Life, Death, and Time - A Books Of Beginning Collection

Oneshot: Happy Hauntings

Background: The first Halloween after The Black Reckoning, except Rafe is alive.

Content: Wholesomeness, Humor, Slightly Spooky - The Wibberly Family + Rafe and Wilamena celebrate Halloween.

Emma was trembling, her hands covering her mouth to keep giggles from escaping as she crouched behind the couch, waiting for the tell-tale sound of her older brother's footsteps. Emma was going to scare Michael, and since it was Halloween, the day of spookiness, there was nothing he could do to stop her. 

With one hand, she reached up and adjusted the hat that was part of her costume, then she reached for the large, detailed toy spider that had been found among the decorations and which Emma had found an enchantment to animate. She had to say, as complicated as magic made her life, it was worth it to be able to pull off moments like this.

Ah, there were the footsteps. Emma smirked with delight and whispered the last word of the animation incantation, causing the giant spider to move with imitation life, and scuttle out from behind the couch to attack Michael's shoes.

A high pitched scream of 'GIANT SPIDER!' filled the air as Emma fell from her hidden position, practically rolling on the floor laughing as her brother tried desperately to kick the persistent bug away.

There was a thud, as Clare entered the room and kicked the spider into the wall, breaking the enchantment and rescuing Michael. Then she turned to the howling Emma and sighed, "you couldn't avoid causing trouble for one day?"

Emma got to her feet, adjusted her hat again, and grinned mischievously, "just consider it my way of celebrating spooky season."

Clare sighed, but she couldn't help but smile at Emma's blatant troublemaking and Michael's huffy way of scolding her. They were so stubborn, her children, and there was something inherently funny and childish about the two of them arguing in their Halloween costumes.

Michael was dressed as a mad scientist, with a lab coat, goggles, a frizzy white wig, and an official looking ID badge Richard had helped him make pinned to his coat. His usual glasses completed the look, and he seemed to be taking himself very seriously, which only made Clare amused.

"Are you Dr. Frankenstein or just any old mad scientist?" Clare asked her son.

Michael straightened up proudly, "neither. I'm going as a true genius from real life, Albert Einstein. See?"

He held out his badge, which did indeed read, 'Einstein'.

Clare returned his proud smile, but their conversation was interrupted by Emma rolling her eyes and chiming in with the expected remark.

"BORING! You're such a nerd, Michael."

Michael glared at her, "you're wearing bright red pants and you're judging me?"

Emma was dressed as a pirate. She wore a black vest tunic, belted at the waist with a large silver buckle, and loose red pants with brown boots. The tunic went over a white shirt with long, puffy sleeves, and a pair of black gloves. She also had an eyepatch, a red bandana tied around her head, and a black hat with the classic skull and crossbones design on it. She had wanted to carry a real sword, one of Gabriel's, around, but Richard had vetoed that so instead she had a plastic one.

Clare let them argue, and looked down at her own costume, a brown and orange jumpsuit, a ponytail, and a decorated backpack. It was simple, but she had wanted to dress up as something fun for her first Halloween with her children - so she was a ghostbuster. What could she say, it was one of her favorite comedic movies.

Richard entered the room, holding an assortment of bags that could be used for candy collection. He had opted not to dress up this year, thinking it would be a little silly for him. He was wearing a Halloween T-Shirt though, a black one with an orange jack-o-lantern graphic on it.