Page 19 of Ella’s Data

Tonight’s the first night of the haunted houses and I’m with Holly, Marnie, and Fee as we get the kids dressed and ready for the event. Esther and Paul are going to take all of them, which is impressive considering they have three infants and three little girls to oversee, but Data had mentioned that one of the prospects, Preston I think his name is, will be helping. The other one is helping with the adult haunted house.

Apparently, he’s in a specially made coffin that’s in the front yard propped against the stairs that go up to the porch. They've got several others along the pathway, as well, and at varying times, the occupants will pop out and grab at one of the people standing in line. I’d have a heart attack for sure, but the brothers all feel it’ll help with the overall vibe they’re going for with the house.

“They are so cute!” I exclaim as I look at PJ, Cami, and Colleen, who are in matching chicken costumes. What I like about them is they’re a bit thicker, almost like a flannel onesie on the inside, so the cooler weather shouldn’t be an issue.

“Right?” Holly asks as she curls Ruby’s hair. The three older girls are dressed as their favorite princess, complete with their preferred hairstyle. Mina, as the oldest, is Elsa from Frozen and hers is the most complex of them all from what I can see. Ruby is Belle from Beauty and the Beast, while Becca chose to be Rapunzel from Tangled.

How do I know all of these characters when I wasn’t exactly ensconced in all things Disney as a child? That would be because I’ve spent a lot of time with these girls since being here and one of our daily ‘things’ is to watch a movie. At least, I no longer confuse them like I did when I first started.

“Alright, so the plan is that we’ll go to the haunted house and the kids will be with Esther and Paul,” Fee says as she comes back into the family room with another pack of bobby pins and hands them to Holly. “Paul already delivered all the candy buckets, and he made sure to keep the allergen ones completely separated from the other two. In fact, they’re in several totes and clearly marked. When the kids come out, we’ll ask their parents then hand them the appropriate colored pumpkin. Also, Esther batched them in age ranges, so the smaller kids get candy they can eat and toys that won’t be harmful, while those Mina and Becca’s age will get stuff they’ll enjoy.”

“This is going to be so much fun,” Marnie states, clapping her hands as she motions for Becca to turn around. “At least, way better than last year, huh, Holly?”

Holly snickers and nods. “Yeah, neither of us was really in the Halloween spirit after the barn.”

"More so you than me,” Marnie retorts. “Although, at the end of the day, you got this little cutie pie out of it,” she adds, holding a wiggling JP.

I love that Holly and Marnie are best friends like me and Fee. The four of us get along great, so at least when I’m out on a travel contract, I know they’ll keep an eye on her and help her if she needs it. Never really having had a lot of female friends until Fee came along, I’m thankful that I now have two more women I can count on. I mean, I know I can count on Thelma as well, but at the end of the day, she’s my boss.

“I love what the brothers have decided to do with the proceeds,” I admit.

“Grammy is so excited about the community garden and canning center,” Holly replies. “She and her church ladies have poured over designs to make sure the kitchen is perfect for what they’re envisioning.”

“Data says the high school auto shop teacher nearly cried when they approached him with their idea. Seems they’ve got five seniors who want to pursue their degree and get their ASE certification, but they were struggling with how to manage doing it so the kids could get their education. The scholarships will go a long way to defray their tuition costs, and with the kitted-out toolboxes the brothers are gonna put together, plus the jobs they’ve now got thanks to the club, it’s now a reality for them,” I say.

“Okay, I know I’m in my post-partum phase, but dammit, when will these emotions stop jerking me around?” Fee asks as she swipes at the tears rolling down her face.

“What’s my excuse?” Marnie questions, doing the same.

“Or mine?” Holly adds. “Remember, two of us are hyster-sisters, and one of us hasn’t gotten busy with her man that we know of, so that’s not her excuse either. Face it, Fee, we’re women. Sometimes, we cry.”

“So, it’s not because of Colleen,” Fee muses. Like me, she’s always tried to keep her emotions in check around others.

“Nope, it’s because we’ve all got hearts and knowing that what we’re a small part of is going to help some kids achieve their goals is, well, heartwarming,” Holly advises.

“Pipes, how did you get this job?” I ask as I walk up the pathway we’ve outlined to access our kiddy haunt.

He’s one of the patched brothers and he’s standing at the entrance, wrapped up like a mummy. “Because last year, when Prophet was healing, he did it, and Rebel wants a brother over here with you guys. I volunteered since really scary stuff isn’t my thing,” he replies.

“Same. Hell, Data took me through in broad daylight with the lights on and I got scared several times,” I admit, giggling. “Okay, I need to get inside and make sure the busted guts are suitably warm, plus turn on all the lights.”

“You’re good for him,” Pipes says as I head inside. “He’s not holing up in his office the way he used to do.”

“He’s good for me too,” I whisper to myself as I hit the lights.

The guys are geniuses when it comes to all the little things they’ve done in both houses. The interior has been painted in black sparkly paint, with fairy lights in different colors strung throughout that give it an otherworldly feel. Spooky but not so much that it’ll truly scare the younger kids. I hurry over to the table where the interactive boxes are, flip the power strip button to on so the warmer beneath the box that will hold the ‘busted guts’ heats up, then I unlatch the box in the back and flip it upward.

“Okay, Holly said the eyeballs go in the first one,” I mutter as I open the bowl full of peeled grapes, shuddering when one rolls over my finger. “Next is the jello.” I giggle when I touch that because the way we shredded it, it does feel like brain matter. Not that I’ll ever share the fact that I actually know how that feels, but Fee knows as well. It’s the price of being in healthcare as a travel nurse.

I place my hand over the pan that’s going to hold the busted guts and can tell it’s warming up, so I grab the huge, covered bowl and open it, gagging slightly when I see the scrambled eggs mixed in with the cooked spaghetti. “Yeah, not eating that any time in the foreseeable future,” I state, my voice loud without the music that’ll be playing in the background turned on yet. “Now for the piece de resistance this year,” I say as I pour warm corn syrup that we put red food color in to mimic blood in the last section, which also has a warmer beneath it.

At the end of the table, I make sure we have plenty of wet wipes so the kids can clean their hands, as well as a garbage can underneath for the trash. Once I’m happy that everything’s set up for this part, I flip the cover shut and relock it, confident that it’ll give the kids a bit of spooky fun.

Walking through, I check each section, straightening a few things while mentally thinking about what can be changed for the following year. I don’t attempt to crawl through the maze because even though I’m somewhat petite, I’m not a fan of spiders, even fake plastic ones! I’m a card-carrying member of the Chicken Little Club and proud of it.

Snickering, I finish my tour then head through the exit where the pumpkins will be handed out to everyone who goes through. We have a smaller section off to the side that Marnie and Fee will run where the kids who are too small can ‘bob’ for a prize, draw a face on a small pumpkin that they can take home, or get a cup of warm apple cider and a donut while they wait for their older siblings.

“I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun,” I say as we clean up once the night is finished and the kiddy haunt is closed. The adult one still has a few more hours, but I’ll be going home to my RV to get some much-needed rest.