"I can't believe you talked us into going to the haunted house, Kitty," Marinette said, linking arms with her mother. Marinette's mother, Sabine, who Cat called Mama Cheng, wanted to get ideas from the place for a haunted bakery next weekend.
The mansion was a black-brick color and old, with some of the wall crumbling wall. Cat gulped, rubbing the back of his neck as he responded, "Well, maybe it wasn't the best idea I've ever had, Princess…..meow!"
Cat meowed in fright as a booming clap of thunder rumbled overhead. "I hope that was special effects thunder," Marinette said, following close behind Cat. Their was a hall of mirrors when you entered, but Cat couldn't make silly faces in the mirror for long, as ghosts and other spooks poked and flew overhead.
"Don't worry, they aren't real," Cat said, a smug smile on his face as they walked to the next room. A bubbling cauldron sat bubbling in the middle, a small fire lit underneath. Marinette placed a hand on her mother's shoulder as she peeked into the pot. A greenish bubbling stew simmered gently and just then a huge green bubble popped. Cat pinched his nose at the smell, smiling at Mama Cheng. "Your soup is way better. And your Uncle's Celestial Soup is good too." "At least his soup is pretty," Marinette said as she took Cat's hand. "This soup, if you can call it that, looks like green slime." "Hmm, that might be a good idea for the bakery, wouldn't you agree? Its amazing what you can do these days with corn starch and food coloring!"
"Then you could serve actual soup at the end," Cat said. Then he grinned over his shoulder at Mama Cheng. "But what would be even better would be green milkshakes, and you could use strawberry sauce to make it look like blood!" Marinette laughed. "You'll do anything for milkshake, wouldn't you, Kitty?" "Hey, I'm a cat who loves milk," Cat smiled. "That's a great idea, honey," Sabine said.
They wandered from room to room, and Cat meowed in fright when a rubber spider dropped down on his head. "Hold still!" Marinette said, as Cat growled and swiped at it. "Get off it, Princess!" "Hey, don't swipe at me!" she giggled as she dodged, and just like that, a spider plopped down on her head.
It was fun going from room to room, and suddenly Marinette smelled garlic and tomatoes. "But why would I smell that in a haunted house?" she wondered. "Its all part of the mystery, Marinette," a familiar voice said. "Luka!"
Luka was part of the school committee that had made the open house this year, and Marinette had barely seen him at band practice, he had been so busy. "Now, I'll have to blindfold the three of you, otherwise it will ruin the surprise."
Cat, mother and daughter giggled as Luka tied the blindfolds on, then told them to stick their hands to the bowls in front of them.
Squish! "Slimy, just like worms," Marinette giggled as she dug her hand into bowl. "Could it possibly be…..spaghetti?" "Correct!" Luka cheered. "But how did you figure it out so quickly, Marinette? Usually people first guess is slime." "I smelled the tomatoes and garlic, and put two and two together."
"Then you get the best surprise of all," Luka told him as they took off their blindfolds. "You get some spaghetti and garlic bread!"
The meal was delicious and Cat was sure the more garlic bread he ate, the less chance a vampire would come up to them. "You'll only give yourself a stomachache, Kitty. Please, be careful."
Thanking Luka they exited the haunted house. "I have plenty of ideas. Thanks for taking me with, you too." "Your welcome. Now, we need to get home for trick-or-treating. I can't wait to dress up as the knitting fairy!"
Cat looked at the glowing look on Marinette's face. She would have her own brand someday, that he was sure.
It was fun getting candy and going door to door with their friends, but Cat would never forget the haunted mansion with Marinette and Mama Cheng.
