video; spooky halloween psa

[restingstitchface]

[Crane's staring into the camera with an intensity that doesn't dwell well under his skin. Though the clean suit he wears does a good job of hiding it well, nothing can conceal the irritation he feels under it. He clasps his hands together under the table then rests them imperiously on his desk.]

Why do you celebrate Halloween?

I'm just curious.

[He kicks back against his chair and plonks his feet on the wood. Whatever he was irritated by - rather, what he was disregarding - seems to have taken on better shape. He feels it draped over his face, coarse but warm and intimately familiar. It takes most of his energy to play a weak smile for the gallery.]

Don't worry about tainted candy, by the way. Razer bladed taffy apples? Lye-coated bubblegum? Cyanide-laced Pixy Stixs? They're just legends. Informal whisperings of unsubstantiated reports of contaminated sweets picked up in the course of trick-or-treating. Now, for clarification; I don't intend to claim poisonings never happen. A father laced his own son's candy with cyanide in order to reap the benefits of his life insurance, yes, but it certainly isn't a problem. As a matter of fact, the absence of personal stories highlights that clearly.

[He scratches under his chin.]

Here, of course, the bogeyman isn't even cyanide or toxic chocolate - though Hershey's deserves labelling as poison, honestly - but collective fear of a different sort.

[That's a topic he isn't acknowledging right now. He has every intention of discussing it with the class, but carries on.]

Has anyone here been poisoned by Halloween candy? I doubt it. And if you're scared of the possibility? Well, take it from an expert, October 31st is the most extraordinary day of the year you can be terrified of. You'll never experience another one like it till the next cycles round. So dare yourselves and do something special - be bold, knock on some doors when the day arrives. Eat some candy and-

[He tips his chin.]

Enjoy yourselves.

Comments

[secondscythe]

do you mean wicked cool or wicked bad? kinda have a difference there.

[restingstitchface]

Oh, a little bit of both.

[secondscythe]

i guess that's cool. what's your choice candy then?

[restingstitchface]

Skittles. Preferably sour.

[secondscythe]

so super sweet is out of the question for you then, huh?

[restingstitchface]

Yes, of course. I didn't have sugar in my diet when I was a child. I had a lot to make up for.

[secondscythe]

is that cause of the whole worry over razor blades and shit in your candy?

[restingstitchface]

Hardly! Child danger and the contamination of food have been around in common myth for centuries. When we grew into the modern age and food production moved out of the home, urban legends about poisons and industrial waste grew manifold. Only a few select cases such as the one I mentioned ever happened. I can count them on the fingers of my hand, truly.

[secondscythe]

ok so then... strict parents or something?

[restingstitchface]

Not really. Strict loved ones would be more accurate.

[secondscythe]

parents kinda suck anyway so.
enjoy all the candy you want now.

[restingstitchface]

That's my intent. I'd offer you some of my spares, but that would go against my message, really.

[secondscythe]

wicked bad candy?

[restingstitchface]

Precisely. Best be smart.

[secondscythe]

thanks for the warning, buddy.
i'll keep that in mind.

[restingstitchface]

You're welcome. Ask anything on this subject, anytime.

[secondscythe]

will do, wicked bad guy.

[restingstitchface]

[Here. Have his private number. Just in case.]