The rope secured to the high, strong tree limb was made from coarse hemp, and had the look of a relic from a centuries old shipwreck, which indeed it was. At the end of the rope was a noose, fitted around a bony neck. It was snug enough to hold up the skeletal frame, but not so tight as to snap the bones.
“That’s a very realistic looking skeleton,” Maria said as she stood in the front yard of what had once been the home of Lazarus Gorey.
“Thank you. It looks real because it is real,” Augusta replied. “It’s Lazarus. Apparently, werewolves don’t eat bones, only flesh and organs, that sort of thing. Shall we go inside and have a cocktail?”
Halloween marked the grand opening of the Bloodsucker’s B & B, as Augusta was calling it. To mark the occasion of her turning Gorey’s old home into a bed and breakfast with a haunted house theme, Augusta was having an open house. Guests mingled in the great room sipping merlot or wandered the property, where they encountered Frankenstein monsters and ghouls and mummies, all of whom were serving appetizers and other refreshments.
The two women took their drinks up to the deck and looked down at the spot where Lazarus had plummeted to his demise. Children were playing croquet there now, using a ball with a skull painted on it.
“I really like what you’ve done with this place,” Maria told Augusta as they sat on wicker chairs. “The haunted house thing is a great idea. How did you come up with it?”
“Well, when Laz met his untimely death,” both women laughed, then Augusta continued, “I inherited the house. I had made sure everything was in my name, the house, the company, everything. Anyway, I had to do something with my time, and I always wanted to run a b&b, so I did it. I had always dreamed of a quaint home somewhere in New England, but the former home and laboratory of an evil vampire works too.”
“What about the company headquarters?”
“Donated it to the forest preserve district. They’re going to raze the building and let the property return to its natural prairie state.”
“That was a good thing you did, donating the property.”
Augusta chuckled. “I am wonderful. Of course, I took a sizable deduction on my taxes.”
“I wish I could have talked Martin into coming with me,” Maria said, “but he wanted to work. James is showing him how to run the store, and when the time comes, the two of them will own it together.”
“Seems like the whole experience changed him for the better. Does Molly still work there?”
“Yep. Bulldog too. He wanted to be close to Molly and I got tired of him begging me for a job, so I hired him as a security guard.”
“You need a security guard in Arbor Woods?”
Maria shook her head and smiled. “No. Mostly he stocks shelves and helps clean up in the cafe, but I tell him his official title is chief of security. It makes him happy.”
“That’s good of you. You know, Archie manages my books. He’s pretty sharp with money. Who knew?”
The two sat and sipped their drinks, enjoying the sunshine and the unseasonably warm weather. Suddenly, there was a howl, long and loud. Voices drifted up from the yard. “You know, that’s a very realistic looking wolf.” “Jimmy, now come on, Jimmy, don’t try to ride the doggy. It’s not a horse you know.”
The women peered down to see Colette in her werewolf form, stretched out while small children petted her or rubbed her tummy when she rolled on her back.
Incredulous at the sight of the proud and strong wolf woman being poked and prodded by sticky fingered tykes, Maria asked, “How on earth did you talk her into doing that?”
“She said she wanted to help. Colette is actually very good with children. She hasn’t tried to eat one yet.”
A shadow appeared over the women’s shoulders. From behind them came a thick, and very fake, Transylvanian accent. “Such pretty necks. It would be my pleasure to bite them.”
They turned to find Adriana dressed as a mistress of the dark. The form fitting black dress parted in the front to reveal a sizable amount of cleavage, her fingernails were alternately painted black or blood red, and fake blood trickled from garishly red lips. The stiletto heeled shoes caused her to be six inches taller than normal. The jet black wig was warm and caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
“When I hired her, I told her to keep it toned down,” Augusta said to Maria, “and this is how she showed up.”
“Just giving the people what they want,” Adriana told them with a wink.
The sun slowly lowered itself, yet the afternoon remained warm. People wandered about, chatting and laughing, children squealed, a werewolf howled happily. A sense of peace and contentment had returned to Arbor Woods.
“That’s a very realistic looking skeleton,” Maria said as she stood in the front yard of what had once been the home of Lazarus Gorey.
“Thank you. It looks real because it is real,” Augusta replied. “It’s Lazarus. Apparently, werewolves don’t eat bones, only flesh and organs, that sort of thing. Shall we go inside and have a cocktail?”
Halloween marked the grand opening of the Bloodsucker’s B & B, as Augusta was calling it. To mark the occasion of her turning Gorey’s old home into a bed and breakfast with a haunted house theme, Augusta was having an open house. Guests mingled in the great room sipping merlot or wandered the property, where they encountered Frankenstein monsters and ghouls and mummies, all of whom were serving appetizers and other refreshments.
The two women took their drinks up to the deck and looked down at the spot where Lazarus had plummeted to his demise. Children were playing croquet there now, using a ball with a skull painted on it.
“I really like what you’ve done with this place,” Maria told Augusta as they sat on wicker chairs. “The haunted house thing is a great idea. How did you come up with it?”
“Well, when Laz met his untimely death,” both women laughed, then Augusta continued, “I inherited the house. I had made sure everything was in my name, the house, the company, everything. Anyway, I had to do something with my time, and I always wanted to run a b&b, so I did it. I had always dreamed of a quaint home somewhere in New England, but the former home and laboratory of an evil vampire works too.”
“What about the company headquarters?”
“Donated it to the forest preserve district. They’re going to raze the building and let the property return to its natural prairie state.”
“That was a good thing you did, donating the property.”
Augusta chuckled. “I am wonderful. Of course, I took a sizable deduction on my taxes.”
“I wish I could have talked Martin into coming with me,” Maria said, “but he wanted to work. James is showing him how to run the store, and when the time comes, the two of them will own it together.”
“Seems like the whole experience changed him for the better. Does Molly still work there?”
“Yep. Bulldog too. He wanted to be close to Molly and I got tired of him begging me for a job, so I hired him as a security guard.”
“You need a security guard in Arbor Woods?”
Maria shook her head and smiled. “No. Mostly he stocks shelves and helps clean up in the cafe, but I tell him his official title is chief of security. It makes him happy.”
“That’s good of you. You know, Archie manages my books. He’s pretty sharp with money. Who knew?”
The two sat and sipped their drinks, enjoying the sunshine and the unseasonably warm weather. Suddenly, there was a howl, long and loud. Voices drifted up from the yard. “You know, that’s a very realistic looking wolf.” “Jimmy, now come on, Jimmy, don’t try to ride the doggy. It’s not a horse you know.”
The women peered down to see Colette in her werewolf form, stretched out while small children petted her or rubbed her tummy when she rolled on her back.
Incredulous at the sight of the proud and strong wolf woman being poked and prodded by sticky fingered tykes, Maria asked, “How on earth did you talk her into doing that?”
“She said she wanted to help. Colette is actually very good with children. She hasn’t tried to eat one yet.”
A shadow appeared over the women’s shoulders. From behind them came a thick, and very fake, Transylvanian accent. “Such pretty necks. It would be my pleasure to bite them.”
They turned to find Adriana dressed as a mistress of the dark. The form fitting black dress parted in the front to reveal a sizable amount of cleavage, her fingernails were alternately painted black or blood red, and fake blood trickled from garishly red lips. The stiletto heeled shoes caused her to be six inches taller than normal. The jet black wig was warm and caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
“When I hired her, I told her to keep it toned down,” Augusta said to Maria, “and this is how she showed up.”
“Just giving the people what they want,” Adriana told them with a wink.
The sun slowly lowered itself, yet the afternoon remained warm. People wandered about, chatting and laughing, children squealed, a werewolf howled happily. A sense of peace and contentment had returned to Arbor Woods.
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