Free The Election-Day Disaster by Ron Roy Page B

feathers.”
    “The vice president is the ladybug,” KC went on. “And Yvonne is the cow.”
    Marshall pointed to a black gorilla who was pretending to scare kids. “I think that’s our teacher, Mr. A,” he said.
    “Mr. Alubicki is the gorilla?” KC asked.
    Marshall nodded. “And your buddy, Simon, is behind the president,” he said.
    KC stared. Simon was dressed in dark gray long johns. A scrawny gray tail hung from the seat of his pants. Black cardboard ears stuck up from his head over a mask with a pointy nose.
    “He looks like a gerbil,” KC said, trying not to laugh.
    “I think he’s supposed to be a kangaroo,” Marshall said.
    “Who’s that?” KC asked. A green monster walked by. Long green sausage-like things hung from the body. The head was a green motorcycle helmet. Strips of green plastic hung down over the legs, almost to the shiny black shoes.
    Marshall burst out laughing. “Looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon!”
    KC pointed out a short kid waiting to dunk for an apple. He or she wore a bug mask with a pillowcase for a costume. Black wings sprouted from the shoulders. Every few seconds, the pillowcase lit up. The kid glowed in the dark.
    “I think that’s Amanda from our class,” KC whispered.
    “What’s she supposed to be?” Marshall asked.
    “A firefly,” KC said. “Pretty clever!”
    It grew darker. Kids dunked for apples. Blindfolded, they tried pinning warts on a paper witch strung between two trees. Cookies and cider were gobbled up.
    The president and First Lady arranged a parade around the rose garden. Everyone stumbled along, trying not to step on each other’s costumes.

    “First prize goes to Amanda Day!” KC’s mom announced. “Amanda, your costume is cute and creative and you make a lovely firefly!” Amanda won lunch with the president at the White House. Everyone clapped and whistled.
    After Amanda accepted her prize, people began leaving. KC stood by the gate with the president and her mom to say good night to everyone. KC’s mom held a basket of wrapped gifts. “Please take one,” she said to each guest as they left. “You’re all winners!”
    The president held the basket of campaign buttons. “Please take one,” he joked. “Make me a winner on Tuesday!”
    The next morning, KC woke up suddenly. She had heard a shout coming fromsomewhere in the residence. She jumped up and threw open the door. She heard more loud voices from the kitchen.
    Still in her pajamas, KC raced down the hall. The president and her mom and Yvonne were staring at the TV set.
    “What is it, Mom?” KC asked.
    “Those pictures were on the Internet last night,” her mother said. “Now they’re all over the news!”
    KC focused on the TV screen. It was the
Donny Drum News Hour
. In one of the pictures, the president was shown dunking a boy’s head deep into a water bucket. Holding the kid’s head down, the president was grinning at the camera.
    The other picture was worse. Somebody had put Dr. Melrose Jury’s face on the paper witch. President Thornton waspinning a wart on Dr. Jury’s nose, and again smiling for the camera.
    KC shook her head. “But those things never happened!” she said.
    “I think there was a rat at our party last night,” the president said. “And that rat wants me to lose this election.”
    He stood up. “Excuse me,” he said. “I have some phone calls to make.” He and KC’s mom left the kitchen.
    KC dialed Marshall’s phone number.
    “Can you come over?” she asked him when he answered. “We have a disaster!”
    Marshall yawned into the phone. “What do you mean, ‘we’?” he asked.
    “Just come over, okay?”
    KC changed out of her pajamas, then sat in the kitchen to wait for Marshall. Simon came in, yawning and holding hiscell phone. He poured himself a glass of juice. He smiled at KC, but to her it looked more like a smirk.
    “That’s too bad about your stepdad,” Simon said. But he didn’t seem upset.
    KC snapped a