By: Jerry Aragon
The two-headed monster
It was Halloween night (1995), and my wife and I took our
boys, ages 10 and 12 to a Halloween party at the local
elementary school, which both boys attended. This was the
first time I had attended a Halloween party like this, so I
didn't know what to expect.
We arrived at the school, and all of us headed for the school
cafeteria, where the festivities were to take place. All along
the way, I noticed dozens of kids dressed up in scary and
creative costumes...lots of color everywhere! And, there would
be lots of goodies for everyone later on. Our boys were
dressed up as well, and they would compete for prizes at the
party, too. There would be a Grand Prize awarded for the best
costume at the end of the night.
When we arrived at the cafeteria, my wife and the boys
headed off someplace to see friends they knew, and I found a
chair at an empty table and sat alone. I noticed two boys
about ten years old, who were working on their costume. They
had a pair of large men's coveralls, and they were down on
the floor, spreading the coveralls out. They were meticulously
enlarging the pant holes and straightening out the costume.
At this point, I could not imagine what they were doing.
What they were doing, was positioning the coveralls on the
floor, with the pant holes just right. Then, they both stepped
into the pant holes...one boy in front and the other boy
behind the first boy. The boy in the back would put his arms
around the waist of the boy in front. Gently and carefully, they
pulled the coveralls up to cover both of them, and the
coveralls were buttoned up in the front. Now, both of the boys
were in a single pair of coveralls. The boy in the back would
look over the shoulder of the boy in the front! (Did you get
that?)
The extra large coveralls were big enough to house both boys,
and now they were ready for the next step. I didn't know what
was going on with these two kids, but I was already to laugh!
On the table next to them, were two hideous looking rubber
masks the boys would wear. The masks were filled with
pimples, fake blood, runny-looking stuff, protruding teeth and
the masks were simply GROSS! I still had no idea what the
boys were supposed to be, so I asked.
"We're the Two-Headed Monster," came the reply from behind
one of the masks. I should have known...I fell back in my
chair with laughter again! I was coming unglued!
It was amazing to me that these two boys came up with such
a clever idea such as this. I was impressed right from the
beginning with them. They were obviously going to have a
little coordination with this outfit, as they were both in the
same costume. I thought surely that they were going to take
a spill, but they never did. They must have done some
rehearsing.
After a few minutes of last minute preparation, they were off!
Hup...123...hup...123 and they lumbered off across the
cafeteria. I followed along, and the first thing I noticed about
the boys, was the fussing and fighting they did with each
other, from the beginning to the end... such as "slow
down"..."you're going too fast"..."tell me when you're going to
stop"..."I don't want to go here, or I don't want to go there"
and so forth! It was the fussing and fighting behind those
masks that made it more funny!
I stayed with them the whole night, listening to them argue
with each other. The laughing got worse on my part, as I
followed them down the hallways of the school, listening to
them and watching their every move. It was hilarious! For
more than 40 minutes, I followed these boys around the
school...everywhere they went, I was not far behind. I thought
for sure they would fall over...they would stray to the
right...and, then stray to the left and almost go over, but
somehow they stayed on their feet. They made people laugh
all along the way, and everyone was enjoying them!
Finally, as the night wore on, it was time for the judging for
the best costumes, in general, and then for the Grand Prize
winner! There was a lot of excitement in the cafeteria! What
an anxious moment, as a man, probably a school teacher,
stood at the podium and called out various winners in
different categories. The winners went up to the stage and
claimed their prizes, etc.
As things got tense...now, it was time for the Grand Prize to
be awarded! The man at the podium was handed a piece of
paper with a name on it of the winner! There was silence...as
he said..."The Grand Prize winner for the best costume goes
to...more silence...The Two-Headed Monster! Cheers, screams,
and applause rang out across the cafeteria!
And, then it happened! The two boys had not yet gotten out
of the coveralls, and in their haste in winning the Grand Prize,
they took a spill, as they tried to get to the podium! A couple
of adults quickly helped them get out of the coveralls, as they
struggled to get out! When they finally got untangled, they
were giving high-fives to each other, and to kids along the
way to the podium!
I was certainly pulling for them! They gave everyone at school
such joy and laughter. There was screaming and shouting all
over the cafeteria when they won. I will never forget this
night as I had so much fun, and I will never forget the
Two-Headed Monster! They got high marks for their creativity,
and they entertained us all night long!
the end
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