Trick Or Treat! 🎃 (and Happy Halloween)

Trick or treat! 🎃 (and Happy Halloween)

and a happy halloween to you! let's cap off the party house with a little slowdown of crystal and mikhail chilling on the roof.

In the clear, cloudless sky, the moon shines as a full, white circle. It burns unlike the sun, providing silver streams of light upon the neighborhood. Everywhere Crystal looks from her spot on the roof, sitting on the even slabs of cold, metal shingles, Halloween persists. While the families are dwindling, the trick or treaters her age are plentiful, dressed in form-fitting princess dresses, or contrasting their positive peers with witchy visages. They cheer and shout, still going from door to door reaping chocolate bars, such as the Grim Reaper quite literally using a scythe to scoop candy from a bowl on a stoop into his bag.

Crystal grins, folding her knees to her chest. She can’t tell the time, but no one seems to care. The hours melt together in darkness punctuated by moonlight accentuated with pops of orange and red colors. Nearly every home takes part in the festivities, her interest catching on a yard littered with open graves and rising, animatronic zombies. Their moans and groans echo, mingling with the howling of werewolves and filtering through fog seeping from nearby machines on separate lawns.

Extending her legs and shaking her polished, buckled shoes, Crystal examines her outfit. It’s far poofier than anything she would usually wear. The pleated dress is baby blue, the cotton fabric matching her wide apron and frilly stockings. She applied the paint herself, rosy red dots on her cheeks and nose to match the little bows sewn onto her apron. With her scarlet wig brushed and blow-dried to full perfection, she makes quite the lifelike Raggedy Ann.

She’s matching with Clem, and her friendly Andy is still slinking through the party. She had last seen him with Quentin and Phoebe before she made her way upstairs. She had split seconds to press herself into the handrail when Bobby dashed passed her, the feathered Raz hot on his heels, like they were teenagers all over again. She had to hope that the awfully realistic chainsaw the former waved was fake.

A window clicks. She looks over her shoulder, watching as a furry, brown arm pushes it out. With a little struggling, the figure wriggles their way through the rather cramped window. On their knees, their oversized helmet rolls off their head, their identity immediately bringing a smile to Crystal’s painted face.

“Ah, is Ann,” Mikhail says, wearing, quite possibly, the most surprising attire out of the entire entourage. The bear costume covers Mikhail from head to toe in overgrown, deep brown fur. The grizzly’s paws and claws are a tad bulbous, giving an overall exaggerated feeling to the costume. Compared to Dogen’s bunny onesie, Crystal had been able to see his face, as this headpiece completely concealed Mikhail’s face and replicated a hulking grizzly bear to a level of stark realism.

Crystal offers a quick wave. “Oh, hey, Misha! What’s up? Partying treating you good?”

He approaches, carrying his headwear under his arm. “Yes. By yourself?”

The underlying concern would have been dismissed with a sharp laugh or brisk wave of her hand. But now, she arches her back and clutches the shingles, making herself more comfortable as she stretches. “Yeah, just needed a breather. No biggie.”

“Then, care for company?” “Always!” She pats the spot next to her, beaming as he sits.  “Super cool bear costume, by the way, but isn’t it hot in there?” “Not at all. Provides nice, thick warmth in face of the elements.” Mikhail rubs his thin cheek with a paw that smothers his face. “In fact, wind doesn’t feel as nice as I hoped without bear head. Crisp and refreshing, yes, but carries bothersome humidity. Will probably rain soon.”

She snickers, catching a duo leaving the party. As they pull themselves up the paved, stony path, she quietly gasps, and her humor fades. “Hey, is that Lili down there with Dogen? It’s still pretty early to go home.”

He leans into her, setting his headpiece behind them. “Ah, he suffered from a bad headache. I felt his psychic energy leaking. Came up here to avoid any messy consequences, but seems to now be under control.”

“Aw, I hope the noise wasn’t too much.” Crystal tugs on her earlobes, frowning. “Then again, my ears are still ringing, so I get where Dogen’s coming from. I shouldn’t have stood so close to Quentin’s speakers.” She takes off her wig, her hair net slightly tugging on her sweaty tresses. Suppressing a yawn, she leans back. The moonlight blankets her, and Mikhail follows suit. He lies down, as well, and the silence is comfortable. Without nagging gnats or mosquitoes, the chill in the air enough to put them to rest, Crystal is soundless, at peace, content to listen to muffled music and musing thudding through the roof.

She doesn’t know how long it lasts. It could be minutes. It could be a full hour. With Mikhail’s calming presence, the dull buzzing gradually disperses. Her mind is as tranquil as the breeze.

And when a particularly amused voice intervenes, Crystal’s smile widens.

“So, am I the only one who thinks Kitty looks pretty ridiculous in that top hat?”

Clem makes himself known as he climbs through the open window. Dressed in baggy dungaree overalls and a striped, plaid shirt, Clem looks the part of Raggedy Andy with his matching wig and polished shoes. He joins them with a red Solo cup, the punch smelling too fruity for Crystal’s liking, or it might be liquor. She never cared for the either.

“As ridiculous as former Leatherface bully swinging around fake chainsaw,” Mikhail says as he rolls up. “More of a nuisance than a killer.” She lets loose a dramatic sigh. “Oh, good, it is fake. I almost got clipped with that thing.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t put it past Bobby to lug around the real deal,” Clem admits, sitting next to her, and as soon he makes himself comfortable, a new clamor arises, primarily consisting of particular revving. “Oh, well, speak of the devil, and the devil will answer.”

Mikhail cracks his knuckles. As the apparent chase changes venue to the outside yard, and Raz and Bobby shout at each other, he sets his headpiece on straight. He flexes his arms, bounces in place, and states, “Well, will be seeing to the matter. Might be good challenge with an acrobatic dove and chainsaw-wielding lunatic. See you in a while.”

As he approaches the edge of the roof, Crystal chirps, “Bye bye, crocodile!”

He slowly looks over his shoulder. “Is Misha.”

With those parting words, Mikhail casually levitates down. As he enters the fray to the startled sound of Bobby and Raz’s shrieks, Crystal snickers and shakes her head. Clem knocks back his drink.

“That guy-” He wipes his mouth with his sleeve. “-is still a total enigma.”

“His bear costume is really great, though, right?” “Oh, totally. I’m just dumbfounded about how he’s not sweltering in that furry mass.”

“It’s like you said, Clem. Misha is an enigma, just a totally cool enigma.”