Hi all. We're almost to the party, sorry it's taking so long! Here's another little chappy before I go to bed.
Late that night...
"You can't possibly be suggesting that we not allow her to go!"
"No, of course not. She needs to go, and I'm glad that Ivy invited her... I just – Oh, I don't know Jack. I want to make sure that her feelings don't get hurt."
Jack and Sally spoke in strained whispers. Sally sat on the edge of their canopy bed, her knees pulled up against her chest. Jack paced impatiently across the room, tugging at the yarn tassel of his nightcap.
"Ivy was thrilled to play with Hazel when we visited."
"I'm certain she was, Jack. I think Ivy sounds lovely. She wouldn't make Hazel feel badly. But what about her mother? Hazel told me that Ivy's mother was frightened of her."
Jack shook his skull.
"No, no, no. I explained that to Hazel already. Ivy's mother wasn't afraid of Hazel at all. She was afraid of me. I was standing in the Christmas toy factory with Santa when Ivy and her family walked Hazel back." Jack stopped and tilted his skull thoughtfully. "Poor woman. She couldn't even bring herself to approach. Ah well. As I said to Hazel at the time, I felt badly about that, but what can one do?"
Sally lifted her shoulders, then let them settle again. Jack took a seat beside his troubled wife.
"Honestly Sally. There's nothing in the world to worry about. I'm sure she'll have a wonderful time!"
"She's never been away from home without us Jack, especially overnight.", Sally said quietly. "I just want her to be prepared that sometimes, in other places, not everyone..." Her voice faded. She rubbed her temple.
"She's a beautiful, perfect, little girl, Sally.", Jack said, patting Sally's stitched shoulder.
"She's beautiful here Jack.", Sally countered, looking up at him. They sat for moment in awkward silence. Finally Sally spoke again, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Wouldn't it just be simpler to have Ivy's party here in Halloweentown? That would be alright wouldn't it?"
"Oh, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be.", Jack chuckled
In the corridor, Hazel pressed the side of her head against her parents' bedroom door, struggling to hear. She closed her eyes, as if doing so would direct more energy to her ears.
"What are you doing?"
Hazel jumped, spinning around to face her inquisitor. Her brother Nicholas towered before her in orange pajamas. He folded his skeletal arms across his chest and tapped his foot.
"Nothing!", Hazel protested. Nicholas quirked an eye-socket at her in doubt.
"Hm. What're they talking about?"
"Me.", Hazel answered. Nicholas looked surprised.
"Really? Then I guess you should listen, huh?"
"I can't hear them anymore.", Hazel said. "They got too quiet."
Nicholas nodded.
"That's the worst.", he said, nodding sagely.
"Yeah.", she breathed.
The pair were interrupted by Guy, poking his sleepy skull out from his own room.
"What're you two talking about? Hey, wait... Hazel, you're not going in with Mom and Dad tonight are you? If they let you, I'm gonna scream! They let you do anything because you're the baby-"
Nicholas groaned.
"Oooh, go back to bed. She's not going in with them, we were just talking and-",
"What on earth?", said Jack. He was understandably surprised to have opened his bedroom door and found what appeared to be a small convention of his offspring in the hall.
"Why on earth are you all standing out here?"
Nicholas simply shrugged, and uttered an unintelligible something as he strode away toward his own quarters. The younger children looked helplessly at their father.
"I just heard them talking and it woke me up.", explained Guy. "I was trying to sleep."
"I see.", said Jack. "And why are you standing out here, Hazel? Can't you fall asleep?"
The small girl shook her head, wringing her fingers.
"Do you want to come in here?", Jack asked. Hazel nodded vigorously and followed him back inside, ignoring her brother's pained groan.
Christmastown...
"I think it will be fine. It's only one little girl. That's all, right? And she's Ivy's age?", Kotter asked. He tried his best to sound hopeful.
"One little girl, that's all, yes.", Noel answered tersely. "One little girl, but she is the daughter of the Pumpkin King!" She sat back, expecting a reaction. Her husband's usually rosy cheeks drained of color.
"It's not the end of the world.", he said. "And anyway, Santa says it's okay. He says nothing bad will happen."
"What if she needs something like blood to drink? Or something ghastly to eat? They do that there you know! I'm all for being open to other cultures, but we can't put our children in danger. Or the other children either. If they even come, that is. Maybe some people won't even let their daughters come to Ivy's party now."
Kotter scratched his head.
"Well, I talked to Plum's father today at work. He's happy to let her come to the party. He even sounded like he and his wife thought it was an interesting thing to have a Halloween guest." Kotter hoped this information would quiet his wife, at least a little, but she rolled her eyes at him knowingly.
"I'm sure they do. I hardly think Plum's parents are an accurate barometer of how most people will feel."
"I suppose that's true. They're a little free-spirited sometimes."
Defeated, Kotter stirred his cocoa mug with the straight end of a candy cane. Noel looked out at the curving snowdrifts that framed the windows.
"Santa thinks this is a wonderful thing.", she said absently. "It's only one night. I suppose I'll just have to keep a very close watch on things."
"Santa says it will be okay.", Kotter said again. Noel nodded in weak agreement, though she knew her husband had probably been talking to himself.
