Operation Beautiful

Chapter 13: shiitake mushrooms

Chapter 13: shiitake mushrooms

“Ready for this?” Emmaleigh asks. She has an enormous grin pasted on her face.

“Why do you look so happy with all this?” I ask, eyeing the large Tent of Doom nervously.

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’ll be more scared than I am,” she says. I take another step towards the entrance.

“Yeah, right.”

“Again?” asks the guy at the flap. “Weren’t you the guy who screamed two seconds in?” Emmaleigh starts laughing.

“Shut up,” I mumble, turning red. “We can handle it this time.”

“Oh really?” he smirks.

“Really,” I say, with more confidence than I feel. “You can pull out all the stops.”

“Then we will,” he says with a smirk. “Enjoy the tour.”

This time when we enter I only let out a hiss when the bats fall from the ceiling. Emmaleigh, on the other hand, clutches my arm.

“Uh, sorry,” she whispers, letting go. I start to laugh but get cut off by the same stupid Grim Reaper that freaked Emmaleigh out. This time she just jumps slightly. I, on the other hand, was caught completely offguard and let out a rather embarrassing squeal.

“You know, maybe moving away wasn’t the best idea,” I croak. Emmaleigh laughs but still keeps her distance. I wave my hand around until I smack into something.

“That’s my stomach,” she says.

“Ah...uh, sorry.” I keep waving my hand until I find her arm and attach myself to it. Suddenly, the darkness isn’t quite as scary anymore. Yes, I’m still terrified, but it’s like last time when I was watching Emmaleigh and Matt. I’m a bit distracted from everything now.

“I think this counts as you being more scared as I am,” Emmaleigh says, attempting to move my hand but failing.

“No. I’m just making sure you don’t get lost,” I insist.The already dim lights flicker and then go out completely.

“C-C-Corey?” Emmaleigh stammers.

“S-s-still here,” I stammer back. “Did this happen last time?”

“We speed walked through this last time. So...I guess there wasn’t time for this?” Suddenly, a single light glows from the floor, lighting up the face of Dracula, who is standing a good two inches from my nose.

“Shiitake mushrooms!” I yell, hugging Emmaleigh close and burying my head in her hair.

“Shiitake mushrooms?” Emmaleigh says, her voice shaking slightly in laughter.

“Would you prefer that I swear?”

“Are vee go-ying? I alvedy got ditched once tovay,” Dracula says. He peers closer at us. “By you guys. Let’s go, yes?” His fake accent is not much of a comfort.

“Let’s go,” says Emmaleigh, patting my head. I don’t move. Not necessarily because I’m scared but because...well...this is comfortable. And following Dracula through the rest of the haunted house is not comfortable. In fact, the very thought freaks me out.

I shut my eyes and take another deep breath. My arms are still locked around Emmaleigh’s slight frame, my nose still buried in her soft, lemon-scented hair.

“Eez your boyfriend com-ying?” Dracula asks.

“He’s not my boyfriend. But unless he wants to admit defeat, he’s definitely coming. And getting his nose out of my hair.”