The Night at Olde Hollow Manor

(Josie Sayz: This story has been three years in the making. I was given the task of writing a Hallowe'en story, from the people at my old office. I did start working on it back in 2020 and it begun my fascination with pumpkins (aesthetically, as I have discovered that I do not like the taste of pumpkin) and the Hallowe’en holiday, in general. I may not work with the people who inspired (and asked for) this story, but this year, for Hallowe’en, I decided that I wanted to finish what I started. And yes, Peter Pan (you know who you are) I may have trouble staying on a task, but I can finish what I started.)

 

The Night at Olde Hollow Manor

 

Creaks sounded from the floor, above. Muffled conversation rumbled from the next room. An icy chill whistled inside, through a crack in the garage door’s window. A shudder trickled up her spine. Tugging on the cuffs of her cardigan, the bronze haired lady shuffled closer to the radiator. Paper rustled. She flinched. Her heart hammered. Spinning her head around, her shoulders relaxed. She let out a breath. ‘It’s just the plans printer,’ she told herself, as her racing heart slowed. The machine, at the back of the room, let out a long, mechanical hum, before falling silent. Its light blinked out. Beside the plan printer lay another sleeping piece of machinery, the office photocopier. Opposite the machines, a wooden workbench and computer were stationed against the wall. In the room’s upper corner lay one door, a second door was situated to her right. Arching her head over her shoulder, she flickered a glance towards the door behind her. A frosted window lay in the upper third of the door, looking out onto the corridor. The hallway was clear.

Turning back around, she stacked a handful of envelopes onto the franking machine’s conveyor belt. She pressed her finger into a large, round, green button. A roaring hum sounded. One by one, the envelopes were sucked along the conveyor belt and spat out the other end. As she pressed a small, red button, the mechanical whirling stopped. An azure blue franking mark appeared in the top right-hand corner. Gathering the envelopes, she placed them on a pile of already franked letters.

The boiler let out a rumbling hum, increasing the warmth in the room. She hummed, hugging one hand to a section of the old, cast iron radiator. A rolling clatter of labels slid to the front of a drawer, as she tugged it open. Scratching her biro against a page, in a book, the sounds around her fuzzed to a static hum, as she focused her concentration, copying out the address of the letter in front of her.

“Hello Nina,” sang a female voice, from behind. Flinching, Nina dropped her pen. Her chest panged. Her eyes widened, as she spun her head over her shoulder.

“Jade!” she gasped, seeing a tall, slim woman, with flowing dark chocolate-brown hair standing behind her. “You made me jump,” Nina added, with a nervous giggle. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Sorry lovely,” replied Jade. “Am I too late for the post?” she asked, holding out two envelopes. “I know it sometimes goes early on a Friday.”

“No, there’s still time,” Nina told her, retrieving her pen. Taking the letters from her colleague, Nina placed one on the scales of the franking machine.

“No Mightie?” frowned Jade.

“He’s helping Nicholas put up more shelves in his office,” Nina said over her shoulder, as she pressed several buttons on the franking machine. Jade nodded. A vibrating buzz sounded from the next room.

“While I’m here,” began Jade, as she perched on the edge of Nina’s desk. “Did you see my email, about the office Hallowe’en party?”

“Not yet,” Nina replied. She shook her head, before jabbing her thumb into the green button on the franking machine. The mechanical roar returned, swallowing up and spitting out the envelopes. As Nina prodded the red button, a weary groan echoed from the machine, before it fell silent once more. Swiping the franked post, Nina added the letters to the pile of processed envelopes, at the end of the table.

“You are coming, aren’t you?” Jade asked, as she bounced off the table. Tugging on Nina’s arm, she added, “You have to.”

“I don’t know,” replied Nina, with a wrinkled brow and a shrug.

“What d’you mean, “I don’t know.” You have to go,” Jade insisted. “It’s your first office party. How long have you been here, now?”

“Seven months,” mumbled Nina, as her brows slanted together. Forcing a swallow, the red head dropped her sight to her shoes.

“Wow! That’s gone quick,” Jade exclaimed.

Walking over to her desk, Nina dropped into her seat and began tapping the keys of her keyboard. “I’ll look at that email while you’re here, if that’s okay,” Nina told her.

“Sure,” agreed Jade, as she stood beside the red head. “You do know everyone now, right?”

“I think so,” muttered Nina, poking her violet glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“Then there’s no need to worry,” Jade insisted, as she placed a hand on Nina’s shoulder. “You can come with me, if you want.” Arching her head towards Jade, Nina gave her a warm smile.

“Thanks,” she beamed back. “When is it?”

“Hallowe’en night, of course,” replied the brunette, with a giggle.

“Okay,” chuckled Nina, as her eyes skimmed across Jade’s email. Lines puckered her brow. “Where is Olde Hollow Manor?” Nina asked.

“Y’know the old building on the corner of Hollow’s island and the pumpkin farm? The one with the big windows and the huge iron gates?” Jade asked. The lined deepened on Nina’s forehead, as she nodded.

“Is that the house that has a huge dead tree in the garden?” asked Nina. “And every year, for Hallowe’en, someone makes a headless scarecrow and dangles it from the tree?”

“Yeah,” Jade beamed, with wide eyes. “You know it?” Nina nodded. “It used to belong to the old office owner, Mr Crane, before he passed away,” she went on. “He left his estate to the office, in his will.”

“That sounds a little odd,” said Nina, as she spun her chair around, to face Jade. “Didn’t he have any family to leave it to?” Jade shook her head.

“His work was his life. We were his family. We all thought he would live forever,” Jade explained, as her shoulders drooped.

“He didn’t lose his head, did he?” asked Nina, with a shudder.

“What?” Jade blurted, as her eyes bulged from their sockets. “No,” she laughed. “Whatever made you think that?”

“His name and the house’s made me think of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’, the Washington Irving story,” Nina muttered, dropping her eyes to a patch on the carpet between them. Her intestines swirled into knots. Her cheeks stung, as her face reddened. ‘You voiced your thoughts out loud again,’ she scolded herself, pinching her lips in. “I didn’t mean to think it, it sorta just popped into my head.” Jade’s cheeks turned a rosy hue, as she chuckled.

“What’re you like?” Jade mused, shaking her head. “He died of a heart attack. We were the only ones at his funeral.”

“How sad,” muttered Nina.

“Anyways,” Jade shrugged. Straightening her posture, her beaming smile and excited sparkle returned. “We hold all our office parties there. They’re taken very seriously. Everyone has to attend.”

“We’ll see,” Nina shrugged.

A shrill creak seeped into the room, as the door closest to the franking machine swung open. Nina spun her head around, to the new room enterer. Dressed in a suit of deep marl grey, a man with swept back, silver hair entered the post room, with a stack of papers in his arms. “Nina, can you do me two copies of this, and put them all in lever arches, by lunch on Monday, please?” he asked. “I need them for a court hearing.”

“Yeah,” nodded Nina. Sliding her chair back, Nina retrieved the pile of paperwork.

“Neil!” Jade gasped. “You have to convince Nina to go to the office Hallowe’en party.”

“Nina, you have to go,” the silver-haired man told her, with a warm smile. “It’s a chance for you to get to know everyone outside of work.”

“I know Jade,” she told him, as her eyebrows rose and her voice went high. Stiffening her shoulders, Nina forced a smile, as she felt a lump form in her throat.

“Yes,” sighed the silver fox. “But it would be nice to get to know everyone else. And we’d all like to get to know you,” Neil told her. Pinching her lips in. Nina shrugged. “Jade, I’m leaving her in your capable hands,” he said with a nod. Sweeping back through the door, it creaked closed behind him.

 

*

 

As the weekend flashed by, Nina found herself back in the converted-garage, office on Monday morning, as if she had never left. Rustling a stack of papers together, the lady with waist-length bronze hair, slotted them into a plastic tray, on the wall, above her head. A thud echoed, from the adjoining room. A stack of empty envelopes fluttered to the floor. With a sigh, Nina crouched down and gathered them up. Bouncing to her toes, she dropped the collected envelopes into the recycling bin, beside her. Another bang sounded. She flinched, stiffening her shoulder blades. Flickering her sight to her desk, Nina reached out for the last unopened envelope. As she grabbed the ‘Date Received’ stamp, the door to her room opened. “Hello lovely,” sang Jade. “Did you have a nice weekend?”

“Yes, thanks. Did you?” Nina replied, as she stamped the letter. Returning the stamp to her shelf with her left hand, she slotted the last letter into one of the pigeonholes above her, with her right.

“Yes, thank you,” Jade responded, as she placed a document into the photocopier, behind Nina. “It feels like ages ago already though and it’s not even lunch,” she complained with a sigh. Prodding her finger into a large, round button, Jade’s document swept inside the copier. As it flew out the other end, Jade snatched it, before saying, “I’ll be back in a sec. I just have to drop this off in reception.”

“Okay,” sang Nina, as the brunette swept out of the room.

Talons scratched. Feathers rustled. Rhythmical thudding beat down on the rickety roof, overhead. Shooting her eyes up towards the ceiling, Nina watched as a flock of pigeons nestled in the space between the frosted ceiling glass and the garage roof. Splosh. A droplet of rain seeped in through a crack in the glass, splashing on the carpet, beside her desk. Nina rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll get the bucket on my way back,’ she told herself. With a grunt, she heaved the office’s pile of post into her left arm. Cradling her load, Nina grabbed the door handle and swung open the door. “Oh Nina, that’s good timing,” Jade gasped, as the two almost collided. “Are you heading my way?” Nina nodded. “Great! Because there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Jade told her, as the two walked down the corridor. “What are you coming as, to the Hallowe’en party?” Creases lined Nina’s brow, as she forced a swallow. “It’s fancy dress,” Jade rephrased, holding open the door to the next corridor. “No one gets in without a costume.”

“Thanks,” muttered Nina, as she passed through the doorway. “Costume?” she muttered, feeling her throat close up, as lines creased her forehead. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, hunching her shoulders. “You know I don’t do well with crowds of people as it is.” The thought of drawing attention to herself made Nina’s heart flop to her stomach. A queasy churning swirled her intestines around in a circumbendibus. She lowered her chin to her chest, as her heart pounded against her ribcage.

As Jade held the door open, to the next office block, the spiralling in Nina’s stomach increased. Stepping into the open office space, a lump lodged in her throat. In front of Nina lay a room with five, large, right-angled, U-shaped desks on the left and right-hand sides of the room, with a walkway down the centre. Alongside the five desks, on the right-hand side of the room, lay five doors, each leading to a small room. These small rooms were large enough to hold a desk and several filing cabinets. Inside each room sat a member of staff a lot higher up the food chain than Nina. The desks in the open area were for secretaries and assistants, while the conveyancing executives housed the side rooms. Staring down the corridor, at all of the desks, a familiar sinking feeling tugged at her chest. Nina’s eyes scanned the room. All but two of the desks were full. ‘Mightie must still helping Nicholas,’ Nina noted, spotting the first desk, on the left of the room, where the other office junior sat, empty.

“Morning ladies,” exclaimed Jade as they approached the first desk.

“Morning Darla,” Nina smiled, to a lady with short, spikey, burgundy hair, as she approached the first desk on the right side-hand the room.

“Good morning Jade. Morning Nina,” cheered Darla, looking up from her computer screen. Nearing the first office door, Nina gave a knock.

“Morning Caroline, here’s your post,” Nina said, as she handed over a wodge of letters to a lady with long, sunny blonde hair, sat behind a desk, towered high with mustard yellow, burnt red and forest green coloured folders.

“Thanks Nina,” replied Caroline. “Can you just add it to the pile?” Nina smiled with a nod, placing Caroline’s new addition of post onto the nearest pile of folders.

“Caroline!” Jade called, standing in the doorway. “Don’t you think Nina would make a good ginger kitty?”

“Yeah,” beamed the blonde, looking up from her computer screen. “That’d be great. Is Nina a cat?” she asked, her voice eager, her eyes wide.

“She hasn’t decided,” Jade muttered, rolling her eyes. “Look at all this red hair,” Jade exclaimed, stroking a hand down Nina’s ponytail. Scraped back, Nina’s long red hair trailed down to the hollow of her lower back. “I can just picture you as a ginger tabby,” Jade said, with sparkling eyes. A nervous laugh escaped Nina, as she curled a stray piece of hair, from her outgrown fringe behind her ear.

“Nina, you don’t want to be a cutesy, little cat,” Darla told her, with a wrinkled nose, as she shook her head. “Wolves are where it’s at,” Darla told her, as she pointed her pen towards a photograph of a wolf on her noticeboard. “You can let loose and actually have some fun. You’re gonna wanna be a werewolf.”

“Come on Darla,” laughed Jade. “Can you really picture quiet, shy, little Nina, as a ferocious werewolf?”

“It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for,” came a shout from the next doorway.

Feeling her cheeks redden, Nina kept her head low. She hunched her shoulders. The spiralling tightened in her stomach, as she shuffled towards the next office door. “Morning Melaina,” Nina managed to say. She focused her eye contact on the plant to the side of Melaina’s computer, as she lingered in the doorway. “Here’s your post,” she squeaked, handing Melaina a thin collection of papers.

“So, what d’yer think Nina, is a werewolf more your style?” Melaina asked, with a toothy grin and wild eyes, retrieving her post. “Thank you,” she added.

“I’m not sure,” Nina shrugged, forcing a swallow, as she swayed from one foot to the other.

“No, she’s not a werewolf,” came a shout from the lady sat outside Melaina’s door. Spinning around, Nina noticed Kim, a petite lady, with short, dark hair and long, black, pointed nail extensions that clattered against the keyboard keys as she typed. “I see you more as a witch,” Kim told her, with a gleam in her eye. A smile prodded into the right corner of Nina’s cheek.

‘A witch sounds a lot nicer than a werewolf,’ Nina decided, hugging the rest of the post to her chest.

Cackled laughter broke out in the far-right corner of the room. “Come off it,” growled Jovan, a tall man with a head of sandy curls, who sat at the end desk. “Nina can be a werewolf if she wants to be,” he growled. “Besides, you really think she’ll be cursing and spelling everyone?”

“Of course not,” laughed Jade, skipping towards the group. Two of the conveyancing executives, from the side offices, Sabrina and Gloria, left their side rooms, to join in on the conversation with Jade, Jovan, Coral and Felicity. Gloria, a tall lady with dark hair and a low-cut dress, began cackling with Sabrina, a blonde-haired lady, with a revealing blouse. Felicity, who sat at the desk between Kim and Jovan, rose from her seat to linger in Coral’s doorway, situated at the far end of the room.

“Those witches don’t know what they’re talking about. Nina’s a cat. It’s obvious,” Felicity hissed to Coral, who nodded.

Keeping her head low, Nina kept eye contact with the floor. Her heart rapped in her ribcage. Pulse pounded in her ears. Her breathing grew shallow. ‘They’re talking about me as if I’m not even in the room. Why can’t the ground just open up and swallow me?’ she cried to herself, as she approached Gloria’s office.

“Do you remember last time, Hattie’s lot got so drunk, they were dancing on the tables?” Sabrina chuckled.

“Dancing?” sneered Coral, a lady with golden coloured hair, cut to a short bob. “They were doing the zombie shuffle, more like it.” As they all burst out laughing, Nina poked Gloria and Sabrina’s piles of post in their direction, before shuffling away to the desks on the other side of the room.

“I think she’ll suit a witch more. Don’t you agree, Gloria?” Nina heard Sabrina say.

“I should hope so,” agreed Gloria, in a demanding tone. With her back to them, Nina shuddered.

“Whatever,” Jovan grumbled, as he stooped his head and returned to typing.

Hunching her shoulders, Nina’s insides swirled into knots. Her chest began to tremble as everyone spoke about her as though she were not there. Lines creased Nina’s forehead, as she shuffled towards three ladies huddled around one U-shaped desk, in the top left-hand corner of the room. A smile eased into Nina’s cheeks as she neared them. One blonde, one brunette and one red head, the three ladies looked towards Nina with sympathetic smiles. “You don’t wanna be no hairy werewolf,” the red-head, Scarlet, scoffed. “How about a vampire?”

“Yeah, join me and Scarlet,” smiled Evangeline, the brunette. “It’s a lot more glamorous and fun,” she added with a chuckle. Nina beamed back at her, as she handed Evangeline the group’s post.

“Yes,” boomed the deep voice of Edric, the office odd-job man, who sat at the desk behind. “Be one of yours truly.” A shudder crept up Nina’s spine, as Edric rose from his desk and strode towards them. Nina took a hesitant step back. Wobbling, she bumped into the blonde lady’s computer screen.

“Sorry,” Nina whispered.

“No worries,” sang Luna. “If I were you, I’d hide from Edric too,” she added with a giggle. Nina pressed a hand to her mouth, as a silent giggle escaped her.

“You’re scaring her off, Edric,” laughed Felicity, the fair-haired lady, who remained stood outside of Coral’s office.

“I’m not,” Edric declared, pushing his chest out, as he strode towards her. “Everyone knows vampires are superior.”

“Ignore him,” Felicity called over to Nina, wafting a hand in Edric’s direction. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’d make a lovely kitty cat.”

“Thank you,” replied Nina, with flushing cheeks.

“See,” Jade exclaimed, appearing at Nina’s side.

“I agree,” Coral called, from her office. “You’ve gotta be a cat.”

“I think you should,” Luna told her, in a small voice, looking up from her computer screen.

“Suit yourself,” grumbled Scarlet, with a shrug. “But you’re missing out.” Evangeline gave Nina a sympathetic smile. “My way makes most sense,” Nina heard Scarlett mutter, as her fingers thundered into her keyboard’s keys.

A shuffle of footsteps sounded behind them. Creases lined Nina’s brow, as she turned around. “You’re all forgetting the main players,” came an interruption from a short, plump lady, with midnight-black hair. “The zombies.” Groans sounded. Nina watched as several people roll their eyes.

“Ruth, even I know Nina won’t be a zombie,” laughed Jovan, with spite, as Sabrina and Gloria returned to their offices. Heads went down. Fingers typed fast. Ruth let out a huge sigh, as the room ignored her and she shuffled down the room, to her desk, between Edric and Mightie.

A vibration buzzed. “Arh!” exclaimed Edric, sliding his mobile phone out of his pocket. “I have been summoned,” he added and strode off, down the corridor, in the direction that Nina and Jade had come from.

“He really is full of something, isn’t he?” Felicity chuckled, once Edric has left the room.

“Yeah, he’s full of hot air,” jeered Jovan. “That’s why vampires explode in sunlight, isn’t it?” Laughter broke out across the room.

 

*

 

A churning swirled in Nina’s stomach, as she followed Jade through the door into the next office. Her vision turned hazy, as the conversations from the previous room spiralled around in her mind. ‘Cats, werewolves, witches, vampires, zombies? Goodness, these guys take Hallowe’en pretty seriously,’ Nina thought, with a shudder.

As Jade swung open the door, all eyes turned towards them. Eight right-angled, U-shaped desks sat in two rows of four, facing each other, in the centre of the room. Nina’s cheeks began to burn, as eyes stared at them. “Jade’s back,” sang Kate, a lady with wild, dark hair, sat at the furthest desk, on the left.

“Morning Nina,” came a chorus from all in the room.

“Morning,” replied Nina, forcing her biggest smile. As Jade wandered around to her seat, the second desk on the right, Nina followed her, past Symone, on the end, to a tall woman in a long, black dress, with her blonde hair scraped back into a bun, who sat the other side of Jade. “Here’s the post, Harriet,” Nina whispered, as she handed the room’s post to their team’s leader.

“Thanks,” Harriett muttered, without giving Nina a second glance.

“Nina’s going to the Hallowe’en party as a cat,” Jade announced to the room. Lowering her chin to her chest Nina felt her cheeks burn a bright crimson. Her shoulders stiffened. Her feet rooted to the spot, as heads shot up from their desks and stared at her.

“Really?” asked Dahlia, a tall lady, with long dark hair, who sat opposite Jade, with a puckered brow.

“Why would you pick that?” retorted Angelina, a stern lady who sat next to Dahlia, and who was closest to the door.

“That’s okay,” spoke up a petite, blonde lady, named Symone, with a sad smile, who sat opposite Angelina. “Nina can decide what she wants,” Symone added with a sharp tongue, as she gave Angelina a scowl. Turning towards Symone, Nina’s mouth froze open.

“I, I, I haven’t decided yet,” Nina stuttered.

“That’s good,” chimed Audrey, the dark-haired lady, who sat opposite Harriet. “You don’t want to be a cat anyway. You can join Harriet and I as zombies.”

“Not zombies, witches,” Angelina projected. Nina’s eyes widened. Turning her attention to Angelina, a lump formed in her throat. “Pay no attention them,” Angelina told Nina, waving a hand in Audrey’s direction. “You’d make a far better witch. Think of the superiority and power that comes with it,” she told Nina, with a gleam in her eye.

“What a loada rubbish,” scoffed Kate, raising her voice, in the far corner. “Werewolves are better.”

As arguments continued to swirl around, with regards to Nina’s fancy dress costume, the red head darted her eyes to the carpet, as she shuffled a few steps back from everyone, towards the wall. A stack of folders clattered to the ground. Nina flinched. “I’m so sorry,” she blurted out. As she jumped to the ground to collect the scattered folders she had knocked down, no one appeared to notice, as their Hallowe’en party discussion continued.

Glen, a tall man, who sad at the end of Jade’s row, let out a huge, over exaggerated sigh. Silence. All eyes turned towards him. “I’ve had enough of all of you bickering,” Glen grumbled. Taking a slurp of his coffee, he thumped the mug back on his desk. “Instead of pestering the poor girl, why don’t you let her decide for herself,” Glen projected, in a gruff, demanding tone. Turning towards him, a smile prodded into the right corner of Nina’s cheek. “You don’t have to listen to them, you know,” Glen told her. “Squabbling over witches, zombies, cats, werewolves and vampires. There’s more to Hallowe’en than those five groups.”

“Glen’s just jealous, because none of the groups wanted him,” sniggered Audrey.

“He doesn’t wanna be eaten is more like it,” she heard Kate mutter to herself, in the corner. Nina’s eyes shot wide open, at Kate’s comment. A breathy nervous laugh escaped Nina, as she rubbed a hand to the back of her neck.

‘Eaten?’ she repeated to herself, as she scooted out of the room. ‘Something weird is going on, and I’m not sure I want to go to this party anymore.’

 

*

 

On Nina’s return to the post room, an inquisitive hum escaped her. ‘Glen seems to be the only person that’s made any sense this morning,’ she thought. ‘Everyone else seems to be starting a Hallowe’en turf war, each wanting me to join their side.’ Shaking her head, Nina chuckled to herself, as she gathered together the next bundle of post for delivering. ‘I like Jade, but I’m not sure being a cat is right for me,’ Nina decided. Her shoulders drooped. “I wonder,” she muttered aloud. ‘I like the idea of being myself,’ she decided with a proud nod, before leaving the post room once more. As she exited her room, Nina turned left. Stopping outside of the first office, on the left, Nina felt her heart trembled. Her right knee gave a nervous bounce. A lump lodged in her throat. Her palms grew sweaty. Taking in a slow, deep breath, Nina knocked on the door.

“Come in,” came a deep, dreary voice. Nina creaked open the door and peered her head inside.

A large, balding man sat at his desk, in the centre of the room. His large figure loomed over the petite chair that he was stationed in. It creaked beneath him, as he reached out to return his telephone handset to the receiver. Paper, folders and files littered the long, thin wooden desk. To the left sat a petite lady, typing away on a computer keyboard. Behind the gentleman sat at the desk, stood another balding man, perched on a stepladder. Nina’s eyes widened, as she watched her colleague, Mightie, hammer a nail into the wall.

“Morning Nina,” cheered the blonde lady. “I’ll take Nicholas’ post,” she told her, adding, “There’s won’t be much room on his desk today,” in a whisper. Smiling back at her, Nina nodded.

“No worries Amethyst,” Nina replied, as she handed the post over. “Morning Nicholas!” she added.

“Morning Nina,” he grumbled. Nicolas’ head hovered in place and his bottom lip murmured the beginning of several sounds, as he searched his desk for something. His eyes darted over the mass of papers and files, oblivious to Nina standing in front of him.

“Sorry I didn’t help with the post,” called Mightie, as he slid a slat of wood onto some brackets that he had been fitting to the wall.

“It’s okay,” Nina replied with a shrug.

“Hey, did you get the Hallowe’en party invite, on Friday?” asked Mightie, clambering down from the step ladder. Pinching her lips in, Nina nodded. “So, whatcha going as? Care to join me and Nicolas as zombies?” he asked, patting a hand to one of Nicolas’ broad shoulders.

“Erm,” Nina muttered, lowering her sight to her shoes. “I, I don’t know if I want to go,” she confessed, swallowing at a lump in her throat.

“Oh, but you must,” boomed Nicolas, dropping his pen, as he looked up at her. “This is the most important event of the past fifty years. You must,” he insisted, with wide eyes. “She must, tell her Amethyst,” he said as more of an order to his secretary, than a statement.

“It would be lovely if you came, Nina,” Amethyst told her, with a soft smile. “You’ve got to unwind at some point. Even Nicholas gives himself the night off,” she added with a chuckle. Flickering a glance from Amethyst, to Nicolas and back again, Nina gave her a weak smile.

“It feels like a lot of pressure,” muttered Nina, returning her sight to her shoes.

“Please try not to let the others intimidate you. It really is a nice time. You don’t have to stay long,” she added with an assuring smile. “At least say you’ll think about it?” Prodding the right corner of her mouth into her cheek, Nina let her shoulders relax, as she looked back at Amethyst.

“Okay,” Nina replied, in a small voice, with a nod. A warm smile stretched across Amethyst’s face.

 

*

 

Climbing up the grand, marble staircase, to the first floor, the chilling sound of an organ playing a gothic melody chimed in Nina’s ears. ‘That’s strange… I’ve never seen an organ here,’ puzzled Nina, as lines creased her forehead. ‘There’s nowhere to hide one; the first floor is tiny.’ As she neared the top of the stairs, the music sent a shudder down her spine. With a wrinkle of her nose, she stiffened her shoulder blades.

A door sat at the top of the last step. Opening the door, Nina stepped into a postage stamp size corridor, containing seven doors – two in front, two to the left and right and one behind her to her right, beside the door she had just entered through. As the door to the staircase closed behind her, Nina squinted her eyes, as she strained her ears. The organ music sounded tinny. ‘Of course,’ Nina realised. ‘It must be playing on a computer. It’s pretty loud though – and coming from the partner floor too!’ The upper floor of the building housed the four highest up people in the company and their three personal assistants.

A thudding pounded in her chest. Her palms dampened. Taking in a slow, shaky breath, Nina knocked upon the door that was in line with the stairs. “Come in,” rattled a male voice. Squeaking open the door, Nina handed over the post to the slim gentleman at the desk. A thin, bony hand reached out towards her. “Thank you, Nina,” he said with a smile. “While you’re there, would you mind passing me the orange file on the third shelf down?” he asked, his trembling hand pointing a boned finger to the cabinet beside her.

“Of course, Barry,” she replied with her biggest smile.

As she turned towards Barry’s filing cabinet, her eyes widened. Sat in the centre of the shelf, in front of all of the ring binders and stacks of paper was the fattest file Nina had seen in her entire seven months with the company. Wrapped in an amber cardboard folder, the file was wider than two lever-arch’s, with pages exploding out. A wodge of paperwork lay on top, with eleven elastic bands wrapped around it. ‘Of course, I had to get the big thing. Barry’s so thin, his bones would snap if he tried to lift it,’ Nina acknowledged. Sliding the remained of the office’s post onto the edge of Barry’s bookshelf, a grunt escaped Nina and she heaved the amber file from the shelf and placed it on Barry’s desk. Her eyes flickered from his blazer sleeves that dangled from his arms, to his shirt that hung from his frame. Nina felt her eyes widen, as she stared at him. ‘He’s so poorly,’ she observed. Barry’s body trembled, as he spluttered a chesty cough. She averted her eyes to the post, slid Barry’s pile on the corner of his desk and scooted out of his office.

The next office along belonged to the office chief, Neil, or the Silver Fox as he was known by most of the staff. As Nina knocked on his office door and stepped inside, the tinny Dracula-style organ music grew louder. Neil’s head appeared over a pile of files. He scribbled away in his notebook, with his right hand, while he typed on his computer keyboard with his left, with his phone receiver squeezed between his left ear and his hunched shoulder. “Hiya,” he whispered, smiling at Nina. “Just pop the post on the top,” he instructed. Nina’s eyes widened, as she noticed his large fangs, for the first time. Nodding her head, Nina smiled back, as she placed Neil’s post on top of his stack of files.

The door to the next office along lay open. Inside sat a lady the same age as Nina. With a baggy cardigan draped over her shoulders, she clawed a hand through her hair, as Nina passed by her office. “Hey Nina,” she cheered, as the red head passed by her office. Doubling back, Nina peered inside.

“Hi Rachel. You okay?” asked Nina.

“Yeah,” Rachel replied with a groan. “You any good at reading Neil’s handwriting?” she asked.

“I can try,” replied Nina, with a shrug.

“Thanks,” Rachel muttered, as she held a notebook out towards the red head. “It either says coarse or course and it’ll mean completely different things in the clause, but I can’t ask him. Grrr,” she grumbled. The blonde slammed her pen down on the table, flopped back in her chair and folded her arms at her chest. “Sometimes I think life would be so much easier if I just spoke to my dogs all day. I’d get more sense out of them,” she decided with a nod. Nina giggled, as she looked up at the photograph on Rachel’s desk of her two golden retrievers, Spencer and Otis. Returning her attention back to the notebook, Nina prodded her mouth into her right cheek, as she squinted at Neil’s scribble.

“I think it says coarse. Neil curls in the beginning of his a’s, but it doesn’t look like he does with the letter u,” Nina told her, as she wrinkled her nose. “But I wouldn’t quote me as evidence,” she added, with a nervous laugh. Handing the notebook back, Nina smiled at the photograph of two golden retrievers, remembering the time she helped Rachel look after them, when she had to bring them into the office one day.

“No worries,” Rachel sang, before letting out a deep sigh. “Say, has anyone spoken to you about the Hallowe’en party yet?”

“That’s all everyone is talking about,” mumbled Nina, gripping the remaining piles of post tight to her chest, as her smile drained from her face.

“Has anyone explained the divide to you yet?”

“The divide?” repeated Nina, with a puckered brow.

“Right,” Rachel nodded. “I take it you already know it’s fancy dress?” It was Nina’s turn to nod. “Okay, well, the werewolves, vampires, witches, cats and zombies all have six members. With you joining, you’ll overthrow the balance.”

“Is that why everyone’s been acting a bit nuts?” asked Nina, with a nervous chuckle.

“Have you been recruited yet?” Rachel asked, in a whisper, as she leant towards Nina.

“I feel like I’m part of a tug of war and everyone’s pulling me in different directions. I keep telling everyone I haven’t decided. I don’t even know if I want to go,” Nina cried. She hunched her shoulders, hugging the post tighter at her chest, as she daggered her nails into her biceps.

“You have to go,” Rachel told her.

“What side are you on?” asked Nina.

“The werewolves,” she replied with a grin. “There’s me, Melaina, Darla, Jovan, Kate and Symone. Jovan’s the leader. Joanna, Bella and Neil are the vampires, with Bella’s husband, Edric, and Scarlet and Evangeline, from downstairs – Neil’s their leader. Vincent part of the witches and warlocks, with Gloria, Sabrina, Angelina, Dahlia and Kim – Gloria’s their leader and she really is a witch,” she muttered, with a shudder. “Blanche is with the zombies, so that’s Nicholas, Mightie, Hattie, Audrey and Ruth, and Nicholas is in charge of them. Last you’ve got the cats, which are Jade, Coral, Luna, Caroline, Felicity and Amethyst – Jade’s their leader, no surprises there,” Rachel added, as she rolled her eyes.

“What about Barry and Glen?” asked Nina, as puzzled lines wrinkled her brow.

“Their dead meat,” Rachel chuckled. “Seriously,” she went on. “All you’ve gotta do is look at Barry, and you know there’s no more to him than a skeleton. Glen’s a gormless gargoyle, that’s what you get for being a free spirit,” she chortled, scrunching her nose.

“Why didn’t they have to pick sides?” Nina asked, with a slight pout.

“Things were different back then,” Rachel told her, with a shrug. “Trust me,” she whispered, leaning towards Nina. “If you wanna survive this place, pick one. I’m not gonna force you into a group, but if you do pick werewolves, I’ve got your back.” Prodding the right corner of her mouth into her cheek, Nina gave Rachel a nod. “I won’t be offended what group you pick. I don’t care about the whole werewolf, witch, vampire group thing,” Rachel told her, as she shrugged her right shoulder. “I couldn’t care less about it all. I’m just stuck here. I keep my head down, get on with my work and let them do all the bickering.”

“Same,” Nina replied, with a soft chuckle.

“You’ll be fine,” Rachel assured her. “You’ve always got me to talk to – and Jade, although she is a bit of a popular princess, so maybe just me.”

“Thank you,” whispered Nina, as her eyebrows slanted upwards.

Turning away from Rachel’s office, Nina knocked upon the door to one of the company’s older, senior partners, Joanna. “Morning Nina,” sang the blonde, in a bright cheerful tone, as Nina handed her a pile of post. “Have you decided upon a side to join for the Hallowe’en party, yet?” she asked.

“Not yet,” murmured Nina, as she hunched her shoulders.

“Sorry, you’ve probably been asked that question a hundred times already, haven’t you?” Joanna chuckled. As Nina managed to smile back, her eyes were drawn to the fangs that poked through the solicitor’s smile. Her skin wrinkle free, no lines creased Joanna’s face.

‘I’m sure someone told me Joanna is double my age, but she looks younger than me,’ Nina noticed. ‘Even I have creases under my eyes and laughter lines.’

“Well, you’ll be very welcome at the vampire table,” Joanna beamed at Nina, before returning her attention to her computer.

‘Maybe she is a real vampire,’ Nina mused, as she closed the door to Joanna’s office and continued her post deliveries.

Passing Bella’s open office door, the red head waved, as she saw Barry’s personal assistant typing away. “Morning Nina,” called a lady, with a grey pixie cut, as she turned her head towards her doorway. Nina smiled back as she sang morning. A frown furrowed Nina’s brow, as she thought she noticed long fangs from Bella’s smile too.

“Hello Nina,” croaked Blanch, from the next room, as the red head bounced by.

“Morning Blanch,” Nina cheered, as the lady with long, dark curly hair struggled to rise from her chair. “Are you okay?” Nina asked, taking a step towards the secretary. The fabric of Blanch’s floor length navy dress rustled, as she shuffled towards the office junior.

“Would you mind running a few copies of this document through the photocopier for me, please?” Blanch croaked. “I’d do it myself, but my legs aren’t what they used to be.”

“No worries Blanch,” Nina smiled, as she retrieved the document. “I just have to pass Vincent his post and I’ll be right on it.”

“You are a dear,” beamed Blanch.

Turning towards the final door on the first floor, Nina was about to knock upon Vincent’s office door, when he called, “Come in, Nina.” Nina found herself giggling as she stepped inside.

“Morning Vincent. Here’s your post,” she said, as she neared his desk. Her eyes flickered around his office, as she shuddered a step back. He was not sat at his desk, nor was his computer on his desk. Instead, what Nina could only describe as a glowing crystal ball sat, pride of place, in the centre of Vincent’s desk. Hunched in the corner, over a small table, Vincent typed away on a laptop.

“I’ll take the post over here,” Vincent called, over his shoulder. Unable to take her eyes off the bowling ball sized, glowing, white orb that sat in the centre of Vincent’s desk, upon a wooden frame, her lips parted, as she shuffled towards Vincent and handed him his post.

 

*

 

As the week progressed, Nina kept her head down and tried to spend the majority of her time in the post room, hiding away from everyone. Before she knew it, it was already Saturday evening, and Hallowe’en night. A cluster of dead trees’ branches clattered together, under the whistling wind. Crisp leaves swept down the street, sticking to puddles and gathering in drain covers. Hunching her shoulders, Nina hugged her bare biceps. ‘It’s my own fault for not wearing a coat,’ she scolded herself, as goosebump prickled up her arms. The clip clop of Nina’s heels echoed around her, as she neared the old mansion, opposite the pumpkin patch. Her eyes flickered from the dried wooden fencing, outline the edge of the farmland on the opposite side of the road, to the buildings alongside her and the road in between. The street lay deserted. ‘I’m sure I’m in the right place,’ she told herself, as she forced a swallow. ‘And Jade’s email said six o’clock, on Hallowe’en night,’ she remembered, flickering a glance towards the setting amber sky at the horizon. ‘Surely others should be on their way.’

As she approached the gated entrance, to Olde Hollow Manor, a headless scarecrow dangled from the bare trees, just as it always did, every year on Hallowe’en. ‘How funny,’ she mused. ‘I have walked past this place so many times and it’s always drawn my attention. Now I actually get to go inside.’

Lifting the iron latch, the towering metal gate gave a sinister creak, as Nina pushed it open. She squinted her eyes, as the shrill squeak of the rusted iron scraping across its hinges sent a shudder through her body. Determined not to bring too much attention to herself, Nina parted the gates with just enough space for her to squeeze through. She gasped. Arching her head over her shoulder, Nina checked that her butterfly-style wings made it through gap she gave herself in the gates. As the gate clattered closed, Nina took a moment to calm her nerves, before stepping inside. Holding her arms out, in front of her, Nina admired her handywork. A twisted ivy coloured pipe cleaner wrapped around both of her wrists and up her arms, with a few thumbnail sized fabric daisies hot-glued in various places. Her dress was leaf green, with a grass-like trim above the knee. A palm-sized daisy pendant hung from her neck. Stiffening her shoulder blades, Nina seeped in a long, slow breath. ‘I can do this,’ she told herself, as she exhaled. ‘I can do this,’ she repeated, taking another deep breath.

As Nina’s nerves settled, she clambered up the three deep, stone steps that led to the door. A large, arched, eight-foot tall, deep mahogany door stood before her. Three stain glass, arrow slit windows, with a pattern of roses and thorns, lay in the centre of the door, from the height of Nina’s waist, up to over a foot above her head.  ‘I shouldn’t be here,’ she told herself with a deflated sigh. ‘It feels disrespectful. I never met Mr Crane. I shouldn’t be at his house,’ she scolded herself. A black silhouette appeared on the other side of the stain glass window. Nina flinched, gasping, as the door creaked open.

“Greetings,” croaked Mightie, as he appeared in the doorway. “Can I take your coat, ma’am? Oh,” he muttered, noticing Nina’s bare arms. “You don’t have a coat. Hi Nina.”

“Mightie?” Nina chuckled with a frown. Looking him up and down, the lines on Nina’s forehead deepened, as she noticed his torn, grey trousers, blood-stained white shirt and a grubby blazer, with a torn sleeve. His face was blotched with white face paint and a red liquid oozed from his bald head. ‘He’s a zombie,’ she realised, as he let out an eerie groan. “You do know that you don’t have to wait on everyone outside of work, like you in the office, right?” she asked, turning towards him, as he closed the door behind her.

“Oh, but we must keep out place,” declared Edric, at Mightie’s side, dressed in a clean, grey suit, with a black bowtie and a long black cape.

“Are you a fairy?” Mightie asked. “That’s real brave,” he added, as a shudder crept up his spine.

“Nymph,” Nina corrected him, under her breath.

The muffled voices that Nina had heard, when Mightie first opened the door, turned to silence. A stern expression curled onto Edric’s face. A shudder crept up Nina’s spine. Her heart raced. Forcing a swallow at the lump that had formed in her throat, Nina turned around. Stood at the top of a ten-step platform, Nina’s eyes widened as she found herself looking down upon a large, open plan, dining area. Five round, black tables, each with six chairs were spread out over a stone floor. On the far side of the room was a narrow stage, with a slim podium situated front and centre. A deep-scarlet, velvet curtain draped on either side of the stage. Nina tried hard not to frown at the curtains that appeared to cover a warm-grey painted brick wall. In the centre of the room lay a narrow, small, round pedestal, with what appeared to be a sundial perched on the top. A puzzled expression puckered Nina’s brow, as she flickered a glance up to the ceiling. Two huge, elegant chandeliers hung either side of a circular, skyline window.

Whispered mumbles turned Nina’s attention to her colleagues. Dotted around the room were a collection of pointed, witch’s hats, cat ears, long capes, torn clothes with wild hair, various people with make-up covered faces with scars and blood stains, all with wine glasses in their hands. All eyes stared at her. Nina hunched her shoulders, feeling her face turn a deep scarlet, bright enough to match the room’s curtains. Looking out across the room at her colleagues, the room was full of daggered scowls and malicious glares. Nina’s breaths grew shaky. Her knees trembled. Shuffling a step back, Nina gasped as bumped into Mightie and Edric, who stood at her heels, to prevent her from leaving. Nina’s eyes widened, as she threw her head over her shoulder towards Mightie and Edric, before looking back over all of the eyes staring at her. Snarls and daggered eyes glared back at her.

“No,” howled Audrey, as she stomped her foot, sloshing her Prosecco from its glass. “How dare she,” she growled, staggering over to other members of the zombie group.

“She’s dead,” hissed Angelina through gritted teeth. Dipping her head, Angelina’s witch’s hat hid her face from view and her mystic purple dress trailed across the ground behind her, as she swept away from the crowd, towards the silver fox, Neil, at the back of the room.

Wishing for the ground to sink and swallow her whole, Nina took a hesitate step forward. Her heart raced. Her breathing grew shallow. Her vision clouded, as tingling danced in her brain. ‘Focus,’ she warned herself, flickering her lashes, in attempts to regain her concentration. Scanning her eyes across the room below her, Nina’s lips parted, as she spotted Amethyst, dressed in a black turtleneck jumper and a long black skirt, with a pair for fuzzy cat ears on her head, and an amethyst pendant around her neck. A small make-up black circle covered the tip of Amethyst’s nose and three whiskers striped both cheeks. Amethyst had made her way to the bottom of the steps and gave Nina a soft smile. Smiling back, Nina shuffled down the stairs and towards her.

“Nina, you look wonderful,” Amethyst beamed. “I’m so glad that you made it.”

“Thank you,” Nina said in a soft voice, as she stood beside the blonde. “You look lovely too,” she smiled.

“A fairy suits you,” Amethyst told her with a warm tone.

“I though Nina The Nymph sounded fun,” Nina replied, with a small giggle.

“Did you make these?” asked Amethyst, as she pointed to the vines wrapped around Nina’s wrists and lower arms. Beaming back, Nina nodded. The red head’s smile drained from her face, as she looked over Amethyst’s shoulder at all of the capes, hats, cat ears and torn costumes that lingered in the background. “Everyone’s going to hate me, aren’t they,” she muttered, as lines puckered her brow. “Rachel told me there was a war between each side,” she added, as she felt her throat close up.

“Don’t worry,” Amethyst assured her, placing a hand on Nina’s shoulder. “You were true to who you are. That’s the best thing you could do.” Smiling back at Amethyst, Nina’s eyes began to sparkle, as she sniffed.

“Thank you,” she whispered back.

“You made it!” beamed Rachel, as she pounced towards them. Nina’s grin grew, as she looked her friend up and down. Wearing torn jeans and a shredded shirt, Rachel punched her fists into her hips, as a golden faux fur cardigan (that reminded Nina of Rachel’s golden retrievers) draped over her shoulders. “You look fab!” she grinned. “You’re much braver than me,” she added. “God, I wish I had your figure. Look at you,” she exclaimed, holding a hand towards a blushing Nina.

“Stop it,” Nina hissed. “You look much better than me,” she told Rachel. “You both do,” she added, turning towards Amethyst.

An excited squeal grew louder, as a clip clop of heels raced towards them. “Nina!” Jade squealed, as she stopped at her side. “A fairy?” she gasped. “Oh my gosh, it suits you. Doesn’t it suit her?” she asked Rachel and Amethyst.

“A nymph,” Nina replied, hunching her shoulders.

“Nina The Nymph,” gasped Jade, as her eyes grew wide. “Oh my gosh! How perfect. You’re so perfect. Isn’t she perfect?” Jade gushed, as her eyes danced over Nina’s dress. “You look so good in a dress. Why don’t you wear one to work? Shouldn’t she wear a dress to the office? Tell her ladies.”

“Stop it,” Nina hissed, stiffening her shoulders, as her brows slanted together. Her eyes gazed at the wine glass in Jade’s hand. ‘And I thought she was crackers before,’ Nina mused. ‘This woman should not be allowed to consume alcohol.’

A cloak wafter past her line of vision, shuddering Nina out of her trance. “You three are the only ones who don’t want to kill me,” Nina said to the three ladies surrounding her, as she felt her throat close tighter. Gripping her hands to her biceps, Nina hunched her back and lowered her head.

“Oh Nina-” Amethyst began with a sigh; however, the blonde’s sentence was cut short by an echo of wooden taping sounds. Heads spun around.

Stood at the centre of the stage, behind the podium, the office’s silver fox, Neil, rapped his hand against the podium, in hopes of gaining everyone’s attention. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Neil announced. “Attention everyone,” he called. Lowering his hands to his sides, Neil’s black, silk cape, with a deep red lining, wavered behind him.

The office chief calling for everyone’s attention appeared to be the key phrase to lead everyone to take a seat. As bodies wandered towards one of the five black, round tables around the room, Nina shuffled back from the crowd and stepped up, onto the second step of the entrance staircase. Watching everyone wander around the floor, to find a seat, Nina noticed that each table house a different fancy dress group. The table furthest from Nina, near the far corner of the stage, appeared to be where all of the vampires gathered. Edric and his wife, Bella, were sat with Joanna and the two younger girls from the large cabin, Scarlet and Evangeline. A sixth chair remained empty, as Neil stood upon the stage. Those at the vampire table were all dressed in black and red. Smiling in Nina’s direction, Evangeline gave the red head a small wave, with her arm decorated in fishnet sleeves.

The table next to the vampires and directly in front of the stage, were the witches. As the group sat down, Sabrina, Angelina, Dahlia and Kim removed their pointed hats. Gloria chose to keep her hat on, as she laced her fingers together on the table, close to her chest, as she looked up at Neil. Sat beside her, Vincent had his dark, greying hair swept back. Jewelled shoulder-plates gleamed at his shoulders and his large, wooden cane, with a gem on the top also sparkled beneath the chandelier light.

Closest to Nina, on her right, was the werewolf table. Opposite from the glamorous looking vampires and witches/warlock tables, everyone sat with Rachel had torn up clothes and scruffy hair. Rachel, Darla, Kate, Melaina, Symone and Jovan all looked, to Nina, as though they had been fighting in a dumpster. Melaina and Kate both donned claw-like nail extensions, while Darla wore a pair scruffy, cat-like ears. Head of the group, Jovan’s scowl, Nina decided, made him look even more like a wolf than she had even thought possible. ‘It’s almost as though he is transforming into one,’ Nina thought, with a slight chuckle, as Jovan’s hair and beard looked even wilder than usual.

Situated behind the vampire and witches table were the zombie group. A shudder crept up Nina’s spine, as she watched the group plonk into their chairs, with a groan. Hattie, Audrey, Ruth, Blanch, Mightie and Nicolas looked hideous, to Nina, with their torn blood-stained clothes and pale makeup, with scars and blood blotched on their faces.

Next to the zombie group, and near the staircase were the cats. With her long chocolate-brown hair, revealing black dress and jade-green stone around her neck, Jade sat tall and proud. Her shoulders were back, and her head was held high, as she faced the Silver Fox. Her pack, Amethyst, Coral, Felicity, Caroline and Luna surrounded her. ‘They are all wearing necklaces,’ Nina noticed, as she looked at each of the women in turn. Jade had a green-jade necklace and she had already noticed that Amethyst was wearing an amethyst. Coral, dressed in a mousey brown colour that matched her bob, wore a coral-coloured rock in a silver cage on a chain at her chest. Felicity wore a long, flowy, white skirt, a low-cut white blouse and a white stone lay at her bust. Caroline too wore white, a long, elegant ivory gown and golden chain around her neck, bearing a large white pearl. Last in the group was Luna, dressed in a skin-tight black dress, knee-high boots and a shimmering white rock, in the shape of a crescent moon hung from a black cord around her neck.

Beside Nina, to her immediate right, sat on two stools were Barry and Glen. Nearest her, Glen was dressed in scrunched up stone-grey clothes, with plastic, pointed ears and a headband of curled horns. Glen’s face was caked in cracking grey face paint. With his arms folded, Glen scrunched up his face, as he looked up at the office’s chief. Next to grumpy Glen sat bony Barry. Dressed in a skin-tight black top and matching trousers, both chalked with bone shapes, Barry’s face was also washed over with a grey powder. As Barry faced Neil, he gripped a large skull, the size of a scarecrow’s pumpkin head, beneath his left arm.

With everyone seated and silent, Neil cleared his throat. “As many of you are aware, tonight marks the two hundredth anniversary of Olde Hollow Manor’s creation,” Neil announced. Nina’s eyes widened.

‘Wow, I’m stood inside a piece of history,’ she realised, as she looked up at the room’s high, stone ceiling.

“This house has been handed down the Crane family since the early eighteen hundreds, and now, we are the lucky ones to carry on the family tradition,” Neil continued, as he brushed a hand through his swept back, silver hair. Heads dipped, as muttered mumblings filtered into the room. “Tonight, is Hallowe’en night. And tonight, we feast,” Neil projected. Shouts, cheers and stomping feet thundered Nina’s ear drums, as the room’s roar of excitement echoed off the stone ceiling and tiled floor.

“Tonight is a special occasion,” Neil continued, as the excitement died down. “Not only is it Hallowe’en, but tonight is also a super full moon, meaning our powers are at their strongest. Tonight, may not be as climactic as we were all hoping for,” he added in a dejected tone, as he flickered Nina a glare. “But let us not waste this opportunity,” the Silver Fox went on, as he continued to address the room full of employees. “To maintain our powers and optimise our full strength, for the next year, we need to feast. Feast like you have never feasted before.” As more cheers and shouts rang out, feet stomped and fists pounded the tables, three lines wrinkled Nina’s forehead.

‘The tables are empty,’ Nina noted. ‘There’re no plates or cutlery.’ Screwing up her features, Nina gave several sharp sniffs. ‘I can’t smell any food cooking either. Are we getting a takeaway?’ she wondered. ‘Do food delivery drivers deliver food for thirty-three people?’ As Nina found her thoughts drifting to the absurd idea of six cars pulling up in the driveway, each full of enough food to feed her colleagues three times over, she chuckled to herself.

“And now,” Neil projected. “As the full moon approaches its optimum position,” he said, holding his hand out towards the centre of the room. Nina’s eyes shot to the sundial, before flickering up to the window above. As whisps of grey clouds parted, a large warm-magnolia orb, with a glowing lemony hue appeared in direct line with the round skyline window. A soft smile spread across Nina’s face, as she gazed up at the full moon.

“Vampires,” Neil’s voice boomed, “Witches, werewolves, cats, zombies… and other peasants,” he muttered in Glen and Barry’s direction, with a sense of disgust, as the corner of his nose snarled. “Transform!”

An icy wind swept through the room, whipping Neil’s cape up behind him. Gripping her biceps, Nina shuddered. Chairs screeched back. Bodies rose from their seats. At the table furthest from Nina, the vampires’ skin appeared to glow. Beside them, a deep, thick spiralling fog surrounded the group of witches, as their postures hunched, and lines wrinkled their skin. Their noses grew larger and gnarled, as warts dotted over their skin. A gasp escaped Nina, as her eyes widened.

Behind the vampires and witches, the skin of those at the zombie table appeared to wrinkle. A crater formed in Mightie’s head, where his blooded face paint drip had been. Nina’s heart pounded in her chest. Her eyes grew wide. Her lips parted. Audrey’s left arm flopped to the floor, as she screeched a haunting groan. A silent scream escaped Nina, as she shuffled back.

Shooting her head to her right, Darla, Melaina and Rachel let out piercing screams. Hunching their backs, the werewolf table balled their hands into fists. Screams emanated from them. Their torn clothes split even more, as their bodies grew. Fur sprouted from their skin. Nina gasped. Claws shot from their fingers. Their shoes pierced open, as giant paws, with pointed claws exploded from their fabric prisons. Snouts stretched from their faces. The red head’s breaths grew shallow. She staggered back, collapsing against the stairs.

Gripping the edges of several steps behind her, with her palms, Nina shuffled a step up, as her eyes shimmied back from the werewolves to a skeleton and a hunched gargoyle, with elephant ear-like wings. Her chest trembled. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her legs quaked, as she struggled to shuffle back another step. Gasping, Nina flickered her eyes towards the cat table. Clothes littered the ground. Two black cats sat on the table, one with green eyes, the other deep purple. Clambering up from the seat, a tabby cat clawed at the table. Two white cats and another black cat, with piercing, glowing eyes, sat at the base of the table. Twisting their heads around, they turned to face Nina. “Amethyst?” Nina breathed, as the black cat, sat on the table, with purple eyes stared at her. Nina’s heart leapt to her throat.

“Drain the sacrifice,” ordered Neil’s raging voice. Nina shot her head up. Smoke clouded Neil’s feet, as he swept his cloak across his body. His appearance grew hazy. A high-pitched shriek rang out around the room, as six bats took to the air. Howls sounded. Nina’s heart pounded. She shot her head to her right. Six snarled, hairy creatures bent their knees, ready to pounce. Her heart leapt to the front of her chest. A lump lodged in her throat.

“No,” whispered Nina. Her lips parted. Her chest trembled.

“Brains,” came a cry from the band of lifeless corpses, shuffling towards her. A cackle screeched from the pack of witches as they mounted wooden broomsticks. Shuffling clattered towards the corner nearest Nina. She gasped, shooting her head to the right. A skeleton, carrying a skull twisted towards her, as a gargoyle took flight. Nina’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out. Scrunching her face, she forced a swallow. She shuffled backwards. The black cat, with green eyes, hissed, as it pounced off the table, towards her.

Finding her voice, a scream emanated from Nina’s voice box, as she turned and scrabbled to the stairs. Her heart hammered. Her legs trembled. Reaching the top step, Nina flung herself at the door. Heaving it open, she threw herself outside, yanking the door closed behind her. “I quit!” she screamed into the night air, as she darted down the driveway, heaved the iron gate open and ran down the road.

The end

 

- Josie -