Ashley~
"Ashley! Hey, come in!" Sarah Beth smiled when she opened the door, which was covered in cobwebs with candy corn in it. "You're not wearing your costume?"
"Well, I'm just coming here for a while, and it would be no use to wear it right now." I saw that she was dressed quite appropriately for Halloween. She was dressed as a witch, except in pink. Pink robes, pink feathered hat, and pink gloves... all adorned with gold accents. "You sure dressed up."
"Of course! Come on." She let me in, and I felt as if it were another world. There were candles everywhere, and black and streamers hung lazily from the wall. More cobwebs were inside, and rubber spiders hung from threads. In the center of the room was a giant cauldron that billowed fog. Jack-o-lanterns dotted the walls.
"Oh my- Sarah Beth! When did you do all this?!"
"An hour ago."
"How did you do all this?!"
"Persistance." She shrugged. "It's perfect for the trick-or treaters, right?"
I froze. "Sarah Beth?"
"Yes?"
"No one is going to trick or treat in a flat."
"What?"
"No one is going to let their children trick-or-treat in a flat like this. They would be afraid of their children being abducted or... stabbed."
"I never thought of that!" She frowned. "I've wasted all this time! And I bought all of this candy!"
"How much?"
She pointed to the caulron. "About half my paycheck."
I stared blankly at the huge container filled with candy.
"AUGH! I can't get any of this right, can I?"
"If it helps, you got a good amount of it right. And your costume! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you really were a witch!"
"But no one is coming to see it!"
"Not yet." I pulled my phone from my pocket. "I'm calling Paige."
"Oh! Can I call someone?"
"Sure. You can call Jeff." I gave her the number and she went over to her telephone. About the same time, Paige answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Paige, it's Ashley. Come over here, and bring my costume. Wear yours, by the way."
Sarah Beth had finally gotten an answer, in the meantime.
"Hello?" She said. "DO I WANT TO WHAT!? Um, no! This is not Sharrol! No, it's Sarah Beth....Yes the short one...Ashley's yes. I was wondering if you wanted to come to my flat and- WHAT!?- No, not that! I was going to say eat candy! Yes, Ashley is here. Paige is comeing. Uh-huh... Yes, costume. Okay, see you then." She hung up and smiled. "He's coming!"
---
Soon enough, Paige's car pulled onto the sidewalk in front of the flat. "There he is." I opened her door. "I'll be right back."
After changing into my costume (Which was Frodo from Lord of the Rings), I came back in with Paige, who was dressed as Link.
"Oh! You look so cute, Ashley! I don't know what you're supposed to be, but you are!" She pinched my cheek.
Oh," I reddened a bit. "Thanks."
Almost five minutes later, Jeff rolled in. He was wearing Master Cheif armor, and he was accompanied by a girl dressed as Rosalina from Mario. "I have arrived, party- Whoa! This place is really fixed up, huh?"
Sarah Beth blushed. "Yep. It was fun to do, though. Go ahead and have some candy, and I'll get the pumpkin juice!"
We all sat down and ate candy from the cauldron.
"Pumpkin juice..." Paige said. "That's weird. You know-"
"You aren't going to suggest the Great Pumpkin, are you?" Jeff mused.
"No I wasn't!" Paige said, annoyed. "I'm not that ridiculous."
Sarah Beth came back with several glasses and two big bottles of an orange liquid. We poured it and began to drank. It tasted exactly like pumpkin pie, yet with a slight tang. It was delicious.
"Wow!" The girl with Jeff proclaimed. "It's amazing!"
Sarah Beth smiled. "Thanks, Sharrol!"
"Huh?" The girl looked puzled. "My name is Katherine."
"Oh... then who is Sharrol?" Sarah Beth looked at Jeff, who was shaking his head franticall.
"Yeah... who is Sharrol?" Katherine narrowed her eyes.
Jeff panicked. "My cousin from Northampton."
Sarah Beth gasped. "You do that stuff with your cousin?!"
"You do what with your cousin?!" Katherine stood up.
Jeff put his hand to his forehead. "Oh God..."
Katherine walked over to the door and turned around furiously. "Well, I see what type of man you are..."
When she slammed the door behind her, Sarah Beth winced. "Sorry, Jeff..."
"It's okay." He took a sip of pumpkin juice coolly.
---
After the others had left, I helped Sarah Beth clean up. "Well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay... I-" A tapping at the window cut her short. I craned my neck around her to see what it was. It was an owl.
"Is that-" I said. Sarah Beth quickly stepped in front of the window.
"That's not an owl!!! What's an owl?!"
"You just said owl! I didn't get to finish!"
"It's not!" We both fell silent.
"Sarah Beth?"
"What?"
"It's tapping the glass." She turned around and saw the owl rapping on the window with his beak.
"Mr. Hootikins!" She opened the window and let the owl in. Mr. Hootikins hooted happily and nibbled on her hand as she gently scratched it under the beak. ""Er, Ashley! Remember how I said I have a pet owl?"
"I thought you were joking..."
"I wasn't." A second owl flew in. This owl dropped a letter into her hand. "Mr. Fluffums! Is that for me?"
"Is that a letter?!"
"Er, I have a friend that has an owl, too... and he likes to write letters?"
I raised my eyebrows. "I see." She opened the letter and read it. As she read, she grew increasingly restless.
"Oh..."
"Is something wrong?"
"Ashley? Promise me you won't tell anyone about the owls?"
"Okay, sure." I was not sure what bothered her, but I knew it would be rude to ask.
"And Ashley?"
"Yes?"
"Will you stay here tonight?" She smiled half-heartedly.
"Sure."
"Ashley, I love you." She leaned against me. I looked down at her.
"I love you too."
