The Blackwood’s

Its Halloween, as children are anxiously waiting to go out trick or treating there is one family that is preparing for a different sort of event. You see, this is no ordinary family, by all outwards appearances they look and act like their neighbors. The Victorian house that they live in may stand out amongst the majority of Tudor-style homes that are on Hemlock Lane.

The Blackwood’s are fairly well known in town in more than one circle. Herbert is the head chef at a popular restaurant in town and a warlock. His wife, Cynthia is the principle at the high school and a witch. Lilly their daughter is a junior at that high school, on the lacrosse team and has just started showing her full aptitude in witchcraft.  

Cynthia was upstairs in their bedroom, an assortment of cloths were mocking her from her closet, “choose me” they called out to her. She had to make a big impression for their guests tonight and choosing the right cloths was a good step in that impression. Afterall the coven had chosen her home this year for the Halloween festivities was an honor in its own merit. Now all she had to do is select a costume.    

Downstairs in the kitchen Herbert was working his own kind of magic. Wearing his vampire costume, he had been cooking an assortment of entrees for tonight for a few hours now. His current experiment was just waiting for someone to taste it. He called out to Lilly in the hall. “Hey Lilly, when you’re done out there could you come in here?”

Lilly had just put the cauldron down on the table next to the front door when her dad called to her. “Be there in a minute,” she called back.  She just had to put the candy in the cauldron for the trick or treaters. Just fifteen minutes ago she had just finished up in the dining room, putting the decorations up and setting the table.  She walked over to the table and put on her hat that she left next to the candy, then dusted off her dress. After she emptied the candy into the cauldron she headed into the kitchen.  

As she entered the kitchen her father was putting the finishing touches on a tray of stuffed mushrooms. He looked up with a smile that made her a little nervous because she knew that look. “Oh, no. What concoction do you want me to taste test for you now?” she asked looking around the room for the obvious experiment.

“Oh, come now, I know you like trying my culinary concoctions. The thought process of figuring out how it was made and then you trying to duplicate them later.  Besides they usually have no side effects. Nice pirate costume by the way.” He said as he handed her a mug with a thick reddish liquid in it.

He was of course right. It was fun but she also loved to tease him about it. It was their game. Just like she and her mother had their own fun when it came to learning spells. “Thanks, mom thinks it shows a little too much skin but I showed her a picture I dug up of herself wearing something even more revealing years ago and that was that.” She took the mug and slowly lifted it to her lips.

“Well played. I think I know that outfit you mean. Now be dreadfully honest on what you think.”

She could smell a hint of apple cider but when she drank the liquid her eyes widened when the pumpkin eggnog taste hit her. “Oh wow!”  

“Oh no.” His grin disappeared.

“Don’t oh no me. I know those oh nos.”

“Hun, I’m sure it will wear off soon,” he said as he held up a pan lid.

In the slightly distorted reflection Lilly saw her face. “Oh no.”

“Hun, I turned you into pirate Smurfette.”  

“Ok, I can work with this, I think. Pirate Smurfette? What’s a Smurfette?” she asked her dad.

He just couldn’t help it and started laughing.

Meanwhile Cynthia had her choices down to just four costumes. She pondered them for a few moments. “Oh, what the hell. Why mess with perfection,” she said out loud as she tossed the other three onto the small pile of other rejects. As she got dressed, she wondered if there was some hidden agenda for the coven choosing their house this year. They wouldn’t be coming to test Lilly could it? She laughed at the thought. They could try but with the training Lilly has been given since she first showed an aptitude of magic not only by her and Herbert but her mother as well. Again, she laughed at the thought. When she finished dressing, she went to the mirror to apply some makeup. With that finished she grabbed the final part of her costume and headed downstairs.   

When she got downstairs Lilly and Herbert were putting covered dishes on the table. The guest should be arriving shortly and it looked like everything was ready.

“Well don’t you look drop dead gorgeous,” Herbert praised when he saw his wife walk down the stairs. “Just had to go with the witch costume huh?”

“Told you she would,” Lilly said as she turned to look at her mother.

“Well, it was the obvious choice to,” then she saw Lilly “Lilly your blue!” She glared at Herbert.

“Well at least she’s not three apples tall,” he said holding up his hands with a smile.   

Just then the doorbell rang and Lilly went to answer it. When she opened the door, she was surprised when she saw who it was. “Grandma!”

“Lilly, how are you dearie?” She said as she kissed Lilly on the check. “I see you tried another of your father’s concoctions again. At least this time you don’t have a tail.”

983 words.

As usual a last-minute cram session to get this done. Inspired by family oriented tv shows especially Bewitched with a touch of The Twilight Zone with the opening paragraph.