Hello dear readers!
I would like to thank Lifehacker & Experimenter on Youtube first. They posted an amazing smoke experiment video on youtube that inspired me to write about this. If you're curious, the trick Norman does is the second trick in the video. Copper and sodium are both used to create colour in fireworks by the way. Copper makes blue colour while sodium creates yellow colour. Not sure if the result will be like I described here though.
HOA = Abbreviation for "Home Owners Association". From invenstopedia: "A homeowner association is an organization that makes and enforces rules and guidelines for a subdivision, planned community, or condominium building. HOA members are the residents of the subdivision, community, or building".
Italics = a language that is not English.
Popular lollipops = Jolly Rancher lollipops were the most popular Halloween candy in year 2000.
My Annie = Sounds similar to "mon amie", which means "my friend" in French.
Jennifer Lopez and her dress = Jennifer Lopez wore quite a daring dress during the 2000 Grammy awards. Said dress prompted Google to make an image search engine. This search engine is known as Google images today.
I got the inspiration for Emily's painting from the (in)famous mirror scene in the "Spider Man" movie. In the background was a large painting of a red haired pale woman. I imagine that must have been his wife. It makes sense since she's dead. Second, I know there are no mentions of Norman's siblings. I took some inspiration from an interview Willem Dafoe did some time ago. He apparently had five older sisters who helped raising him!
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Lean, mean and green!
A creaking sound could be heard as the door opened. The male glanced around in the large gymnasium. It was decorated with pumpkins, skeletons, cowebs, ghosts plus other creatures for Halloween. "I am so glad you could hold the demonstration mister Osborn. We got the table ready over here. As your son suggested, we laid some garbage bags underneath" informed the man. "My pleasure. Glad I can contribute with something scientific for Halloween. I bet the arts and crafts class had a field day by the looks of it" replied Norman.
"They certainly did. The students should be here in ten minutes. I assume you have dressed up as a mad scientist for the experiment?" mused the teacher. The other male gave him a wry smile. He had indeed selected a lab coat that was covered in numerous stains. Some of them were deep red or bright green. His legs were in tracksuit pants for once. A pair of protective shoes covered his feet. "Yes, I decided that a mad scientist was the best choice for this. Ten minutes sounds like enough time. I need to get my gear out" told the man.
"Excellent. I will get the students" replied the younger male. He exited the room while the CEO opened the plastic box. This experiment was peanuts compared to what he did on a daily basis. Still, it might inspire or impress some of the students. The male laid five matches onto the aluminium foil first. Next, he laid a pencil next to them. Slim fingers sprinkled some copper salt on the matches. The redhead rolled the aluminium foil into a cylinder. Afterwards, the man created a near identical cylinder. The only exception was the extra chemical. This one was loaded with sodium instead.
Norman flicked on the lighter switch a few times. A flame appeared moments later. 'Perfect' thought male with a grin on his face. Everything was set up for the experiment. Forest green eyes wandered around the room. Halloween was a holiday that made him somewhat apprehensive. Ever since the manor incident, the man felt slightly anxious around goblins. This included decorations or people in goblin costume. Ghosts were another reason. He knew that energy did not simply disappear. It just turned into a different form. Sure, there was a lot of science done on this topic. The scientist however found it hard to believe that people just died without leaving a trace.
'Perhaps that's why churches or places were people have died feels so eerie. Their energies are still lingering despite the lack of humans. That makes sense if you apply it to the energy transfer principle' pondered the male. He suddenly heard a 'click' that made him jump. It was mister van Acker with a large group of students in tow. He approached the table, the students forming a half circle. 'Looks like they're a bit younger than Harry. I guess they are freshmen or sophomores' observed the redhead. "All right kids! We are fortunate to have mister Osborn visiting us. Let's give him a warm welcome!" told the male. "Welcome to our school mister Osborn!" greeted the students.
'Hm. They look excited. So far, so good' noticed the man. "Mister Osborn will show us an experiment that can produce some creepy smoke. Could you please explain what you are going to do?" inquired the teacher. "Certainly. Inside this aluminium foil cylinder are some ordinary matches plus a secret ingredient. Now, I will put the cylinder in this cold glass. Pay attention to what happens when I put the cylinder on fire" told Norman.
He picked up the two icy drinking glasses from the plastic container. First was the cylinder with sodium. The male turned on the lighter before putting the flame at the top of the cylinder. "Whoa!" whispered the students when plumes of lemon coloured smoke filled up the glass. "This smoke is not dangerous. Look" said the redhead. He poured the smoke on the right side of the table. The smoke spilled onto the table like it was water. Once it went over the table edge, it vanished. He smiled when he glanced at the students. Judging from their faces, they were rather impressed. "Let's see what happens when we put the other cylinder on fire, shall we?" told the redhead. He ignited the second cylinder while holding it over the icy glass. Bright azure blue smoke emerged from the cylinder seconds later. Next, the man poured the smoke into the other glass. His last trick was to hold the glass upside down two feet above the table. The students applauded once the smoke vanished.
"Do you want me to tell you what I used to create the colours?" inquired the CEO. The teenagers nodded, eyes wide in wonder. "I used sodium in the first cylinder. Sodium produces a bright yellow colour when it comes in contact with fire. The second cylinder was filled with copper salt. That was what made the smoke blue. Both of these are often used in fireworks" revealed the male. The students whistled or made an "oooou" sound. "Thank you for the demonstration mister Osborn. As you can see, science is far from boring. It can create things that look quite magical. Or scary even. Now, who had the Halloween present for mister Osborn?" inquired the teacher.
A small, skinny African-American student stepped forward. A bright smile lit up his face. "Happy Halloween mister Osborn. Thank you for the science demonstration" told the teenager. He pulled up a small cardboard box from the plastic bag. Inside it laid a keychain with some things attached to it. One was a tiny silver flashlight. The second item was a bright green bottle opener. Lastly was a square bronze plate with the letter "O" on it. "Thank you so much! That will definitely come in handy. Happy Halloween to all of you too" replied Norman. "Have a good day mister Osborn. You can leave the table and garbage bags here. Let's go back to class kids" told the other male. He ushered out the students, who were chatting avidly.
The man smiled as he packed down his gear. Hopefully, this little demonstration would inspire the kids to study science. Or pyrotechnics. 'Oh well. It's nice to have a demonstration for people who are interested. Some of my coworkers could take some notes from them. Maybe I should take on some more of these demonstrations in the future' concluded the redhead. He closed his plastic box before leaving the gymnasium.
"How many do you have left sweetie?" inquired the woman. "Just a couple more auntie. Think I got enough for maybe three more" told the younger female. She was discharged from the hospital after two long days. Her aunt was the one who picked her up. The Canadian was a bit fussy, but it was understandable. Her bosses were happy to have her back as well. She knew that part of the reason was the workload. The "low season" meant they could get a lot done. Annie did not mind it though. The workload kept her mind of the side effects of the medication.
Said side effects were annoying to say the least. The major one was nausea. The female was nauseous for two days after the hospital stay. This meant that she had to run to the bathroom nearly three times a day during work. Her appetite was a bit reduced as well. This combination resulted in a small weight loss plus a gaunt face.
'Oh well. Look on the positive. At least I don't have to dress up for Halloween. I can just pretend I'm an Asian ghost girl. Scaring the heck out of my annoying coworkers is a bit fun too' mused the young woman. She wrapped a rubber band around the lollipops plus the Snickers bar. The Chinese-Canadian wrapped the candy in a small piece of brown wrapping paper afterwards. The small package was laid in a bucket afterwards.
Not long after, the doorbell rang. The female peeked out of the window to see who it was. A trio of children wearing Huey, Dewey and Louie masks stood outside. Behind them was a teenager with a Goofy mask. All four of them wore sweaters and trousers that matched their characters. The brunette smiled as she picked up the bucket. "Trick or treat!" shouted the trio when she opened the door. "Oh my, matching costumes! I guess you three deserve a treat. You're the first ones to arrive. Take one each please. Do you want one as well?" inquired Annie while looking at Goofy. "Yes please. Thank you" replied the teenager. His voice was surprisingly deep considering his lanky frame.
"Thank you!" told the trio before they gave her a small bow. "Have a happy Halloween!" told the woman. She glanced at the plastic pumpkins her aunt placed outside. They were still alight. The HOA were rather strict on the Halloween decoration in their borough. 'Are you home and have candy? Turn on the lights outside, or use lanterns. Not at home? Turn off the lights. Not at home, but still want to hand out candy? Ask your neighbour to hand it out' read the paper they got earlier that week.
'Good to know what is allowed or not. Especially for a-'. The door bell rung again. She peeked out to see who it was. The brunette laughed when she saw who it was. On her doorstep stood two identical twin girls plus their father. The girls were dressed up as the twins from "The Shining". Their father however was dressed up as Jack Torrance. 'Now THIS is hilarious!' thought the when she opened the door. "Trick or treeaat?" inquired the twins in a spooky voice. "Ooooh, you two are quite scary! I don't want a trick from the two of you. Here you are. Take one each" told the Chinese Canadian. The twins took one each. "Happy Halloween. I hope you come and play with us" replied the eerie twins. "I-I hope so too. Happy Halloween" replied the woman. She tried her best not to laugh. It would be rude to the girls.
Once the twins left, Annie went to the kitchen. She opened a can of diet Pepsi with a smile on her face. 'Hm?' thought the female when she the door bell rang again. She picked up the bowl of candy before she looked out the door. It was a guy in a black sweater, dark jeans plus a Frankensteins monster mask. In front of him stood a small Asian girl with her hair in pigtails. She wore a black dress with a Peter Pan collar. Her knees were covered in black pantyhoses plus worn out Doc Martens. "Trick or treat!" stated the girl when she opened the door. "Well hello! May I ask what you're dressed up as?" inquired the brunette. "I am Wednesday Addams. He is the butler Lurch!" replied the black-haired kid proudly. "Nice. Here is some candy for the two of you" told the young woman.
"I-I don't want any candy. Louisa, could you please call your mother with the phone? I'll be back in a moment" assured the masked man. "Sure thing! Good luck by the way" told Louisa. She gave him a wink before she skipped down the road. The brunette raised an eyebrow. The masked monster took off his mask. "What the-" muttered the female when she saw who it was. Behind the mask was Gregory! "Surprise! Do you want to join me at the All Hallows party on Friday? It's near the Flushing Main street station. I know the hosts, and I was allowed to invite someone. Thought you wanted to go since you've been busy or sick lately" offered the man.
He felt relieved when his coworkers face lit up. "Uhm - sure! What sort of costume should I come in? I have only been to college Halloween parties. Aren't parties here a bit more...I dunno...cooler?" inquired Annie. The other intern let out a small chuckle. "That depends on what your definition of cool is. I would advice you to wear something that is a little creepy. Preferably from Canada or China. Like a villain from "Are You Afraid Of The Dark" for example" laughed the male. She laughed along with him. "Joke aside. You'll be fine as long as you don't dress up like anything too revealing. Alcohol plus sexy costumes are not a good mix" informed the Canadian. "I won't. I would love to go to the party. Are we going together or..?". "I will pick you up. I am happy you could go with me" told the man. He leaned down a little while tilting his head. She could smell his perfume. It was a blend of cassis, figwood bark, mignonette, sandal wood plus vanilla. "Happy Halloween sweetie" told the brunette, his voice an octave lower. He dipped his head a little before giving her a peck on the cheek.
Her cheeks suddenly felt quite warm. "Uhm...thank you" muttered the young woman. Her voice sounded small, yet sincere. Gregory smiled before he put on his mask. "You're welcome my Annie. See you on Friday" told the man. He turned around just in time to face an impatient Asian Wednesday Addams. "Mom is picking us up in ten minutes. Come on, let's go to the neighbour's house!" stated the girl. The man obediently followed her to the next house. The Chinese Canadian closed the door with a smile on her face.
The man was watching the news. "The last Multiplexed Information and Computing Service machine has shut down in Halifax. The project was too ambitious, and fell behind schedule. The AT&T managers decided to end the project while they were ahead" told the reporter. Norman blinked as he looked at the office where this machine was. Technology was moving so fast nowadays. Windows were on the rise. Google even made a picture search engine after what Jennifer Lopez did at the Grammys.
'Have to give Google the credit for that one though. Especially since that dress got a lot of attention' recalled the man. Quite a few of his coworkers had been talking about her during the weeks after the Grammies. He could not blame them. Lopez was easy on the eyes for starters. The dress however was quite...daring to say the least. A part of him wondered how she could move normally without revealing something. 'Guess that is why designers have to go to school' concluded redhead.
He glanced up at the painting of Emily. It was a large painting of her wearing a black dress. The lack of colour brought out her creamy white skin plus her copper blonde hair. Her cobalt blue eyes were staring into the distance. The CEO felt a sting in his chest. It had been exactly 15 years since she passed away. Harry was just a toddler when he lost his mother. The male buried himself in work soon after his wife's funeral. However, that came to an abrupt end when he got a special visitor.
Flashback.
Green eyes glanced at the computer screen. 'November 9th. Completed the report on the rodent experiment. 75% success. Failure was due to an-'. A sudden knock on the door made him jump. "Come in!" replied Norman. His voice was duller than usual. It was Stromm. "Uhm - you got a visitor. She says it's urgent" told the man. "She?" inquired the man. He could not think of any woman who wanted to see him. Harry was with his maternal grandfather today. They were going to the American Museum of Natural History on a daytrip. "Yes...she. As in Sarah Osborn" informed the scientist.
The CEO blinked. He looked at the date again. That was right! She could not attend the funeral because of her adenoid surgery. However, his sister told she would be here on the following weekend. Which was today. "May I come in?" asked a slightly raspy voice. There was a softness to it that instantly made him smile. "Yes. Off course Sarah" told her brother. A petite woman with pale skin, light auburn hair plus bright blue eyes entered the room. Her oblong face was slightly angular like her brothers. Her green dress plus her beige coat completed the ensemble.
"Come here brother" muttered Sarah. She approached him with her arms poised for a hug. He accepted it easily. The scent of Coco Mademoiselle was a welcome change from all the chemicals. "Jeezes Norman. You look emaciated!" exclaimed the woman. Her less nasal voice emphasized her outburst. "You're probably right. My appetite went down the drain after Emily died" admitted the redhead. "Well. Why don't you and Harry come to Halifax for Thanksgiving? It's all about family after all. Besides, you probably got enough overtime to take a couple days off" told his sister.
Her brother sighed in defeat. She was correct in so many ways. Firstly, his amount of overtime was borderline ridiculous. The number of hours he worked this week alone was three times higher than usual. Second was the family. Sarah was his oldest sister. She was thankfully a high school junior when he was forced to stay in the manor. Lastly, his sister was single. So was the man. Celebrating Thanksgiving together made sense. Neither of them would be lonely.
"Halifax sounds perfect. I'll book the tickets. Harry can't eat beets by the way. He eats nearly everything else" told Norman. "Perfect. I will buy some turkey plus Harry-friendly vegetables. Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure to buy some great sweet potatoes for you" promised the female.
End of flashback.
'Thank God that Sarah invited us for the next couple of years. That became a nice tradition until Harry started middle school' recalled the man with a smile. He switched to another channel. A smile formed at his face when he saw the girl in front of the TV. 'Well, gotta hand it to Steven. Classics never go out of style' concluded the redhead. He sat up before taking a sip of his warm drink. It was time to watch the antics of the Freeling family.