[oct-mp] the crypt jam. [isis / open!]

October 2003

"If seventeen kids got on the last one," Jack began, counting the number of heads in front of him out loud until he'd gotten well past seventeen, "Then we should be on the ride... not next.. but the trailer after the next one!" He announced to anyone standing next to him. His Dracula costume was getting a little campy in the middle of the crowded line for the Thestral Haunted Hayride, he'd already smudged the face paint, and there was so much product in his curly hair he was pretty sure it had turned into a flytrap. None of that mattered. John Henry loved Halloween.

"Are you scared?" He asked the witch next to him with a great smile, fangs and all, he wasn't scared... Maybe a little... but he wasn't going to say it out loud. He'd seen the pale faces of students returning from the dark forest, and that had amped up his nerves a little, but it was exciting too. Being all jacked up on sugary snacks from the carnival didn't help his nerves much either. He'd had two funnel cauldron cakes, an powdered sugar dragon ear, an ice cream cone, and something he didn't even remember the name of, but it was piled high with cinnamon sugar and raspberry syrup.

At this rate, he'd be up for days.

"I'm not scared," he said in what he thought was a believable way, bouncing anxiously in the line and playing with his red and black cape's flaps. Another load of students came back from the forest, and John Henry watched them all hop off the trailer. He couldn't see the thestrals, but they had glowing reins on so you could just barely make out their grim outline. It was spooky, that was certain. Moving forward with the line, he took a deep breath, now they were next.

@Isis Arceneaux

"And at Hogwarts, each of the school houses has their own ghost, and for their Hallowe'en feast, the Headless Hunt of ghosts on ghost horses ride through their hall. My friend Trudy told me" Isis explained to the small first year who was looking a lot more cheerful now. She'd been waiting in line for the Haunted Hayride when he had pointed and screamed in a panic. Naturally Isis had attempted to calm the younger boy and discovered that he was from a no-maj family whose father had died in an automobile accident three years earlier, so the poor kid could see the thestrals. Isis had seen pictures and could well imagine how scary they must look to someone not expecting to see them, so she'd escorted him to the apple bobbing, all the time talking about all the Hallowe'en traditions she could think of. Finally, he'd spotted some of his own friends so she'd slipped back to rejoin the line, which was a lot longer now. Oh well, Couldn't be helped.

Isis was dressed as Marie Laveau, a witch local to her hometown whose history she'd found rather unsettling as a child. It seemed to her the perfect Hallowe'en costume because it looked authentic without needing too much effort that would be better spent on assignments. Munching on a strawberry shortcake piled high with cream and sprinkles, she watched as the kids on front piled into the wagon and the line moved forward.

"Me? No, I'm not scared. I'm excited!" she announced, her mouth not quite emptied of strawberries yet, disguising the fact that actually she was a little nervous. Despite her efforts to console the upset first year, she was only twelve years old herself and actually quite nervous of what she might see. Two of the thunderbird sixth years had been on the committee for this ride and some of their chat about the shocks they had planned sounded downright terrifying. And Isis' best friends had already gone on the ride... she felt relieved that she was standing with someone she knew. "I might just scream anyway though...you know, because I'm excited" she explained, turning to look at the older boy.

"Uh, John Henry...you've got a spider in your hair, is that part of your costume?" she asked uncertainly, just managing to stop herself from reaching up to pull it free.

Jack understood the excitement and the possibility of screaming because Isis was speaking of. He was reasonably sure he might do the same. Out of excitement, of course, certainly not out of fear. He was a student senator for cripes sake, he had to be fearless, right? Like superhero levels of bravery. He could do that. "A what now," he asked, eyes growing a bit wide as the revelation dawned on him. While typically not afraid of spiders, bugs, or creepy-crawly things, John Henry reacted appropriately to the creature being on top of his head.

"Get it off! Get it off!"

He squirmed, spinning in a circle and brushing his hands from the back of his head forward, trying to wipe the spider free. "Is it gone?" He asked, even though he still felt entirely crawly. It was probably still there. It had probably made a nest in his hairspray cemented curls, and soon enough, a whole host of babies were going to come crawling out. They would probably end up in his ears too. Or he'd eat them. Wouldn't be the first time he'd eaten a bug, but he very much preferred them cooked, covered in chocolate, and on camping trips. Not in his hair!

"Went through the corn maze earlier, bet that's where it came from," Jack tried to calm himself down, pretend it was all excellent, and he wasn't freaking out, but the incredibly antsy movements of his body were all too evident. He felt like it was still in his hair, crawling down his neck, or biting him. The next group got onto the hayride, and he knew they were next, but even that barely made him feel better. "Seriously, though, do you see it anymore?"

Isis giggled as John Henry seemed to panic at the news of a spider on his head. "I don't think it's a real one..." she offered belatedly, realising she should have said that to begin with. It looked as if something had fallen onto his head from one of the other rides...at least, she hoped that there weren't any species of spider with orange legs and matching fangs living in the grounds of Ilvermorny. It was too late though; there was nothing for it to stop him flailing around, and now some of the other kids were watching too, calling out their own suggestions.

"It's okay...it's okay!" she insisted, though John Henry was moving so fast Isis honestly couldn't see whether there was still a spider there or not. Something fell to the ground, but she didn't see what it was just then. She wasn't giggling now though, seeing anyone scared in that way stopped being funny after a few seconds. It was one thing to all be shrieking together on the hayride, when they were all scared of the same thing and there was a sense of cameraderie, but now she just wanted to help. Luckily her friend seemed to calm himself down, though predictably the next words out of his mouth were asking about the spider.

Balancing her shortcake in one hand she reached up to check his hair. "No, I don't see it...oh!" she exclaimed, bending quickly down and picking up the thing she'd seen falling onto the ground earlier "Here, see? It's a cool one, you should keep it" she said, holding out the large and clearly fake spider that had been charmed to rear up and wave its front legs at random intervals. Isis grinned as she stared at it, oblivious to the fact that she'd somehow managed to get cream on her nose. At least her nerves about the ride had subsided for the moment, and she had someone to sit with. The next trailer approached and they were almost at the front of the line, Isis's heart gave a thump.

"Okay, y'all ready for this?" she asked as the kid in front of them climbed up.

"Oh, thank the wendigo, it wasn't real," Jack said with a relieved sigh as she held out the enchanted spider to him. "They get lodged up in here, terrible to get out," He pointed at the tight curls and wiggled his fingers enthusiastically. "Oh, Isis, you've got some food on your nose," He told her with the same smile she'd given him, not an ounce of judgment in it, and pointed to the tip of her nose. John Henry knew then that as soon as the hayride was over, he would go and get a shortcake from whichever stand she had gone to. It looked delicious!

Jack moved along with the line as the next hayride pulled up, and he squinted to see the Thestrals. Even though he couldn't actually see them, he knew they were there; he'd heard about them earlier. Their breaths left little steam trails, and he could see where their large hooves were imprinted in the cold dirt trail, and that was enough. "So cool, so cool," He said excitedly and nodded as they were motioned toward the trailer.

"Want some help?" He asked, seeing that it was pretty tall, and knowing she had one hand full of dessert. He held his hand out toward her, either for the shortcake or for her to use to climb up if she wanted.

Isis blushed, putting her free hand up to her face and rubbing her nose, glancing over her shoulder as she did so in case anyone was watching. The fact that John Henry was completely unconcerned didn't matter; she felt weirdly self-conscious and took another mouthful of the shortcake, thinking the sooner she finished eating, the sooner she could make sure there wasn't any other food on her face. Of course, this had the added effect that for the next couple of minutes her conversation was restricted to enthusiastic nods and grunts...

"Do you think...we can pet them?" she asked, her voice hardly above a whisper as they approached the ride. Isis felt rather nervous now despite her reassurances to the first year earlier. She was kind of glad she couldn't see the big skeletal horses, but she didn't want anyone to know that. If John Henry dared to touch one, she would as well, she decided. Or maybe they should wait until after the ride and pet the thestrals then. Maybe...maybe they liked strawberries? She could save a bit of her shortcake for one of them...

Oh! It was their turn! Isis eyed the steps a little nervously, thinking they were clearly built for bigger kids than her. She was relieved when John Henry offered his hand.
"Thanks" she said, beginning to hold out the shortcake, then realising what she was doing and giggling. Like anyone would want to take her half-eaten dessert! Shaking her head, she offered her free hand instead and a moment later they tumbled into the cart, scrambling for seats at the front where they would get the best view. Of course, that meant they'd be the first to experience all the shocks, Isis realised a moment after she'd got herself settled. Her heart started beating faster as the cart began to move, heading in the direction of the dark, imposing forest trail.

Jack helped her onto the trailer, and they quickly settled into their seats at the front. He was nervous but pretending he wasn't, and his knees bounced from the energy he was holding back. He could feel little bits of hay poking his legs, it was itchy, but he ignored that. When the ride lurched forward, he swallowed, here we go, he thought and turned to give Isis a reassuring smile. As they approached the forest, he could hear heavy music blaring through wizarding speakers hidden in the trees. The hayride pulled forward to the forest entrance and then stopped quickly, quick enough for Jack to fall forward a little and nearly into the witch beside him.

Stopped dead in its tracks, the group of students grew quiet on the hayride, looking to one another, as the music picked up, and a strobe light began to flash at them. It was so bright Jack put his hand up to block it a little, and from behind the starling bright light, a classic villain came running at them. The scary guy was dressed like Leatherface from the no-maj movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre, plastic apron, torn up face, and all. The music got louder as he revved the chainsaw and rushed at the hayride.

John Henry screamed, voice cracking, as the terrifying evil man reached the trailer. The sound of his chainsaw split through the various screams, howls of laughter, and screeches. Lowering the chainsaw against the trailer, John Henry could feel the vibration run through his whole body, and then the hayride lurched forward yet again. On to the next attraction, Jack was sure he left his heart on the muddy path behind them. His breath too.

"Woah," He whispered, not ready for whatever was going to come next, but ridiculously excited, "That. Was. Awesome!"

As they drew closer to the forest, Isis felt her heart begin to beat faster. She was excited - she was looking forward to this - but a part of her was scared, too and she was glad she was sitting with someone she knew. Even though John Henry acted like a kid sometimes he was still bigger and older than her, and that made her feel safe. Even when the music began - "Hey, I know this song!" she exclaimed, having heard it at parties back home - she felt fine, just tingling with anticipation about what the first shock was going to be. Expecting giant spiders or bat to come flying out of the trees she was looking upwards, scanning the treeline when the haycart suddenly stopped moving.

"Uh, what just hap..." she began, but everyone else was looking around, as unsettled as she was. Then the music got louder and a light started flashing. Isis sat forward, wondering where they'd managed to hide the light but quickly shrank back as someone ran straight at them. It was an adult...a no-maj...unlike John Henry she didn't recognise the figure nor what he was carrying but it was all the more scary for that, because she had no idea what might happen. Isis's screams were real as she buried her face in her hands.

A moment later there were whoops and cheers around her and the ride started up again. She dared lift her face from her hands and look back, just in time to see the man walking back into the woods as the flashing light stopped. It was part of the ride - she'd known it was, but it had been so scary...and so real... She managed a smile as John Henry said it was awesome, hoping that the next scare was going to be something a bit less...well, scary.

It wasn't. This time it wasn't music, but an ominous rumbling, howling sound as they reached a clearing in the trees that was lit with ominous red light and then a huge dragonlike shape whooshed out above them, huge serrated teeth glinting silver and red. It dove at the ride, causing several students to duck and shriek, circled and then came at them again. After an initial scream, Isis was less frightened this time. "Snallygaster!" she exclaimed as it made one final circuit and then flew away again as the hayride moved off again "Wow. How did they DO that?!"

The cheers helped Jack ease his own fright, and it was soon replaced with that wonderful, adrenaline-charged laughter as he joined the clapping. The hayride lurched forward, and of course, he knew they were on to the next terrifying scene, but this time he was even more excited (and scared) than the last time. The rumbling that happened next had him holding tightly to the lip of the hayride, where his legs were hanging over the edge and swinging, and his heart began to race again. "What is... that?!" John Henry managed to squeak out just before the Snallygaster made a dive straight at them. Jack hunched over, nearly falling from the trailer, as it swooped in again, and he held his breath.

"Transfigurations, I'll betcha that's somebody's owl under there," John Henry posited in an attempt to convince both Isis and himself that it wasn't real. It couldn't have possibly been a real Snallygaster, could it? He swallowed hard, the screaming and laughing and smoke machines doing a number on his throat, and Jack wished he had brought some pumpkin juice for the journey. "What could be next?" He wondered out loud, scratching his head and getting some of the hair gel goop under his fingernails. Wiping it off on the trailer only made things worse, as the sticky gel attracted a clump of hay, and Jack laughed before rubbing it on his slacks.

As they exited the clearing and headed for another thick brush of the forest, Jack squinted to see something, anything, in the dim light. There was minimal sound now, just the crickets and the sound of the wheels turning on the hard-packed ground. Everyone on the ride grew quiet as a pair of red eyes glowed from behind a thicket of trees. Jack held his breath, waiting for it to rush them, but the eyes just seemed to follow them in the eeriest way. And just when he thought it couldn't get any creepier, seven more sets of eyes began to appear from the darkness—blood red and laser focus.

"El Chupacabra!" The teenager yelped, moving quickly to hide behind Isis and show his true Pukwudgie colors.

"You think? I wish I could do spells like that" Isis said longingly, looking in the direction where the creature had flown, having momentarily forgotten her fears. She supposed that in a few years she would be able to, but it seemed like such a long way off. Maybe when she was a sixth or seventh year she'd be part of the committee who organised this event. Did the owl (assuming it was an owl) mind being transfigured like that? She supposed it probably enjoyed it, otherwise it would just sit down and refuse to fly anywhere.

The hayride was moving again and Isis belatedly remembered her strawberry shortcake. Now that they'd 'survived' two terrors she was feeling a lot braver and took a bite of the now rather squashed cake. Of course, at that moment the ride lurched slightly and she got another lot of cream on her nose, which she wiped off with the back of her hand. She probably looked ridiculous - though no worse than John Henry who'd somehow managed to stick hay to his fingers which he was now rubbing off on his pants. With that happy thought in mind she shoved the last of the cake into her mouth in one go, and finally she had both hands free.

As she chewed, the strawberries seemed to lose their flavour. It had gone very quiet, and there was no music now. A girl sitting a little further down the hayride gasped and pointed into the bushes and suddenly there was a pair of glowing red eyes. "What spell do you think that is?" Isis whispered once the cake was eaten and she could talk again. Her voice seemed much louder than she'd expected and another pair of eyes appeared a little further along. What was it? The hayride was slowing down again and isis could feel her heart beginning to race again in anticipation of the next scare. She wasn't going to scream this time, she told herself, not even if...

There more more eyes now. Five, six..."What?" she asked, head turning quickly towards John Henry.

It was a mistake. She was distracted, and she wasn't holding on any more as the boy ducked behind her. It absolutely wasn't his fault, she would insist later, but nonetheless Isis somehow slid from her seat and found herself hanging right over the edge of the ride, teetering, arms pinwheeling as she shrieked and tried not to fall. It would have been scary enough under ordinary circumstances, but with those creepy eyes watching... "HELP!" she screamed!

Fearing El Chupacabra and its blood-sucking, entirely too pointy teeth, John Henry hid behind a witch younger than himself before realizing how it might make him look. The teenager loved scary stories, monster movies, and Halloween everything, but not because he was super brave. Still, a scaredy-cat or not, John Henry had never meant to cause Isis to fall from the hayride nearly. As afraid as he was, Jack would never sacrifice someone else for his own gain. He just wasn't built that way.

None of it mattered, though, because as he was quite aware of, accidents happened, and there was no time to think about that now. "Hold on!" He called out, his teenage voice squeaking and cracking as he leaned forward to reach for her hands. "Stop the ride!?" Jack was screaming, but his voice barely registered over the other students' sounds, yelling and shouting. The ride chugged along as the enchanted Chupacabras stalked them down the trail. He was normally louder than everyone else around, but he cried in quiet places, not because his voice was particularly boisterous.

"Grab my hands, Isis," Jack held them out toward her as he shifted his weight to pull her back up and felt a hundred little pokes as the hay sticks got all over his costume.

She imagined herself falling from the cart, being unable to get up quickly enough as it trundled on through the dark forest, leaving her alone in the clearing with those staring eyes. It was just a ride, she knew that, but what if among those creepy eyes there really was a monster, some beast that had been enticed here by the music and the screaming, and it was just waiting until she fell? The thoughts rushed through her mind in a split second as she teetered on the edge of the haycart, and then she saw a lifeline, a lifesaver. John Henry was holding out his hands, reaching towards her and all she had to do was grab hold...

Her arms continued to flail, but somehow in the right direction and her right hand touched his, and she grabbed on, letting out another squeal as she imagined those eyes and the creatures they belonged to coming up close behind. She grabbed with her left hand too and then she sort of fell back to safety as John Henry pulled her back onto the ride. Isis was sobbing with fear and relief and she forced herself to turn it into a giggle so nobody would think she was a coward, but the sense of relief was immense and her legs felt like they were turning to jelly.

"You saved me!" she exclaimed, just restraining herself from hugging the boy, and added "Thank you" before sinking back down onto the hayride, pressing right back against the prickly straw. Her heart was pounding and she barely registered they were passing out of this clearing until dozens of small flying creatures descended onto the ride and all around her, kids were shrieking once again.

"Bats!" she exclaimed, too relieved to be safely back on the ride to be scared of what was obviously another illusion, even though their teeth were sharp and bloodstained. After her imagined near-death in the clearing Isis didn't feel like anything else would scare her tonight. And she was going to get John Henry the biggest strawberry shortcake ever to say thank you for saving her!

Feeling like a hero, John Henry beamed at Isis when she began to laugh after the ordeal. She had nearly fallen off of the hayride, and that was terrifying. Jack didn't allow himself to think what could have happened if she'd gone face to face with El Chupacabra or, worse, gotten run over by the hayride, so instead, he laughed loudly alongside his friend. "Your welcome," He said, his chest puffed out some and riding the adrenaline from saving her life. He wasn't typically the brave, but it felt nice to be courageous once and a while. Of course, as soon as she said Bats, Jack was back to being his normal self and quickly began to scream. They wound up into his hair, swarming around the hayride, and he swatted at them feverishly.

Completely distracted by the hoard of nightbirds descending on the ride, John Henry missed the driver call out to inform them of an upcoming pothole. The hayride drove straight over it, and the wheels squished in the cold autumn mud puddle, and then the whole trailer bounced and John Henry with it. Falling onto his side, his butt a little numb from the cold wooden trailer and the shock of the bounce, he laughed again. The bats began to recede, and soon enough, he could see all the string lights and jack-o-lanterns from the festival.

"We made it," He sighed, feeling like he'd run the gauntlet, and took another deep breath. "I mean, just barely, but we made it," Rambling as the energy on the trailer began to surge, John Henry was just as excited to exit the ride and tell the next students in line just how scary it was. "Did you like it?" He turned, asking Isis as the trailer slowly rolled to a stop, and students began to disembark.

Okay. It was fine, she was safe, and even if her heart was still racing she could go on pretending it was fine. John Henry was laughing too, and he wouldn't be doing that if she'd really been in danger. Actually, she did feel better for laughing about her near-miss, so much so that she watched the bats approach with interest. Maybe she would ask one of the professors how they were created, she was thinking, when she realised that John Henry wasn't really as brave as he seemed.

"Hey, it's okay! They're not real" she yelled, holding firmly into the ride with one hand while she reached out to try and swat the fake bats away. Really, she'd been holding on in case she fell off again, but it turned out to be for the best because when the hayride jolted she managd to remain upright, which as more than could be said for three or four other kids on the ride, including John Henry. "Are you alright?" she asked, yelling again to be heard over the sound of laughter as they rode away from the bats, but they were laughing again, and there were the bright orange Hallowe'en lights glowing in the distance.

"I think we're back..." she breathed at the same time John Henry said they'd made it. Isis felt herself relax, but at the same time she felt excited, energised. Like she could run around and scream about everything she'd just seen. Probably everyone on the ride felt the same, but they hadn't nearly fallen off, had they? Isis felt proud of herself, she'd faced the scariest part of the festival and lived to tell the tale.

"It was...awesome!" she exclaimed, eyes sparkling as they waited to get off the ride. And then, because she didn't want to just wander off on her own and because John Henry had just saved her life, she added "did you want to go get some more candy now?"

John Henry had always loved Halloween; what was there not to like? The teenager loved the candy and the costumes, the frights and late nights, and everything in between. He lived for the holiday, counting down the days in October until it was finally upon them, and this Halloween had really delivered. "Agreed!" He exclaimed with Isis; even though the music had stopped and the hayride was winding down, John couldn't help but shout. He bounced from where he was sitting, unbothered by the sticks and hay stuck to the bottom of his cape, and smiled wildly.

"Yeah, and maybe one of those strawberry things you were eating that looked awesome. Where did you get it?" There were little stalls and booths set up like a fair on the Ilvermorny grounds. More snacks that John Henry should eat in one night—not that he didn't plan to try. Hopping down from the trailer, Jack held his hand out if she needed a little help getting down. The ground was soft; it had snowed last week and then melted, so everything was a little damp, but the paths weren't too bad. Unlike the big mud puddle they had driven through on the return trip, the paths by the stalls had all been magically enchanted not to make a big mess. It was a nice touch, he thought.

"Have you tried the haunted house yet?" The teenager asked, a look of absolute joy in his eyes even as they passed the rickety shack. Little windows lit up as ghostly conjurations chased students around the enchanted halls. It wasn't big from the outside, but there was much more than the eye could see, like all things magical. Jack heard the screams and giggles as they passed by and felt that same ominous shiver run up his spine. It was scary, but that was the fun! As they walked down the path, laughing and rejoicing their shared victory, having braved the Haunted Hayride, Jack couldn't stop himself from smiling. This was turning out to be a great night.

[/end]