“Hello, everyone,” Slate said. “Are you as excited as I am for this year’s haunted house?”
An enthusiastic affirmative response rippled through the crowd. Most of the people in town visited every year, and as part of the tradition, they critiqued each year against prior ones.
“A year ago, I met someone who has changed my life. Many of you know Dash, and while he can be a bit salty first thing in the morning before coffee, he’s made me happier than I’ve ever been. Why am I telling you things you already know? Because he’s the brains behind this year’s new feature.”
Slate checked to see that Thomas, Oliver, and Cain were in position. Meredith had stationed herself between Slate and his friends, so when he nodded, it would appear he’d signaled her and not them.
The pumpkin was the first to rise slowly off the table. Thomas held it in both hands and stopped when it was chest high.
“I don’t profess to understand everything, but my technogeek boyfriend says it has to do with electromagnetic suspension with ferrofluid coating.” Several people nodded as the completelymade-up technobabble Dash invented made perfect sense. “In simpler terms, we cover objects in a magnetic liquid coating that responds to electromagnetic fields.”
Oliver selected a pair of gourds, and as he lifted them into the air, applause swept around the area. Next, a large, Halloween-themed piece of decorative pottery—something Liv purchased the day before—floated up. Cain rotated the piece, showing off scenes from Oriskany Falls painted around the pot.
Slate motioned with his hand, and his friends lowered the items. People clapped and some shouted questions.
“Will this be part of the haunted house?” Mr. Horvon asked.
They hadn’t prepped him on a possible Q&A. “Possibly. This is all very new technology, so we’re not sure how long an object can remain suspended.”
“Can you do it with bigger objects?”
Slate didn’t see who asked, but he suspected people were thinking about using it themselves. “Yes, but it’s not practical. Dash said the power output grows exponentially with the size of the item. And the larger the object, the more coating you need, which increases the cost.”
“Is it safe?”
Of course, Ms. Palemicey, the school nurse, wanted to know about the risks. “Nothing we’ve reviewed suggests any danger.”
He was particularly proud of his last answer. You can’t find evidence of harmful effects on a fake project with no documentation to review. “That’s all the questions for now,” Slate said, waving to the crowd. “Stop by the house this year and see what’s new.”
He stepped back and nearly collided with Meredith.
“Excellent work,” she murmured. “Nice improvising on those answers. You left yourself a believable way out when the effect doesn’t appear in the display. Smart and handsome. Dash did well for himself.”
Thomas, Oliver, and Cain were all smiles as they headed toward him. They’d been essential to the demonstration’s success, and he didn’t know how to repay them.
People chatted excitedly as they moved to other displays on the Commons. He’d relaxed, happy they’d pulled it off, when the jack-o’-lantern at the end of the display table lifted into the air.
A ghost Slate didn’t recognize—wearing 1970s-style bell-bottoms and a fringed vest—held the pumpkin aloft, grinning at the crowd. He waved, and the pumpkin bobbed in the air. People pointed and a new round of applause began. Thomas, Oliver, and Cain stopped walking and spun around.
Anger bubbled inside Slate at the foolish expression on the ghost’s face. He looked like a child who had done something for the first time and expected to be praised.
Thomas and Cain moved before Slate could speak. Oliver followed a second behind. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Thomas was gesturing sharply toward the table. The unknown ghost’s expression shifted from proud to confused. Thomas and Oliver gently set the pumpkin back in its place.
The unfamiliar ghost said something to Thomas, who shook his head. Cain patted the spirit’s shoulder, and the four walked away from the Commons.
“Well,” Meredith said. “That was fun.”
“That was a problem,” Slate corrected. “But at least the crowd seemed to believe it was part of our demonstration.”
Slate watched the last of the townspeople drift away, still talking about the haunted house. They’d covered this one up. But what happened when Gary came back with a dozen friends, all eager to show off? What happened when another ghost decided to “help” during an actual festival event?
It would take a miracle to make it to Halloween without exposure. Sooner or later, something would happen they couldn’t explain.
They’d need a new plan. One none of them would like.
The happy atmosphere that should have accompanied the successful plan was absent in the manor’s parlor. Slate’s parents were on the love seat next to the matching king and queen chairs Dash’s grandparents had claimed. Meredith sat on the sofa with Dash to her right and Liv to her left. Too anxious to sit, Slate stood with Thomas, Oliver, and Cain near the fireplace.
“River’s story is the same as most ghosts we’ve met,” Cain said. “He heard about the party from someone who heard it from Gary. He apologized, but he saw us and thought we were all supposed to show off now.”
