Red Herring ✔️

14. House of Hu-Mans

Post-dinner Munchies

"How was work?" Felecia inquired kindly, roughly five minutes after Mazie returned home from work at the local public library. Felecia easily picked up when Mazie moved into that she needed a few minutes to unwind before she could hold a proper adult conversation.

"Halloween brings out all the freaks." And inner demons in children that she already didn't like. Mazie mostly worked in the youth/young adult section. When they were short staffed, she transferred to the kid's zone where she regularly pulled her hair out and actively stopped herself from choke-slamming little bratty kids with an abundance of boogers.

"You love Halloween," Felecia reminded her.

She shrugged. "And I'm a freak."

Before Fe responded, Winter and Willow zoomed around the corner into the kitchen from the living room. Making buzzing noises from their mouths to signify their make-believe flying, the twins fluttered around in their pink and purple tutus, glittery tiaras and sparkling wings while waving magic wands.

Upon her arrival which they just notified, the twin fairies twirled around her in circles, pointing their wands at her.

"We turn you into a pumpkin!" Winter announced.

"A big fat orange pumpkin!" Winter clarified.

"The ugly kind. Not the carriage kind like Cinderella!" Winter added, still spinning. Mazie was surprised that they weren't dizzy yet.

Smiling witchily, Mazie bend at the waist and placed her hands in her knees to level herself with the girls. They stopped circling her, awaiting her response to the pumpkin spell they cast on her. "I'd rather be a ghost. So I can haunt you while you sleep," she whispered to Winter. "Or maybe a scary monster so that I can hide under your bed,"she told Willow.

The childish fun grins on their faces melted and they stared at her in fear and confusion.

"Mazie Elaine, do not terrorize my children," Felecia said sternly.

It's not that she didn't love the twins or Chandler. She adored them. But after a long shift holding herself back from saying what she wanted to say to snotty, nose dripping six year olds, she couldn't help herself. A little haunted Halloween fun never hurt anyone.

"You can't!" Winter yelled, squaring her shoulders in the face of danger.

"Yeah!" Willow chimed un fearlessly. "You can only be a pumpkin."

"Unless..." Mazie quirked an eyebrow ready to tell the girls she might be a witch but Fe cut her off.

"Unless you can't because it's time to make cookies!" Clapping her hands, Felecia rounded you the kids including baby Chandler who was stripped down to his diaper so that he didn't ruin his clothes in the baking process. The baking of cookies not the baking of children. After all, she was the broom flying type of witch not the cannibalistic children eating kind. She'd leave that to Hansel and Gretal. "Maze, would you fetch the Target bag from the laundry room please. I left it on top of the washer."

Obeying her aunt's request only because she scared her offspring - and intended to do it again - Mazie retrieved three plastic bag. She took it upon herself to sift through the contents of which was a nondescript black outfit and three Halloween cookie cutters.

"What's this Fe?" She held up the black dress.

"Oh!" Fe exclaimed, rounding the kitchen island to stand in front of Mazie and take hold of the dress. "This is your Halloween outfit! I thought this dress would be perfect with a White button down underneath to show the collar!i have one if you don't. It's kind of vintage which is perfect! And then the stockings with those black boots you have. I didn't buy a Wig though since your hair is already basically black but I can find one online if you think you need it. Oh! And I have a small glass bottle with this sticky label I'm going to make and it will be your bottle of poison!"