I took a deep breath as I peered toward the wooden door that would lead into the office of our school's Guidance Counselor. Releasing my deep breath, I raised up my hand and knocked upon the wooden door. A second or two later, the door opened and in the threshold there stood a tall woman, with flaming red hair worn in a high ponytail. She wore a cream colored blouse with mother of pearl buttons the blouse was paired with a coal black pencil skirt. White stocking and black, low heel dress shoes rounded out her outfit. A small smile played across her face as she leaned in the doorway and folded her arms across her chest and shifted her eyes toward me.

“Good afternoon. And what do I owe this pleasure Ms. Whitethorn?” She said as she peered toward me.

“I was hopping,” I took a deep breath as I ran my hands down the side of my skirt to smooth it out. “I could talk to you about something.” I said feeling the blood all the blood in my body rushing into my high cheek-bones.

“Oh?” She said in a playful tone of voice. “Sure, I have a few minutes.” And with that, she stole a glance down at her watch. “Hey, since its almost lunch time. Why don't we talk while we walk.” She said as she nodded with her head toward the direction of the lunch room. “We can talk over lunch. My treat?”

I nodded my head. The palms of my head were starting to sweat and my courage was starting to slip through my fingers. It had been a test of courage in itself to work up the guts to even knock upon her door. I took another deep breath and as I released it, I decided that maybe it was best to talk over lunch. After all, sharing a meal would be nice, and teachers and staff got far better food than us rank and file students.

“Cool.” She said as she closed the door and turned the handle. “Just gotta lock up the old office here.” She said reaching into her skirt pocket. After a few seconds of digging around, she pulled out a tiny sliver key, she placed the key into the keyhole and then turned the key.

“Okay and now were all set.” She said slipping the key back into her pocket.

“Cool.” I said again, my mind it seemed was on auto-pilot.

“So, Ms. Whitethorn, how are you finding Benton Academy? Everything going okay for you? I mean, given the fact that you're just transferring in. I mean, I know your mom home schooled you for like most of your life. So the transition from homeschool to well, I can't call it public school but to school in general must be a total culture shock to you. That and forgive me for being blunt here. The fact that your also a transgender student, must also be hard on you.”

“Please,” I said blushing deeply. “Call me, Cerridwen. I mean, when you call me Ms. Whitethorn, it makes me feel old, and like I'm totally still fourteen. But to answer your question, school's going okay I guess. I mean, people are friendly enough.. I just don't have any real friends.”

“Okay, Cerridwen it is then.” She said “I guess it must be hard. I mean your difference in a good way. Okay for one, your a pagan. And I'm sure that kind of a culture shock to some of the students too, who for the most part have never been exposed to well anything like that. And again, I'll say that fact that your transgender also spices things up. Also consider that the Benton Academy was founded on Christian values.”

“Right, I noticed that. You guys always pray before any sporting event. Like, the local Baptist preacher guy gets up and does his thing. And I mean it's cool, but like, it feels weird. Like I was taught to keep my beliefs within the circle if you will.” I said toward the women.

“Right, I totally understand that. And yes, our former headmaster was something of a hard boiled Baptist preacher till, the board of trustees voted to remove him. That was before I started working here, so I only know bits and pieces of it. I do know, that he had a falling out with a student, who like you was also Transgender. And come to think of it, it's pretty rare for a school this size too have two students with that same condition.” She said smiling toward me. “Not that I mind, I like having special students around.”

“Right, I heard about that. Last year a student attacked another student. The headmaster instead of trying to smooth things over, only ended up dumping a whole can of gasoline on thing. And the whole thing flamed up like a bonfire.” We had moved into the crowded lunchroom now. The air was scented with the smells of savory sauces and fiery spices that give southern cooking its trademark kick. The noise level too was high as it seemed the whole school had been crowded into the lunchroom. Each table seemed to be holding its own lively conversation. At one table, I noticed a girl with golden blonde hair, baby blue eyes, chatting lively with a dozen or so cheerleaders and football players. She caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye and offered a small, friendly wave.

“So, you've met our school princess?” The woman said as she wrapped her arms around my slender shoulders as she guided me into the lunch line. “She is pretty cool, and pretty friendly too. I think she is a part timer down at 'Sweet Magnolia' . You know that bakery slash cafe that opened up last year in one of those vacant buildings downtown. It's supposed to be modeled after like the 'Maid Cafes' that are quickly becoming popular in Japan. I know the two young ladies who own the business. Lily and Robin, there like best friends. Jamie is Lily's younger sister. If you wish, I could ask if they are looking for help. Beside earning you a little pocket money, it would help with the friends issue. Plus, there two helpers, Jamie and Madeline are both like you. Birds of a feather and all that good jazz.”

I nodded my head and slowly I started to smile a little.

“Sure, please and thank you.” I said as I moved along with the line. Poking out my lip, I decided to roll the mental dice again. “So, while we were talking about Jamie. I heard like, last year she played a part in homecoming, like she played the role of 'Hostage' I think. I was wondering if you could maybe explain that. And how one volunteers to play that role?”

“Oh.” The woman said as she turned to face me, the lunch line was moving at a snail's pace so we had some time to talk.

“We'll, each year around homecoming, one student is either volunteered or volunteers to be given up. Okay for example, if you were to volunteer to be our school's hostage, the cheerleaders will take you in. There supposed to be 'Guarding' you till the game that night. You'll kind of be treated like a honoree member of the squad I guess. Okay an hour or two before the game, you'll be given a make-over. It's expected that all hostages at least wear a nice skirt and blouse, though most have worn dresses. And I mean like a casual short dress. Like the dress you wear to church or say out to eat at Red Lobster or Olivia Garden.”

I nodded my head. We were edging nearer to the counter now, a wry smile formed upon my lips as I reached down and picked up one of gray aluminum lunch trays that had been stacked nice and neat by the edge of the counter. Already I could see steam boiling up from the line, causing the glass panels at the top to fog up. Today's menu seems to include fried catfish, crinkle cut french fries, collard greens seasoned with tiny strips of bacon. Butter beans, again seasoned with tiny strips of bacon or maybe that was tiny bits of cubed ham. Finally for desert and square brownie that had been topped with a swirl of some kind of creamy whipped topping and for your bread. A square piece of yellow corn bread. Classic Southern if there ever was. As I moved down the line, I noticed a blue Coleman ice chest sitting on the ground. The white top was open revealing a mountain of crushed ice. Peeking out from the mounds of ice where white plastic bottle caps and colorful soda. A yellow piece of construction paper was taped onto the front of the chest, there written with what I take a sharpie marker was the following.

'Milk: Free with every meal – Whole (Red top) or Two percent (Blue top) only! Bottle Water: Fifty cents a bottle. Varies Faygo soda: Seventy five cents each' Again I was amused, another one of the perks of attending a private academy. They where allow to peddle goods to students. Extra large chocolate candy bars, a single slice of pizza from the newly opened Pizza Hut, a bottle of ice cold spring water and finally a cheap, knock off soda could all be yours if you had ready money. No credit here, only cold hard cash, United States dollar, the oil greased the gears and kept the world turning.
Shrugging my shoulders, I reached down and picked up a bottle of water. I then paid for my meal and followed the GC toward one of the tables. She sat down first and I sat down across from her. I noticed once she was seated, she closed her eyes and folded her hands in her lap. She then muttered a little prayer. After saying grace, she then rolled out her napkin.

“So,” She said picking up the plastic fork and knife that was the basic issue here.

“What can I do you for?” She said smiling softly.

A deep blush colored my cheeks as I peered down at the tray. It was now or never I guess. Slowly I reached into the pocket of my skirt and then gathering up my courage, I pulled out the folded flier that I had been carrying around in my pocket all day. The flier showed a cute anime girl with golden blonde hair that had been styled up in two high pigtails. She wore a skirted swimsuit. Sounds like something you'll find if you typed in the words 'Anime' followed by 'Girl' on google right? And you would correct, only the girl was seated in a dunking booth. Under the image was the following message. 'The Benton Anime and Manga Club is looking for a few brave students to sit in our dunking booth this Weekend. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer, Please go see Mrs. Baylock our new Guidance Counselor.' With trembling fingers, I handed the folded piece of paper toward Mrs. Baylock, who reached out and took it. She gave me a puzzling look before unfolding it and looking down. Slowly a understanding look appeared on her face. She then folded the piece of paper up and handed it back to me.

“Oh? You want to volunteer for the dunking booth right?” She asked.
I nodded my head. A few years ago, they had a dunking booth at the annual 'Discover Benton' festival, a weekend long celebration of the history of Benton and the surrounding area. I was too young to volunteer at the time, but I remember a lovely brunette girl named Madeline volunteered though. I remember seeing her picture in the local paper. She seemed to be having the time of her life, the pose the struck in front of the dunking booth was both playful and alluring, that image is still seared into my head.

“Okay then.” Mrs. Baylock with a smile. “After lunch, if you'll follow me back to my office. I'll give you the needed form to fill out. And once it's filled out, just return the forum to me and I'll pass it on through the proper channels.”

And with that, our little meeting came to an end.

I don't really live in Benton proper. But in one of the area's that was annexed around thirty years ago into the township. The local's call the area 'Haunted Hollow' for reasons that have never been explained to me. Many of the houses in this area are simple log cabin Unlike the wealthy people who live in town in creole-style cottages or the middle class people who live in simpler cottages that line the 'Town Creek' section of town. People here are mostly lower middle-class farmers. The descendants of the poor sharecroppers that came to this area following the Civil War.

All of these thoughts filled my head as the old style school bus rumbled down the gravel road. Oh that another thing I failed to mention, the roads here in 'Haunted Hollow' were not blacktop as you'll expect but gravel and dirt. After fifteen or so minutes, the bus came to a stop. Collecting my school bag, I stood up and exited the bus. Once I left the last step, the door behind me closed and the bus roared away.

Before me stood a simple log cabin. Behind the cabin there could be seen a tiny wooden shed and beside the shed a barn. And far behind the barn was a deep, round pond. This was my home, my daddy who works shift work down at Yazoo Chemical in Yazoo City had purchased this piece of property after his twelve year enlistment in the army. My Mommy told me once, that while he was in the army he had pinched, scraped and saved every penny he could for the twelve long years of his enlistment to gather up enough money to buy this tiny plot of land. My daddy was a proud man, and never felt comfortable in owning anybody anything, so he paid for this piece of bottom land in full. The plot even came with a little cottage that he made his castle.

All these thoughts swirled through my head as I walked down the gravel driveway. A few seconds later, I was walking into the kitchen of the tiny cottage. The air inside was warm, and the sweet smell of fresh baked cookies filled the air. My mother, a tall woman with flaming red hair, stood in the middle of the kitchen. My mom governed the kitchen as it was her own personal queendom. The large, wooden spoon she carried in the pocket of her apron was her scepter. The minute I crossed the threshold of the front door, her baby blue eyes fell upon me and taking graceful steps, she strode across the wooden floor and wrapped her arms around me and planted a little kiss upon my forehead.

“Welcome home. Daddy asleep, he's working the night shift all this month. So keep down the noise.” She said as she walked over the sink. She then reached up and filled the old, but polished copper kettle with cool, clean water, she then placed the kettle on the stove and lit the flame. She then motioned for me to sit down at the simple wooden table that formed the center of social life in our home. Smiling, I dropped my school bag on the floor and pulled out one of the wooden chairs. Then folding my skirt down, I eased my bottom down into the seat of the chair.

“So, how was your day sweetheart?”

“Pretty good. I volunteered for something.” I said smiling as I watched my mom waltz around the kitchen. Our kitchen looked like something from a story book. Copper pots and pans that had been scrubbed and polished till they shone hung upon hooks that had been screwed into the wooden walls. Bundles of dried herbs and garlic hung down from the ceiling. Old cooking books, their covers faded and their spines thread bare lined the shelf above the stove. Books that had been passed down from one generation to the next, handed down from mother to daughter. Beside them, one would find old leather bound volumes. Locked away in their pages was the knowledge of herbs magic. These books have been handed down from each generation.

“So honey.” Mom said as she reached into the cupboard and pulled down two, plain white porcelain coffee mugs. She placed the mugs down upon the counter top and then reached over and pulled kettle off the fire, right as it was starting to whistle. She picked the kettle up by the hand and poured a long stream of hot water into the mugs. Once she finished pouring she returned the kettle to the stove, reached over and removed the top from a old earthen jar. She then dipped a spoon into the jar and lifted up a large mound of cocoa powder she dumped one large mound into each mug and started to stir.

“What did you volunteer for?” She asked as she returned the top to the old earthen jar and picked up the two mugs and walked over to the table. She placed the mug down in front of me, before sitting down in front of me.

“The Anime Club, is hosting a dunking booth to raise money you know for like club stuff and there looking for a few brave volunteers. And like, you remember when we moved here, and they were having that thing down the the triangle.” I paused and reached out and wrapped my fingers around the warm mug. The heat from the water warmed cold fingers. Slowly I lifted the mug up and slowly I took a small sip of the warm liquid.

“Okay mom, remember that summer we just moved here. About a year or so ago. We were down at the library, like to get our library cards and to check out a few books. And remember that poster they had, the one with the girl in the dunking booth.”
Mom nodded her head and motioned for me to keep going.

“Remember how I wanted to volunteer for the dunking booth. But the girl at the desk said I was too young to volunteer, plus they already had a volunteer for that year.” I will confess at this point, I was quite honestly lost for words. None of the words I could think of seemed powerful enough to convey what I wanted to say. And that frustrated me to no end.

Mom nodded her head again and took a long sip from her mug of tea. “I remember, you wanted to volunteer for the dunking booth because it seemed like something a normal teenager would do. And we'll I think at this point you want to be a normal teenager, and do normal teenager things. I guess, if you really want to do this thing, I can't stop you. So go ahead sweet heart, give me the permission slip and I'll go ahead and sign it for you.” She said rolling her shoulders in defeat. Then all of a sudden a mischievous grin crossed her face. “Just so you know, I'm totally going to dunk you.”

I could not help but roll my eyes and just smile toward my mom. We kind of had this special bond, ever since I came out as a transgender girl, mom had kind of accepted me as the daughter she always wanted and yet could never have. And well that had started to thaw the icy relationship we've had most of my life. We still had a lot of ground to cover, but we were making up for lost time by leaps and bounds.

“So, given the event is going to be on or around Halloween. Have you given any thought as what you'll like to be? And you know my rules, nothing too revealing, skirts can only fall a little over the knee-caps and above all it must be in good taste.” She said holding out a finger for each condition she rattled off. Kind of reminded me of a shopping list, you know, bread, eggs and milk. Anyway I ramble.

“We'll since its Halloween, and since the Anime Club is hosting the event. I thought about going as a cheerleader. That's always a popular cosplay. I mean go to any anime convention and you'll see a lot of them, its like the third most popular choice of costume. The first being the carbon copy sailor fuku. You know mom, a white and blue sailor top, blue pleated skirt, those extra large socks that you need some kind of special glue to hold in place and some brown penny loafers, and lets not forget the classic, but all too revealing bunny girl outfit.”

Mom blinked and blinked again as she reached down, raised her mug of strong herbal tea to her lips and took a nice long sip from the cup. She then peered back at me and taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it she said. “Okay, I can allow a cheerleader costume.” She said sighing. “Its though other thing I don't approve of, those other costumes. The ones that show way too much skin. I don't care what the popular critics say, or what 'Women's World' or 'Sweet Sixteen' or even 'Tween Disney' say, slutty Halloween costumes are not cool. And Halloween does not give a girl the right to let all of her bits and pieces hang out.” She said finishing her cup of strong tea and setting it down with enough force the wooden table started to quake.

“So, you okay with me going as a cheerleader?” I said tilting my head to the side.
“Sure, as long as it's not one of those tacky witch costumes or something that looks like a tween slut. I mean, we get enough flack as is.” She paused and took another sip of her tea. I could tell she was about to climb up on her soap box and spew another little speech. Steeling myself, I settled into my seat, smoothed out my skirt and decided to wait out this storm.

“I mean every year it's the same thing. We go unnoticed for most of the year, we live our quite, simple life's here in this hallow. Then the week before Halloween, everyone and their grandmother seems to just suddenly remember there a coven of witches here in these hills. And there has been for years and years. And before you can shake your head, groups of thrill seeking teens are stalking through our fields, through our woods, looking for any signs of devil worshiping or animal sacrifice and stone altars they can find.” Mom said placing her head in her hand.

“It's just curiosity mom.” I said smirking. “Anyway,” I said draining my tea. And pushing my chair back, slowly I made my way across the wooden floorboards of the kitchen and placed my mug in the pan of dishwater mom had prepared. Like I said before, we were on the lower end of the social spectrum of the town, somewhere in the gray. I guess you could call us upper, lower middle-class if that makes a lick of sense. Heck the only reason I could even attend Benton Academy was a small fortune my grandmother and grandfather had set aside for my education. I use that term 'Fortune' loosely too.

“I have homework I need to do, and extra lessons in math.” I said turning toward mom who was easing her own cup into the warm dishwater. Mom then smiled and wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug, she held me like that for a good five seconds before turning toward me and saying.

“Aright honey, do your work, and keep those grades high. I know you got a lot going on. So keep at it honey.” And so another day in my life came to a close. I returned the permission slip the next day to the GC and the very next day she informed me that the anime club had accepted it. I was also informed that the event was to be held in the parking lot of the newly opened Sonic Drive In. I Think that honesty is growing in a goodway.

The day of the dunking booth arrived sooner than I thought. Like I normally do, I rode the bus home that day and mom greeted me with a hug and a afternoon snack. After my afternoon snack, I dove right into homework till mom knocked upon my bedroom door and reminded me I needed to change into my costume. Mom and I had settled on cheerleader, and since money was tight, we decided to alter her old cheerleader uniform to fit me. Anyway once I had been changed, we drove into town. The event was being held in the parking lot of the newly open 'Sonic' a chain of casual fast food places that focused on hamburgers, fried foods and ice cream. And as expected the parking lot was filled to the brim with people and we'll cars too. And the dunking booth, as I could tell had been set up near the center of the parking lot. Surrounding the booth was a dozen or so card tables, a large crowd of thirty to maybe forty people seemed to surround the booth.

We'll mom finally found a parking space and once the car was off, she and I started walking toward the parking lot, mom followed behind me, slung over her shoulder was a bag that held a spare set of clothing, a towel and small traveling kit. I took a deep breath as mom and I walked into the parking lot. The moon in the night sky was in the “Waning Crescent '' stage of its phase. As is all too common in the south, the weather was cool and pleasant, kind of like a nice summer evening. Autumn in the south is a mix bag.

Sometimes it is warm and something cool there. Every year we have a few token days of coolness, when one can sit around a warm, roaring, crackling fire, and sip a mug of piping hot apple cider. Tonight was no such night, the wind though blowing out of the east with enough force to toss a crumpled up pieces of paper around. The way they bounced up and down, brought to mind the cartoonish image of a tumbleweed, blowing across the vast desert.

Then I noticed half a dozen costumed people were milling around one the iron wrought tables that dotted the inner courtyard of the drive-in. The table in question was littered with plastic brown trays, that held huge hamburgers, oozing with melted sharp cheddar cheese and nestled between two, golden honey toasted hamburger buns. To the side one could mountains of fried onion rings, golden brown crunchy and mounds of jumbo crinkle cut french fries. The sound of laughter and cheering filled the air as people gathered around the large, square tank that stood only a few feet from the table.

Sitting in the tank now was a girl with golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing, we'll do my best to describe it. It kind of reminded me of one of those knock off costumes. The dress looked like a dirndl, a type of folk dress worn by Bavarian barmaids at Oktoberfest. The more I peered at her, the more I seemed to notice that the outfit suited her. With her baby blue eyes and golden blonde hair and her well toned thighs, legs and arms. It suited her. No doubt she had a little German in her.

“Oh man!” I heard the dirndl clad girl cry out. “Why do I?! Of all people have to take a turn up here. The dunking booth fundraiser was your idea! You guys voted on it! I just handled the paperwork and signed the lease agreement. Like honesty, it should one of you guys!” She said pointing toward the table of costumed people. “That should up here!” She bellowed out again.

“Oh pipe down!” Another blonde hair girl said as she tossed a ball up in the air and caught it. “It's not like a little water going to hurt anything.”

“I thought it was that other girls turn! The new girl, the one with the odd sounding name, the kind of pagan girl. She is supposed to be up here! It's her turn anyway.” She said pouting as she watched the ball traveled through the air and smacked into the wall a mere inch above the trigger. “She is totally late!”

“Again, pipe down brat.” The blonde hair girl as she reached down and picked up another yellow tennis ball. I had just noticed there was a large, white, plastic laundry basket sitting beside the throw line. Inside the basket one could see at least thirty or maybe forty white and white tennis balls. Leaning against the basket was a flat piece of cardboard. A piece of paper had been glued to the cardboard, written upon the piece of paper was the following text. 'The tennis balls have been provided by Potter Mercantile, be sure to check us out for our old fashion services and down home bargains! - The Potter Family' the text was written in big bold letters.

“It's still not fair! And this tank is so tall! Like, it's nothing compared to the one at school or the one the town rents for the Discover Benton Festival” She said blushing as she looked down at the water. Then it happen, while the girl had been looking down at the other girl had tossed the ball toward the target and scored a bullseye. The seat holding up the girl gave way and she fell into the tank. It was over in a blink of an eye, but in my mind it seemed to last for ever. Everything seemed to slow down, the seat slowly gave way, and for a brief period of time, several seconds at least she hovered above the water before gravity took over and pulled her down.

“You little brat!” Bellowed the blonde hair girl as she started to climb out of the tank.

“It's freaking freezing in there! I'm going to catch my death of a cold, all because of some dumb idea you and you're friends thought up!”

“Hey Lil!” Shouted another girl from around the table. “Looking cute! Now touch the bottom and give us a good show!” The girl shouted as she raised her paper cup up as if offering a toast to the girl who had just been dunked.

“Hey? I'm sorry I'm late,” I said as I walked up to the girl who just tossed the ball. I tapped her on the shoulder and the girl spun around and offered me a little smile. I then noticed for the first time she had a neon pink bath towel wrapped around her and her blonde hair was dripping wet.

“Hey, no problem there. My older sister Lily was just taking a turn in the dunking booth. I totally forgot to include contact information on the slip I wrote up, so we had no way of contacting you or anything. We all kind of figured you might have gotten cold feet or something. I mean, you are Cerridwen right? Cerridwen Whitethorn?” She asked as she nodded her head toward the girl who had climbed up and returned to the seat.

“Yes that me,” I said as I peered toward the girl sitting in the tank. “And that must be your older sister, Lily right? Lily Potter? The girl who is the co-owner and manager of the 'Sweet Magnolia' and then you Jamie Sarah Potter the school's 'Princess'.” I said taking an educated guess and who I was talking too. If I was correct, I had climbed up the social ladder of the school to talk to two of the leading students of Benton Academy. The 'Potters' were ranked among the finest and oldest families of Benton. It was also rumored that the town had once been named after one of there ancestors that being the fabled 'Hannah Sarah Potter' who had married the first mayor of the tiny river settlement of 'Hannah's Landing' the first name given to tiny collection of cabins, stores and scant few churches that would become the modest township of Benton. The girl blushed then laughed a little as she shrugged her shoulder.

“I guess, I don't really consider myself the 'Princess' of the school. I'm just like a girl that became popular because of some dumb tradition.” She said smiling as she offered me her hand. “Anyway, its nice to meet you Cerridwen. If you want, you want, why don't you try your luck and dunk Lily before its your turn? She has like six or seven minutes before her shifts up.” Jamie said with a small smile. “We kind of thought you were going to bail on us, so Lily.” She said with a grin a mile long, “Volunteered to take your thirty minute shift. But since you're here, you can take the next shift.”

“Volunteered my bottom!” Cried Lily from the tank. “You brats forced me up here! And like those twig arms on that girl could even throw! I mean just look at her, she likes a little twig. And pale as the moon too boot! So, what you think little girl! Got what it takes to dunk me!”

I blinked and turned toward Jamie who passed me a ball, I took the ball and smiled as I stepped toward the throwing line. Taking a deep breath, I locked eyes with Lily who just grinned at me. I was going to knock that grin off her face, by sending that loud mouth girl straight into the tank All eyes had focused in on me now. I took a deep breath, gripped the ball nice and tight and locked eyes with the target, then funneling all my focus into the ball, I tossed it. The ball sailed through the air and smacked hard into the trigger. The grin on Lily's face vanished as she seat gave way and she dropped like a stone into the vat of freezing cold water below her.

For a solid minute, I watched her splash around the tank. Then finally gathering her wits, she climbed over the edge. Her blonde hair hung down like many golden strings as she looked over her shoulder and gave me a fearsome pout as she pressed the seat back up and once more climbed up.

“Okay! So you got lucky!” She called out as she climbed over the tank and eased onto the seat. She then peered toward me and gave me a wicked little grin. She then smoothed out her soaking wet skirt and tossed her collection of messy soaking wet hair behind her shoulders. Then in a haughty tone of voice she called out. “Why don't you give it another go. You know, dunk me again, so we can't chalk that first one up to beginners luck!”

I blinked and blinked again as Jamie once more handed me a yellow and white tennis ball. She smiled and then stepped aside. I took another deep breath, once more focused my mind and once more tossed the ball toward the target. And then much to my amazement my toss hit the target and mashed it in. Once more I saw the seat holding Lily up give way, dropping her like a stone into the ice cold water below. A girlish yell filled the air as she dropped a second time. Another roaring cheer of approval filled the air from the nearby table Lily dropped into the water.

Lily, blushing like a bride at the altar took a deep breath, pushed the seat back into place and climbed out of the tank. Once she was firmly on the ground somebody walked up and handed her an extra large towel. Lily thanked them and then wrapped the towel around her shivering shoulders. She then offered me a small smile as she made her way toward the table.

“Okay girl!” Jamie said as she placed her hands on my shoulder. “Its your turn.”
I nodded my head and took a deep breath as I started to move toward the tank.With each step I took, I tried to make my skirt swish back and forth. I was fully aware that all eyes where trained on me, that I was now the center of attention and that thought made me blush. But I must confess, I loved that feeling, it was a new and welcoming felling.

I took a deep, deep breath as I climbed up the soaking wet ladder. Holding in that breath, I started to slowly climb from the ladder over to the dunking board that was already soaking wet. My heart started to flutter as I inched my way toward the very end of the board. Looking down, I noticed there was a good two feet from where my feet were tangling down and the freezing water below. Releasing my breath I eased my hands down to my side and focused my eyes toward the crowd that was starting to huddle around the throwing line.
As I watched the crowd grow, I started to wonder who would be the first one to try their luck and dunk me. After a minute or so though, one of the girls from the crowd, the same girl from before, the one with the honey blonde hair and deep blue eyes stepped out. She had a pink towel wrapped around her body and a playful smile plastered across her lips. Taking a deep breath, she reached down and picked up one of the yellow tennis balls.

“So Cerridwen.” She said smiling as she squeezed the tennis ball. “You got some kills, heck you even managed to dunk me twice.” She said smiling as she then tossed the ball from her right hand into her left then back to her right. “And I've noticed you decided to dress up as a cheerleader for Halloween. Its kind of cute really, I mean dunking booths and cheerleaders go hand in hand right? Like butter and popcorn.”

After that statement she paused, took a deep breath, drew back her arm and let the ball fly. The round ball sailed through the air and came within a hair's breadth of striking the target. The ball made a loud popping sound as it struck the safety wall behind the trigger. A frown quickly formed on Lily face as she noticed the ball sailing past the target. Closing her eyes and releasing her breath she walked over and picked up the ball. Once the ball was in her hand, she looked up and smiled at me.

“Second time's the charm right?” She said as she walked back to the throwing line. All eyes had now focused in on Lily and I. I felt a deep blush color my face as I brought my knees together and folded my hands in my lap. I shifted my gaze toward Lily who was looking up at me with a small smile. For a solid thirty seconds Lily and I just peered at each other. Then finally she drew back her arm once more and tossed the ball. The ball sailed through the air and this time smacked into the trigger with a loud bang. A few seconds later, I felt the seat I was sitting under give way and I felt a rush of freezing cold water. For a few minutes I bobbled around the tank, the water was freezing cold and the skimpy nature of my costume offered little or no protection from the chill.

“Push the seat up girl!” The second blonde hair girl cried out. I think her name was Jamie, “Push the seat back up and climb back up!” She called out. She then paused, “Hey don't wait too long. The water is freezing I know, but you're the last one. We're going to call it a night before long, so just hang in there girl!”

I nodded my head and took a deep breath as I pushed the seat up, it soon clicked back into place and once more I found myself climbing back up the old iron ladder in the back. Once more I climbed over from the ladder back to the seat. And once more I inched my way down the board till I was perched at the very end.

“So!” Cried Lily with a big smile as she watched me position myself once more. “How was your first ever dunking!” She cried out with a big smile. “Cold enough for you?” She added with a cheeky smile.

“Freezing!” I cried out as I once more brought my legs together and folded my hands in my lap. “But come on give me your best shot!” I cried out again.

“Nah I'm finished. I'd had my revenge.” she said smiling softly. “Hey, how old are you?” She asked.

“Fourteen. Going on fifteen..” I responded quite unsure what she was driving at.

“Okay cool, if you get a working permit. Come down to 'Sweet Magnolia' it's the little cafe, tea room, bakery downtown. Ask for Lily Potter, and I'll hand you an application. I'm the co-manager and owner of the place. If I'm not there, and there is this red haired girl there, her name is Robin Peers, she is the other co-manager and owner. Tell her that Lily Potter sent you. She should hand you an application too. It's only part time, but hey, I'll give you a fair wage.” She then smiled and gave me a big thumbs up.

With that being said, Lily once more offered me a little smile with her towel wrapped around her shoulders like a cloak, turned toward the warmth of the gathering table. A few seconds later, Jamie the other Potter sister stepped up and smiled toward me. She was still wrapped up in her neon pink towel that now hung off her shoulders, it kind of reminded me of a shawl of hyper pink shawl.

“So, Cerridwen.” She said smirking as she reached down into the basket and pulled out a tennis ball. “I just gotta say, I'm glad you decided to come out and help us. Even though we kind of pegged you with the last shift.” Her voice trailed a little as she said that last bit. “But for real, thank you. I mean you volunteering kind of saved me having to volunteer to take the last shift!”

“Hey no problem!” I said before falling into a fit of giggles. I mean it was comical in its own way. Here I was taking the last turn in a dunking booth. And instead of hassling me or mocking me, every one just seemed chilled and more interested in talking to me, there seemed to be a genuine curiosity about me. Maybe because I was a witch? Okay I was still learning the craft, so maybe an apprentice witch? There was a traditional period of preparation and learning I was still going through before I could become a full fledged member of the community. A period of a year and day of studying, mentoring, and testing was normally required by the bylaws of our tiny village.

“So! Why did you volunteer?” She asked as she reached down and picked up another ball. “I mean, you're not a member of the club, I mean that could change, We meet every Tuesday and Thursday in the school's library for like an hour after school. We're thinking about expanding to include all of Benton too. So like you're welcome to join our meetings. We're really informal too.” She paused again as she tossed the ball into the air and then eyeing the target she drew back her arm and tossed the ball. The ball sailed through the air and by an amazing stroke of luck struck the iron target. The sound of the ball slamming into the metal target echoed through the cold night air.

A dozen frantic beats of the heart later, I once more felt the seat give way. And soon once more I felt myself dropping like a stone. Water splashed over the surface of the tank as my bottom touched the hard plastic floor of the tank. Taking a deep breath, I swam toward the little window in the bottom and pressed my face to the clear plastic sheet. Through the plastic, I could see the little group cheering and slapping Jamie on the back. A deep blush colored my cheekbones as I started to move toward the surface. I soon broke the surface of the water and took a deep, deep breath.

“Nice shot!” I cried out as I pushed the seat back and once more I waited till I heard that metal click before climbing out and once more climbing up the ladder. Once I reached the top of the ladder, I climbed back onto the seat and inched my bottom toward the edge. Then I once more brought my knees together and folded my hands in my lap. I took a deep breath, I was quite soaked to the bone and the light cotton fabric of the skirt was starting to cling to my legs and the white top was starting to cling to my chest.

“Hey thank you for being such a good sport!” Jamie called out. She then looked over and spotted my mom, who was sipping on a milkshake, a chocolate milkshake no doubt. If mom ever had a vice it had to be her weakness for milkshakes and chocolate malts. Mom blinked as she noticed Jamie staring at her with a smile as big as the sun.

“Hey! You're her mom right?” She said smiling as she walked over and handed mom one of the tennis balls. “We have time for like a few more pitches. And since you're here mother, why don't you go ahead and give dunk her.” Jamie said smiling softly.
Mom blinked and blinked again as she finished her milkshake. She then pitched the empty styrofoam cup into a nearby metal trash can. She then shrugged her shoulders as she walked up and took the ball from Jamie's hand and smiled as she looked up and focused her eyes on me. A wicked little grin crossed her face as she tossed the ball from her left hand to her right and then from her right back to her left.

“So, daughter.” She said smiling softly as she eyed the target. “I'm pleased to see you sitting like a lady. That pose is the pose I expect from the daughter of Pandora Whitethorn.” She grinning as she kept tossing the ball back and forth it was like she was teasing me. “You also know that I really do love you? Like you are my star and moon right?” She said as she stopped tossing the ball back and forth as she took a deep breath and drew back and tossed the ball toward the target.

I watched the ball sail through the air and then shuttered as I heard the ball smash into the metal target. The seat once more gave way and I once more dropped like a stone into the freezing cold water below. I soon felt my bottom touch the floor of the tank again and like last time, I swam toward the window to give the person who dunked me a fair view. Then once more I broke the surface of the water, water once more splashed over the edges and soaked the concrete the tank was resting on. Turning toward my mom, I pouted once more as I pushed the seat of the tank up till it clicked into place, then I climbed back onto the tank and took a deep breath. Mom smirked and shook her head.

“Oh honey, those big, puppy dog eyes and cherry red lips are cute and all. But I'm your mother, they have no effect on me whatsoever. Now, a teenage boy would be driven mad by such a display.” My mom said in a teasing tone of voice, And with that she tossed her second ball and once more she had the devil's luck as the ball struck the metal target, sending back into the water. This time I wasted no time in breaking the surface, the water was starting to become almost freezing and the wind was starting to blow harder now. The cold autumn breeze cut like a knife as it blew across the parking lot, a crumpled up piece of paper tumbled across the now almost barren parking like, for a minute I was reminded of a opening scene of some old western, like the ones daddy like to watched on his days off or on lazy Sunday afternoons.

“Okay! I think that's enough. We don't want her to catch pneumonia.” Mom said.

“Yep, it's getting cold,” Jamie said, shivering a little. “I think we need to call it a night gang.”

“I agree.” Her older sister said, shivering a little as the wind started to rise.

“Plus, you know the ghost train is supposed to run tonight. And I for one don't want to be caught sitting on the tank if that thing decides to appear.” Lily said, taking a deep breath as she peered toward the moon.

“The Rougarou is supposed to roam the bottomlands and woods on nights like tonight. That beast will be on the prowl tonight I'm sure of it.” Mom said as she looked up at the moon. “I don't know about a ghost train, but I do know that the Rougarou is a lot meaner on nights like tonight. If any of you live near the creeks, I suggest locking your doors and windows and bringing your pets inside, he'll be stalking the bottomlands and the creeks. He is known to travel along Williams creek too.”

And with that being said, I climbed out of the tank and eased myself down upon the concrete. What happened next, mom wrapped me up tightly in a towel, and marched me to the bathroom to change into the spare set of clothing she brought. I then exchanged numbers with Lily, Jamie, Madeline and the rest. And the next day Lily and Jamie invited me to sit with them at lunch. And so that's how my dunking booth adventure ends. Oh and I did not catch pneumonia. I caught friendship!

Being Cerridwen had changed my life, for the better I believe. My mom is now more involved with my life than she was before. She also started teaching me a lot of domestic skills, like how to make up a bed, how to deep clean a house, how to sew and how to handle a broom. She also started teaching me more of the craft, see my mom's a witch, and since the craft is normally passed from mother to daughter, she always figured the craft would die with her. That's not to say she was overjoyed to find me wearing that old skirt and blouse one afternoon. No, quite the opposite. She was madder than a cat who's just been tossed into a bathtub.

What happened next was a verbal battle that left us both on the edge of tears. In her anger, she shouted that I should just go ahead and kill myself and save my father the shame of having such a son. Being in a very emotional state, I shouted that maybe I would and stormed off. Tears burning my eyes, and streaming down my cheeks I biked toward a nearby bridge. I remember that night, it was late summer and the moon was full. I reached the bridge shortly after midnight. I remember putting my bike down by an old tree and walking onto the bridge, I was starting to waver, but I had just enough courage to jump. I was sure the fall would kill me, if not the fall the fact that the creek below was swollen to the banks would end me by drowning.

All of these thoughts swirled through my head as I climbed up to the railing and prepared myself to jump. I remember taking one last deep breath as I prepared myself to jump over and enter the next life. Then something happened, something stopped me, something made me pause, to pause long enough to see the headlights of an oncoming car. Then I heard my mother and father, they yelled something and rushed toward me. My dad was the first one to reach me, he quickly scooped me up and brought me in close to his chest. Mom was second, she joined in the hug.

I don't remember what happen next, only all thoughts of suicide vanished and I felt love. Dad told me he accepted me for who ever, mom at first ashamed of herself kept her distance but as the days wore all she started addressing me as “Cerridwen” instead of my given name of “Heracles' '. She later said the Celtic flavored name suited me better than the Greek one. And so I became Cerridwen.

All of this drifted through my head as I browsed the children/teen section of Albert Sidney Johnstone Memorial library. Mom had taken me to the library to check out a few books. Mom had a rule, only one hour of Internet for one one of reading or housework. Her way of trying to balance the amount of screen time I had. While that sounds harsh, she never said a word about the books I selected, it could be any book. And much to her amusement I settled on the “Fear Street” series by R.L Stein.

With that in mind, I picked a few from the series. All of the covers showed cheerleaders, and with those in hand I started toward the desk. I was halfway to the desk. When out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something. Pinned to the announcement board was an advertisement. The flyer was something of an anime picture that showed a girl with chestnut brown hair that had been divided down the middle with each section styled in pigtails with a bit of red ribbon tied around them. The girl wore a dirndl type dress with the bottom half being red and white stocking and red Mary Jane dress shoes completing the look.

She was sitting on a folding chair of some kind that had been placed under a gunge booth. A deep blush colored her face. As deep blue gunge dripped down down around her, the gunge had coated her shoulders, most of her head and was pooling around the cobblestones the chair was sitting on. The artist it seemed had drawn inspiration from downtown Benton. In the bottom of the picture there was located a capital “J” followed by an capital “S” and finally an capital “P”.
Below the picture was the following message.

“The association of downtown merchants and restaurants is sponsoring a gunge gunge tank for charity. We are looking for a willing volunteer to brave the gunge from the hours of six to eight. A change of clothing will be provided along with a voucher for a hot meal at one of the sponsoring restaurants. Volunteers need to be between the ages of twelve to eighteen, and be enrolled in either the Benton Public School System (Benton AG High School, Benton Jr. High School, Benton Middle, and Benton Elementary) Or attend Benton Academy or St. Clare's Catholic Academy, a student ID is required and will be asked when filling out the forms. Any willing volunteer can pick up the forms at the front desk. - Madeline D. Brewer vice president of the Anime & Manga Club of Benton”

I blinked and blinked again as I peered toward the picture and then toward the message below. I took a deep breath as I reached up and removed the pins holding the poster in place. I then folded the poster down and started toward the desk. I placed my chosen books down upon the desk. The girl behind the desk was typing away at her keyboard. Figuring she was doing some type of business I decided to wait. And I waited and I waited till at last I felt like the girl was ignoring me.

Then after a few more minutes of waiting, she finally caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye. She quickly rolled her eyes and wheeled her chair down the front desk. Without saying a world, she started to stamp my books. Handing each one back to me after she stamped them. I stood there silent as the grave as she stamped my books, I was working up my courage you see. Finally deciding it was now or never, I cleared my throat.

“So, I was looking in the hallway, and I noticed there was a flyer saying something about a brave volunteer who wanted for the gunge booth. I was wondering if you had a little more information. As I was kind of wondering if there were still like looking for one.” I said trying to hide the fact that I was blushing up a storm.
She rolled her eyes. Sighing she reached down and dropped a clipboard down upon the desk and handed me a pen.

“Fill this out, and turn it back in. We're closing in about twenty minutes, so it won't take all day. And oh, the girl who typed that up, forgot to mention, this is for the Halloween Carnival that's being hosted downtown. So, you need a costume too. Something that machine washable too. Unless you feel like blowing twelve or so dollars.” She said, shrugging her shoulders as she handed me my big stack of books back.

“And what with you anime kids and horror stories? First it was that girl, Madeline you know the girl who volunteered for the dunking booth that one year. Then it was that Potter girl. And Like I even heard through the grapevine, that Madeline Brewer is collecting ghost stories for a book she wants to publish called 'Ghost Stories and Urban Legends Of Benton' like good for her I guess, maybe she could become the next William Faulkner or Steven King or something.” She said with a roll of her eyes as she returned back to her keyboard.

I nodded my head, collected my books and started toward the door. I'll fill out the forum and return it tomorrow when mom come back into town for our once a week supermarket one. Saturday was kind of our day to make groceries for the week.

I pushed open the door and stepped down the huge concrete steps and started to stroll down the brick paved walkway. A sudden breeze then rose up and pushed through the trees, the brightly colored branches, heavy with orange and rust colored leaves started to sway back and forth as the strong wind passed through them. The wind swirled around me, causing my pleated, woolen skirt to lift a little. The wind then rose around me and tossed my ponytail to the side. The wind caused me to pause, it was like the wind was whispering a name into my ears. I closed my eyes and tried to listen with all my heart, the wind seemed to whisper 'Lisa' into my ears.

I took a deep breath as I peered out the window of my bedroom. Ribbons of pale moonlight streamed through the trees. The moon, high above the treeline was round and full, and glowed like a big fat silver coin. Watching the moonlight stream through the window panes of my room, kind of reminded me of that night. It was a full moon that night too. A sudden knock on the door brought me out of my musing. There in the doorway stood my mother, she was wrapped in her night coat and in her hand she held an old wooden tray that held two extra large mugs. Steam rolled off the top of the mugs and the aroma of milk and chocolate filled the air. Smiling, she placed the mug down and eased toward me.

“Hey, princess.” She said smiling as she sat on the side of my bed. “I've been doing some thinking, and we'll.. if you want to volunteer for that thing you can.” She said as she looked me up and down. “After all, you need a social life too, and I do want you to meet more people your own age. I know you don't have too many friends here among the families, that Madeline girl seems like a really friendly girl. And the Potters are the best of the best.”

A small smile graced my face as I eased my pencil down and leaned back in my chair. You see when I mentioned the idea to my mother, the whole idea of me volunteering for the 'Slime a Student' booth as she called, she kind of brushed it off at first. Saying that I needed to focus more on my studies and learning the craft than making friends, friends could wait, she often said, and often or not she'll change her stance after an hour or two has passed.

“I guess, I was worried after all. The dunking booth was fun for you I guess. And I worry about where we'll know that. And Halloween is always kind of a rough time for us. We'll it is for me anyway. Some of our sisters and brothers seem to embrace it.. but it's a holy day for us.” She paused, slowly reached down and picked up the heavy wooden hairbrush from my dresser drawer.

My room is simple, wooden floorboards that are swept daily and mopped twice a week. A simple bed with woolen blankets, pillows with matching pillow cases. A dresser drawer at the front of my bed that held a change of sheets, undergarments and a change of pillow cases, a small closet that held a few skirts, blouses and one or two dresses. Mom kept promising me a formal gown, but she was holding off on that till we needed one. And finally a little study/work desk that had my pink laptop resting on top of it.

Finally, tucked into the corner of my room was a small bookshelf, the shelf held my small collection of manga, those are Japanese comic books, a few studio Ghibi movies and some stand alone anime series and of course my collection of “Fear Street” books. Anyway, with the brush in her hand, mom started to walk toward me by my bed. Smiling softly, she climbed up on my bed and sat down. Once she was seated, she patted the space in front of her.

A small smile graced my face as I slipped off my chair and walked over to my bed and climbed onto my mother's lap. My mom smiled and started to run the teeth of the brush through my now shoulder length raven hair. I had started growing it out ever since I came out of the closet if you will. As mom started to work the brush through my hair, I felt myself starting to relax as she started to brush my hair out. It was soothing and relaxing. Soon I found myself almost starting to purr as she started to break the tangle of knots my hair often becomes after a day of scrumping the floorboards, lessons and homework.

“Hey Mom, do you believe in guarding spirits or angels?” I finally asked after she had finished brushing out my hair, she was now starting to braid it, she always braided my hair before bed. It was like our nightly ritual. We'll share a cup of hot chocolate, she brushed and braided my hair and we'll each talk about our days, our struggles and our triumphs.
Mom took a deep breath and paused in her braiding, she then slipped off the bed and walked over to the wooden tray that held the mugs of hot chocolate. I wrapped my fingers around the mug and sighed as the heat from the mug warmed my hands.

“Why do you ask princesses?” She said at last after a long pause. She was just about to resume her braiding I could tell by the way she was holding the brush in her hand.
“Because that not, you know that night we had the fight and I was going to end myself by jumping off of Rebecca Road Bridge?” I said pushing through the awkwardness of the conversation. Mom I could tell was becoming visibly uncomfortable with the talk. But it was something I needed to get off my chest. Mom to her credit nodded her head and resumed the braiding.

“I remember honey, it was not a good night for either of us. I'm afraid I overreacted. I let my emotions run wild that night. And I said some very bad things that no mother should ever say to her child.” She paused, “But yes, to answer your question. I do believe in guardian spirits or angels or whatever you want to call them. I believe one was working that night.. that's why I still have my princess with me.” She said as she finished up the braid and turned me around. She then planted a kiss upon my forehead.

“You're going to be fine honey.” She said smiling softly as she tapped my bottom with the brush. I nodded my head and started to crawl under the covers. Soon I was buried under three layers of blankets. A small smile crossed momma's face as she walked over and placed her hand down upon my hand. Taking a deep breath, she started to say.

“Now I lay my daughter down to rest, I pray that all the world be blessed. Lady Moon and Sister Stat watch over her from afar. The Lord of Dreams will dance and sing, and to her sweet dreams he'll bring. And when she awakes to greet the day, Brother Sun will light the day.” She said as she bent down and kissed me on the forehead.

“Good night my sweet Cerridwen. Tomorrow, we'll drop that forum off and spend some mother and daughter time in town. We might even hit up Blockbuster's and see if we can't rent a Disney Movie or something.” She said as she bent down and kissed me once more on the forehead. She then stood up, walked over to my desk, turned my lamp off and then she tiptoed toward the door and slowly she closed it.

And there another chapter in the novel of my life draws to a close.

Potter's Mercantile is a family owned and operated general store located in the heart of downtown Benton. According to local legend and lore the shop has stood at the corner of main and sixth street since the founding of the town way back when. The store has a little bit of everything and the owner Mr. Potter often extends credit to those who need it. Mom also likes it, because the owner's wife has a small selection of gently worn dresses, blouses, skirts and shoes she sales on the side. Most of my clothing came from Potter's. Mom by her very nature was thrifty and rarely brought anything new. Even the sheets and blankets on my bed came from one of the charity shops.

I can't say we were poor. Daddy kept food on the table, we never had to worry about our lights being cut off, or our water. There were always snacks in the house. We owned our own land and we even helped out the other families in the hollow. I guess as far as hollow families go, we were pretty well off. Mom was the head 'Priestess' if you can call her that of the group. She tended to the old, the young, the sick and the downtrodden as best as she could with what she could afford to spare. She offered advice to the young girls of courting age, advising them on what to look for in a future boyfriend, since she always said a future boyfriend could quickly turn into a future husband in just a season or two.

Anyway pushing all of that aside. Mom was, as of right this second standing at the counter waiting patiently as Mr. Potter keyed each item into the old fashioned cash register. A huge, gray, beast of a machine that looked like it belonged in a museum instead of a thriving downtown business. But then again, I guess the Potter's were thrifty too. And so, instead of hovering in the background while Mr. Potter carefully picked up each item, and tapped in the price before moving on to the other, I decided to do a little exploring.

Potter's Mercantile was more like a mini grocery store too. The main cash register was up front, beside it was a little deli area that fixed a plate lunch six days a week, beside that was a small dairy case that had milk, eggs, cheese and a limited selection of yogurts. After that you had the meat case. Mom loved the meats here, the prices were fair and the quality was top notch. She brought all her meats here and once a week she'll break down and buy three sixteen ounce porterhouses for daddy to cook out on the grill. Anyway pass the meat case you had the drink section that had all your chilled soft drinks and your fruit flavored beverages, you know those ones that had about ten percent fruit juice in them.

Then you had the frozen food section. The frozen food section was about eight stand up freezer doors that were all lined up beside the wall. The first door was stocked with frozen french fries, the second door was stocked with frozen pizzas, the third door was stocked with a wide variety of frozen bread, the fourth door was stocked with frozen dinners, the fifth door was stocked with frozen meats and a few selected frozen seafood items, the six door held frozen snacks, like pizza pockets, and such and the seventh door held frozen pies and desserts and finally the last door and my personal favorite was the eight one that held nothing but ice cream! I loved ice cream, chocolate being my all time favorite flavor.

Now to the left of the frozen food section was a wooden door. Nailed to the center of the wooden door were bubbly, cursive letters that spelled out the words “Potter's Second Hand Boutique” this door led to the used clothing section of the store. Taking a deep breath, I pushed upon the door handle and the sight that greeted me took my breath away.

Two racks, filled with dresses, blouses and skirts dotted the floor of the small square room. The wooden shelving built into the walls held dozens and dozens of pairs of shoes. Everything from leather boots, to nice dress shoes. Out of the corner of my eye I could spot a small area that had been closed off, no doubt a small changing area and finally at the far back of the room, a small counter with an oddly modern looking cash register. Sitting behind the cash register was a teenage girl with golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and she was casually flipping through the glossy pages of a magazine no doubt the newest edition of “Sweet sixteen” while idly chewing what appeared to be a wad of pink chewing gum. Every few seconds she would blow a small bubble, the bubble would pop and she resumed chewing. After a few seconds, she noticed me standing there, she blinked and quickly she swallowed her gum and took a deep breath as she fixed me with a big smile.

“Oh! Welcome to 'Potter's Second Hand Boutique' I'm.. wait I know you. Your Cerridwen right? Cerridwen Circle Whitethorn? The Pagan girl who helped us with the dunking booth a week or so go?” She said as she stepped out from behind the counter. “So, how can I help you? Looking for something special? Maybe a Halloween costume? I mean with Halloween only being like a day or so away, our costumes are pretty picked over. But we might have a few cute ones left.” She then bit down upon her lip and looked away for a minute.
“Oh cool. I knew it was you. I mean, everybody in the club was impressed with you. I mean, like you were a really good sport in taking the last shift. And not to mention, you got dunked a ton.” Lily stated as she reached down and tossed her magazine to the side. She quickly then cleared her throat and pointed with her hand toward a small collection of costumes and a cardboard bin.

“It's not much, but it's all we have. Like I said before, with Halloween only being a day or two away, they totally picked us over. I mean they ravaged that section. Anyway, why don't you take a look, and if you'll give me a few minutes. I'll finish up what I'm doing here and I'll come over there to help you. Maybe together we can find you something cute to wear. I mean, every girl needs something cute to wear on Halloween.”

A small smile formed upon the bow of my lips as I nodded my head and started to move toward the corner where the scant few remaining Halloween costumes were being displayed. I quickly noticed, Lily had been dead on the money when she said the pickings would be slim. Only about a baker or so dozen costumes hung from iron coat hangers on the racks. A small, cardboard produce bin could be found next to the rack. Inside the bin, I could find a wide range of Halloween accessories and one off items.

I felt almost like an archaeologist as I started to peel and dig through the bin. The deeper I dug, the more I uncovered relics from long ago. Halloweens lay at my fingertips, an old witches hat that was covered in dust, a vampire's cape with a tear the size of Texas, a plastic mask, and a glow in the dark hockey mask. Being short, I had to stand almost on my heels as I started to shift around. Finally after a few minutes, I decided to call it quits.

“Having any luck?” A voice called out from behind me.

“No.” I said sighing in defeat. “I guess, I'll be wearing that old cheerleading costume again.” Last week, when I had volunteered for a charity stunt, mom had forced her old cheerleading uniform on me. Citing that we just did not have the money to throw away on a costume. That was a week ago, since then, I had worked my fingers to bone around the house, doing all the chores and the extra chores to scrape up enough of my own money to buy a nice costume, I mean this was my first Halloween as a girl, I felt it should be celebrated with something special.

“We'll if you'll turn around and stop digging like a mole through that bin girl. I found something that would fit you.” The voice said. The tone of the voice was that teasing short of voice, I often heard older sisters use when addressing younger sisters. The voice that was half teasing, half love, love normally only reserved for family members.
I blinked and stopped my digging. I was totally covered in dust and grim. No doubt most of the costumes and accessories came from second hand shops or had been brought in bulk from some questionable source. As I refocused my eyes, I noticed the woman was holding up a cute red and white dress.

“You kind of strike me as the 'Little Red Riding Hood' type girl. And this is really the only costume that I think suits you. We have a witch costume, that kind of revealing. But with you being a an Wiccan and such, I thought that would kind of not cool to suggest that, you know, with you being a real witch and all.” She said blushing as she held the dress up. “Plus, I'll even cut you a deal. Our complete costumes normally go for like twelve dollars. I'll let you have it for about six, since you kind of helped out with the fund raiser.”

I took a deep breath as I reached up and took the costume in hand. I then took a deep breath as I looked it up and down at six dollars that was a steal. I almost felt like a thief, I mean while mom might be something of a penny pincher, but she did believe in paying me a fair wage for all the chores I did around the house. So, I had money. But still, something seemed fishy about the thing.

“Okay.. what the catch?” I said as I held the costume up.

“No catch, just trying to move it. Halloween is like a day or so, and we normally slash the prices of our Halloween goods the day before Halloween. You know, gotta make room for Christmas stuff. So I'm just giving you the normal discount.. but if you want.. we have some boots, new woolen skirts, heavy cotton blouses and a few cute purses that just arrived. If you buy something else, I'll call it an even trade.” She said winking as she nodded toward the changing room.

“So, why don't you go ahead and change. And don't worry. I have a little sister who's just like you. I'm a friend okay. So go ahead and change and I'll keep watch.” She said winking again as she shooed me toward the changing room.

I soon found myself stepping behind the old curtain. Quickly I removed the pink turtleneck sweater and then I bent down and unhooked the coal black woolen skirt that I had worn with it. Once I had completely undressed, I picked up the costume and took a deep breath as I slipped the outfit on. I felt my heart beat quicken. Gathering up my courage, I turned to face the floor length mirror that was tucked away in a corner of the already cramp changing room. And the minute I did was the minute a deep, deep blush bloomed on my cheek bones. I looked amazing! The outfit seemed to fit my body like a tailored glove.

“Hey everything alright in there girl?” I heard Lily call out.

“Yes, everything is fine!” I responded.

“Cool, we'll if you're ready, come on out. You're mom's out here waiting on you. She wants to see how the costume looks on you. Plus, she has a handful of skirts, blouses and a new formal for you to try on. Looks like somebody getting a whole new Autumn and Winter wardrobe.” I blinked and slowly I started to panic a little. But then I reached down deep inside of me and pulled out a bit of courage. With trembling hands I reached up and pulled aside the old sheet that was acting curtain and with all the grace and charm I could muster I walked out face to face my mother. I was quickly greeted with

“OMG! HONEY! YOU LOOK ADORABLE!” Mommy yelled the minute I walked out. She then rushed up and threw her arms around me. “OH! I can get behind this costume.” She said, smiling soft. “It's not one of those tacky revealing witches dresses, and you always loved the fable of 'Little Red Riding Hood' growing up. That was your favorite bedtime story. So it suits.” She then stepped back and folded her arms across her chest. “But, could you give me a twirl hon?” She said as she swirling motion with her fingers.

Blushing, and a little flustered from the quick hug. I started to twirl around. Mom watched me like a hawk the whole time. Finally after twirling around at least three good times she nodded her head. “Okay, toss that in with the keepers pile. Now come on, you have at least four skirts, two pairs of jeans, three blouses, a few pairs of boots to try on. It's going to get cold soon, real cold. So off you go.” She said as she handed me a bundle of clothing.

And We'll mom spoiled me a little. We spent more time shopping for clothing than she spent shopping for food items. Lily, who I later learned was covering for her mother because her mother needed to take her little sister to the Doctor's office in Jackson was wonderful and offered some much needed teenage advice and acted as my personal dressing coach. And true to her word, she not only gave us a good discount on the Halloween costume that made mom happy, but she also tossed in the 'Potter Family Discount' and 'Benton Academy Student Discount' I think she made the last two up. But it made mom really happy. All told we came out there with four pairs of boots, four skirts, four blouses, two pairs of jeans and one sparkling formal for around one hundred twenty dollars and sixteen cents. Mom was well pleased with herself. And I was pleased with the new clothes, I was really starting to feel like a girl. After we left the store, we dropped off the forum at the town's library. The girl at the front desk informed me I would be first in line. After that, mom decided to treat me to McDonalds. And that's how that day ends.