I keep trying to make Magic my one and only focus these days, but as we move passed Halloween in the main story, I am compelled to put out a little Halloween one-off.
I don’t know where this will lead, and don’t want it to drag on, but this is an idea that is itching to come out so…
Happy Halloween
The Invisible Boy
“Come on! Just pick something already!” 16 year old Meryl begs her little brother as they sift through the costume selection at the local drugstore.
“You didn’t find anything at the place in the mall. You didn’t find anything at the party store. You didn’t find anything at the THREE different ‘Spirit Halloween’ pop-ups! Just. Pick. SOMETHING!” Meryl is reaching a breaking point with her 12 year old little brother, Jack.
“But none of these are scary… or cool.” Jack smacks a cheap skull mask from the rack.
It clatters to the floor.
“Look, twerp! I don’t care if you have a costume or not! It’s not like you’re going trick or treating anyway!” Meryl scolds.
“But why do I have to go to a dumb party with you and your friends?!” Jack moans.
“Because mom said I can’t go unless I take you with me!” Meryl softens. “But hey, Sally, Christa, Henna and Fiona will be there.” She says, enticingly.
Jack perks up.
Those are 4 of the prettiest girls in his class!
Especially Henna!
But Jack refuses to give in so easy.
“I don’t want to! I want to go trick or treating! Mom says this could be my last year!” He pouts.
“Ugh! Yeah, ‘cause you’re almost a teenager! Dork!” Meryl teases.
She softens again.
“Come on. Think about it. You’ll be the only boy there, with me and 10 other girls.” She smirks. “And 6 of them are in highschool, like me.”
Jack gulps and his body trembles in a strange mix of cringe, excitement and nerves.
It looks incredibly awkward.
Meryl gasps.
All at once, she’s hit the most devious, incideous idea ever.
Jack has always been a little ‘off’.
Not stupid, or anything like that.
Just, for lack of a better word, ‘gullible’.
PAINFULLY gullible.
Like, takes things completely literally, believes in any story he’s told, and LOVES magic and the paranormal!
DEFINITELY on the spectrum, but only in special circumstances.
Unfortunately for him, his older sister has become a pro at manipulating him.
And tonight, she’d be a pro at humiliating him.
You see, earlier this week, Jack had taken it upon himself to take a pair of Meryl’s panties out of her clean laundry and bring them to school with him.
He showed all his little friends, and by the end of the day, they all knew what Meryl’s underwear looked like!
He’d be in highschool with her next year, so, why not let HIS friends AND hers see some of him?
She quickly devised a plan.
“Okay. I have an idea. Actually, I know THE perfect costume!” She smiles.
Jack perks up even more.
“Mhm! Come on!” Meryl takes Jack’s arm and leads him to the car.
They sit for a moment as Meryl pulls out her phone.
She quickly sets up a group text between her and her 6 friends:
Talia, Apple, Ingred, Kace, Ferris and Vicky.
“Guys! No matter what happens tonight, I need you all to pretend Jack is invisible. Seriously! No matter what! Pretend that Jack is INVISIBLE! Tell the other girls, too!”
Meryl expects return texts asking for clarification, but she just needed to get things rolling.
A few moments later, the siblings are pulling up to a small strip mall.
Meryl parks in front of a small shop called ‘Magic Roots’.
“This isn’t a costume shop.” Jack pouts.
“Just come on.” Meryl wastes no time.
She rushes into the shop ahead of Jack.
She makes her way to the back of the shop where a woman with long, flowing red hair stands.
She’s dressed in all black and wearing all sorts of silver jewelry.
“Hey, Madame McLeod!” Meryl smiles.
The red haired vixen rolls her eyes.
“How many times-? Don’t call me ‘madame’.” The woman smirks. “ ‘Lady’ works just fine.”
“Sorry. Lady McLeod.” Meryl bows.
“Enough of that!” The woman scolds.
She and Meryl then both break into laughter as they embrace.
“What brings you to my shop?” Lady McLeod asks.
I’m stunned by her beauty!
Those green eyes.
That smooth, milky skin.
That fire red hair that seems to flow behind her.
She’s mesmerizing!
“I’m looking for a ‘special’ costume for my brother.” Meryl explains.
Lady McLeod smiles with instant realization.
“Ah! Something… Scary?’ ‘Special?’ ‘Unique?’…” She pauses, raising an eyebrow. “Magic?”
Before Jack can answer, Meryl blurts out.
“All of it! We just need to find something…” Meryl pauses.
She leans in and whispers in Lady McLeod’s ear.
Lady McLeod smiles wide as she listens.
Meryl steps back.
“I see.” Lady McLeod taps her finger to her lips while looking Jack up and down, thinking.
She leans in and looks Jack in his face.
“You’re not excited about tonight, are you?” She smiles.
“Huh?!” Jack gasps.
“You wish you didn’t have to go, right?” Lady McLeod asks.
“Y-Yeah.” Jack says.
He’s strangely transfixed by Lady McLeod’s emerald eyes.
“Hmmm. What if you still went, but…” Lady McLeod leans in.
“What if you were… invisible?” She whispers.
“Huh?” Jack blinks, confused.
“You’re shy, right? It’s going to be all girls? You’d rather not be there, right? But have no choice.” Lady McLeod whispers.
It’s EXACTLY what Jack feels!
He nods, dumbly.
Lady McLeod smiles.
“I have just the thing.” She straightens up.
Lady McLeod steps behind the counter.
She bends and opens a trunk behind her.
After a few moments, she turns, holding out a simple, silver ring in her hand.
“What’s that?” Jack asks.
“This sacred object, my dear boy, is a ‘vanishing ring’.” Lady McLeod says.
She steps back around the counter.
“When placed on the middle finger, it renders the wearer…” Lady McLeod waves her hands lavishly, “ invisible.”
After a moment,
12 year old Jack breaks.
“Yeah, right!” He chides.
Lady McLeod holds the ring out.
“Just try it.” She smirks confidently.
Jack takes the ring.
Lady McLeod winks at Meryl.
Meryl returns the wink.
Jack puts on the ring.
Instantly, Meryl and Lady McLeod gasp.
“Jack! You’re invisible!” Meryl gasps, holding her hands to her mouth.
Lady McLeod looks Jack up and down.
“Well, we can still see your clothes, but YOU-are invisible!” She exclaims.
“Yeah!” Meryl looks all around him. “I bet, Jack, if you took off all your clothes, you’d be completely invisible!”
There are no mirrors.
Jack waves his hands in front of Meryl and Lady McLeod.
They only gasp and laugh, looking at his clothes.
“Are you doing something?! We can’t tell!” Meryl chirps.
Jack boldens.
He raises his middle finger to Meryl.
Right in her face!
No response.
Her excited expression doesn’t change.
Not a waver!
“Jack?” Meryl asks.
“Yeah?” Jack asks.
“Do you feel any different?” Meryl asks.
Jack took a moment.
He didn’t feel any different.
Not really.
I looks down at himself.
He looks back at Meryl and Lady McLeod.
They’re both smiling and looking at Jack’s clothes.
He pulls his shirt off over his head.
He watches Meryl and Lady McLeod’s eyes follow his shirt as he drops it to the floor!
“Oh my god! Jack!” Meryl yelps. “You’re half a boy!”
Jack does a ‘pelvic thrusting’ dance.
Meryl and Lady McLeod laugh.
“It’s like we’re being haunted by jeens! Hahaha!” Lady McLeod laughs.
Jack slips off his shoes and pulls his jeans to his ankles and steps out of them.
He pulls off his socks.
He then steps aside and stands straight, hands on hips.
Both Lady McLeod and Meryl gasp!
“It’s the floating underwear! Oooooo! Hahaha!” Meryl laughs.
Jack looks down at his tighty whities.
He can still see himself.
He suddenly feels nervous.
“Jack! We can still see your undies!” Meryl points.
“It only works if you take off ALL your clothes, dear.” Lady McLeod points.
He looks down.
His skinny body trembling in his little undies.
But that’s all they can see?
He quickly slides his underwear down and off.
He stands, cupping his hands over his privates.
“Jack?!” Meryl gasps!
Meryl and Lady McLeod are looking around the room.
They are looking in Jack’s direction, but looking passed him, and around the room at the same time!
(Can they really not see me?!)
Jack thinks.
He walks over to Meryl and moves one hand in front of her face.
She doesn’t flinch!
Jack does the same to Lady McLeod.
She too, seems unphased!
“You reaaly can’t see me?” Jack asks.
Both Meryl and Lady McLeod look around the room as though trying to find where the voice is coming from.
(It works!) Jack thinks to himself.
He uncovers and jumps excitedly!
Meryl can hardly contain herself!
Her years of drama classes are paying off, BIG TIME!
In such a short amount of time, she’s convinced her 12 year old brother that he’s invisible!
Lady McLeod is playing her part flawlessly, too!
Meryl almost blows it though when Jack jumps up and down, making his penis flop around!
“Jack, put your clothes back on for now. We need to get home.” Meryl says.
Jack does as he’s told.
As he dresses, Meryl fights the urge to just let him walk out naked, but that could ruin her plans.
Jack now fully dressed again, he removes the ring.
“Ah! There you are!” Meryl gasps.
“Here. Let me hold onto the ring until tonight, okay?” Jack hands her the ring.
“Lets get home. I have an idea for how you can start off the night.” Meryl winks.
“Huh? Why can’t I just wear the ring?” He asks.
“Remember a few years ago, when you were a ghost for Halloween?” She asks.
Jack thinks back to the time he wore a simple white sheet with eye holes cut out.
“Yeah?” He says.
“Well, when we get home, I’ll make you another one. That way, you can go to the party with me as a ghost, then, take off the sheet and you’ll be the invisible boy! No one will know you’re there!” Meryl explains.
She’s worried Jack might catch on, but then, in true gullable Jack fashion,
“So I start out as a sheet ghost, then I can become the Invisible Boy! Like a magic trick!” Jack beams.
“Yes! EXACTLY like magic!” Lady McLeod smiles.
She then winks at Meryl.
As they exit the shop, Meryl pulls out her cell phone, which has been buzzing non-stop.
It’s the text chain she just started with her friends.
‘Invisible? Why?’
“What do you mean ‘no matter what’?
“Why though, Jack is so cute!”
“I know Henna and Fionna have a crush on him. Why should they act like he’s invisible?”
Pausing before getting in the car, Meryl shoots off the explanatory text.
“Jack really does think he’s going to be invisible. You all KNOW how gullible he is. I’m tricking him into coming to the party with me NAKED!”
