Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

61. All Hallow's Eve

The Wibberly siblings had always loved Halloween. Emma enjoyed the opportunity to slack off on her chores in favor of a celebration, as well as the adrenaline rush of a good old fashioned ghost story, while Kate appreciated being able to share such tales with her younger sister and encourage laughter and youthful mischief among the children. Even Michael, loathe to partake in anything either troublesome or terrifying, enjoyed the day, though that was primarily because it was also the birthdate of Aksel the Strong Willed, writer of one of the first Dwarfish codes of honor and right hand man to one of his heroes, the famous King Ingmar the Kind. (And if all three Wibberlys felt connected to Halloween as it was so closely associated with the preternatural, and thus was the one day a year in the orphanage where the other kids reacted to magic users like themselves with excitement and curiosity rather than vitriol or fear.. Well, that was for them to know. They would all readily admit, however, that there was something extra lovely about this year's Halloween, the first one they'd spend with the Savages, in a home where magic was a way of life.)

During the daylight hours, when the sky was dazzlingly blue and clear, the children went about their usual activities, tidying the church and picking the pockets of unsuspecting pedestrians. But by mid-afternoon, dull gray clouds were covering the heavens and Kate and Rafe were setting up a little celebration for their friends. The former had purchased some treats for the children, while the latter had come home from the streets early to commandeer the dining room and start decorating. 

When Kate returned to the church laden with parcels, she found her partner in the midst of arranging everything. She raised an eyebrow as she took in the array of items spread on a table before them. 

"Corn husks?" She questioned incredulously.

"Got 'em from Addie," Rafe explained. "She says rich people put 'em on doors when they're throwin' an All Hallow's Eve party."

"That true?"

"No idea. But even if it ain't, I already said I'd put 'em up, so..."

"I hear you," Kate said. She scanned the rest of the items Rafe had gathered to decorate the church. In addition to the corn husks, there were two giant mock-cobwebs made of neatly tied yarn, which Marta, Lester, and Famke had made for the party, a couple pots and jars filled with scraggly yellow chrysanthemums and messily arranged fall leaves, courtesy of Jamie and Paval sneaking into the neighbor's garden. There were copious candles, of course, and bowls to put the treats in, which she began unstacking. There was also, above the entrance to the basement, a tin snake fastened to the wall. (A few years back, Rafe had found an old piece of scrap metal and used a couple of handy spells to twist it into an eerie silver decoration - it was now a custom to bring it out of storage for every Halloween.)

"Very nice," she marveled, smiling at his handiwork.

Rafe grinned proudly. "Thanks. I also got a box a' pumpkins an' other gourds so kids who wanna make Jack-O-Lanterns can do so. 

"We'll have to put out newspaper if they're gonna be doing that," Kate advised. "Otherwise this whole place'll be a mess."

"Very true. If you wanna start settin' some more a' this stuff up, I'll see what I can find."

"Sounds good."

 While he went off in search of old newspapers to cover the table with, Kate pulled out a chair and got to work tacking the yarn cobwebs to the wall. They were, she thought to herself, quite well made, all things considered, and she made a note to tell Marta, Famke, and Lester that she admired their handiwork. 

Once both webs were pinned up, Kate continued bustling around, setting out the centerpieces the littlest children had made, before beginning to arrange the treats into their containers. She left the corn husks for Rafe to deal with. (Sure, she had seen her fair share of odd traditions at the many orphanages she and Michael and Emma lived at, but that was a new one for her.)