition named Alice, and a ghost named Gary.

One day, these creatures decided to have a big party in an old, abandoned mansion. They invited all the other ghostly creatures from the surrounding lands to come and celebrate with them.

As the night went on, the party became wilder and wilder. Dennis the demon was having a blast, causing all sorts of trouble by moving furniture around and scaring the other guests. Polly the poltergeist was getting into the spirit of things by popping up in unexpected places and shouting "Boo!"

Meanwhile, Andrew the angel was trying to keep the peace, but it was a losing battle. Gwen the ghoul was cackling and Phoebe the phantasm was floating around in circles, causing everyone to get dizzy. Frank the phantom was playing haunting melodies on his ghostly piano, and Alice the apparition was wandering around aimlessly, trying to figure out where she was.

And then there was Gary the ghost. He was having the time of his life, but he kept getting lost in the maze-like mansion. Every time he thought he had found his way out, he ended up back in the same room.

As the night went on, the party got even wilder, and Gary found himself getting more and more lost. Suddenly, he stumbled into a secret room, and to his surprise, he found a giant genie lamp!

Gary rubbed the lamp, and out popped a genie. "Your wish is my command!" the genie exclaimed.

Gary thought for a moment, and then he said, "I wish for all these spooky creatures to turn into friendly, happy creatures."

The genie snapped his fingers, and in an instant, Dennis the demon became Dennis the dove, Polly the poltergeist became Polly the parrot, Andrew the angel became Andrew the antelope, Gwen the ghoul became Gwen the goat, Phoebe the phantasm became Phoebe the butterfly, Frank the phantom became Frank the flamingo, Alice the apparition became Alice the alligator, and Gary the ghost became Gary the gorilla.

From that day on, the creatures of the magical land were no longer spooky and scary. They were happy, friendly creatures who loved to have fun and play together. And every year, they threw a big party in the old mansion, but this time, instead of scaring each other, they danced and played games and had a wonderful time.

The end.

Reflections

1. Who were the spooky creatures in the story and what were their names?
2. What did Gary the ghost wish for from the genie?
3. How did the spooky creatures change after Gary's wish was granted?
4. What kind of celebration did the creatures have every year in the old mansion?
5. Can you think of any other spooky creatures that could have been invited to the party?
6. How do you think the story would have been different if Gary had wished for something else?
7. What do you think the creatures might do at the next annual celebration?