Laurixa paced back and forth in front of her sister, Georgina, eyes wide with frantic energy. "Georgina, I'm telling you, that guy—Bolo's friend—is up to something. Something no-good, rotten, and downright fishy. First off, he brought us pancakes. Frickin' pancakes!" Laurixa threw her hands up like pancakes were the equivalent of a ticking time bomb.

"And before you ask why pancakes are suspicious, I'm gonna skip ahead. Second," she continued, "he's wearing a belt. Not just any belt, but a brown-and-black belt. Listen, a belt is either brown OR black. Maybe reversible, fine, but never two-tone! Never as in, like, the second coming of Christ never. And if you think those points aren't damning enough, then chew on this charred metaphor: he has a birthmark on his right arm! The lower part!"

Laurixa leaned in, her eyes wild with conspiracy. "A birthmark, Georgina! A BIRTHMARK! Where in Mars Park, Texas, Mooncow are you from? Did you hear a word I said?!"

Georgina blinked, serene and unfazed, staring back at Laurixa with an expression of perfect calm. She slowly lifted a hand to her head and pulled off her headphones—big, noise-canceling ones that had been hidden in her thick, brown hair. "Okay, Laurixa," she said, suppressing a smile. "I think you said... pancakes? Jethro brought pancakes. I know, but I wasn’t in the mood for a flapjack."

Laurixa gaped. Georgina had caught only one word—pancakes—out of her entire, breathless rant. She opened her mouth to retort when suddenly, a loud crackling noise filled the room. It was coming from the skeleton propped up on the side table.

Now, let's rewind a bit. It's the day before Halloween, and the house is decked out with spooky decorations. The skeleton—new this year—was Jethro's idea. Jethro, who was Bolo's best friend and had been insinuating himself into the sisters' lives for reasons Georgina wasn't quite sure about. The skeleton was life-sized, unnervingly realistic, almost as if someone were wearing a skeleton costume and standing perfectly still.

The crackling turned into a voice. "So your name is Laurixa? Well, Laurixa, I can assure you, I didn’t bring any pancakes. And yes, I did wear a bi-color belt, and yes, I do have a birthmark, but I’d love to know how those are indicators of anything."

Laurixa’s jaw dropped. The voice was echoing, doubling in on itself, like it came from somewhere far away—or maybe from two places at once. Just then, Jethro appeared in the doorway, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He calmly walked over to the skeleton, reached around, and flipped off a hidden switch. "So, who did bring the pancakes?" he asked, feigning innocence.

The two sisters stared at him, slack-jawed, still processing the fact that Jethro had been speaking to them through a hidden speaker in the skeleton. Before they could confront him about that, another voice joined the fray. “I did!” it boomed, startling everyone in the room.

Everyone but Jethro, that is. He just laughed—a big, hearty laugh that suggested he was in on some joke the others weren't. As the laughter continued, the skeleton started to move. It lifted its bony hands, stepped off the table, and pulled off its mask to reveal... Bolo. Of course, Bolo, dressed as a skeleton, was now laughing so hard he was gasping for air.

For a moment, the room was filled with outrage, but soon the absurdity of it all took over, and even Laurixa and Georgina couldn’t help but join in the laughter. The four of them stood there, cackling until they were nearly in tears.

Then, a new voice cut through the hilarity, coming from the kitchen. "Down here."

They all stopped, exchanging bewildered glances before heading toward the sound. As they entered the kitchen, the voice spoke again, clearer this time: “Down here.”

They looked down at the table, where a plate of uneaten pancakes sat, still warm from all the commotion. And there, on top, a pecan walnut chocolate pancake—quivering slightly—spoke again.

"Yeah, you heard me. I’m talking to you. What? Never seen a pancake talk before?"

The room fell silent, their faces a mix of shock, confusion, and—oddly—a bit of resignation. It was as if the pancake had been the missing piece of a puzzle they hadn’t realized they were solving.

Finally, Laurixa sighed. "Oh, come on. Not again."