TROUBLE MAGNET - Completed

Chapter 28 - A Magical Night

Chapter 28 - A Magical Night

After driving around for a while in the air-conditioned limo, we finally arrive at the rental hall where our prom is being held.  It is located at the bottom of Grace Mountain, which is truly more like a hill than a mountain, but it provides the best skiing for miles around. It also has the best view. It is the perfect location for our prom.

The girls especially can’t wait to see how the hall has been decorated. Each year the graduating class gets to choose a theme for their prom and this year the theme we have chosen is ‘A Winter Wonderland.’ I know, it's been done, but still it's better than a jungle theme, which was the second choice. A volunteer decorating committee made up solely of our parents, decorate the rented hall with the chosen theme, leaving it to be a surprise for the graduating students. My mom would not tell me anything other than that she thought the students would be very pleased.  It would be incredible if they actually pulled it off since the temperatures are still soaring around the thirty degree Celsius mark, even into the early evening. It will be hard for anyone to believe in a winter wonderland in all this heat.

Our group of eight steps proudly out of the limo to join our fellow students on the deck facing the mountain. The view is a spectacular backdrop. We hang around outside for a while taking group pictures with all of our friends until we can’t stand the heat any longer. When we step through the front doors of the hall, we are very happy to find it air conditioned inside.

We step into what appears to be a big, white ice cave, which is continually being inflated with one of those automatic air pumps. We wind our way through the ice cave and are astounded as we step from the cave into the larger main room where our dinner and dance will take place. It is breathtakingly beautiful. It is so much better than any of us could have imagined. The prom decorating committee had outdone themselves.

As we walk out of the cave into the big room, an undergrad dressed all in white, hands us each a program. We make our way into the room and the first thing we all notice, is the hundreds of silver, sparkly strands hanging from the high ceiling all around the hall. With the spotlights directed at them, they look like falling snow. The effect is truly beautiful. The whole room is decorated in white, silver and sparkles with strategic white and blue lighting to complete the wintry wonderland effect.

All of the tables have white tablecloths on them with sparkling silver centerpieces that look like large snowflakes. There are iridescent sparkles sprinkled around the tables. Each of the chairs is covered in a white slipcover. The tables are set with white dishes, laid out on silver placemats with matching napkins rolled up in a white sparkly napkin ring. There are fancy cutlery and crystal goblets at each setting.

As our group tours the room, mingling with our fellow grads, we keep making new discoveries. We come across a full size igloo, which is made out of white sparkly Styrofoam. The Styrofoam has been cut into big blocks and put together just like a regular igloo. It looks very realistic. It turns out to be a snack bar where we will be able to get drinks and snacks, once dinner is over and the dance has begun.

As we continue our tour we come across a real old fashioned wooden sleigh. It is set up in one corner of the room with what looks like mounds of snow all around it. On closer inspection we find that the artificial snow is made out of cotton baton. There is a photographer set up who is taking keepsake photos for ten dollars a picture. Kate grabs Matt and pulls him towards the sleigh to have their picture taken. Sarah and Rob go next followed by Yanik and Meghan. When it is our turn, Landon places his hands on my hips and easily lifts me up into the sleigh.  He then jumps up into the sleigh and takes his place on the seat beside me. He puts his arm around me and pulls me in close and we get our picture taken. Landon pays for two copies so that we can each have one. Before we get down, the rest of our friends join us in the sleigh for a group shot. We take one serious group picture and then we take one where we all make funny faces and poses.