maskormenace | 004 || video

[The video opens zoomed in on—a spider. Don't worry, it isn't a real spider, it's a clearly fake tarantula attached to a web made out of cotton stuck to the ceiling, and when the camera starts to zoom out, it's clear that this fake tarantula is one of many plastic spiders dangling from the ceiling, with plastic bats in flight hanging on strings to complete the Spookiness of the bakery this video's taking place in.

Then the video shakes a little, the camerawoman getting up from her seat to walk over to the display of pastries. There's a tray of cupcakes that's decorated with orange icing and tiny little ghosts stuck on the top with a stick, in keeping with the theme that's currently going.

The camera turns to reveal Veronica, wearing this piece with a blue scarf.]

I just realized that it's the same month now that it was back home, when I got dragged here. [She says this in a tone of slight surprise.] I didn't really celebrate Halloween then, because [multiple people were dead by then and it kind of slipped her mind] I was brought here before the last week of October. But hey, apparently, I get a redo.

[Yaaaaay.]

So does anyone have any recommendations about horror movies? The cheesier the better, but I'm not opposed to horror movies that are actually scary.

[A pause. Then:] And, I'm just curious, how many people here come from a world where Halloween doesn't exist? Because, if so, happy first Halloween, you're going to see a lot more of this [gesturing vaguely towards the decorations hanging from the ceiling] until November.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Close. '22. Christmas is done, of course, but it's not so much with the decorations. You get holly wreaths and things.

What, no trees? No movies playing about the—wait, no, definitely not. Did you have those—plays, where you stick a bunch of kids into robes and shit and have them act out the birth of baby Jesus?

Just some wreaths? [Color her interested.] That's—pretty different from what I remember.

Oh, trees, yeah, sometimes you'll see decorated trees. There's a tree that gets put up in one the squares downtown. And schools will do Christmas pageants - churches too, I imagine. My school had us doing one when I was a kid. I played the part of a donkey, if you can believe it.

I actually can. I played a tree one year, we were a little short on props.

[She got lucky, Martha played a sheep.]

I barely remember it, except it was just bad for everyone involved. How did your turn as a donkey go?

I don't remember much about it either. I imagine it was dull.

Lucky you. [There's an odd wistfulness there.] Hey, what do you like best about Halloween here, anyway?

Well, I don't celebrate it, to be honest. It's more of a kid's holiday, innit. And I don't celebrate Christmas either; I'm not a Christian.

How do you celebrate Halloween at home, then? Do you go door to door for candy?

[She's still pretty young by his standards - not quite a kid, but not too far from it either - but she's older than the kids he saw trick-or-treating last year.]

So what do you celebrate?

[She leans forward slightly, curious. At the question, she huffs out a laugh, shakes her head.]

I used to go trick-or-treating with my friend Martha, but I don't anymore. [Seeing as she may have kind of died before she could've gone this year.] It kinda depends on the person, but I do know that most of the people at school went to Halloween parties instead of trick-or-treating, when they got older.

Well, we just finished up with the High Holy Days - all that ended just yesterday. We haven't got another big one for a bit.

What's a Halloween party like, then? Still with the candy?

High Holy Days?

...somewhat. It just also has a lot more alcohol than you'd usually get just trick-or-treating. [She has been to three whole parties now, one in Sherwood and two here, she's totally an expert in this.]

Yeah, the High Holy Days. Two holidays, one after the other. New Year, and the Day of Atonement.