Freaky Friday (but on a Tuesday)

Epilogue - One Year Later

True to her promise, Mavis worked diligently that next year.

She consulted with Beelzebub, the goblin-like monster creature who had served as the lead foreman on the Hotel Transylvania project when it was first being built. He still even had the blueprints of it, explaining that it had been one of his most favorite projects to work on in his entire 569 years of life.

Mavis thanked him, hired the zombie construction men that she needed, and immediately set them to work. No nail was left unhammered. No window was left un-paned. Every surface was cleaned, polished, and reupholstered. There were new carpets, new drapes, new curtains. Every item of furniture was refinished. The walls were redone. The ceilings were rebuilt. The floors were waxed, polished, and swept, and the doors were repainted. The kitchen and all of its tools were completely refurbished. All of these renovations, and many more, were completed in what felt like almost no time at all. And yet, the reality of the amount of months that it had taken became oh so apparent to Mavis when all of her friends and family were invited to come to the grand re-opening day for the hotel. With the original Hotel Transylvania having been destroyed, her father's friends had departed to their own separate homes - whether it was in Egypt (like Murray and Mandy) or a cozy den in Budapest (like Wayne, Wanda, and their many wolf pup children), leaving her only in the company of her husband Johnny, their son Dennis, and their giant monster-dog Tinkles. It was such an emotional experience to hear from them again, and to actually see them entering through the front doors as they had over a century ago brought forth a pang of nostalgia that made her almost want to cry at the fond memory.

She greeted Frank and Eunice as they got out of their shipping crates and put their body parts back together.

She waved to Murray and Mandy as they swept inside with a small sand tornado and their luggage.

She welcomed Wayne, Wanda, and a good majority of the wolf pups (even though they were mostly busy playing and being rambunctious among themselves).

She almost missed the arrival of Griffin and Crystal, but when two pairs of bobbing glasses said hello to her, she knew exactly who they were and happily greeted them back.

Everyone seemed to be taking well to the changes that she and Johnny decided to make. For one, there was a much more openness to the whole place. Walkways and escalators extended out, making sure people could easily get anywhere they wished to go without needing much assistance. There was a fitness center where every person would have free use of the treadmill and stationary bikes, as well as any other exercise equipment. A health spa was added, filled with hot springs, massage chairs, saunas, and even a Jacuzzi for guests to unwind. The place had a certain charm to it, a sense of homeyness that made everyone feel like they belonged no matter where they came from or who they were - human or monster.

But, as Mavis stood outside the reloving front doors, she couldn't help but feel a slight hint of sadness. The two people that she had been hoping to see were nowhere in sight.

Dracula and Ericka.

Mavis sighed.

It wasn't as though she hadn't been keeping in touch. She had been able to speak to them on the phone or through video calls. As far as she knew, they had been going on a world-wide excursion, exploring so many different countries and sending photos of themselves of their travels (or at least of Ericka, as Drac could not show up in them). But, as of the past few months, their photos had ceased, and they had not been doing their regular calls. She hardly heard from them besides an occasional text message here and there. The texts never revealed anything much, except for a friendly tone and a quick tell of how they were doing. Mavis had a feeling something was amiss, but she did not question it. If anything, she knew that they were probably just enjoying their time together. But it had already been a few hours since the doors of the new hotel had opened, and they still were not there. She looked at her phone again. The last message from her father confirmed that they would be coming. So where were they?