The Tea Party By: Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters and transformative content. You have been warned.
The clock strikes 3, and the bell rings signaling the day has ended. The students of Oakwood Primary crash into the hallway. The onslaught of traffic breaks through the doors of the school. No matter how hard the teachers and administration tried, there was no corralling the students at the end of the day. Fortunately for them, there had been no incidents that had happened and they did what they could to minimize issues.
Nait was in the final year of his time at the school. He’d been going there since he started school. The usual rush at the end of the day was something he’d gotten used to. Instead of joining in the chaos, he opted to stay back in the crowd so that he didn’t find himself trampled by the other kids. He casually made his way through the school halls as he headed towards the school exit, excited for the weekend to come.
It was the day before Halloween. Every kid had been talking about it for weeks. Various parties were being thrown by the parents but Nait’s family wasn’t participating in them. The young boy didn’t care much as such things were not his thing. Instead, he was planning on trick-or-treating with his best friend. They had been preparing for it for a while and had gone as far as to plan which houses they were going to hit and even the neighborhoods they wanted to visit.
The boy went home to get ready. His parents had asked him for help with the house decorations. They had been setting up for a haunted house to show off. It was nothing extravagant, just a short tour through the rooms that had been decorated. Nait’s father was something of a nut when it came to Halloween. The family's home was somewhat famous, at least when it came to the neighborhood offerings.
Nait spent the rest of the night helping his parents get things squared away. Setting up the popup dolls that they had prepared to scare people. Faux blood had been splattered over the table with some ephemeral projects of holographic ghosts that were set to dance across the walls. His parents even kept at it, by the time their son went to bed. It was something that the boy had grown used to.
The next day arrived before long and with it, the long-anticipated wait for Halloween had finally concluded. Nait prepared himself for the night to come in calling his friends to see where they were planning on going. Of course, many of them were outside of his community and he couldn’t join them. Still, he hoped he might end up seeing some of them. It wasn’t until he called his friend Samaliel that things hit the ground running.
Nait finalized their meetup time with the other boy. They were scheduled to meet up right after dinner with a curfew of a few hours later. Some time passed before he called his friend Samaliel and discovered that the other boy was already on his way over. The boy knew it was time to get ready to head out to trick or treat. He headed into his room to make the final preparations for the night ahead.
He headed into his room and gathered together his costume. His mother was a seamstress and had prepared him a rather elegant Mad Hatter costume. Nait looked at it in his closet. A large velveteen overcoat with dark green lining underneath. A vest for undershirt that was a peach in color with a huge bowtie, with a rainbow of colors to boot. His pants…a simple pair of brown slacks, bell-bottomed towards the end of the legs. A pair of boots that was well past worn and an oversized hat for him to adorn.
The boy put on his costume. Some of it was intentionally big on him to sell the over-the-top aspect of the character he was portraying. The fabric was something he wasn’t used to either. The undershirt and pants were made from a fabric that made him itch. Before he could put much thought into it, there was a knock at the door. The sound was loud enough that it carried through the halls. Still, his parents called to him from the living room to let him know his friend had arrived.
His parents had already opened the door so he could see who was waiting beyond it. He could see Samaliel waiting at the door for him. The other boy was a year younger than he was but they had met each other in the schoolyard during recess one afternoon several years ago. Ever since then they’d been rather close and insisted on hanging out during recess. Nait waved to him as he saw his friend at the door.
Samaliel and Nait had collaborated on their costumes. They had both chosen Alice in Wonderland-themed getups. He had chosen the Hatter while his friend had chosen the Knave of Spades. It was a spinoff of the Hearts character who served the Red Queen, instead of serving the White Queen. Wearing a pure white tunic with matching puffy shorts. His family had set him up with a plastic sword and a spade-fashioned eye patch over one of his eyes. His shoes pointed much in the same fashion as they would have been during the Victorian period.
“Ready to head out, Sama?” Nait asked with a big smile on his face.
The younger boy nodded. Nait’s parents handed him a small pail to go out with. The thing was a simple pumpkin container so it was nothing special. The two of them headed outside, leaving Nait’s parents behind. The bigger boy motioned for the smaller one to follow him as they headed out into the street. It was already late enough that several groups of kids were out and about, walking through the streets in both directions. The city had put out a rule to limit driving that night to prevent any incidents.
The two boys proceeded to Nait’s next-door neighbor. The family was one who Nait knew from growing up. They had no kids of their own but they had babysat him a few times. They weren’t nearly as enthusiastic about Halloween and lacked much decoration outside of a few decals on the windows. Still, they gave out treats to the kids who showed up at their door. Nait led Samaliel to the front door of the neighbor's home and waited for them to answer it.
It took a few moments for them to answer but when they finally did the two of them were greeted by the Woman of the house. She instantly recognized Nait, even despite the costume as he hadn’t worn any makeup.
“Trick or Treat.” Both of the boys chirped almost at the same time.
She smiled at them and handed them a few pieces of sweets. “Hello, boys. Here you are. Some extra candy for you.”
“Thanks!” Nait said before quickly stashing his candy in his bucket.
The woman waved at them as they made their way off the porch. Nait looked at the candy they’d been given. It was small pieces and some stuff that he didn’t recognize. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He looked at Samaliel who had the same look on his face he did.
“Wanna head to the big house down the street? They give out whole bars.” Nait said, deviating from their original plan.
Samaliel nodded. He wanted the big stuff just as much as his friend did. They headed out of the yard back into the street. It was a cool night with a light breeze, one that pushed past them as they passed by several homes. From where they were, the two boys could see the house in question. It was the largest one on the block and was well known to be home to a wealthy couple who was generous with their treats.
Nait and Samaliel continued to the house in question as they approached it. As they neared the entrance to it they could see a shrub that had been cut in the fashion of an arch. The owners of the home were renowned gardeners and everyone in town relished in their landscaping. Stepping onto the front lawn of the home, the two boys couldn’t help but be surprised by what they saw. A massive yard with all sorts of lawn ornaments and freshly cut bushes.
On one side of the garden was a lawn that had been painted in a way to look like it was a chessboard. On top of it were a few hedges that had been cut to resemble pieces themselves. Guarding the chess pieces were two plant soldiers with fronts looking like the faces of cards. A plant spear and Halberd adorned their hands with no actual tip to either of the weapons. Each of equally as large as the thickets outlining them beyond but keeping the boys from looking outside the area.
In the middle of the garden was a briar that had been cut so that the flowers overlapped into a tunnel. The tunnel smelt of roses and a few types of other flowers. The briars had been tightened with vines flowing through it, showing thorns that had been cut to prevent any injury. The ground is a cobblestone pathway that leads underneath. A wooden sign at the entrance read in hastily scribbled writing “Don’t be late”.
On the other side of the garden was a table, a large one at that, with chairs just as large. At the seats were the very characters of Alice in Wonderland themselves, represented by equally oversized dolls. The animatronic figures partook in the famous tea party with each of them repeating the sipping of tea as they sat around the table with all sorts of treats, tea kettles, cups, and small dishes sitting strewn across it.
Nait and Samaliel couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the sheer overblown nature of the garden presentation before them. The floral scent of the underbrush of the briar drew them inward under the tunnel leading towards the front of the home. The only illumination that seeped through it was the moonlight from above and porch lights from ahead of them. They continued making their way through it until they reached the front door.
The front door of the home had been fashioned in the Victorian style. Several frosted windows paneled into the door didn’t allow for much transparency. The place had no doorbell instead opting for a knocker at the center of it. Since the two boys couldn’t reach it they opted to lightly knock on the door instead. It was several moments before there was any response. Nait was just about to knock again as the door was pulled back.
The door was opened ever so slowly as the two boys
were greeted by a small rabbit wearing a dark blue overcoat. There was no other clothing on it except a chained pocket watch which it held in its hand as if showing the thing off. The rabbit looked at them with a look of excitement in its body. Its nose and tail twitched, almost as if expecting them. Quickly hopping off without saying a word into the home behind it.
Nait and Samaliel weren’t entirely sure what happened. They knew there was no way that could have been someone in costume. Even for a child, it was a small critter, to say the least. It very much resembled an albino rabbit in form except for the clothing and watch it adorned. They stood there idly for a. few moments. The door in front of the remained open, the house very much vulnerable to whoever might come inside it.
“I’m late…I’m late for a very important date.” The infamous line from the book echoed through the home, loud enough for the two boys to hear.
The boys looked at each other unsure what to do. Nait shrugged. He figured this had to be some sort of Halloween setup. He motioned for Samaliel to follow him into the house. The younger boy wasn’t one to turn down the possibility for fun. After all his curiosity was getting the better of him, so he willingly followed along. The moment they entered the house, the door shut behind him causing a thud to sound around them in a soft echo.
Nait had no sense of alarm about him. He was certain this was all a part of the trick the family had in store for them. The boy felt like if they went through with it there would almost certainly be a reward at the end. He figured that this had to be the family's take on a haunted house. Before long they heard tapping on the tile of the ground, the rabbit they had seen before hopped right in front of them down the hall.
“Wait!” Nait yelled hoping to calm the thing down.
The high-pitched voice responded. “No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.”
The rabbit continued down the hall. Nait once again motioned for his friend to follow him. He was set on finding out what was going on. The two of them rushed down a hall. The sound of a piano could be playing in the distance, though the sound echoing through the hall made it sound much closer than it was. They could see the shadow of the rabbit hopping down the hall and only the vague silhouette of its form standing at the end of the hall.
Just as they picked up pace, the rabbit turned the corner and entered into another room. The two boys followed after as quickly as they could. Soon they found themselves in the kitchen. A large wooden table sat at the center of it with a royal purple plumed cloth sprawled over the top of it. Eight chairs were set up at it with three on each side and one at both ends. Most of the chairs were wooden but the two end chairs were of a more luxurious style with worn leatherette shaded slightly lighter than the fabric on the table.
The two boys approached it. Nait looked to the side. The rabbit was now sitting at the furthest away chair. It stared at them from the distance.
“Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?” The rabbit asked before cackling madly and sipping from a small tea cup in front of it.
The older boy looked back at the younger one. Samaliel shrugged at his friend with a look of mystery on his face.
“I don’t know?” Nait was completely off guard by the seemingly random question.
“Oh, come now dear….join me and take a sip…all will become clear.” The rabbit gestured in front of it causing the chairs to all shove back from their place in waiting.
The bigger boy hesitated before moving forward. The items on the table were an assortment of tea kettles, small saucers, and tea cups. It was almost a replica of the one outside except the kettles were blowing smoke. The moment he was close enough, Nait was swooped off his legs by the chair as it urged inward. The rabbit motioned for Samaliel to join them who willingly did so once Nait was at the table.
“Ah, yes…cheers…shall we?” The rabbit held up the cup of tea it was sipping on as if to hold a group toast.
Both of the boys were enamored with the rabbit's disposition, not taking their eyes off him. They joined the rabbit in their air toast before partaking of the tea themselves. Neither of them so much had thought of drinking tea before and yet now….the offering seemed much too tantalizing for them to pass up. Yet, the second it touched the taste buds on their tongue they found the flavor to be rather flat.
“The raven….can produce a few notes, though they are very flat, and it is never put with the wrong end in front!” The rabbit cackled with its eerily large grin growing wider than beyond the frame of its face.
Nait watched over the rabbit. Its body was disfigured and faded into a cloud of smoke. A strange warmth in his body began to resonate through his young form. He looked around to see if there were any signs of the rabbit. The boy figured that this had to be some elaborate trick by the family who lived there. Yet…the only sign of anything other than themselves was the rabbit who had seemingly vanished into thin air.
The grandfather clock chimed midnight causing further confusion among the two boys who thought it was nowhere near that time of night. Nait’s body felt even warmer the moment this happened, his body itching from whatever ailment was wracking his body. Looking over at Samaliel, he saw his friend was itching himself. It seemed that they were sharing the same issue, whatever the may have been.
Nait felt a strange sensation of burning through his entire body. Still holding out his arm in front of him, he saw something strange. Some white hair popped out from his otherwise peach fuzz-covered arm. Immediately a sense of curiosity overtook him. He’d never had much body hair and this was something all but alien to him. In a slight state of confusion, he twisted his arm causing him to poor the tea cup he was holding.
The steam from the liquid rose from where it spilled spiraling into a vapored mist that caused him to cough. Nait grabbed his chest as he tried to fight the urge to cough. He didn’t know how such a mild irritant could cause him to want to cough yet he couldn’t hold it back. The constant coughing sent racking vibrations through his form. His hand now covered his mouth seemed even warmer than it had moments ago.
Nait pulled away his hand from his mouth. His skin was now almost entirely covered in a light fuzz and he could barely make out his tone. The coughing had dissipated a bit as the mist from the tea had all but evaporated. An itchy throat now persisted as he tried to swallow a few times to get rid of the feeling inside his mouth. Yet each time, the gulps he took were becoming harder and harder to make.
He looked over at his friend and Samaliel was having much the same problem he was. The other boy's face was almost completely shrouded by a mysterious white hair. His hair had even shifted color, fading into an increasingly light shade. Even his nose seemed longer than it normally did. It was almost as if the entirety of his facial structuring was shifting. Nait couldn’t help but touch his face finding his nose to be protruding more than he remembered.
By this point, his clothing was becoming baggy. His shirt sagged on the top of his form, even pooling a bit into the chair he was sitting on. Quickly he hopped out of the chair, his shoes slipping off him as he felt an innate need to get out of there. He urged Samaliel to follow him, fully realizing the plight they were in. Going as quickly as their legs would take them they began to run back out of the room.
Now faced with the same hallway they entered from, it seemed even longer than before. Only a few candles lit the pathway and it seemed to go on and on. Yet, Nait felt like they needed to get out there. He ran forward with Samaliel hot in pursuit. Both boy's pants gave way as they went down the hall at full speed. Neither cared much, the full set of panic had taken over their minds, and wanted nothing more than to get out.
Yet the hallway seemed to go on and on forever. It neither shortened nor lengthened. The progress they made was negligible. Soon the floor beneath them began to cave, spiraling into a curling abyss blackened within each of the marble tiles beneath the rug. A pit was forming beneath them, growing ever larger by the second. The two boy's footing became loose, and the socks they were wearing did not provide enough traction for them to backpedal.
Nait looked back at Samaliel. His friend looked just as panicked as he was. His whole form now was covered in white fuzz. The boy's ears had rounded and lacked the same hair covering the appendances. His face now sported a much more of a rodent style of appearance, his nose protruded forward with a button pink end to it that wiggled and shook. It finally dawned on Nait what was happening.
He tried shouting out to his friend and instead of words coming out a squeak was uttered instead. The floor beneath him was now concaved below him. The same piano playing had now become quite frantic as if denoting the very hectic nature that he found himself in. Within moments he lost what hold he had on keeping him from falling within. His body descended into a swirl, rotating around without order or purpose and yet he felt no nausea coming from it.
Darkness soon surrounded him. The light provided by the candles was darkened by the void that had swallowed him. His body soon came to a stop, bumping ever so lightly against something solid, and yet even despite the velocity of his fall…it did not hurt. Nait rubbed his eyes as they took a second to regain focus after a somewhat drastic change in the lighting of his surroundings.
It took a moment for him to regain his sense of self. He looked around him and heard the sound of birds whistling in the distance.
Had he found his way outside? Nait was certain this wasn’t the case. Nothing seemed to make sense. He called out to Samaliel again and his voice still uttered that same high-pitched sound it made before. He tried to pick himself up and found himself hopping ever forward as he tried to make some kind of movement.
Nait could hear some water in the distance. The constant sound of the crunching of twigs and the bristling of branches seemed even louder than ever before. It was almost as if his sense of sound had become more sensitive. Looking around him, it seemed he was outside. It was no longer the night instead, he found the shining sun to be burning overheard with a glazing light peering down through the branches of trees over his head.
A few minutes later Nait found himself by a small stream. Tilting his head to the side, Nait saw the stream ran quite a ways from where he was. Looking beyond it, the water seemed to be too deep for him to swim through. Instead, he tried reaching his hand in to try and splash his face to wake him up. As he extended out his hand in front of him, he found the same white fuzz that he remembered from before, his hand looking almost entirely different than it had earlier that day.
The boy lurched forward, dipping his head into the stream. Taking slow methodical licks of the cool liquid as the current carried it down river.
“I’m afraid you are entirely bonkers….but I will tell you a secret. All the best people are.” An unfamiliar voice beckoned from the distance.
Nait looked around him for the source of the voice. In the distance amongst one of the branches of the trees. A green and black striped cat lay at the base of two branches with an exceedingly large grin on its face. The cat extended its claws as it strode its way down the bark of the tree onto the ground below. It started to approach Nait, its face seeming strangely familiar to the boy but he didn’t know why.
“I’m a stranger. You’re a stranger. Together, we are…strangers…” The cat spoke in a low but somewhat raspy tone.
Nait’s ears perked up as the critter said this. It was almost as if it was reading his mind. He watched as the cat swam through the water with ease. The current near the depth of it seemed to concern the beast. It was wholly unlike any other household feline he’d seen before. The boy felt very much lost. He did not where he was or how he got here. All he knew was that his surroundings were unfamiliar to him.
“This this direction lives the Hatter….In that direction lives the Dormouse. Visit either you like….they are quite mad.” The cat cackled as he pointed in opposite directions.
The boy still had no idea what was going on. The directions he was given were vague at best. Yet it was all he had to come on. Perhaps this “Hatter” or “Dormouse” would have more information than the cat did. It was something he hoped on. Since the dormouse was over the lake, Nait opted instead to go the opposite direction to the way to cat had pointed towards. The moment he started walking, the cat disappeared into the distance fading back into the woods from whence it came.
Nait began to move forward, his body taking slow methodical hops ever into the distance. A thinly veiled smoke seemed to lead him forward. The smell of something carried along with it gave him some hope that he was going in the right direction. He continued onward, jumping through the grass as the ever-higher trees seemed to encompass all around him. Soon enough he came to the house shaped like an old top hat.
He assumed this place must have been the one the cat had spoken of. Who else but a Hatter would live inside a hat? Smoke billowed from the chimney from the inside with a faint glow coming through the windows. Nait was nowhere near big enough to look inside the thing. The whole structure seemed to be giant to him. Yet, he had nowhere else to go for answers and so he continued hopping towards the door.
Sure enough just as he approached the front of the house, the door was opened. A tall man wearing rather ragged clothing came out from within. His unshaven face was hidden behind a scruffy face and braided hair. Nait looked up at him. Either this fellow was a giant…or he was very small. The boy couldn’t decide which was the case. All he knew was that he wanted answers and this strange man was his only hope.
“And...who might you be? It matters not! You're late….very late. Come right in!” The tall man stepped to the side of the door to allow Nait to enter.
Nait hopped inside. The instead of the house was much warmer than out. A large fire stoked at the back of the house. He thought it strange especially since the outside wasn’t cold at all. Still, it seemed to be the only source of light except for a few candles strewn about the walls. Even despite that the home was poorly illuminated. A large table sat at the center of the home with several chairs around it.
The boy got close to the table. As soon as he was within distance of touching it, the chair bent down almost as if it expected his presence. He hopped into the seat, where a velveteen cushion padded the otherwise wooden surface of its top. The chair brought him to eye level with the table itself. He could now see overtop it. Several tea kettles, some saucers with treats on them, and various utensils were scattered about with any lack of purpose. The whole setup…seemed strangely odd to him as he'd never partaken in a tea party before.
The man in the hat joined him at the table. To the left of the man in the hat were two small white rodents sitting in the same chair. One of the mice seemed vaguely familiar to Nait. Nait stared at the mouse and the mouse back at him. It was almost as if they recognized each other, even through the facade of their transformative disguise. To his right was another rabbit wearing a top hat and coat, the other rabbit sipped on some tea not bothering to even give Nait the slightest of glimpses.
“Ah, my dears. The time has finally come. Will you join me in a toast….to dear Alice?” The man spoke of a woman who had not yet arrived.
Both Nait and the mouse opposite him grabbed a cup of tea. Despite their dainty claw-like hands being all but foreign to them they were able to grip the drinks all the same. Taking a sip of it, the bland taste of the tea caused the boy to spit it out. The mouse opposite him did very much the same. Both of them felt equally out of place, yet the other partygoers went on ever still. Caring not for their disgust of the foul beverage.
Nait looked over at the mouse again. They stared at each other for a moment with a fervent gaze, resembling one who was familiar with one another. They slipped underneath the table. The two of them are easily small enough to do so without being detected. After all, the three other members of the party had no interest in the event being disrupted.
“Samaliel? Is that you?” Nait couldn't help but ask what had been on his mind the last few minutes.
Squeaks instead of words came out of his mouth and yet the mouse nodded as he responded in kind. “Yeah, it's me. What's going on?”
“I'm not sure...I have no idea where we are. But you're a mouse and I'm a....rabbit.” The Lapine one looked at his claws, making sure it was the case.
Samaliel shook his head abruptly as if not believing the situation. “This is crazy. How did this happen? We were trick or treating and then went into the house.”
“I think that rabbit at the table did this to us. It looks like the one from the house. We have to figure out how to get out of here. Let's try getting out.” Nait said before urging Samaliel to follow him.
The two of them darted towards the door. A rapping at the door jolted the man in the hat from his chair. He had been expecting it for ages. Now his tea party would be complete. After all, she was there to save them from the Red Queen. As Alice entered, the Dormouse and March Rabbit at the table waved to her. Nait motioned for his friend to follow him. This was their moment to escape as they darted towards the now burgeoning door.
Alice made her way inside. She tipped her dress in a curtsey to the old hatter. Soon she joined them at the base of the table. A full set of tea before them and veritable treats to be had. The four of them shared a toast…to the woman of the hour. Just as the hatter was shutting the door behind her, Nait and Samaliel darted their way out. Their small yet quiet movements made it difficult to detect them.
Soon they found themselves outside, looking at each other and then back at the hatter's home. The scent of baked goods still carried about the outside as the four partygoers inside chuckled with the same jovial attitude. The mouse and rodent stood outside without a purpose. The two of them had rediscovered each other but they still had nowhere to go. They needed to figure out a way to get back.
“I wonder if that Cat I met earlier might be able to help us get back home.” Nait suggested as he remembered the encounter from earlier.
The mouse looked at him curiously. “What cat?”
“I'll show you. Come on, we have to try.” The Lapine boy knew they had little other choice.
They made their way from the hatter's home and back into the forest. The thick of the trees made it difficult to navigate but the ever-present sound of the river made it clear where they needed to go. Nait led since he was vaguely familiar with the area now. The sound of running water became ever louder until the river itself was just in front of them. A sense of renewed hope kindled inside of Nait as he darted towards it with his friend in toe.
Nait and Samaliel stood at the riverside for a moment, unmoving. The only sound they heard was the ever-constant sounds of nature. Wind blew threw the area, whistling into an almost eerie tune of indistinct design. They waited there for a few minutes, with no signs of
the cat showing up. Still, they remained there with Naits ever resolved hope that the cat would show up.
Just as they were about to leave, Nait peered into the river. Two glistening gems of blurred yellow peered from the water. Their hue resembled that of gold and sparkling with the river that refracted their image. The sight of it seemed to transfix him, causing Samaliel to turn his gaze downward to see what it was that caught his friend's attention. Yet the more they looked at it, the more enticing it became.
A few moments passed as the urge to jump into the water became unbearable. No primal instinct within them could stop them from giving in to the desire. Both of them dive in despite any fear of being swept away by the water. Yet, the moment they broke the surface there was no movement. They find they did not struggle from lack of breath. Only the ever-constant light they had pursued had become even brighter.
The luminescence soon became overbearing as it blinded them, no longer able to see where they were. The gold glow became the only thing visible to them. Their bodies were wrapped in the same with an overwhelming sense of warmth that built within their frames. The light blinded them and yet they remained ever comfortable in a moment of stasis. It was as if their very beings were being suspended in time and space. At the very expense of whatever powers in the world willed them into being,
It took a few moments for them to come around. The warmth left their body except that which emanated from them naturally. Their eyes refocused and they found themselves staring into flashlights. Some adults looked at them with a look of concern.
“How did you two find yourselves in here? Your parents have been looking for you all night.” One of the police officers said to them.
Nait was dumbfounded as he tried to figure out what happened. He looked over at Samaliel who looked just as lost as he was. The police officer moved out of the way so the two of them could make their way out of the closet. Now finding themselves in the very hallway in which they thought they fell through earlier. One of the members of the staff of the haunted house had found them stashed away in there and reported it immediately.
Nait and Samaliel remained silent. Their minds still recovering from the experience of the whole thing. Both of them were still in costume. Not much time had passed but it was past their curfew. Their parents reported it and they were last reported being seen at the haunted house attraction in town, so it wasn't hard to find them. When the police questioned the staff, no one knew how they got there but it was an issue they were willing to look past since there was no harm done to the two boys.
They were whisked away in a police car where they talked about the experience. Of course, the police laughed it off as child's play. It was Halloween after all and stranger things had happened. Still, the two very much felt the whole ordeal was real. The two of them were returned home. Nait and Samaliel were questioned by their families for a while. Of course, both groups of them were happy the two boys were returned without harm.
It would be an experience neither of them forget for some time. One they would talk about and share, as it fell further and further from memory. Only to be replaced by the responsibility of school but remaining in the back of their mind. Perhaps to revisit when the bell tolled again. The old clock chiming nigh to hark the coming of Hallowseve....evermore.
