by Rose A. Valenta

Created on: July 23, 2008   Last Updated: August 08, 2008

The Jersey Devil

After dismissal at Washington Township Middle School in New Jersey, the students were gleefully preparing for Halloween, which was only a week away. The Patel's over on Nancy Lane were celebrating Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, and Hari Patel invited the Nigel brothers, Mark, Bob, and Luke, as well as some of the neighborhood girls over to see the fireworks this evening. Hari once told his friends that in India, his native country, most of the blockbuster movies were in Egyptian Arabic and that it was a common second language. He was fluent in Egyptian Arabic, often teaching his classmates new words to use. They enjoyed learning basic phrases.

"Hari, how do you say 'thank you' in Egyptian Arabic?" Bob asked.

"You say Shukran," Hari answered. "It is pronounced SHOOK-RON' he stressed.

"OK, shukran, Hari. I really dig fireworks.

The last bell rang and everyone formed a line to leave. Courtney caught up with Bianca on the way home and asked her to stop over for snacks. Bob went home to gather some things for his Halloween outfit.

Mr. Nigel had a large lot next to his home on Wilson Road with several garages that he rented to neighbors. Since his back lot was hidden from the street, he was on the phone offering parking spaces to some of the neighbors for Mischief night, when his son, Bob, walked in the door.

"No, I have no idea, the local farmers have been reporting chicken coop raids for a few weeks now, and I sure hope it's not a wolf. Yes, fine, Hank, just park your car behind McHill's garage before dusk. I'm sure the young ones bearing soap won't find it." Bob heard his father say, as he tip-toed up to his room. I can't wait to tell Mark, Luke, and the girls, he thought, we've been hoarding soap slivers for months.

"So, Bianca, what are you going to be for Halloween?" Courtney asked, as they husked the dried ears of corn for mischief night out on her back porch and dropped the kernels into a paper bag.

"An American Idol." She responded. "Bob is going to be Michael Myers. What about you?"

"Mom is making me a Diva outfit, and my little brother wants to be Dipsy the Teletubby."

"What is Diwali, anyway? Hari has invited us all over to watch fireworks tonight and I hope Mrs. Patel doesn't make us eat anything weird" Bianca said.

"I'm not sure, but Hari told me that his brother, Puru, will tell us all about it. He is home from college with two of his classmates. I know that the Patels celebrate Diwali with candles and lights for days."

Mark got home just

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