#FlashFictionMagic: Howls

“An elementary school haunted house?” Grace scoffed as she glanced at the brick building all lit up and decorated with spider webs and jack-o-lanterns. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time.” 

“Hey.” Ted unbuckled his seatbelt. “If you wanted to watch your dad and stepmom play Scrabble, you could have stayed home.”

“Mostly I want to see you scream like a little girl.” Grace opened her car door, and stepped out into the cool evening. “I’ve seen you when there are mice in the walls. Who knows what you’ll do with a jump scare?”

“Are you sure Fern helped raise you?” Ted asked as they strode toward the entrance doors. “Because she is way nicer to me than you are.” 

“And yet she didn’t want to come tonight.” 

“She signed up for the Thanksgiving potluck. Less heavy lifting with the baby.”

Well, Grace couldn’t argue with that. She knew how much her dad worried about Fern’s later-in-life pregnancy. Still, Ted was her parents’ houseguest, not her friend. She had not expected to spend this much time with him on her weekend visit home from college.  

“After you,” Ted said, holding the door, and Grace walked into the school lobby. Because he was faculty, his admission was free, but Ted paid for Grace before she even had a chance to grab her wallet. She eyed him suspiciously. 

“You’re not luring me to my death in here or something, right? I don’t want to be the victim in an Agatha Christie novel.”

“Relax, Miss Marple.” Ted grinned. “I dragged you along, so I’ll pay.” 

Grace accepted this explanation, but made sure to keep a skeptical look on her face. “I’m watching you, Porter.” 

Ted laughed. “Whatever you say.” 

The first room of the haunted house was pretty tame. Piles of clothes were propped up to look like people, and a few fuzzy spiders fell from the ceiling to dangle in their faces. Ted didn’t flinch, and Grace laughed out loud at how boring it was. “Okay, there’s no way you’re going to scream at this stuff. I take it back.” 

In the second room, which was pitch-dark, the howling began and Grace was suddenly completely on edge. Each time the sound occurred she jumped and looked around to see where it was coming from. She tried to control her response, but it was pure fight-or-flight and she couldn’t prevent it. 

“Okay there?” Ted whispered, leaning close.

“Fine,” she said, annoyed. 

“We can turn back.” 

“I told you, I’m fine.” But she was relieved when they passed into the next room. 

Her relief was temporary though, because while the ghosts made of scarves and blankets weren’t very spooky, the howling sound continued, giving Grace a chill. Things went from bad to worse when she felt hot breath on her neck, and someone - or something - howled directly behind her ear. Unable to control her physiological response, she gasped, then let out a spectacular scream of which she had never imagined herself capable. 

As she screamed, she was dimly aware of Ted’s arm going around her waist, of his soothing tone as he said, “Grace, you’re fine.” and ushered her through the emergency exit door into the school courtyard. 

Once calm, she sat at a picnic table, huddling in her jacket for warmth and looking at the starry night sky to avoid facing Ted. How utterly embarrassing to have totally lost it like that in front of him. 

Ted climbed onto the bench beside her. “I wish I could have recorded that scream for next year’s haunted house,” he said. “That was impressive.”

“You’re never going to let me forget this, are you?” 

“Well, I’m not going to forget it, so probably not.” 

Grace nudged his knee with hers. “Jerk,” she said, but she realized there was more affection in her tone than she had expected.

“I could not possibly have predicted that the fearless Grace Bennett would be terrified of a harmless little haunted house.” 

“Harmless? That guy howled in my ear!” 

“That was just Frank,” Ted said, laughing. “He’s our gym teacher.”

“Well, I hate him,” Grace said. 

“Well, that doesn’t usually last too long. It wasn’t so long ago that you hated me.” 

“And you think I stopped?” Grace turned to look at Ted, expecting to see the usual smug expression he had when they sparred like this. It was a surprise to find him smiling softly, eyes trained on hers as the light from the cafeteria window across the way illuminated his features.  

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I hope so at least.”

For a long moment, Grace took in the mysterious look on Ted’s face, trying to discern what it meant. Then, realizing she was staring, and also that she didn’t at all dislike what she saw, she hopped up from the table. “Don’t you have official duties?” she asked. 

Ted stood too. “Well, I guess now that this damsel is out of distress, I should look for another one.” 

“Ah, so that’s how it is,” Grace said. “I should have known there would be others.” 

“Well, I can’t be tying myself down to a damsel who’s only here for the weekend. I’d get lonely.” He smirked. Grace found herself thinking it was cute, but she refused to entertain that notion consciously. No way. 

“Come on,” she said, nodding toward the door. “It’s cold out here.” 

“Just promise you won’t hurt Frank,” said Ted. “I like that guy.” 

Grace pretended to consider it. “All right. For you, I’ll spare the gym teacher. But I’m skipping the rest of the haunted rooms and heading straight to the refreshments.” 

“Fair enough. I’m right behind you,” said Ted, and Grace felt the comforting press of his hand against her back until they were safely through the spooky rooms and into the bright cafeteria.