Given the number of teens heading up to Staffel, a coalition of parents arranged for a couple of minibuses to do the delivery and collection of most of us from the Sebenschuh’s car park. I've got a sneaky suspicion that there's some sort of parent party taking place in the Restaurant, far too many smartly dressed adults for coincidence. We'd closed up the Kabin sharp on four. It takes time to get ready to go out, it takes significantly longer when its a costume party.

Mand was rocking 'Wednesday', I was pretty pleased with my more traditional personna. Of course its not just the Angels going of course, our numbers are swollen by other ex schoolmates from Silverberg and a couple of Mart's football team. I felt a little guilty that Anna, if she came would have to make her own way, but to be honest I'm not really expecting to see her tonight. One bus was going straight up, the other, which I ended up on with Steff, was to collect along the way, Nen, Bridg, Kris and a few others living at the top of the 'gorge'.

“Its just like old times,” Steff suggested.
“Sort of,” I agreed.
“You don't sound too enthused.”
“I am, but its not really is it, like the old days?”
“You're not gonna be a party pooper all night I hope.”
“I was just saying, I mean we've not exactly been seeing everyone that often.”
“Yeah but we still talk and stuff, we're still the Angels.”

Where would I be without the Angels, they literally took me into their clique when we moved to Germany, they went out of their way to include me, finer friends a girl couldn't have. I might not always have been so good in return but they've never wavered in their support. Its not such a leap then that I feel a sadness as life does its best to split us up.
 
By the time our bus had made its collections we were a good fifteen minutes behind the first arriving at the farm. Where's Max I hear you ask, good question he was supposed to be helping Marty setting stuff up but there wasn't any sign of him when I followed the others into the barn.

“Heya Gab,” Bern greeted me.
“How'd you know it was me?”
“well duh, skinny short arse,” my friend chuckled.
“So you seen Max?”
“Over in the house with Mart getting changed, they only just finished setting stuff up before the first bus arrived.”
“How's the munchkin?”
“Hopefully behaving for her Oma.”
“I should go and see her.”
“You'll frighten her half to death looking like that.”
“Its not that scary.”
“Maybe not from where you are, seriously I wouldn't have recognised you.”
"If I wasn't so flippin short," I filled in.
 
It was a typical Preiser dance, lights strung across the open space, straw bales used for seating, a few tressles set up with the provisions and a big space at one end for dancing. I've been to a few of these things now, enough that I know where the warm corners are which is where I gravitated once I was equipped with some 'punch', but where is Max?

“Oh Mein Gott,” Con mentioned looking behind me.
“What?”

I was vaguely aware that the chatterin the room had died down, I slowly turned around to find out why.

“Max?”
“Elvira darlink, and you are?”

Well there's no denying that he'd gone to some effort, the slinky thigh slit dress, long black wig, pale makeup – well he cut quite the figure.

“The wicked witch of the north,” I cackled back.

Okay I'm dressed as a witch complete with green makeup, warts and a long crooked proboscis. Well okay a particularly witchy looking witch but rocking a sexy dress, spider web hose and my black ten centimetre heels. Not the greatest choice for a barn dance but I'm not planning on doing anything too energetic.

“Well your ugliness, would you care to dance?”

The moment was broken and conversation resumed, the fact that one of my concert covers, a darker number from Nina Hagen, started over the PA had to be coincidence right?
 
“So,” I started, “how come?”
“Eh?”
“Why are you wearing a dress?”

He shrugged, which made whatever he was using as boobs wobble about alarmingly.

“Why not? Its Hallowe'en, everyone dresses up in weird stuff.”
“I guess,” I allowed.

Don't get me wrong, given my past I'm the last one to be calling a lad out for wearing a dress but, well he's my boyfriend and he looks all too comfortable in it.

“What?”
“Nothing, so who's idea was it?”
“Well mum's actually, I was moaning about doing a Zombie again.”
“Because zombies are so last year,” I giggled.
“You can laugh.”
I was having a right giggle fest by now, “i know.”
“I think I was going on a bit so she says 'right, I'll sort you out a costume'. Well I thought it'd be a vampire or something so I just say okay.”
“And so she picked Elvira?”
“Go figure,” Max set his boobs a wobble again, “i guess its not a zombie.”
“What did your Gran say?”
“Said it served me right for complaining.”
“So you dressed as a girl all the way?”
“All the way?”
I leant in closer so I could whisper, “you know, knickers? BH?”
“Erm.”
“You are,” I declared a little too loudly.
“Can we change the subject Gab.”
“Are they lacy?”
“Gab!” he hissed.
“Soz.”
 
As its a Hallowe'en party the entertainment extends beyond the music. Of course its largely imported, the whole thing really, there's no tradition in Germany of Trick or Treat, carved pumpkins or even bobbing for apples. That doesn't mean there aren't enthusiastic proponants, the apple bobbing was getting quite competitive!

“I don't know how you walk in them things,” Bern mentioned as we both took a breather from the excitement.
“Practice?”
“Seriously Gab, why do you wear them?”
“How tall are you?”
“Dunno, five nine ish?”
“I rest my case.”
“Eh?”
“I'm five two and a bit.”
“Thought you were more than that,” she allowed.
“I wish,” I lamented, “don't think there's much chance now.”
“But Jules is taller than you.”
“Five five, the Doc thinks its to do with my, you know, plumbing issues.”
“Good things come in small packages.”
 
“What's a Hexe got to do for a kiss round here?” I asked running a hand over 'Elvira's' slinky rump.
“I can't get near for that nose and give over with that.”
“Why? Don't you like it?”
“Maybe too much,” he hinted.
“Oops!” I stopped my rubbing, “so kissy?”
“Nose?”

well to be honest it was bugging me now, it makes drinking awlward and I nearly poked Mand's eye out when I leant in to talk during a particularly loud rendition of 'Monster Mash'.
 
“Er hi Erika,” i greeted Frau Preiser, poking my head into the kitchen.
“Gaby?”
“'s me,” I agreed.
“Having a good time?”
“Yeah, its good to see everyone again.”
“So what can I do for you?”
“Could I use your bathroom please, this nose is getting really annoying, I'll have to redo my makeup if I take it off.”
“It is rather impressive,” Erika agreed, “go on, you know where it is.”
“Thanks.”
 
It took me ages to sort out the nose earlier, removing it was nearly as involved. I hadn't really thought it through but when I pulled my false conk off it dragged half the rest of my face off. Thats liquid latex for you I guess, the nett result was that I had to pull the rest off which left me with a bizarre half white, half green visage.

By the time I'd cleaned the rest of the green off and sorted my face out so it was fit for public consumption, i'd been nearly half an hour. Well I didn't look quite as, er, frightening, i've gone from hag to, I guess, pretty, I'm betting half my peers won't even notice. I tottered back across the yard to rejoin the party, looking forward to a snog with Elvira.

Except the barn was silent and in darkness.

“Hello?”

I couldn't see anything inside, well there was a single red light over where I think the CD player is.

“Guys?”

Where are they all? I carefully moved forward, was that a snigger? My eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light from outside but with the deep shadows you could've hidden an army in here and I wouldn't see it.

'Whoooo-oooo.'
“Max?”
'Whoooo-oooo.'
“Oh come on guys.”

next moment something wafted past me.

'Whoooo-oooo.'
“Okay, ha ha, good joke,” I offered, my bravado receding somewhat the longer I stood there.

I could hear something moving, off to the left?

“BOOO!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the voice coming from behind me, the lights flashed on behind me as I ran from the barn, no mean feat in these heels.

“Gab! Slow down!”

Okay, maybe I over reacted, I mean, I knew it was some sort of jape, but even so.

“Gab, hold up,” Max called after me.

Max, my brain calculated i'd be safe so I arrested my forward motion by swinging around the corner of a horsebox. There was a clatter of heels, girly heels and then a tall women rounded the corner before crashing into me.

“Ow!”
“Er sorry, was that your foot?” the woman asked with Max's voice.

I didn't reply with words, instead I yanked her head down to my level and latched my lips onto hers.
 
© Maddy Bell 22.01.2019