CARNIVAL FUN?

The thought of haunted gargoyles disappears like dew before the morning sunshine.

How can anyone think of gargoyles on a gorgeous day like today? The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and Lucy is still here!

All I can say is, the magical bracelets must be working.

And even better, I get to put on outfit number two: a baby-doll top and jeans. And Melanie already has on an adorable crocheted top with her white jeans.

“You both look SO cute,” Lucy says longingly. “My outfit has zero pizzazz.”

Ding! Melanie leaps into action.

She runs straight to her closet and pulls out a navy-and-white striped polo sweater with a relaxed, cropped fit. Needless to say, it’s adorable.

“This is all you’ll need to jazz up your outfit, Lucy. It’ll go great with your cargo jeans,” she says.

Lucy takes the top gratefully. I can tell she’s a little surprised. She’s never seen this nicer side of Melanie.

So, of course, we all fuss in front of the mirror so that our looks are just right for what is sure to be a perfect day.

Then we head to the Barn for breakfast with our families. I have a light cereal breakfast, because my plan today is to pig out on funnel cake and snow cones at the carnival.

Clink! Clink! Clink! Mrs. Kettledrum taps the side of her juice glass to get everyone’s attention. “Parents, friends, and students—welcome to Carnival Day!” she announces. “The carnival will open after breakfast and will run all day. For those of you who would prefer to do something else, please enjoy our hiking trails or take out a paddleboat on the lake. Parents who have signed up for conferences will meet in Emma Crawford, the main building, at your set time.

“Have a wonderful day, and don’t hesitate to talk to our carnival staff. They are the same people who were helping yesterday. Let’s all have some FUN!”

Chairs scrape the floors, dishes rattle, and silverware clangs as everyone begins to clear their tables and head to the carnival.

Lucy and I race to the playing fields, where the carnival is set up. I’ve been watching the carnival come together over the last few days, and I can say with all confidence that it is paradise.

I notice a woman and a man standing in the middle of the carnival. The woman is taking notes, and the man is taking photos.

Eeeeeeee! I point them out to Lucy.

“Those two must be the reporters we heard were coming,” I tell her.

Lucy and I walk past them with big cheesy smiles on our faces, hoping we’ll be photographed.

We run through the mega balloon archway and are greeted by a tall post with lots of signs that point in different directions: GAMES THIS WAY, ATTRACTIONS THAT WAY, FOOD AND DRINKS OVER THERE, RESTROOMS ON EITHER END.

Little red-and-white striped tents are lined up everywhere—each tent houses a game, an activity, or a refreshment.

There’s so much to do.

There are even two climbing walls that reach to the sky. And then there’s a petting zoo with goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, and pony rides. I officially declare I’m not too old to visit the petting zoo. Even the whir of the bouncy houses fills me with excitement.

But the biggest and best attraction is the massive House of Horrors. There’s nothing more fun than a good fake scare. It’s the real ones that undo me. After last night, I am all for remembering that the fun house is just that… fun.

I turn to Lucy. “I want to do everything!”

Lucy gives me a big hug, and we start running!

The first booth we come to is the Temporary Tattoo Booth. We stop because of course we have to get one.

They have tattoos of anything you could be interested in: sports, cool designs, letters to write messages, and everything in between. Trying to figure out what you want stamped on your body is a BIG decision.

I’m trying to concentrate when Lucy starts tapping my arm like a woodpecker.

“Who’s that?” she whispers.

Lucy’s pointing at Hunter and Isabelle, and I remember that she was never properly introduced to them yesterday. They’re headed our way.

“Oh, that’s Hunter,” I say. “The boy I used to have a mad crush on—remember? I used to call him Hunter McCutie.”

Lucy looks back at the tattoos, so she doesn’t get caught staring. “He’s so cute,” she says. “I had no idea!”

I nod. “Yup. And if you like him, get in line. All the girls like him. And the girl by his side is Isabelle. They’re kind of a thing.”

Isabelle and Hunter catch up to us, and I introduce Lucy.

“So, are you getting tattoos?” Isabelle asks.

I slide a temporary tattoo from a hook. It says, GOOD VIBES ONLY. It’s perfect, since those are the only types of vibes I want this weekend. “I’m getting this one,” I proclaim.

Lucy unhooks a heart tattoo. It says, BE HAPPY.

“Those are so cute! I want one,” Isabelle says, flicking through the tattoos.

She picks a flaming baseball for Hunter and a flaming soccer ball for herself, which are perfect because Hunter and Isabelle are both amazing athletes.

We take turns sitting on stools to get the tattoos applied to our arms. Two upperclassmen are in charge of the applications. And P.S., our tattoos look so cool!

Hunter and Isabelle head to the Strike ’Em Out baseball game, where you have to pitch a baseball into a hole in a wooden umpire’s glove.

That game is not for me or Lucy.

Next!

Besides, I know what I’d rather do. I pitch my idea to Lucy.

“Want to do the House of Horrors?” I ask. “If we go early in the day, it won’t be as crowded.”

Lucy frowns. “Will it be super-scary?”

I shake my head. “No, it’ll be silly scary.”

Lucy’s still hesitant. And, after last night, who wouldn’t be? But she’s a good sport and agrees to go.

We jog to the House of Horrors, and I have to say that I am impressed.

It’s not some run-down tent full of jangly skeletons and ghosts made from old sheets. This is the real deal. It actually looks like a long, sprawling abandoned house with broken windows. One window has a black cat with glowing red eyes, and from another window a ghostly face peers out at us. We hop into line.

We stop talking when we realize we’re up next. The door into the house says ENTER IF YOU DARE!

Lucy tugs my shirt.

“We’ll be fine,” I whisper.

We enter a cobwebbed hallway. The floors actually creak when we walk on them—or is it a recording? A hand reaches out of a crack in the wall and grabs at us. We both scream, because duh, who wouldn’t?

Somehow we make it to the first room in the house without turning back.

A neon sign over the door sizzles like a bug zapper and glows with the words THE HAUNTED KITCHEN. A fun soundtrack—not scary at all—plays in the background. However, in other parts of the house, I can hear super-scary sound effects, like thumping, clanking, howling, moaning, and screaming.

Eek.

Outside the Haunted Kitchen stands a menu board. Lucy and I read it and giggle at the offerings.

Two skeletons wearing blue dresses, aprons, and white caps welcome us.

“Greetings,” they say. “We’re the skull-ery maids, and we’ll assist you on your tour of the Haunted Kitchen.”

The skull-ery maids have skeleton masks on, so we can’t see their real faces. I know they are faculty working at the carnival, but it’s fun to pretend they are real skeletons. Even their arms, hands, and legs look like they’re made of bones.

“Honored guests,” one of them says, “the headless chef requires you to wear blindfolds because his appearance is, well, alarming. The chef does have a head, but since its severed, he keeps it on a cake stand.”

Then the skull-ery maids tie blindfolds around our heads and guide us into the Haunted Kitchen.

“The headless chef is ready to tell you about his latest creations,” one of the maids says.

Lucy yelps, “Heidi, stay close!”

I reach out and try to find Lucy’s hand, but I can’t with this blindfold on.

“I’m right here,” I call to her.

Our guides stop walking, but they hold on to us so we don’t fall or crash into anything. It’s so weird not knowing exactly where Lucy is.

“Welcome to the Haunted Kitchen!” booms a creepy, melodramatic voice. I can’t help but think it sounds a little like Mr. Craftwood’s, but I can’t be sure. “I’m your host, the headless chef!”

The chef cackles. Even though I know it’s fake, to scare us, he still sounds creepy.

“Come in, come in,” the headless chef begs. “I want to tell you about some of the delicious ingredients I use in my dishes! Over here is one of my favorite delicacies. These tender morsels are freshly boiled pigs’ hearts. Mm-wah! Exquisite!”

Oh yuck! Get me out of here, I think. But it’s too late. My guide holds my arm by the elbow and moves my hand into a bowl of boiled pigs’ hearts.

“Eeeeew!” I cry, not even trying to disguise my displeasure.

I know it’s just pretend, but the “pigs’ hearts” feel exactly what I would imagine them to feel like—spongy, moist, and 100 percent disgusting.

I know the moment Lucy touches the pigs’ hearts, because she screams—a response I’ve heard a lot since she arrived.

We continue our blindfolded waltz around the kitchen and touch a medley of creepy delicacies, eyeballs, teeth, fingers, fingernails, toes, and, of course, brains.

Cre-e-e-e-e-eak!

An oven door just squeaked open.

“My dear guests, you’re in luck,” the headless chef announces. “A fresh batch of my world-famous witches’ fingers has just come out of the oven. Would anyone like to sample one?”

Having not eaten much breakfast, I, for one, am starving.

“Me!” I volunteer.

The headless chef laughs, and I feel like I’m going to be more like a victim of his freaky baked goods than a taste tester.

And I’m not gonna lie, I am a wee bit nervous.

“What a brave girl you are, my dear,” he says. “I beg of you, please open your mouth.”

I reluctantly open my mouth.

I pray it’s something tastier than a pig’s boiled heart.

The witch’s finger enters my mouth.

I wince and bite down. Mmmm. It actually tastes super-yummy, like a shortbread cookie.

“This witch’s finger is spook-tacular,” I declare.

The headless chef laughs hideously, yet again.

“Oh, I knew you’d like it. I use only the freshest witch fingers!”

“Gross!” Lucy says. And she totally refuses to try a witch’s finger.

After we’re done in the Haunted Kitchen, we get to take off our blindfolds, wash our hands, and see everything we’ve touched or eaten.

The first thing I notice is that the headless chef is actually headless.

I’m pretty sure his real head is hidden inside his chef’s jacket, which is very clever.

And his so-called severed head is, indeed, sitting on a cake stand with a chef’s hat on top.

We study the tray of cookies, which actually look like a stereotypical witches’ fingers. They’re green cookies drizzled with blood-red icing.

On the counters are several plastic cauldrons. Each cauldron holds one of the nasty ingredients we touched. The pigs’ hearts are boiled tomatoes. The brains are cooked macaroni. The eyeballs are peeled grapes. The toes are sausages. The teeth are popcorn kernels.

It’s amazing how the fake ingredients feel like the real things when you’re playing along.

The guides usher us into the next room and bid us farewell. We don’t have to wear blindfolds anymore. Phew!

As we make our way through the rest of the House of Horrors, Lucy clings so tightly to me, I feel like I’m wearing her. It also makes walking a challenge, but we gradually move from room to room.

Corpses pop out of coffins.

Ghouls burst through doors.

Moaning ghosts drag chains and follow us.

Eek!

It’s all fun until we get to the graveyard at the very end. To enter we have to walk through a stone arch. But what’s really freaky is that there is a gargoyle on either side of the arch.

At first I wonder if these are the gargoyles from outside Crawford, but then I realize they can’t be. These gargoyles have fangs! And their eyes glow like molten lava.

Normally this wouldn’t scare me, but after last night this feels like my worst nightmare come true. Lucy feels the same way—maybe worse, if that’s possible.

“Hei-i-i-deee, let’s get out of here,” she whispers.

The fear in her voice is real.

I want to get out of here too, but for some reason I keep walking, and Lucy is still attached to me.

A ghostly soundtrack with moans, wails, and howling wind fills us with more dread. Spirits rise, like mist, from the tombstones.

That does it for Lucy. She screams and drags me toward the exit.

And that’s when we hear that awful sound of flapping of wings, like the ones we heard last night.

“Lucy! Watch out!” I warn.

Lucy looks up. Then we both fall to our knees as two gargoyles swoop down after us.

Oh no!

We’re going to be carried away by the gruesome gargoyles!

We cover our heads to protect ourselves, but it’s pointless—we’re DOOMED.

Lucy and I scramble to our feet and then sprint through the haunted house, screaming at the top of our lungs.

I honestly don’t think I have ever run so fast in my life.…

We burst through the door and into the daylight. Then we crumple into a petrified heap on the ground.

We both look back at the haunted house to see if the gargoyles are coming. But there’s no sign of them—not yet anyway. Because I’m never sure if we’ve seen the last of them.

“Well, I don’t know why we were so scared,” I say, trying to reassure myself that everything is okay. “Because everything in there was fake—you know, just a bunch of props and phony-baloney.”

But you know what else is creepy? I think.

It was a gorgeous sunny day when we walked into the House of Horrors.

And now it’s totally overcast.

Just like THAT!

I’m feeling stormy vibes on so many levels.…