I've had the idea for this for a long time. I tap-danced around this plot for days, I had several images in my had until I coalesced it into something workable.
I have a headcanon that needs to be explained, which you will see at the bottom of this story. I nearly killed myself typing this.
Enjoy this story. ^_^ Don't forget to review. :3
"Are we there yet, Dad?"
"Almost," replied DJ.
"Is Grandma going to bake that chocolate cake I like?"
"Yes, Rochelle," said Jenny, looking in the rearview mirror at her oldest daughter.
Rochelle was tall with black hair reaching her hips, which she wore tied back. Her eyes were green. She wore a navy blue tank top underneath a black jacket. She wore black jeans hand black ankle boots.
"I can't wait to be there!," hooted the younger daughter. She was brown-eyed with red hair worn in pigtails. She was dressed in a lavender dress with white cotton socks and black Mary Janes.
The trees passed by in a uniform line, green leaves blowing in the wind. Every house stood proudly in its neighborhood, each one with its own unique decoration despite most of the houses looking humble. Each house held a special story and you wanted to know what that story was whenever you'd drive by it.
"We're here," said DJ.
The house was in their sights. It was the same house he remembered long ago. Painted the same shade of white, blue shutters on the windows. His father's blue car was parked in the driveway. The roses were abloom, intertwined on the lattice that framed the front door. The only new change was the small garden of wildflowers up front. DJ parked the van in front of the house. Jenny got out of the van, in her hands, a box wrapped in yellow gift wrap, tied with green ribbon. DJ got out, holding about ten balloons by their multicolored strings. The young redheaded girl jumped out, closing the door and circling the van, following after her mother.
"Mommy! Mommy!," she called.
"Carly," said Jenny. Her daughter wrapped her arms around her mother's legs, bursting in giggles.
Rochelle was the last to get out of the van, and as she closed the door, she found her eyes training over to the empty lot across from her grandparents' house. There were about seven or eight trees aligned on each side. That place had been empty for as long as she could remember, though her father said that a house once stood on the property. Mentioned that it exploded caused by a gas leak. Rochelle never bothered to ask any further, but something always nagged at her. Like something was waiting to jump out and clamp its jaws on her.
"Rochelle, come on!," called her father.
Rochelle snapped her head to see the front door already opened, her parents greeted by her grandmother.
"There are my granddaughters!," chirped Elena.
"Grandma!," cheeped Carly, wrapping her arms around her.
Elena's hair was still black with prominent gray streaks. Despite the lines under her eyes, she still managed to hold some attractiveness. Her hands were wrinklier than worn leather. She wore a salmon pink dress with white shoes.
"Hi, Gran," said Rochelle, walking up to her and her parents. She wave to her shyly, forcing a smile.
"Oh, there's my Rochelle," said Elena, holding out her arm. Rochelle embraced her grandmother. "How are you?"
"Good, Gran," said Rochelle.
"Come in, come in," said Elena, ushering them in.
The house was just how DJ remembered it, but with a few changes. Yellow wallpaper with white flowers in the living room. Dark blue wallpaper with white dots on the walls taking up the stairwell. A modern flat screen TV was placed in an entertainment unit that wasn't there until ten years ago. The red couch was in the same place as well as the rest of the decor. A man came in from the dining room.
"Grandpa!," chirped Carly, running up to her grandfather.
"Hey!," said Mr. Walters, scooping the girl up his arms. "How are ya, jellybean?"
"Good," replied Carly.
"Hey, Grandpa," said Rochelle.
"Hey, kiddo," he said, clapping Rochelle's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Colin," said Jenny, strolling towards him, present in hand.
"Thanks, Jenny," replied Colin.
"Hey, Dad," quoth DJ, walking up to his father, "happy birthday." He hugged his father as soon as he was in arm's reach.
As soon as Colin broke the hug, Carly ran into the living room, climbing onto the couch.
"I wanna watch Snowman On The Moon!," she chirruped.
"Okay," said Elena, walking into the living room, "let me just get the DVD for you." She went up to the entertainment unit, grabbed a DVD case, opened it, placed it in the DVD player and turned on the TV. With her granddaughter entertained, she looked over at her son and said, "The cake will be ready in forty minutes. In the meantime, why don't we have some lunch?"
"Mmm," said Jenny, "I'm starved."
Rochelle followed her parents into the dining room, gazing at its pink wallpapers with reddish flowers.
"Sit anywhere," remarked Elena.
While Colin sat at the head of the table, Rochelle chose to sit at the right side. Next to her her mother took a seat, putting the present on the table. She slid it across the table to Colin.
"Here's my gift to you," she said.
"Thank you, Jenny," said Colin, grabbing the present.
"We hope you love it," spoke DJ, placing the balloon bouquet on the table.
Colin untied the ribbon, then ripped the gift wrap apart. Opening the box, he pulled out a dark purple, long-sleeved button-up shirt.
"This is great," said Colin. "I love it."
"I forgot my present in the car," retorted DJ. "I'll be right back."
"Okay," muttered Colin, turning the shirt over.
Elena returned with some plates.
"Jenny," she said, looking at the redheaded woman, "can you help me with the potato salad?"
"Sure," replied Jenny, standing up. She strolled into the kitchen while Elena was busy placing the plates.
Rochelle sat like a statue. She didn't particularity talk during most of these events. It wasn't until boredom set in, and she found herself without anything to entertain herself with. The front door opened, knowing it was her father returning with his present for grandpa.
"Hello?," said another male voice.
Rochelle glanced up, seeing a blond man with a generous paunch walk into the dining room, hauling two presents in both arms. Behind him was her father.
"Hey, Chowder," said Colin, standing up. Chowder placed the presents on the table, and gave Colin a hug.
"Happy birthday, Mr. Walters," said Chowder.
"Aw, c'mon," said Colin, "what's with this 'mister' thing?"
"Sorry, force of habit."
"Here's your present, Dad," said DJ, handing his father a present wrapped in blue gift wrap with balloons printed on it. It was topped with a yellow bow.
"Thanks, DJ," said Colin, taking the present.
Jenny came from the kitchen with the bowl of potato salad.
"Hi, Chowder," said Jenny.
"Jenny," said Chowder, "how are ya?"
"Fine," replied Jenny. "How's Paula?"
"She's good. She's coming in a little bit with the boys."
Colin opened his present, revealing it to be a white coffee mug.
"'World's Best Father,'" he read out loud. "I love it. Thank you, DJ."
"You're welcome, Dad," said DJ.
"Wait until you open the ones I got you," said Chowder.
"Who's ready to eat?," said Jenny.
"Me!," hooted Chowder, raising his hand.
"Carly, come over and eat," called Jenny.
"But I wanna watch TV," hollered Carly back.
"You can pause it," insisted Jenny. "Now come in and eat."
In seconds, Carly paused the movie and hurried over to the dining room.
"I'll go get the chicken," said Elena, walking into the chicken.
Carly took a seat on the chair next to her sister.
"So," quoth Chowder, "Rochelle, how's school?"
"Good," replied Rochelle.
A knock on the door interrupted Chowder before he could continue.
"That must be Paula," he said.
"I'll go get it," said Elena, emerging from the kitchen. Setting the chicken on the table, she drifted out of the dining room, strolled through the living room, and opened the door.
"Hi, Mrs. Walters!," shouted two voices.
The voices belonged to three boys.
"Oh," said Elena, "here are my favorite boys!"
The youngest boys, the twins, hugged Elena. They had light brown hair with blue eyes. Both were dressed almost identical. One wore a dark teal button-up shirt, while the other wore a purple shirt. They both wore khaki pants.
"Hi, Elena," said woman with brunette hair. She had brown eyes, a triangular face with a beauty mark on the left side of her face near her nose. She was dressed in a blue tank top with denim capri pants and white sandals.
"Hi, Paula," said Elena, "so glad you could make it." She stepped aside to let her and her sons in. The twins ran into the house, on their way to the dining room.
"It's our pleasure," said Paula.
Elena turned her attention to Paula's oldest son. "How are you, Braden?," she asked.
"Fine, Mrs. Walters," said Braden.
Braden had blond hair, brown eyes, with olive skin. His face was shaped like a diamond. He was dressed in an orange shirt with a navy blue jacket. He wore blue jeans with a pair of black shoes. He was neither skinny nor fat, but even with those layers he showed a bit of a gut.
"Come in," said Elena, "we were just about to eat."
Braden strode through the living room and stepped into the dining room.
"Look what I got your husband," said Paula. She held up a gift basket wrapped in plastic. It had an assortment of many items, ranging from hard candy to four bottles of beer. It even had a bottle of shaving cream.
"Oh, he's going to love it," said Elena, smiling ear to ear.
The two women made their way into the dining hall, where all the merriment commenced.
"Happy birthday, Colin!," cheeped Paula, holding up the gift basket.
"Hey!," said Colin. "You made it."
Paula sat on the left side of the table, and put the basket on the floor next to her chair. The twins were seated beside her.
"Uncle DJ, Uncle DJ!," chirped the twin in the teal shirt. "Tell us about the monster house book."
DJ looked over at the twin in the teal shirt, a smile spreading on his face. He couldn't resist those eyes, and so he told them.
"Are you sure, David?," he asked, raising a brow, "it's a bit scary."
"I wanna hear it," insisted David.
"Luke," said DJ, looking at the twin in the purple shirt, "you want hear this, too?"
Luke nodded, hands balled into fists, perched under his chin.
"Okay," said DJ.
"This's gonna be good," said Braden, nudging Rochelle with his elbow.
"Tch!," she muttered, shrugging.
"It all started when my neighbor Nebbercracker stole toys that landed on his yard," said DJ.
"Oooh," said David.
"DJ," said Elena, "again with the Nebbercracker stories?"
"Come on, Mom," said DJ, snapping his head to look at her, "those stories are what I live off of."
"I'm just saying," reiterated Elena, serving her husband a plate of chicken with potato salad, "you could've chosen something else to write your children's book series."
DJ snickered.
"Come on, Grandma," spoke Rochelle, "I think Dad's books are awesome."
"Me too," chirped Braden, leaning over to look at Elena.
"Why don't you save those stories for after lunch?," suggested Elena as she waltzed over to the right side and placed a plate in front of Rochelle. "You can tell your stories then."
"All right," replied DJ.
"Just don't scare the twins too much," reminded Elena, pointing at DJ with the tongs.
"We're not scared!," proclaimed David.
"Yeah!," hooted Luke.
"Okay, boys," said Paula, "we're about to eat, so no shouting."
Once everyone was served, lunch could commence.
"Jenny," said Colin, "how's work at Plutronics?"
"It's great," relied Jenny, "you never realize how rewarding it is working alongside the boss."
"Glad to hear you're doing so well," retorted Elena, after a bite of potato salad.
"I have my work cut out for me," said Jenny. "I'm no hero. I just know what's best for my girls."
Carly smiled. Rochelle nodded and smiled.
"You know last week," said Jenny, "we had a meeting with these businessmen from Canada, and we..."
The meal was spent with lively conversation. It was not just one subject, but different subjects brought up, ranging from their children's school and grades to their jobs to their daily lives. While the younger children were content to listening and eating, the older two raptly listening while waiting patiently for their turn to speak.
"Braden," spoke Colin, after a sip of beer, "how was your first semester of college?"
"Tough," answered Braden. He gulped down a big sip of lemonade.
"I can imagine," said Elena. She took a bite of chicken.
"Rochelle," said Colin, "what do you want to major in?"
"I want to get into graphic design," replied Rochelle, after sipping her lemonade.
"That's nice," said Elena.
"You'd be perfect for that," said Paula, "you're great at art."
"Thanks," said Rochelle shyly, forcing a smile. She picked at the potato salad.
"I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up," chirruped Carly.
"Good for you," said Colin, pointing with his fork. "You'd be good at it."
Carly grinned.
"Chowder," said Jenny, turning to look at the blond man, "how's work at the pharmacy?"
"Pretty good," responded Chowder. "It's slow at times, but I know everyone gets that they need."
"Sounds like you're doing great," said DJ.
"Yeah," replied Chowder, "I just wish Dad were here with us."
"We know you miss him," crooned Paula, patting his shoulder.
"Yeah," uttered DJ.
"I want seconds," piped Luke, holding up his plate.
"Me too," chirped David.
"Here," said Elena, "could you pass me your plates?"
The twins handed their plates to Elena, who served them more potato salad and chicken. As she handed the twins their plates back, Elena heard the timer go off in the kitchen.
"Oh," she said, rising from her chair, "that must be the cake."
"Yay!," hooted Carly.
"We want cake," said David.
"You'll get some as soon as we're finished eating," said Paula. "Finish your lunch."
Elena strode into the kitchen.
"So, Rochelle," spoke Paula, "any boys at school interest you?"
Rochelle groaned, rolling her eyes. She drank her lemonade. Next to her, Carly giggled.
"Well?," insisted Paula.
"Nope," replied Rochelle.
"Aw, Rochelle," said Paula teasingly.
Rochelle rolled her eyes. She piled a big amount of potato salad onto her fork and popped it in her mouth. Jenny, feeling that tension needed to be broken, changed the subject and began a new conversation about her friend starting a new job with an animation company.
Minutes later, everyone was finished eating, and just in time. Evelyn came back into the dining room with the cake. It was decorated in yellow frosting. It had the words "Happy Birthday Coli" written in blue icing. It was topped with one of those number-shaped candles, in this case, a six and a seven to make sixty-seven.
"That looks good," commented David, eyes widening.
"Well, you're about to have some in a minute," said Elena, putting the cake on the table in front of Colin. Glancing up at DJ, she said, "Can you get the lighter?"
"Sure, Mom," said DJ.
DJ went into the kitchen and returned seconds later with the lighter.
"I'll go get the camera," said Jenny, standing up.
"Hurry, Mom," cheeped Carly. "I wanna get cake."
Jenny returned with her purse and pulled out the camera. DJ lit the candles on the cake.
"Ready?," said Elena.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Colin
Happy birthday to you
Colin blew out the candles as soon as the song was over. Everyone gave him a round of applause. Jenny took a picture of him blowing out the candles just in the nick of time.
"Happy birthday, Colin," said Paula. She picked up the gift basket from the floor and held it up for everyone to see. "It's from all of us," she added; (David and Luke smiled ear to ear). She circled the table and handed him the basket.
"Wow," said Colin, "thanks." He placed the basket in his lap, taking in its contents. "This is great. Thank you."
"You're welcome," replied Paula.
"Don't forget mine," said Chowder, picking up his presents.
"Let's see what you got me," remarked Colin.
"I'll go ahead and cut the cake," snipped Elena.
"Cake! Cake!," chanted the twins.
Elena grabbed the knife. "Oh, Jenny," she said, "could you get the paper plates? I left them on the counter."
"Sure thing," said Jenny.
"And could you get the forks?," added Elena.
"I'll go get them," interject Paula. She followed Jenny into the kitchen.
"Wow!," exclaimed Colin. He opened his first present from Chowder, which was a pair dark mahogany dress shoes.
"What do you think?," asked Chowder.
"I love them," responded Colin. "Thanks, Chowder."
"Open the next one," chirruped Luke.
"Okay," said Colin, picking up the next present.
"Here are the plates," announced Jenny, walking up to the table. She set the plates down.
"Thanks, dear," commented Elena. She gingerly dropped a slice of cake onto the plate.
Paula retuned with the set of plastic forks. She took out a fork and put it on the plate beside the cake. She took the plated cake and walked back to her twin sons.
"Here you go, Luke," she said, handing him his plate.
"Thanks, Momma," said Luke.
"What about mine?," complained David.
"I'll get yours in a second."
"A satchel?," piped Colin. He placed the satchel on his lap. It was black with a buckle. Running his hand through it, Colin saw it was made of leather. "Thanks."
Several minutes were spent with the family getting cake. Elena spent the last ten minutes clearing all the plates with Paula offering to help her wash them, which was more than enough to thank her for having them over.
"Mom," said Carly, "can I go watch the movie now?"
"Yes, sweetie," said Jenny.
Carly picked up her plate of cake and carried it to the living room.
"Dad," said David, "can we watch TV with Carly?"
"Sure, boys," said Chowder.
The twins grabbed their plates and strolled out of the dining room, ready to join Carly in the living room.
"So," spoke DJ, "you looking forward to your next semester, Braden?"
Braden drank a gulp of lemonade before speaking. "Yeah," he said, clearing his throat, "though college is tougher than high school."
"I know how tough those professors can be," commented Jenny. She popped a bite of cake into her mouth.
"You'll be a great lawyer," retorted Colin.
"Yeah," said Braden. He ate forkful of cake. He looked over at Rochelle. "I bet being an artist will be easier, huh?"
Rochelle lifted an eyebrow.
"I mean," quoth Braden, "art looks fun. I mean, you get to paint bowls of fruit. Sculpt things."
"You may think art is easy," said Rochelle, "but it is a lot of hard work."
"Okay," said Braden defensively.
"It is," remarked Rochelle, annoyance drenched in her voice. "Do you think Michelangelo's David sculpted itself?"
"All right, all right." Braden held up his hands in a gesture for peace. "I get it. Art is hardwork."
Rochelle scoffed and took another bite of cake.
Elena walked back into the dining room with a tub of vanilla ice cream and an ice cream scooper.
"Anybody want ice cream with their cake?," she asked.
"I'll have some," quoth Braden.
"So will I," said Rochelle.
Elena glimpsed into the living room.
"Kids, you want ice cream?"
"Yeah!," cheered Luke.
"Ice cream!," hooted David.
The twins scurried into the dining room, behind them, Carly walked, holding her plate with the half-finished cake.
"Can I have another piece of cake?," asked Carly.
"Of course," said Elena.
Elena took the girl's plate and scooped some ice cream, then dropped a slice of cake. She handed it back to Carly, who took it and strolled back into the living room.
"David," said Elena, "here's yours."
"Thank you," said David, taking his plate with a new slice of cake topped with vanilla ice cream.
"Luke," said Elena, handing the boy his plate, "here's yours."
"Thanks, Nana Ellie," said Luke.
Luke and David walked back to the living room and joined Carly on the couch.
"Mmm," said Rochelle. "This tastes great."
"Yeah," quipped Braden. He ate a forkful of cake with the ice cream.
"Anyone else?," remarked Elena, holding up the ice cream scooper.
"I'll have some," said Chowder.
"Same old Chowder," commented DJ.
Colin unwrapped the plastic on his gift basket and pulled out two of the beer bottles.
"Let's open these beers, and have a good time," he said, opening the cap with a bottle opener. He took a sip.
"I'd like one," piped Braden.
"Not until you're twenty-one," reiterated Colin, pointing.
"Nice try through, son," commented Chowder. He took the beer that Colin handed to him along with the bottle opener. He opened, then took a long swig.
"It was worth a shot," said Braden.
Rochelle chuckled.
The dining room was alive with chatter with the noise coming from the living room overshadowed most of the conversations and laughter. Time passed by, and none of them seemed to notice or care. A jovial aura surrounded them, enveloping them in a blithesome state. A moment that was a crime to disrupt.
At least until DJ excused himself from the house.
"I'll be right back," he said, standing underneath the doorway.
"Well," said Elena, "don't be too long."
"Don't fret," chimed Jenny, "we're staying over, remember?"
"I like staying over," said Rochelle.
"If you're going out," spoke Colin, "can you at least buy some more beer?"
"Colin," snapped Elena.
"It's alright," said DJ.
"Dad," chirruped Rochelle, "can you buy me some wagon wheels?"
"Sure, sweetie," replied DJ.
With his keys in hand, DJ ambled through the living room, saying goodbye to Carly and the twins. Going out the front door, DJ closed it and strode towards his van. Opening it, he climbed into the driver's seat, inserted the key in the ignition, and revved up. He stole a glimpse toward the empty lot across from his house. With the trees surrounding the ruins, it looked as though there were no house at all. But he, and Jenny, and Chowder knew and remembered what happened all those years ago. Their story remained a secret to this day, although that didn't mean traces of old rumors were gone.
DJ put the car in drive, glanced through his side mirror. When he saw that the road was clear he drove off.
DJ pushed the black iron gate to the cemetery open. He grasped the bouquet he bought at the grocery store and strode in. The smell of cut grass choked his nose, including other such smells, such as stone, newly-turned earth, and the heady scent of fresh flowers on the graves also permeated the cemetery.
DJ ambled through the cemetery, eyes scanning the headstones, looking for the right one. Several angel statues stood here and there, worn away by the elements.
He walked through the path. Looking ahead, he saw the sky alight with a golden glow enhanced by many different shades of pink, orange, red, scarlet, and even a tint of purple. Shadows were cast against the grass, those being of the trees and the headstones. Altogether they formed a bizarre, mismatched pattern.
Turning left, thoughts bubbled up in his mind. He would be there soon.
Kicking an discarded acorn shell, DJ took out his cellphone and checked the time. Five minutes to seven o'clock. He clutched the bouquet and strolled on. He marched up a steeper path. The grave he was heading for was built upon a low hill underneath an oak tree. DJ smiled lightly and continued.
Standing before the grave, he looked down, reading the epitaphs.
Constance Nebbercracker
June 20, 1914-October 31, 1942
DJ then looked over at the next epitaph.
Horace Nebbercracker
November 30, 1912-July 16, 2004
Images of Nebbercracker flashed before his eyes. Forty-five years was a long time to keep children away from his house. His wife. His house-wife. To this day DJ still didn't know what to refer to her as, but he shouldn't speak ill of the dead. All that was in the past.
"Hey, Mr. Nebbercracker," said DJ, "I'm back." He crouched, removed the wilting flowers front the vase, and placed the new bouquet inside. He stood back, admiring the bouquet's choice of flower arrangement. Yellow roses, pansies, peonies, anemones, forget-me-nots, gladiolus, hyacinths, poppies, zinnias, hydrangeas, and rosemary.
"It's my Dad's birthday today," he said as a start. He sat down crisscrossed. "You remember him, right?" He forced an awkward chuckle. "He certainly remembers you. So do I, and Chowder, and Jenny." He bit his lip.
A daft wind blew in from the west. The branches above him swayed.
"I wrote a book dedicated to your house," said DJ, "technically sort of. The villain is based off you. No offense, or anything. Sorry, force of habit." He gave an uncomfortable smile. "Well, that Halloween was one of the most dangerous I've had. It was also fun, to be honest. Okay, maybe not fun; but I just couldn't keep it to myself, so I wrote Domus Mactibilis."
Precisely three years ago, DJ wrote Domus Mactibilis. He had been working on it for twelve years, even though the idea came to him during his senior year of high school. From college, he dedicated his career in creative writing to make something based off his adventure on that Halloween. Besides, who would believe something like that would actually happen?
Sucking in a stream of breath, DJ glimpsed up skyward before looking down at the gravestone.
"Remember the day you stayed with us a week? he asked. "After your house blew up?" That guilty feeling surged up again, mitigated by him reminding himself it was justified. "Well, I remember; you surprised my parents by fixing the dryer in our laundry room." He chuckled. "Yeah, I was taken aback, too."
Remembering those days made it feel like a long-forgotten memory. DJ had always been used to seeing Mr. Nebbercracker as the cantankerous old man he always remembered in his childhood. Seeing him act differently was something that took time getting used to. With the house gone, Mr. Nebbercracker left to live in a retirement community on the other side of town. From then, DJ spent the rest of his teen years wondering how he was and if he was happy.
He glimpsed at Constance's epitaph. He remembered that day, too. It was three months after the house blew up. Police and pathologists came to the wreckage after Nebbercracker called to have his wife's remains found, and then the funeral arrangements began. DJ at the time overheard the neighbors talk and recalled how everyone pitched in to pay for the arrangements. Although Nebbercracker had a pension, he was grateful for the neighbor's generosity.
"I remember the funeral," spoke DJ, "it was snowing that day. I don't think it was suppose to snow, but it did. You were there. My parents and I were there. And Chowder and his folks? Jenny couldn't come, she lived further away, and she was visiting relatives."
To this day, he didn't know whether Nebbercracker had relatives or not. For most of his childhood, he thought perhaps he was an orphan. He never talked about his family or his own childhood. Partly because DJ didn't ask him, neither before nor after he blew the house up. He had been too afraid to, now he wished he had. It didn't matter now, that was all behind him.
"You'd like my daughters," uttered DJ. "Carly's as sweet as can be, and Rochelle...she just leaves you guessing. She's been wondering and wondering about the ruins left behind." His eyes softly. "I tell her stories about you taking all the kids' toys. Heh. I've shown her pictures of your house. Sorry about that," he chortled awkwardly, "anyways..."
His mind wondered. DJ started thinking about things he didn't know he'd forgotten or thought he told himself he forgot. Glancing back at the tombstone, he remembered he was back here, sitting under the tree with Nebbercracker's tomb.
"I remember your funeral," said DJ, "we were all here. Last time I could say we were back together, right?" He shrugged. A frown passed his lips. He stole a glance at Constance's epitaph. An uneasy feeling rushed through him as though she were glowering at him at that moment. Even as an adult, he still felt unnerved when he remembered Constance as the monstrous demon house. Shaking his head, he breathed a sigh in relief. Rising to his feet, he got ready to turn, but not before looking at the grave one more time.
"Goodbye, Mr. Nebbercracker," said DJ. "I'll see you next time I'm in town. Hope you and Constance are doing alright."
DJ spun around and walked, shoving his hands in his pockets. The wind blew in his face, weaving through his hair. He looked up, seeing the sun making its descend to welcome the night. It brought a smile to his face. He always loved sunsets, because every time he saw one, he knew he would always see another one the next day. It was a neverending cycle he enjoyed seeing. He cherished them, like he cherished the past sunsets he watched over the years. No matter where anyone was, they were always under the same sunset.
Always.
Figuring out Mr. Nebbercracker's age was the hard part. Especially up until the day he dies. Looking at the photos of him in the movies, I can tell they were taken back in the forties, give or take. In the flashback, the neighborhood DJ lives in didn't exist yet, so I came up with a headcanon that aligns with the plot.
In the events of the movie, it all looked kind of old-fashioned, and the technology wasn't as modern as it is today. I was searching through the TV Tropes and saw that the movie might have taken place in 1987. So I checked a 1987 calendar and saw that Halloween did land on a Saturday.
Rochelle is fifteen and Carly is seven. Braden is nineteen and the twins, David and Luke, are five. I was originally going to make it where Rochelle was the oldest, but decided ti change it and make Braden the oldest. In case you haven't figured it out, this fanfiction takes place in 2017.
DJ and Jenny got married in 2000. (I mean, come on, they were made for each other). Chowder and Paula got married in 1996, mainly because Paula was pregnant at the time.
Doing the math with DJ's parents was a nightmare. They looked like they were in their thirties in the movie. So, pinpointing the exact years each was born, Elena is sixty-two and Colin is sixty-seven. I named DJ's father that because he needed one.
I used a screenshot of the house as the cover. It's suppose to be symbolic. The house may be gone, but its story remains.
Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading my story. :)