Prompt: Something is clearly wrong.
Henry sat on the kitchen floor, a wailing three year old Jason squirming in front of him. They'd planned to take the kids trick or treating after school, but those plans had quickly been derailed while attempting to dress Jason for the festivities. The little boy's blonde hair peeked through the the head of his dragon costume, barely, but his head was stuck in the piece resembling the neck of the animal. One arm fit through a sleeve, while the other dangled behind his back, near his knees. Elizabeth paced the tiles behind Henry, muttering to herself, while he tried to calm their son.
"Well, something is clearly wrong, here," said Henry, exasperated, tugging at material. "I thought you said you double checked the kids' sizes before buying their costumes."
"I just don't understand," Elizabeth replied, frustration evident in her voice. "I measured him three times. And I followed the pattern."
"Wait, what?" Henry gaped at his wife, incredulously, momentarily forgetting the screaming toddler in his arms. "You made this?"
"I borrowed Mrs. Davis's sewing machine," she confirmed. "You know, our next door neighbor? She showed me the basics, and I followed the pattern." Elizabeth gestured toward a near-hysterical Jason. "Obviously, I didn't do something right."
"Why did you need to make this, babe? I thought you took all the kids to that costume store that pops up in the strip mall every Halloween."
"I did. The girls were easy. Princess costumes are apparently always popular. But Jason wanted to be a dragon. And we couldn't find a dragon costume. Do you know how fun a screaming three year old can be in public the day before Halloween? I sure wasn't going to be nominated mom-of-the-year at any point. I think I might have yelled. A lot." Elizabeth ended her tirade on a huff of breath.
Henry finally managed to untangle Jason from the mess, and the little boy lunged into arms, knocking Henry back into the cabinets.
"You couldn't talk him into anything else?" His voice held a hint of accusation.
Elizabeth snorted. "This is Jason we're talking about here, Henry. What do you think? Have you ever gotten him to change his mind about anything?" Then her whole body sagged in defeat. "Yeah, I guess you have. You've been their dad for months. I just wanted to be a mom, and make him happy, since I've been gone so much. Clearly, I can't be a good mom."
"Hold on. No one is saying you aren't a good mom." Henry struggled to his feet with Jason in his arms. Jason reached for her, and Elizabeth shifted the little boy onto her hip, cuddling him into the crook of her neck.
"I guess my sewing skills are on par with my cooking skills, then." She still looked dejected, and Henry leaned over Jason to kiss her lightly on the cheek.
"Ah, but you have so many other talents I appreciate, babe." He winked at her, suggestively.
Just then, Stevie and Alison ran into the kitchen. "Daddy, Mommy, look! We're beautiful princesses," they declared in unison.
"Yes, you are." Henry confirmed. "Both of you are just gorgeous." He motioned with a finger for his daughters to twirl again.
Suddenly, Stevie stopped, eyes wide. "Why isn't Jason dressed? We need to go," she exclaimed.
"The dragon had a bit of a mishap, so Jason is going to be a ghost for Halloween instead," Henry explained.
"A ghost?" Elizabeth looked at him, skeptically. "How are you going to pull that off?"
"The old stand by, babe. A white sheet and scissors. Can you get a sheet out of the linen closet? Let me deal with the rest, though. You're clearly Halloween challenged."