AUTHOR'S NOTES: I've already done a Christmas themed story and a summer themed story, so why not do a Halloween themed story. This one will be a bit complex than the other two, so bear with me.
This story takes place in October 2023.
CHAPTER 1:
On October 9th, Esther & Flo were having breakfast in their apartment.
"These belgian waffles are delicious." Esther said.
"Thank you. It was my first time trying out our new waffle iron, so I was hoping it would work." Flo said.
"I knew it would. So, what's going on with you today?" Esther asked.
"Well, today's a big day at work." Flo said.
"How so?" Esther asked curious.
"We're selling pumpkin smoothies starting today." Flo said excited.
"Wow! What perfect timing. Those things usually sell like hotcakes this time of year." Esther said.
"Indeed. Hey, what do you say after work we go looking for Halloween costumes." Flo suggested.
"I'm good with that. Some of the other Bellas will be picking out their costumes later this week." Esther said.
"Well, hopefully we'll find some good costumes later tonight." Flo said.
"I'm sure we'll have no problem with that." Esther said.
"Alright, well I'm off to work." Flo said.
"Have a good day, Flo." Esther said.
"You too, Esther." Flo said as she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.
Later that night at Aubrey & Chad's house, Chad was in the living room watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movie The Curse of the Black Pearl when Finn came downstairs and joined his father on the couch.
"Finn, what are you doing up? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Chad asked.
"I couldn't sleep, daddy. What are you watching?" Finn asked.
"Oh, this is the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie. When I was a teenager, my dad and I would watch these movies a lot. In fact, this one year for Halloween, we dressed up as characters from these movies." Chad explained.
"Really?" Finn asked.
"Yeah. But since you're here, I want to ask you something..." Chad said.
"Okay." Finn said.
"If I was to dress up as one of the characters in this movie for Halloween, you wouldn't be too scared, would you?" Chad asked.
"Would I get to see the costume first?" Finn asked.
"Sure. Because if all the costume will do is scare you, I won't wear it." Chad assured Finn.
"Thanks, daddy." Finn said as Aubrey came downstairs half asleep.
"Chad, aren't you coming to bed? It's almost 11:00." Aubrey asked yawning.
"Hang on, babe; this movie's almost over." Chad said when Aubrey noticed Finn on the couch.
"Finn, you know it's past your bedtime, right?" Aubrey asked.
"I know, mommy. But I had trouble sleeping." Finn said.
"Oh, what are you guys watching?" Aubrey asked before she noticed what was playing on the TV. "Is that the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie?"
"Yeah. Earlier today my mom brought the entire film series over for us to watch." Chad explained.
"Wow, that was nice of her." Aubrey said.
"Yeah. And since Finn came down I asked him how he'd feel if I dressed up as one of the characters for Halloween." Chad recapped.
"Which character would you dress up as?" Aubrey asked.
"Captain Jack Sparrow." Chad answered.
"Ah, okay. Just promise me you won't add any swords to your costume." Aubrey said.
"Way ahead of you." Chad assured her.
"Now come on, Finn; Let's get you back to bed. You can watch this movie with your father anytime." Aubrey said carrying Finn upstairs to his bedroom.
The next day at about 6pm, Aubrey, Chad, & Finn were finishing dinner when...
"Daddy, can we watch that movie that you were watching last night?" Finn asked.
"You want to watch that Pirates of the Caribbean movie?" Chad asked.
"Yeah." Finn said.
"Sure. I'll go get the DVD." Chad said.
"Before you guys watch that movie, I think there's something Finn should know about." Aubrey said.
"What is it?" Finn asked.
"Finn, what you may not know is that all of the existing Pirates of the Caribbean movies are rated PG-13. Therefore, there may be some material not appropriate for your age." Aubrey explained.
"Really?" Finn asked.
"Yes. And if you see stuff like that, it's very important you do not discuss it outside this house." Aubrey said firmly.
"What? But Ms. Collins told us we should always be sharing stuff." Finn said.
"Yes! As long as it's appropriate for your age." Aubrey fired back.
"How will I know what's appropriate and what's not?" Finn asked.
"There is one way: We'll watch these movies together and if any of those inappropriate moments come up, your father or myself will cover your eyes to make sure you don't see them." Aubrey suggested.
"Okay. Can we watch the movie now?" Finn asked.
"Of course. Come on, let's go join your father on the couch." Aubrey said as the two did so.
Chad grabbed the remote when Aubrey & Finn sat down and started the movie.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's worth noting that this chapter had a deleted scene where Emily & Benji woke up their son Russell on his 1st birthday. But after realizing a mathematical error on my part, I had to take it out. If I left it in, it would've overlapped with the setting of Chapter 6 of Child Trauma. It's also worth noting that I have never seen any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so I had to look up both Johnny Depp's character name and the name of the first movie in the series.