From the diary of Griselda Vargas-Beilschmidt

66

Even the lunch is Halloween themed. Pumpkin soup, a punch the colour of blood and napkins in the shape of ghosts. Even some of the desserts look rather creepy, such as the 'eyeball-muffins', 'finger-fries', and 'spider-zzarellas'.

"See? They're tiny mozzarellas and they're delicious," Ashleigh, happily munching on an eyeball-muffin, explains. I grudgingly take a bite, and it's pretty good. Meanwhile, Gabi and Fred are devouring all the food they can fit in their mouth while George makes disgusted faces. He and Ashleigh still haven't talked since she made him go bankrupt.

Vati glares at the desserts warily, and Papa is plainly refusing to eat any of them because of how scary they look. Uncle Romano calls him a damn coward while he stuffs his mouth with spider-zzarellas.

Anni is currently telling the story of how Sealand got back on Ashleigh after she took his money, and, talking about which, I see Mr Netherlands approach her and give an approaching nod, to which she delightedly responds by smiling so wide her cheek must hurt. Soon though, America comes in and directs her attention elsewhere, asking about some things about the organising of the meeting.

When the meeting continues, we decide with one according not to let Ashleigh touch the cursed Monopoly game as long as we're here, and so must find a different way to spend the time until evening. Anni suggests scary stories by candlelight. Ashleigh's eyes twinkle and she yells about how great of an idea that is. I'm... uncertain, because I get scared... easily. The Valentine's day chapter made that clear, didn't it? But it seems like everyone else in on board with that, so we gather round, sit on cushions on the floor -Gabi occupies the largest and stretches his legs for it to be clear he doesen't share- -George is still giving Ashleigh the silent treatment- -Fred sits between the two with a plate of eyeball-muffins and tangles his and Gabe's legs- -the Nordics sit close together like a mafia gang- -Ashleigh sits next to Anni, which leaves me a place between her and Gabi- and once the lights are off and the curtains closed, only a big candle in the middle of the circle of us remains lit, it all gets a scary, dead-could-come-alive-any-moment-now vibe. (If you ignore the shouts from the meeting room, that is.)

"Alright, Anni, you want to start?" Ashleigh asked with less enthusiasm than usual. Her fight with George robbed her of some, apparently. Anni began.

And was that a story. It had carefully built tension, unease and suspense. And a dramatic turn of events.

"And when he came into the room, he found..."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKK!"

Everyone got spooked by the shriek, but it was only Ingrid, rather than some undead girlfriend, thankfully.

"What the heck, sis?" Lars asked calmly, but his sister got no chance to answer, because in that moment to door burst open and in a flash, she was wrapped in a hug.

"What happened, sweetie?" Mr Norway asked and glared at the story narrator Anni, who glared back. "Hey, I didn't even get to the point yet!"

"S-s-something's there," Ingrid whispers, her eyes turning to the far corner of the room. We all looked there, too, Ashleigh even turned on the light, but nothing was there.

The big candle's flame went out and the candle itself got knocked over even though nobody touched it.

That's when me, Gabe and Ashleigh shriek as well.