Out-of-This-World Halloween!

In the spirit of Halloween, literally, I thought I'd talk about something a little…different. Like how Halloween might be celebrated on other planets. Talk about weird science! In my strange mind I kind of see it in the same vein (no paranormal pun intended) as The Ugly Bug Ball by Burl Ives:

Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl,
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all!
At the ugly bug ball!

I can imagine an interstellar station hanging in some galaxy hosting an inter-species gala on October 31, 2177 or whatever date it is on their calendars. I can also imagine some truly unusual guests at that party too. Hmm, the question is what the heck do they dress up as? I mean, they already look rather creepy in their skins. So what to do? Maybe they could all dress up as each other, as much as their anatomy allows or perhaps they could dress up as humans, though we all pretty much look the same except for the details like eyes, hair, etc. Or what if they're the sentient intellectual types, like intergalactic professors dressing up as the non-sentient "bugs" if you will, that they inspect with such intensity? Hey what if they made up something? I'm guessing they could come up with some really, really weird costumes!

Here's to hoping they can communicate well with others—other species that is—I'd hate to foot the bill for that many interpreters but I'm also hoping that by 2177 we'd all have figured out how to shoot the solar breeze. Can you imagine the buzz of "voices" as species gather in the ballroom waiting for the music to begin? Music? What the nebula does that mean for all these party goers? More importantly, who the hell could DJ this shindig? Oh, you want live entertainment? How about the band from the Cantina in Star Wars? Personally, I'm hoping Katy Perry shows up to belt out "E.T."

And then there's the requisite open bar (and I do mean open): tanks of various fluids, gases, who knows what else all either shaken not stirred via tubes and vials or straight up on the rocks (moon). Can you imagine how some of these beings behave when drunk? I don't even want to think about whom wakes up with who or what in the morning…

I was going to write a short story based on this premise/post specifically for The Writer Limits but my brain is fried and I'm trying to scrape off the crust…maybe next year…

Excuse me right now I'm going to get another bottle of Mars Red to toast the Gala(ctic) Party!

Happy Halloween!