||Hello Neighbour: A Better Timeline||

||Chapter 58: Spooky Month||

Aaron sighed,"You know, I thought this month was gonna take forever to come along but now we're just a say away!", Nicky nods,"Yeah, I can't wait to see this fair, the decorations and celebrate Halloween.", Aaron looked at Nicky, then around them.
"Hey, Nicky can I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
Aaron sat up,"Uhm, feel free to not answer but uh. . . When we were talking about Halloween, you mentioned you and your dad would sneak out to celebrate it. Why?", Nicky nods,"Oh yeah. . . I kind of slipped up saying that, I uh. . . Well. . .", Aaron waved his hand,"You don't have to tell me if you don't wanna.", "No it's okay.", Nicky sighed,"The reason was my grandma, my Mom's mom, she. . . She didn't like Halloween, and she didn't like a lot of things. . . Or people, she certainly didn't like me or dad.", Nicky fiddled with his hands,"She believed in that supernatural stuff, souls and all that. . . And she believed, I was cursed. . . Or my soul was getting into trouble. . . She'd watch me sleep, be there when I was awake and asleep, wash my hands until they were raw or bleed. . . She'd say these things, she hurt my dad, my mom attacked her when she left me in the store when I was two and then in the woods when I was 7... She saw right through me, and I hated it. . .", Nicky realised the rant he went on, looking at Aaron who was concerned and looked sorry for him.
"Sorry, I uh. . . I didn't mean to rant. . . It was years ago. . ."
Aaron rested his hand on his shoulder,"Hey man; It's okay, I'm glad you were open to me about it and, that's not something to get over easily: And it's okay, you can always talk to me if you're uncomfortable and besides, she must have been reading her own cards cause you are the nicest person I've met, you saved Delory's life and your parents are the nicest people we got to meet, your dad really was kind to her and she threw away her chances, if it were my dad; He would have thrown her out the window.", Nicky chuckled,"Thanks, that's nice of you say. . .", "I'm not saying it to be nice or help ya feel better, I truly mean it; You're like a brother to me Nick, and you can always come to me if you're not 100%.", Nicky smiled, he felt even a bit misty eyed and hugged Aaron, who rubbed his back.
Nicky did have that feeling. . . Like Aaron could see right through him, but it wasn't the feeling he got from Bubbe like it was a bad thing, but for Aaron it was a good thing.
"Thanks for listening."
"No problem."

=

"He liked Halloween?"
Theodore smiled,"Franklin loved Halloween, it was his favourite Holiday to decorate, to dress up and also pull a few pranks here and there, he took me and your Aunt out trick of treating.", Mya smiled,"Maybe we should leave a toy spider on his grave, a way to decorate for Halloween?", Theodore nods,"That's a great idea, he'd love it so much.", Mya clapped her hands excited, they continued to go through the boxes and Aaron found another picture of them all together.
"Hey Dad, a lot of these photos you seem to always be injured?"
At first it was a few cuts and buries, or even a few tears in the shirt but then there was a broken arm, crutches, both arms bandaged and an medical eye patch.
"Oh, yeah. . . I remember fracturing my leg or breaking my arm, I was a bit of an accident prone."
Aaron nods, putting it down and pulled out a train,"Your train!", he handed it to his dad hand, he dusted off the dust and smiled ear to ear, pulling out the train and getting a better look at it.
"How long has it been. . ."
"Oh! I have an idea, since we have so many empty rooms why not set up a room full of your trains? Even add newer models of toy trains??", Theodore thought about it nods,"I don't see why not, if you can get it to work.", Aaron smiled,"Don't worry, I got just the person to help us!", Aaron was confident as Mya stacked the train collection their dad had.

~

"That's cool."
Aaron pointed to the train,"I got to about here, I didn't want to end up damaging it so I figured you knew something.", Nicky took a look, the old wires that needed replaced, some pieces in need of a clean and some adjustments,"Yep, quick fix; Pass me that-, Thank you.", and Nicky got to work.

Diana smiled,"It's nice, you had a train fixation?", Theodore nods, pouring coffee,"Oh yes; As a kid, I liked putting them together and it inspired my interest in mechanics and roller-coasters; My sister and brother would sit with me and, help me put it together: It was a great memory.", he remembered how they would spend hours, sitting in the room talking as they put a train together and watch it go around on the tracks.
Happy memories. . .
'Choo-Choo'
"Got it!"
"YAY!"
Theodore glanced behind him, Aaron patting Nicky on the back,"You did it!", "We did it, amazing train by the way and a whole lot of them.", Mya clapped her hands,"You wanna help us with setting up a room filled with trains??", Nicky glanced at Mr Peterson,"Is it okay?", he nods,"Of course; Enjoy.", "Yay!", "Let's choose a room!", and they picked up the boxes and went upstairs with tools.

=

Lisa came around, finding the house empty but she heard children upstairs.

Opening the door, she paused in the doorway.

"This is nice, guess we can find a way to fill the rooms, I still dunno why our grandparents had such a big house."
Nicky adjusted the train,"Mayhe you could a room into a small theatre room? Have a makeshift stage and somewhere to hang your costumes.", Aaron nods,"That's a good idea, thanks for helping us with the trains by the way.", Nicky smiled,"I like trains.", to that, Mya took one train and tapped it against Nicky's face,"Nyyom.", "ASDF?", they laughed together, Lisa stood there and silently watched them.
Taken back to the days were things were better, when he was still with us. . .
"Lisa?"
Aaron titled his head,"Are you looking for Dad?", Lisa cleared her throat,"Sorry; Yes, where is he?", Mya pointed,"Outside the back with Ike and Mom.", Lisa nods, leaving them to have fun and continue setting up trains.

Arriving outside, Lisa stood far from her brother and Ike that didn't notice her presence.
Well, she was stood far away.
From there, she could see how her brother look better as she's assuming he told them, he looks like he's sleeping better, he's better mentally as is Ike and Norman, presumably. . . She again, wasn't close to her brother's friends.
. . .
Mr Peterson glanced behind him, he thought someone was there for a moment but no. . . He turned back to Ike.

~

"Lisa?"
Norman paused in the driveway,"Uhm, Norman: Hope you are well, I was just leaving.", Norman nods,"Uhm, listen; I know we don't speak much. . . But Ted would really like you to come by for Halloween this year.", Lisa sighed, looking at him,"I know. . . It's just hard, so much has happened and. . . Where do we even start.", Norman shrugged,"I dunno, but maybe small talk is a start; What happened was awful, and for a while Ike and Theodore nearly couldn't get through it, but pushing them to communicate really helped them understand each other.", Norman smiled,"Please do stop by, it would mean a lot to the kids and Theodore.", amd with that Norman walled to the backyard.
. . .
Lisa sighed, walking away from her childhood home that once brought joy but now only painful memories.
If only they knew. . .
She remembered sitting in her room, frozen with fear as she heard loud noises from downstairs and in the basement, several times she'd creep down to see what was going on but all that did was reveal a side to her father that she never wanted to see.