Surprises Abound
For what felt like ages , no one had spoken a word. But no one could decide whether they were shocked, confused, stunned or some odd amalgamation of the three. Standing before them was one of Michigan's (if not the nation's) most reclusive of individuals, Mr. Vincent Thorne. What's more, he also revealed himself to be Vincent Van Ghoul; former late-night TV star and (presumed) stage magician.
But after having witnessed the small tricks he used mere moments ago, people started to question if Mr. Thorne truly was magical. Sadly, everyone was still too deep in a state of shock to speak even the smallest of syllables. Thankfully, they didn't have to because it was Mr. Thorne who decided to speak first.
"Forgive my obtrusiveness, everyone" he said respectably, "I was told there was a birthday celebration taking place within the Lynn's Table eatery...this is the correct place, is it not?" With these few, simple words; Lynn Sr. finally snapped out of his shock and approached the man. Not wishing to appear disrespectful, he made sure to remove his toque before greeting the celebrity with a bow.
"Y-Y-Your guess is c-correct, Sir" he muttered timidly, "this is, indeed Lynn's Table...and I'm its owner and head chef, Lynn Loud Sr." Upon hearing mention of the man's surname, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul's expression shifted into a look of intrigue. Then, everyone saw his gaze slowly shift down to young Lincoln, who was doing everything in his power to not faint from excitement. With a smile upon his face, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul proclaimed it was both an honor and a pleasure to finally meet the "infamous" Loud Family.
"I heard a great deal from Miss Grimwood about your family, young man" he stated, "she spoke of how welcoming you were towards her students." Lincoln's cheeks flushed slightly upon being reminded of the memory in question. He could not believe that it was only a year ago when he first met the Grimwood Ghouls on that Halloween night.
Yet he couldn't help but ask how Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul knew of Miss Grimwood, her students, or about the events of the night in question. "The answer is quite simple, dear boy" chuckled Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul, "Miss Grimwood and I are colleagues within the Order of Avalon; a coalition of the most powerful witches, warlocks, wizards and magicians from all over the world!" This declaration caused quite a diverse reaction among the guests, to say the least.
Many among the adults saw this as part of some big, elaborate stage show; one possibly orchestrated by Lucy's siblings. While those among the children, the Morticians Club especially, hung on to his every word. Rocky was especially entranced by what Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul was saying, amazed that there was so much he didn't know about his former employer.
"For those curious, our order was formed to ensure the safety of the mystical balance of the world" Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul stated, "but...that's another story for another time." After saying all of this, he was met with over two-dozen wide-eyed expressions; all of which were staring directly at him. If he were any other lackluster stage magician, party clown or any other hired party performer, this kind of situation would leave Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul feeling rather uneasy.
Instead, he cast a glance over to Farquard that seemed to say "I had a feeling this would happen." But before he could speak openly with the crowd, Lucy (in her usual fashion) appeared suddenly before Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul; holding a small grey book in her hand. "Sir...it is...I-it is an honor to have you here as my guest" she murmured with uncharacteristic timidity, "may I...may I have your autograph?"
As if on cue, the rest of the Junior Morticians appeared before Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul; all of whom looking just as nervous yet excited to meet him. In that moment, no one could believe their eyes; this was the first time any of them had seen the usually monotone and stoic Goth Kids behave so...normal. By which, they mean "normal" in the sense as to how someone might behave in front of celebrities.
But what really surprised them was the fact that Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul didn't so much as flinch when the Goths appeared. Every kid and adult present in the restaurant had lost count on how often they themselves had jumped, screamed in alarm, flinched or even accidentally peed themselves when the Goths appeared beside them. Meanwhile, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul smiled warmly at the children and not only agreed to give them his signature but he did so in a manner...no one had expected.
Everyone watched in anticipation as the magician closed his eyes tight and placed both his hands on the sides of his head. Then, almost six seconds later, he reopened his eyes and declared that he was finished. "Finished with what, dude" Rusty asked with a mildly indignant tone, "you didn't do anything."
As expected, such a comment garnered the boy a light slap in the back of the head from both his father and his little brother. But in spite of how rude his rudes might have been, Lucy couldn't help but agree with Rusty. "I can assure you, young lady; I have shared my signature with all of you" Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul assured, "open your books and see for yourselves."
While trying not to be rude, the Morticians each let out a soft sigh and opened up their books. What they saw next was so surprising, it almost made the bangs covering Lucy and Haiku's eyes to fly up. There on the first page of each of their books, written in violet ink with the finest of cursive writing, was Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul's signature.
"Gasp! I can't believe it, guys" Lucy said in a hushed tone, "we each got...a psychic autograph!" This surprise came as such a shock to the wee Goths that they ended up fainting with a soft swoon, one by one. Sadly, the other party guests mistook this as them falling over in shock...though, it was mostly the Loud Parents who thought that.
(Line Break)
Sometime later, after the Goths had reawakened from their fainting spell, everyone was seated in the booths; indulging in some more of the revelry. Some chose to join the Moon Goats on stage for some karaoke, others simply gorged themselves on the party food at the nearest buffet table. Yet the whole time this was all going on, however; their attention seemed to be focused on something else (or rather someone else.)
In a circular booth not too far off from the buffet, Vincent and Farquard sat side-by-side; sampling each of the delicacies that were provided. Needless to say, at least one of them seemed pleased with it all. "Mmm! Such wonderful flavors" gushed Mr. Thorne as he sampled a slice of Lynn-sagna, "my compliments to the chef."
Upon hearing the celebrity speak so highly about his dish, Lynn Sr. came close to fainting on the spot with joy. But then, his gaze fell towards the hunchbacked manservant beside Mr. Thorne; who seemed to only pick at the food that was on his plate. At first, he (due to his pride as a cook) found this sight alarming and asked if something was wrong with the meal.
"It is...adequate, Mr. Loud; good texture, rich aroma and all that" Farquard replied, "but I think it could use some...adjustments." Now, Lynn never liked the idea of changing any of his "perfect" recipes...but as the creed goes, the customer is always right. When he asked what would make the food more appealing, Farquard gave a soft yet wicked chuckle.
"Just a few small things, that's all" he said slyly, "a good friend of mine made their quiche with only the finest of fresh ingredients; spoiled goat's milk, spider larvae and the freshest of harpy eggs always did the trick." Upon hearing all of these so-called "ingredients" being said out loud, several patrons cried out in revulsion. Even Lucy and her fellow Goths felt that he was taking things a bit too far.
"Sure, I may enjoy a link or two of blood sausage for breakfast on occasion" Morpheus muttered, "but at least they're fresh!" The whole time everyone else was crying out in disgust, Farquard simply laughed with cruel merriment at it all. But his joy was quickly stopped by the swift yet painful jab of Mr. Thorne's walking stick, whose point had been stabbed lightly atop the hunchback's foot.
Upon releasing him, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul apologized for Farquard's behavior; along with anything else his staff might've done to young Rocky. "Wait, dude...what was Rock doin' at your place to begin with" Luna asked, "from what I've heard, you never set foot outta your crib in Huntington." This statement caused many guests to present similar inquiries/concerns to Mr. Thorne, who did his best to appear despite the situation.
After taking a quick sip of his beverage, he suggested that everyone should present their questions to Rocky and Farquard instead. "From what he and my maid Octavia have told me, the young lad came seeking employment at my estate some time ago" Mr. Thorne explained, "the exact reasons, however still elude me." As if on cue, Mr. Spokes rose from his seat and proclaimed that his wife had a hand in giving his son the idea.
"We were a bit skeptical, at first about him workin' at the estate" he confessed, "especially when Rock came home and claimed he saw some creepy stuff there." Upon hearing mention of this, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul revealed that he eventually learned about what his staff had "subjected" Rocky to while working at his home. Apart from the moment when Rocky helped clean out Ibid's cage, he was not pleased.
Almost immediately, Farquard proclaimed that everything he did was for Mr. Thorne's benefit; not to mention the fact that he highly distrusted outsiders. "It is because of you humans that the master retreated from the world to begin with" exclaimed the hunchback, "his work on that...absurdly juvenile television program kept his stocks filled with ingredients for his spell-work!" Naturally, this part of the story piqued a lot of people's interest, and many questioned what it was that drove Mr. Thorne's show towards being cancelled.
With an indignant sigh, Farquard revealed that after only a small two short seasons; the network heads who helped greenlight the program felt Mr. Thorne's whole "motif" was "too weird" for audiences. As a result, it was eventually cancelled, and Mr. Thorne was out of work. The whole crowd gasped loudly at this proclamation, feeling stunned to learn that not only was Mr. Thorne's time as a TV star true but so were his magic skills.
The Morticians Club was particularly pleased with this reveal, as they turned towards their peers and urged them all to "pay up." After that, several kids and preteens started placing five or ten dollar bills in the Goth Kids' hands. When Farquard chose to ask what was going on, Lucy replied in saying she had set up a bet with some people she knew.
"If it turned out that your skills as a sorcerer/magician were real, Mr. Thorne; our peers were required to pay up" Bertrand said with a toothy grin, "looks like we made the right call." Unfortunately for him, not everyone was so easily convinced that Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul was actually magical. "If he is who he says, let him prove it" shouted Mr. Grouse, "show us a trick we ain't seen before!"
Rather than feel bothered by this, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul found the challenge to be amusing and accepted. Afterwards, he walked his way over to the punch bowl, held his hands over it slightly and began reciting a series of odd words. At first, nothing seemed to be happening...until the punch started churning and swirling on its own within the bowl.
Then, Mr. Thorne shouted the words "Muto Aquatico, Fauchi Draconis" and the punch slowly assumed the form of an Asian dragon. To say that the crowd was amazed by this display would be the understatement of the lifetime. Truth be told, no one could think of anything to say about the trick.
Then, several people gasped in alarm as the Punch Dragon suddenly lunged towards Mr. Grouse; thus soaking him from head to toe in fruity liquid. "AH! HEY, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA" cried the old man, "why'd ya have to go and douse me like that?!" After making a quick apology, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul explained that he didn't command the creature creation to attack; it simply happened on its own.
"That's real cool there, Mr. Thorne" Lincoln said with glee, "wish I could do stuff like that...but I only know stage magic." For a brief moment, everyone feared that the boy might end up feeling dour over his quick comment; thus, bringing down the party vibe. But Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul quickly stepped in and told him that every form of magic has its uses.
"Besides, every aspiring sorcerer has a spark within them to help find their unique magical skill" he said matter-of-factly, "in fact...Miss Grimwood might be able to help you." Before Lincoln had a chance to ask, Mr. Thorne assured that he would discuss the matter further with Grimwood and his colleagues in due time. For now, everyone's focus was to be on Miss Lucy Loud.
"I still don't understand, Rocky" she asked suddenly, "why were you working with Mr. Thorne in the first place...what did you have to gain?" As the young Spokes boy presented himself before the young Goth, he suddenly felt his whole body acting up. His palms were sweating like crazy, his heart was pounding, his mouth had suddenly gone dry and felt his knees shaking with fear.
In that moment, he considered the possibility of racing out of the restaurant and hiding out in a dumpster somewhere. But then, he realized that would make him look like a coward in Lucy's eyes; which is something he did not want to do. "C'mon, dude...you've come face-to-face with some of the creepiest stuff in Mr. Thorne's home" he whispered, "are ya really gonna let feeling awkward around your crush stand in your way?"
With this in mind, Rocky took in a deep breath for luck and told Lucy everything. He told her how he knew of her love for Mr. Thorne's old show, he told her about the DVD boxset that was being sold and he even told her about what he did to help earn the money to buy one. "Sadly, I didn't make enough money...even after everything I'd done" grumbled Rocky sullenly, "what's worse, I got fired by Farquard and discovered later on that the DVDs had all sold out!"
Lucy and her fellow Goths all gasped loudly with shock at this news...not their usual "gasp" exclamation but a literal breathy one. Meanwhile, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul felt rather bothered by it and cast a very stony gaze down at Farquard. The hunchback in question did his best to appear unfazed by it, at first...but when he saw everyone else giving him the same look, he finally caved in.
"FINE! I fired the wee twit and have no shame in admitting it" Farquard screamed, "all he did was complain...not to mention the fact he made an utter mess of the master's prized library!" The instant this was revealed, Rusty and both of his parents' glared daggers of disappointment down at Rocky. But then, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul came to his rescue and proclaimed there was no real harm done to the contents of his library.
"Besides, Farquard; it wasn't fair of you and Octavia to have a boy Rocky's age to clean an entire library by himself" chided Mr. Thorne, "especially when I gave that responsibility to you both days prior!" Without missing a beat, nearly all the children present responded to this reveal with a loud "OOOOOH;" making them sound like a daytime talk show audience. As for the Goth Kids, they simply offered up a series of sly smirks.
But then, almost as quickly as it appeared, Lucy's smirk shifted into a frown and started making a slow stride over to Rocky. With each step she took, the poor boy felt his heart pounding like a war drum. He wondered what she might want to say or do to him, after hearing all of what's been said so far.
When she finally got close enough to him, Lucy only offered four simple words to Rocky; "what did you do"? "Yeah, dude...what did Mr. Thorne, that hunchback dude or anybody up at that house make you do" inquired Lincoln, "did you at least get paid?" While some felt Lincoln's choice of words seemed rather selfish, others thought it was the right thing to say here.
With a soft chuckle, Rocky urged for everyone to get as comfy as possible; adding that it was quite the story to tell.
(Line Break)
Almost thirty minutes later, half the food at the buffet had either been picked up or eaten by the guests because Rocky's story truly was a long one. Yet in spite of all that, there were several elements of it that people found quite engaging. He told them of the time he went all over town, collecting "special ingredients" Mr. Thorne needed for something.
He told them about the "library incident" (even though people still questioned the realness of flying sandals) and they even found the moment where Rocky cleaned out the birdcage of Mr. Thorne's pet owl to be...slightly amusing. But they questioned if anyone at the estate made Rocky do anything "sordid in nature." "Okay...I'm not even gonna ask what you mean by that, Lisa" the young Spokes boy responded, "but aside from cleaning up at Mr. Thorne's house and picking up some stuff that one time...no."
There was a collective sigh of relief not only from the other Spokes men but from other party guests as well, upon hearing this bit of assurance from Rocky. But even with all of this finally out on the table, one thing still needed to be addressed; why did he do it all? "Oh...I literally have a pretty good idea of what it is" Lori stated, "but I'm not sure if Lucy wants to hear it."
At first, one might expect her other siblings to demand what Rocky's reason was for working with Mr. Thorne. Instead, much to everyone's surprise, it was Lucy who demanded it...and she did so in a rather emotional tone of voice. It was as if she was on the verge of crying. With this in mind, everyone stood stone quiet; mostly due to their overall shock by Lucy's change in demeanor.
It wasn't until he saw his crush shed a single tear when Rocky finally made his move. With a nervous gulp; he picked up a tissue from one of the tables, took several slow steps towards her and lightly swiped the tearstains from her cheeks. "It's okay, Lucy...don't cry" he cooed softly, "I'm sorry I kept this secret from you...but trust me, I was perfectly safe."
After taking a moment to steady herself, Lucy made one final push to ask why Rocky chose to work for Mr. Thorne in the first place. "Well...I know how much of a fan you were of Mr. Thorne's old show, Lucy" Rocky replied hesitantly, "so, I thought if...if I could earn enough money, I could get one of the boxsets for you as a birthday gift." His secret now finally out in the open, Rocky finally let out the biggest and heaviest of sighs he could muster.
It was as if he were taking his first breath after holding it for over a thousand years. Yet when he cast his eyes towards Lucy, she (in spite of her bangs covering her eyes) gave him a most suspicious look. Finally, Rocky gave in and confessed the second reason behind his whole plan...her.
"Lucy...I like you, I have ever since we saw each other at your house last year" he said with a shy blush, "so...I thought if I got you the DVD set, you...you'd understand." The crowd around him gasped loudly in surprise, even the other Morticians Club members felt shocked by this. Yet they couldn't help but wonder just how Lucy might respond in the end.
For what felt like a hundred years, both preteens stood still in place; neither one of them moving or making a sound. Then, Lucy took three steps forward and did something no one would ever see coming. The first thing she did was smile...and it was a true, sweet and loving one at that.
Then, she reached her arms out and pulled Rocky forward; resulting in the cutest looking hug anyone had ever seen. Then, she eased her lips up slightly to Rocky's ear and whispered something to him; making sure that only he alone could hear her words. "Thank you for your kindness, Rocky" she said sweetly, "you really made my birthday special."
Lastly, before she pulled away completely from his embrace, Lucy gave Rocky a short but sweet and quick peck on the cheek. Needless to say, it came a quite a shock to not only the young Spokes Boy but to her family and neighbors as well. "Did anybody get all that" Rita inquired feverishly, "PLEASE, TELL ME SOMEONE GOT ALL THOSE MOMENTS!"
In response, everyone around her assured Mrs. Loud that they had not only taken pictures but videos of Lucy's sentimental display as well. Of course, they half-expected to see the girl in question threaten them into deleting said images...but she didn't (much to their surprise yet again.) Meanwhile, Rocky's mind was still in a blissful state of shock from everything Lucy had done.
But it was mostly the kiss that he felt was the most enjoyable of it all. When he finally snapped back to his senses almost fifty seconds later, Rocky faced Lucy with a look of shame on his face. "With all due respect, Lucy...why are you thanking me" he asked confusedly, "I didn't even get you a gift." For the second time that day, Lucy blessed her crush with a second hug and proclaimed that he gave her two gifts she would never forget.
"Not only did one of my TV idols come to my birthday party...but the fact that you put so much effort just to make me happy means so much, Rocky" she stated, "I'm just...I'm just happy you're here to celebrate with me." Just as the children were about to share yet another embrace, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul suddenly appeared between them and proclaimed he had a "splendid" idea for a gift for Lucy. "While being a recluse does have some positives, I must admit...I have been in need of work for some time" he explained, "thus, I was considering...bringing back my old television program to the public."
This announcement came as such a shock for everyone, many party attendees came close to choking (either on their food or drinks.) When everyone finally calmed down, people wasted no time in asking questions; the biggest one being "what studio would want to run Vincent's show again"? "Actually, I was considering in diving into what the younglings call...livestreaming my program" Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul replied, "this way, I could reach a new audience for today's age."
Many people cheered loudly at this idea, saying it was a genius course of action; even Vincent himself felt proud of it. But then, he quickly brought up one glaring and fundamental issue with the whole plan. "With all of my knowledge and skill in the mystic arts, I confess...the use of modern technology perplexes me" he stated, "I would need help in helping with the production process."
The instant this was said; Lincoln, Clyde and all their friends leapt at the offer to help. They were each quick to reveal their involvement in the Middle School's news program, which also happened to be broadcast via livestream. But before they could go any further, Lincoln looked over at Lucy and was suddenly struck with inspiration.
"Could my sister help too" he asked, "she's always wanted to be involved with creepy TV shows like VoM or other stuff...she could even make sure the décor is nice and ghoulish for you." With a hearty chuckle, Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul happily agreed with both ideas and welcomed the children aboard. The whole time this was going on, however; Farquard couldn't help but grumble with the purest contempt.
"It's horrible enough we will have humans working at the estate again...but children" he exclaimed, "how much worse could this get?" As if on cue, Farquard suddenly felt something land atop his head; along with a swift pecking feeling against his forehead. He looked up and saw Ibid looking at him with his (supposedly) usual wide-eyed gaze. But unbeknownst to him, there was a slight gleam of mischief in those eyes.
"Oh...what more do you want with me, infernal bird" grumbled Farquard, "you're the reason I'm here in this den of normies in the first place!" With a soft chuckling hoot, Ibid informed the hunchback that there was still much for Mr. Thorne to...discuss about what he had done during Rocky's employment. "I shan't spoil it for you, mate" said the owl coyly, "but let us just say that if you thought visiting this place was a chore...you don't know the meaning of the word."
Perhaps it was what Ibid said that made him feel uneasy or the tone he used to express his statement. Either way, Farquard could sense things were about to become much more bothersome for him back at the house.
(First AN: Looks like the party went off pretty well in the end. Not only did Mr. Thorne/Van Ghoul make it a very memorable day but Rocky managed to win Lucy's heart in the end, even without a gift. But what awaits our favorite young couple in the future? Tune in next time to find out)
(Second AN: As promised in the chapter title, this chapter held many surprises; big and small. I'm curious to know which felt the most appealing to you, guys)
(Final AN: The moment where Lynn asks if anyone recorded Lucy's sweet moments is loosely based on a moment from the second to last scene of Head Poet's Anxiety; where Lucy shares a loving hug with Luan and he urges Rita to get the camera. I thought it would be a perfect thing to use here, personally)