Post by Theodore Platt on Nov 4, 2023 21:41:36 GMT -8
Theo had been eyeing the date on the calendar for months, circled red by Anya to mark a special occasion and a swampy, dark green by Theo—the color, as everyone knows, most associated with poison—to make it spooky. Halloween was one of a number of days on the calendar where Theo was on highest alert. It was true that he'd cooled off over the years with Anya, but he still took seats facing the door in every restaurant, he still maintained 360 degree awareness in every public place. He'd trained himself to follow Greer's mile-a-minute conversations while also studying the sights and sounds around him.
But it wasn't just Greer he had to worry about this year. It was bad enough being in laws with the devil, let alone having to take the devil's spawn Trick or Treating. The little one wasn't so bad yet. Rufio's present obsession was trapping bugs and releasing them outside of the house so that his mother wouldn't squish them. His sister though, Theo could see the darkness in her eyes. Claire had all the cunning and intelligence of her mother, with the moral flexibility of her father. A little monster that he refused to take his eyes off of.
Theo had his arm wrapped around Anya's waist as they explored their neighborhood with thee kids. He held Greer's hand on the other side of him, with the niece and nephew flanking on both ends. Theo was sweating, growing jumpier with each werewolf and vampire he spotted.
"I just don't get it," he said to Anya quietly. "It's not that I'm afraid of ghouls and goblins or anything like that. But kids are supposed to be dressed as carpenters and like, choo choo trains or something. What kind of a parent lets their kid go as a Dracula? Really makes you think."
But it wasn't just Greer he had to worry about this year. It was bad enough being in laws with the devil, let alone having to take the devil's spawn Trick or Treating. The little one wasn't so bad yet. Rufio's present obsession was trapping bugs and releasing them outside of the house so that his mother wouldn't squish them. His sister though, Theo could see the darkness in her eyes. Claire had all the cunning and intelligence of her mother, with the moral flexibility of her father. A little monster that he refused to take his eyes off of.
Theo had his arm wrapped around Anya's waist as they explored their neighborhood with thee kids. He held Greer's hand on the other side of him, with the niece and nephew flanking on both ends. Theo was sweating, growing jumpier with each werewolf and vampire he spotted.
"I just don't get it," he said to Anya quietly. "It's not that I'm afraid of ghouls and goblins or anything like that. But kids are supposed to be dressed as carpenters and like, choo choo trains or something. What kind of a parent lets their kid go as a Dracula? Really makes you think."