FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Chapter 24 - Plastic Spiders and Bloodshot Eyeballs

Shawn was awake early. It was Halloween, his favourite holiday. It felt particularly spooky this year, in such an old country, in a house that was a couple of hundred years old, and on a site even older than that. And a house full of ghosts, and witches - what could be MORE Halloween than that? No party allowed of course, but there were some fun activities planned. It was too early to wake Camila, who had not fallen asleep for hours after the witches left. She had photographed the whole grimoire with her phone before he had come to bed and discovered how terrified she was. When she couldn't sleep, she had sat up poring over them, using the internet to try and decipher them. He woke up and she had fallen asleep with the computer still on her lap, her fingers still on the keyboard, her glasses skewed across her face. With a smile, he had nudged her and she had woken long enough to put everything down before snuggling down into his spooning embrace.

He put another log onto the fire which was really just embers now, because it was very chilly, and then he headed down to the gym. The house in the gloomy dawn light was a bit creepy but he ignored it and did his workout with his playlist blaring through his airpods. He made breakfast and took some up to Camila.

"Hey honey, wake up, I've brought breakfast," he said softly. She smiled and stretched and then reached up to touch his face. "Happy Halloween....again!" she said.

He bent to kiss her, holding the tray carefully. "Sit up and I'll get your cardigan." He said. Moments later she was sitting up eating her eggs snug in the warm room with her cardigan keeping her bare arms warm. He went and showered, changing out of his sweaty gym gear and when he came out she was up and had gone down to the other bedroom to use the bathroom there, as they sometimes did.

He looked at their costumes hanging up and smiled. It was their first Halloween as a couple. He liked that they were going as the ghosts of Unger Hall, so kind of a couple costume. He wished they could have spent it home with their families, or if Garry was there to share with them, but as long as he had Camila with him, he would have the best time.

Camila found him later, downstairs laughing with Tally.

"No, we don't decorate, not like Americans do, and we're not really on the trick-or-treat route, too far off the road for the children, but we always go into the village for the festivities and there is an hour where the kids can trick or treat through the market and the houses and shops in the area and we always took a huge bucket of treats to give out." He indicated two large cane baskets lined in black, with spider webs and spiders hanging off them. "Pam made these for you two, bit easier to carry around than the bucket, which Garry carried in the wheelchair."

"Is there anything we can do?" Shawn asked, as she walked in. He smiled and she walked and stood beside him. He put his arm around her waist from where he sat on the chair and she tousled the back of his hair then bent to kiss him softly on the lips. He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Well, I know we are not allowed to invite people here, but I thought there were a few people that would be excepted so we are having drinks before we head in. How about you two make these little Halloween inspired nibblies, it's really just constructing things, I've made everything, and here are the instructions. Then we need to make the punch, but not until closer to the time."

It seemed by the time they did everything, it was time to get dressed. Pam had come early and she and Camila went into Camila's room to get ready. Shawn looked at the photo of the monk that Camila gave him and was surprised. He looked different than he expected and he quite liked the idea now. The habit was a long black gown with a cowl, a separate piece including a hood, that sat over the top, and a long black rosary that went around the waist. He wore the cowl up and looked at the facial hair he had let grow since he knew he would be in this costume. It wasn't impressive, but a knock at the door heralded Pam to check he was doing OK. They had decided that sandals were a bit cold so he wore his old boots, so was completely dressed when she walked in.