Page 50 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
‘Hey ho, it’s a spooking we will go,’ Mary sang.
Laying the food out buffet-style, Mary was proud of her efforts and nodded with approval as she tweaked the spider pizzas, witches’ broomsticks, and mummy hotdogs onto platters, alongside Halloween cupcakes, crisps, and a graveyard dip. Knowing that the parents would curse her for returning their sugar-high six-year-olds at the end of the party, she wondered if it was too early for a glass of wine.
Insisting that everyone was prepared for the party, Mary yelled up the stairs. ‘Finn, are you ready? Caitlin, have you dressed Declan? Maeve, come and give me a hand!’
‘I hope you’ve catered for plant-based guests,’ Maeve said upon entering the kitchen. Dressed as a princess and taking selfies, she turned to study the food.
Mary wasn’t sure what part a princess might play atHalloween, nor how many six-year-olds followed a plant-based diet. However, as she poured herself a large Chardonnay, she pointed to the fridge, where a pumpkin platter with veggies and fruit was chilling.
‘Where are the monster eyeballs?’ Maeve asked as she opened the fridge and gazed suspiciously at the platter.
‘Get a life, Maeve,’ Mary replied, taking a large sip of wine. ‘I don’t have time to peel dozens of grapes and fill them with cream cheese and chocolate chips.’
‘You should be more like Grandad,’ Maeve retorted.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Not so grumpy. Enjoy life and have fun.’ Maeve reached for a carrot stick and began to munch. ‘He’s a Golden Insta Influencer now,’ she said.
‘A what?’
‘Oh, Mam, keep up! Grandad has zillions of followers on Instagram because of his fun-filled posts,’ she sighed. ‘He’s achieved in days what I could never do in years.’
‘You mean like an Insta Gramps?’
Maeve gave Mary a look of disdain and, rolling her eyes, reached for another carrot stick.
They were suddenly distracted when mayhem descended, and Zombie Finn slid down the stairs, followed by Catlin, the vampire, and Declan, a mini werewolf.
With the party about to kick off, Mary checked her watch. She had a few minutes to change and hoped that Witchery Wanda, the storyteller-turned-magician she’d hired for the event, would be on time and keep the kids amused during the celebration.
‘Caitlin,’ Mary said as she headed for the stairs, ‘pack the party bags. Everything is on a shelf in the larder. Keep your brothers and sister in order, and make sure they don’t touch any food!’
In her bedroom, Mary took another slurp of her wine. Conor had promised to finish work early and, hopefully, would be home soon to help. With no time for a shower and only minutes to change, Mary grabbed a dress hanging in her wardrobe. It was long, fitted, with a high neckline and sleeves that reached to the wrist. Mary hoped the black, silky fabric would flatter her ever-increasing figure. There had been no time for the gym that week.
She was wriggling into her Bounce Buster Briefs when her phone rang. Blindly reaching out, Mary held it to her ear.
‘Have you seen what he’s gone and done now?’ Mungo sounded exasperated.
‘Oh, hello, Mungo.’ Mary’s voice was high-pitched as she tugged up her briefs and wondered why the hell they were so named.Giant Passion Killers That Give You Whiplashwould be more appropriate. ‘I guess you’re talking about Dad?’
‘He’s parading about in a brand-new, bright red Fiat 500 convertible!’
‘Wow, good for him,’ Mary breathed as she tugged the passion killers into place over her tum.
‘Good for him?’ Mungo exploded. ‘If he’s bought a car, he’s spending recklessly and intends to stay in Spain!’
Mary slid into the dress and was pleasantly surprised it went on quite easily.God Bless Bounce Buster Briefs and allwho squeezed into them. She began to brush her hair and apply dark, smudgy eyeshadow.
‘Are you still there?’ Mungo shouted.
‘Yes, but I really don’t know what you are worried about,’ Mary replied as she smoothed blood-red gloss on her lips. ‘Dad is obviously having a good time if he’s uploading fun photos to Instagram.’
‘Fun photos?’ Mungo sounded incredulous. ‘A pensioner riding about in a Noddy car is a fun photo?’ He snorted. ‘It’s had over five hundred likes already. God knows what people must think.’
There was a pause, and when Mungo realised that Mary wasn’t going to respond, he moaned, ‘I don’t know why I bother phoning. You always side with him and will never see the danger ahead.’
‘Oh, Mungo,’ Mary said, exasperated. ‘You have no idea what danger is. Come here and host a Halloween party for two dozen hyper six-year-olds and their paranoid parents, and you’ll soon see what living on the edge is all about.’ Mary drained the last of her wine and, deciding to stay barefoot, left her bedroom and padded down the stairs.
