Simon & Desiree
~
Desiree didn’t cook. She hated it. So while Simon did the cooking, Desiree would take Winston for a long walk through the neighborhood. Simon and Desiree lived in a bungalow in Royalwood, an upper middle class neighborhood, and a newer development. People were always going for walks and walking their dogs. The lawns were all perfectly landscaped and manicured and the streets were lined with trees that were still very young.
It was autumn then. In fact it was only a few days before Halloween, and most of the yards were enthusiastically decorated. Naturally there was the lame yard with only a few orange leaf filled garbage bags with jack-o-lantern faces on them and a couple fabric ghosts hanging from a tree in the front yard. But many, in fact most of the people in the community took the holiday very seriously, and made their yards to look like graveyards and their houses to look haunted, with skeletons on their porches and coffins in their yards, and full size Frankenstiens, and Draculas and other undead monsters lurking about.
Winston hated Halloween for this very reason. He was a Shih Tzu and was quite frightened by these scary objects. This time of year walks were stressful more than anything, and he’d bark incessantly at the frightening objects. But he needed the exercise and to make a big poop, so Desiree walked him every day, regardless.
Come the end of the walk Desiree always checked to see if there was any mail. It was always bills and flyers, but today, there was a curious looking envelope sealed with a wax stamp, simply addressed “Simon and Desiree” as if someone had hand delivered it right to their mailbox.
Simon loved his vegetables. His plate was always three-quarters fried and seasoned vegetables, and the rest was either chicken or beef. Desiree didn’t eat pork, so they never had any in the house. Sometimes he prepared a little rice as well.
Winnie scurried into the kitchen, nails tapping on the hardwood floor every step of the way. He ran up to Simon and stood up on his back legs and pawed at Simon’s knees, “Bark! Bark!” Winnie said.
Speaking in coochie-coo, Simon replied “Did you have a nice walk? Huh? Did you make a big poo poo? Huh? That’s a good boy!”
Then Simon took a baby carrot from off the counter and gave it to Winston.
“Winston, get out of the kitchen!” Desiree commanded, and the dog took his carrot to his doggy bed in the living room.
“Nicky wants you to call her when you get a chance.”
Desiree tossed the bills on the counter and the flyers in the recycling, and examined the curious looking letter, “Do you see this?”
“See what?”
“This letter. It was in our mailbox.”
“Open it.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Desiree broke the wax seal and removed the invitation and read it.
“What is it?” Simon dished up their plates and placed them on the dinner table. The two sat down in their usual seats.
“It’s a dinner invitation.”
“Sweet.” Simon picked up his fork and pronged and some brussels sprouts.
“Do you know who Charleston Updike is?”
“Of course.”
“He’s having a feast on Halloween and we’re invited. It says we can wear a costume.”
“But we’re going to that thing Nicky is having on Saturday.”
“Halloween is on Thursday. We can go to both.”
“Great! I get to wear my Spiderman costume twice!”
“I thought we were going as The Beauty and the Beast?”
“No… we’re going as The Beauty and the Spiderman.”
Audrey & Melissa
~
As Melissa sat on the couch, chromebook in her lap, searching the listings for single family homes, Audrey laid on the floor on her back in front of the television with a pillow under her head.
“Here’s one on Beaverhill. A two bedroom bungalow, fifteen hundred square feet, two bathrooms, ensuite in the master bedroom, unfinished basement, two car garage. $375,000.”
“When was it listed?”
“Eight days ago.”
“Let me see.”
Melissa went over and sat down cross legged beside Audrey, who took a look at the photos of the house they might one day share.
“Wow! Look at that kitchen! I love the walnut cabinets, and the dark hardwood.”
“Should I text Sarah?”
“Uh… yes!”
Melissa grabbed her phone off the coffee table and texted their real estate agent.
“Could you imagine living here?!” Melissa said “I’m so sick of this apartment.”
Melissa plopped her phone back on the coffee table, and noticed a curious invitation sitting there. She picked it up, “What’s this?”
“What’s what?”
“An invitation?”
“Oh that. It came in the mail today.”
“Who’s Charleston Updike?”
“He’s that nut job millionaire in Wolfey Hollow.”
“We’re invited to a Halloween feast at his mansion!”
“I read the letter.”
“This is awesome!”
“You don’t actually want to go, do you?”
“Hell yeah! It says we can wear costumes! I definitely want to go to a Halloween party at some creepy mansion in the woods.”
“Sounds like something right out of a horror movie.”
“I know, right? So, can we go?”
“Fine, we’ll go.”
Geoffrey Halstead & Guest
~
Geoffrey lived alone. He was single, going on six years now. After Suzanne left him for his ex-best friend, he sort of just lost interest in dating. He was, however, very close to a woman who had become his most trusted companion, and new best friend, Leena. Sure, there might have been a chance that he was developing romantic feelings for her, but he was in denial, obviously, and he shut those feelings away. When Geoff received a strange letter in his mailbox addressed to Geoffrey Halstead and Guest, the only person he could imagine inviting to accompany him was Leena, naturally.
