Halloween Fic: "Spooky"
Written for the spook_me challenge.
My prompts were: ghost, Phantom of the Rue Morgue and Bucket of Blood.
I was all set to write a spooky, scary, story, but then this popped into my head and demanded to be written instead. So here it is.
Rated G
SPOOKY
Ray and Benny walked out of the movie theater, Ray smiling happily, Benny looking confused and thoughtful.
“So, what did you think,” asked Ray.
“Well, the movies were certainly… interesting, Ray,” Benny replied.
“Interesting? It was supposed to be a cultural experience, not an educational one.”
“It wasn’t educational at all, Ray. The movies made absolutely no sense. I couldn’t figure out the plot to them at all.”
“Benny,” Ray sighed his long-suffering sigh. “They weren’t supposed to make sense or have any plot. There were American Creature Features from the 1950s.” He gestured to the marquee showing the titles “Bucket of Blood” and “Phantom of the Rue Morgue” in glowing letters. “They’re supposed to gross you out and scare the crap out of you.”
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
“Yes, ah.”
Ray sighed again and unlocked the Riv, and the two men got into the car. “What ah?” Ray asked.
“Well, the movies were not particularly frightening. In a few instances they were actually quite funny. But that wasn’t intentional, was it?”
“No, Benny.”
“Ah,” Benny said again, nodding wisely.
“Now you’re getting it,” Ray said proudly.
He steered the Riv out of the parking lot and looked over at Benny, a wicked grin spreading over his face. “There’s another purpose to the movies, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking advantage of it there.”
“What purpose is that, Ray?”
“Making out during the movie.”
Benny turned to look at him in surprise, and Ray nodded. “You know, Benny,” he said thoughtfully, “in all our years together, we’ve never made out at the movies. I think we need to try it sometime.”
“Ray…”
“Maybe I’ll take you to a porn film soon.”
“Ray!” Benny looked away again.
Ray glanced over at him and started laughing. “After nine years of marriage, I can still make you blush,” he said, with a great deal of satisfaction.
“I am not blushing.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Ah.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ray pulled the car into the driveway, and the feeling of happiness and pride and amazement that sometimes hit him washed over him anew. He owned his own home. He and Benny did. It was a smaller house than the one he had grown up in, but it suited their little family perfectly.
It sat on a small lawn taken care of by Ray, with flower gardens in front of the porch tended by Benny. They were living the American Dream. Ray smiled and took Benny’s hand as they climbed the steps of the front porch.
Frannie greeted them as they entered the house. “How were the movies?” she asked.
“Great,” Ray answered.
Frannie looked at Benny and grinned. “Yeah, I bet.”
“How was everything here?” Ray asked.
Frannie started to answer, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of ghostly noises.
A small figure, looking suspiciously like a 6 year old child covered by a white bed sheet cut into a ghost costume, ran into the room “Woooo! Boooooo!”
The ghost ran towards them, and Benny gasped in mock fear. “Oh dear goodness, there’s a ghost in the house!”
The small form ran up and grabbed Benny around the knees, and Benny picked the “ghost” up and pulled the sheet off, revealing a small boy with tousled dark hair, a pale face, and hazel green eyes looking at him happily.
“Why, this isn’t a ghost at all,” Benny said, with exaggerated surprise. “It’s the actual living Robert Fraser Vecchio!”
The boy giggled. “Did I fool you, Daddy? Did I trick you?”
“You most certainly did,” Benny assured the boy.
Ray, meanwhile, was still staring at the boy in genuine horror. He turned to face his sister. “Please tell me that you didn’t use my beautiful, soft, 1,000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets to make his ghost costume.”
“Relax, Ray,” Frannie said, “he looks adorable, doesn’t he?”
“Dad!” Robert said, “did I scare you?”
“You sure did,” Ray said, and the little boy’s smile grew wider.
“Aunt Frannie and I made my costume while you were at the movies!” he declared proudly.
“I can see that,” Ray said. He then turned to Frannie again and whispered “you are going to pay for this, Fran.”
“I’m sure I will,” she answered, seeming much amused.
“No, I mean that literally. You are buying me and Benny a new set of sheets.”
“Totally worth it,” she laughed. “If only to see that look on your face.”
Ray started to answer her, half angry and half amused, when he was distracted by Benny speaking to their son.
“You’re up past your bedtime, aren’t you, young man?”
“Yes, Daddy, but I wanted to show you my costume.”
“Mmm hmm. Well, you’ve done that now, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, off to bed with you.”
Robert looked at Ray, silently pleading for back up , but Ray just shook his head. “Go get into your pajamas, your Daddy and I will be right in.”
“Okay.” Robert wriggled out of Benny’s arms and ran happily off towards his bedroom.
Benny smiled at Frannie. “Thank you kindly for babysitting tonight, Francesca.”
“No problem, you know I love spending time with him.”
“Yeah Fran, thanks for everything,” Ray said sarcastically.
Frannie laughed. “My pleasure,” she said. She gave Ray a quick kiss on the cheek, then slipped into her coat and picked up her purse. “I’ll see you guys at dinner on Sunday.”
As the door closed behind her, Ray turned to Benny and sighed. “She’s still getting me after all these years.”
“It is a very cute costume, Ray.”
“You’re on her side,” Ray said in disbelief.
Benny just shrugged, picking up the ghost costume and hanging it carefully over the back of a chair.
“Benny,” Ray started, gearing up for a lecture or perhaps a tirade.
He was interrupted by Benny stepping up to him and slipping his arms around Ray’s waist.
“Forget about the sheets, Ray. They’re just things, and Francesca is buying us a new set anyway. The ghost costume is cute, and it made Robert very happy.”
“Yeah,” Ray sighed and nodded. “You’re right.”
Benny smiled at him and gave him a kiss. “I’ll tell you what, Ray. Why don’t we go tuck our son into bed and read him a bedtime story, then we’ll go into our bedroom, and we’ll see if you can find new ways to make me blush.”
Ray didn’t answer, but he smiled at Benny, then took him by the hand, leading him towards their son’s bedroom.
THE END
My prompts were: ghost, Phantom of the Rue Morgue and Bucket of Blood.
I was all set to write a spooky, scary, story, but then this popped into my head and demanded to be written instead. So here it is.
Rated G
SPOOKY
Ray and Benny walked out of the movie theater, Ray smiling happily, Benny looking confused and thoughtful.
“So, what did you think,” asked Ray.
“Well, the movies were certainly… interesting, Ray,” Benny replied.
“Interesting? It was supposed to be a cultural experience, not an educational one.”
“It wasn’t educational at all, Ray. The movies made absolutely no sense. I couldn’t figure out the plot to them at all.”
“Benny,” Ray sighed his long-suffering sigh. “They weren’t supposed to make sense or have any plot. There were American Creature Features from the 1950s.” He gestured to the marquee showing the titles “Bucket of Blood” and “Phantom of the Rue Morgue” in glowing letters. “They’re supposed to gross you out and scare the crap out of you.”
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
“Yes, ah.”
Ray sighed again and unlocked the Riv, and the two men got into the car. “What ah?” Ray asked.
“Well, the movies were not particularly frightening. In a few instances they were actually quite funny. But that wasn’t intentional, was it?”
“No, Benny.”
“Ah,” Benny said again, nodding wisely.
“Now you’re getting it,” Ray said proudly.
He steered the Riv out of the parking lot and looked over at Benny, a wicked grin spreading over his face. “There’s another purpose to the movies, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking advantage of it there.”
“What purpose is that, Ray?”
“Making out during the movie.”
Benny turned to look at him in surprise, and Ray nodded. “You know, Benny,” he said thoughtfully, “in all our years together, we’ve never made out at the movies. I think we need to try it sometime.”
“Ray…”
“Maybe I’ll take you to a porn film soon.”
“Ray!” Benny looked away again.
Ray glanced over at him and started laughing. “After nine years of marriage, I can still make you blush,” he said, with a great deal of satisfaction.
“I am not blushing.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Ah.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ray pulled the car into the driveway, and the feeling of happiness and pride and amazement that sometimes hit him washed over him anew. He owned his own home. He and Benny did. It was a smaller house than the one he had grown up in, but it suited their little family perfectly.
It sat on a small lawn taken care of by Ray, with flower gardens in front of the porch tended by Benny. They were living the American Dream. Ray smiled and took Benny’s hand as they climbed the steps of the front porch.
Frannie greeted them as they entered the house. “How were the movies?” she asked.
“Great,” Ray answered.
Frannie looked at Benny and grinned. “Yeah, I bet.”
“How was everything here?” Ray asked.
Frannie started to answer, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of ghostly noises.
A small figure, looking suspiciously like a 6 year old child covered by a white bed sheet cut into a ghost costume, ran into the room “Woooo! Boooooo!”
The ghost ran towards them, and Benny gasped in mock fear. “Oh dear goodness, there’s a ghost in the house!”
The small form ran up and grabbed Benny around the knees, and Benny picked the “ghost” up and pulled the sheet off, revealing a small boy with tousled dark hair, a pale face, and hazel green eyes looking at him happily.
“Why, this isn’t a ghost at all,” Benny said, with exaggerated surprise. “It’s the actual living Robert Fraser Vecchio!”
The boy giggled. “Did I fool you, Daddy? Did I trick you?”
“You most certainly did,” Benny assured the boy.
Ray, meanwhile, was still staring at the boy in genuine horror. He turned to face his sister. “Please tell me that you didn’t use my beautiful, soft, 1,000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets to make his ghost costume.”
“Relax, Ray,” Frannie said, “he looks adorable, doesn’t he?”
“Dad!” Robert said, “did I scare you?”
“You sure did,” Ray said, and the little boy’s smile grew wider.
“Aunt Frannie and I made my costume while you were at the movies!” he declared proudly.
“I can see that,” Ray said. He then turned to Frannie again and whispered “you are going to pay for this, Fran.”
“I’m sure I will,” she answered, seeming much amused.
“No, I mean that literally. You are buying me and Benny a new set of sheets.”
“Totally worth it,” she laughed. “If only to see that look on your face.”
Ray started to answer her, half angry and half amused, when he was distracted by Benny speaking to their son.
“You’re up past your bedtime, aren’t you, young man?”
“Yes, Daddy, but I wanted to show you my costume.”
“Mmm hmm. Well, you’ve done that now, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, off to bed with you.”
Robert looked at Ray, silently pleading for back up , but Ray just shook his head. “Go get into your pajamas, your Daddy and I will be right in.”
“Okay.” Robert wriggled out of Benny’s arms and ran happily off towards his bedroom.
Benny smiled at Frannie. “Thank you kindly for babysitting tonight, Francesca.”
“No problem, you know I love spending time with him.”
“Yeah Fran, thanks for everything,” Ray said sarcastically.
Frannie laughed. “My pleasure,” she said. She gave Ray a quick kiss on the cheek, then slipped into her coat and picked up her purse. “I’ll see you guys at dinner on Sunday.”
As the door closed behind her, Ray turned to Benny and sighed. “She’s still getting me after all these years.”
“It is a very cute costume, Ray.”
“You’re on her side,” Ray said in disbelief.
Benny just shrugged, picking up the ghost costume and hanging it carefully over the back of a chair.
“Benny,” Ray started, gearing up for a lecture or perhaps a tirade.
He was interrupted by Benny stepping up to him and slipping his arms around Ray’s waist.
“Forget about the sheets, Ray. They’re just things, and Francesca is buying us a new set anyway. The ghost costume is cute, and it made Robert very happy.”
“Yeah,” Ray sighed and nodded. “You’re right.”
Benny smiled at him and gave him a kiss. “I’ll tell you what, Ray. Why don’t we go tuck our son into bed and read him a bedtime story, then we’ll go into our bedroom, and we’ll see if you can find new ways to make me blush.”
Ray didn’t answer, but he smiled at Benny, then took him by the hand, leading him towards their son’s bedroom.
THE END