Day: August 18, 2018

Get the Party Started

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The Spooky Day party doesn’t start before 6PM, after the twins are back from school. So the parents and I have a full day ahead to spend time together and get in the spooky mood.

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It starts with mom, who’s pulling the “oh look what’s up there!” trick on me.

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I’m sad to report it worked. She scared me. In my defense, there could have been something truly funny, “up there behind me.”

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It’s dad’s turn to get carving, at least for the morning.

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And then, we all gather around in the living room. The twins are away, so we can watch whatever movie we please.

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Starting with a classic of the horror genre, Fall 13th.

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“It’s always the same,” Dad says. “Don’t these kids know the first to woohoo are the first to die?”

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Once the movie is over, Mom and I cook another Frankenstein cake together, and I get to return her stupid prank. “Is that a frosting spot on your pajamas, mom?”

And then when she looks down I hit her nose.

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Tonight, we party!

The Last Preparations

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Spooky Day is upon us! We have a big party coming tonight. Mom and Dad have invited old friends of theirs, practically family. Cléo said it’s not really her friends’ kind of party, and Cyril and I don’t have anybody to invite. It’s going to be a family holiday, pretty much.

It’ll be more cake for us. Mom started cooking at 3AM, she tells me, and for once, her skills may prove to be just what Spooky Day needs, and she did her very best. I’ve got to admit, the Frankenstein cake and the eye-shaped biscuits look stellar. We have yet to discover how good they taste.

For starters, I’m choosing to show you the exact moment the bowl of dough escapes her hands. I’ll leave you to decide if it lands right side up or not.

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Cyril is not entirely ready to be surrounded by people tonight, and he’s feeling very tense. Mom and I send him for a morning jog, hopefully it clears his mind.

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In the meantime, Cléo and I are having a friendly pumpkin-carving competition. She’s really good at it.

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And you know what teens do when they’re good at something? Selfies, they take selfies.

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Cyril is back from his walk. He still doesn’t feel all that relaxed, but it’s better.

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Mom didn’t mess the last of her Spooky Day recipes up! I guess she found her niche.

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In the meantime, I’ve finished my pumpkin.

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It’s not my best, and Cléo’s looked much prettier, but, you know what, it doesn’t really matter.

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It’s a Spooky Day pumpkin carved on Spooky Day morning!

Pumpkins and Lights

Not ready to head back inside after all, I run around in the light rain, and even slipping in one of the many mud puddles — twice, in the same puddle — doesn’t bring my mood down.

It’s just all so pretty.

And then, I carve one more pumpkin for the road.

You can’t ever have too many carved pumpkins.

Treat or Trick

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My neighborhood tour is over, and I’m back to our home porch.

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I take the last few breaths of this sweet autumn air, with the smell of humid earth and incoming rains.

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And while I’m here… Of course this bowl of candy here is meant for the kids who will come to trick or treat tomorrow, but…

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The trap!

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This one is just a cloud of bright fog. It’s actually really pretty.

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The best candy of the season.

A Walk in the Neighborhood

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Spooky Day is tomorrow. All the neighbors have caught up and decorated their houses and yards for the day. The air is crisp and fresh, and the night has this special autumn glow, with a dash of magic like you only see on the most special nights.

It’s the perfect time, and the perfect atmosphere for a stroll in the neighborhood. I get the umbrella out again and, with the smile of someone who’s been blessed by the Ancients, I walk up our blocks of houses. And then, down again, to the very end of the street, taking in all of the lights, and the spooky beauty.

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Walking in front of our house, I can hear the twins screaming in Cyril’s room. They decided to watch Vampiric Activity, and they apparently find it terrifying.

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The neighbors at the very end of the street have this ginormous mansion, and these decorations are really the only sign we have that someone lives there at all. They’re pretty secretive.

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But as big as their house is, I still think ours is the prettiest.