For Halloween 2013, I was inspired to turn my garage into a warm and comfortable child's bedroom with the unfortunate and uninvited addition of one standard-issue hell mouth.
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Imagine it's Halloween and you've gone to sleep after a satisfying night of trick-or-treating. Around midnight, your clock radio suddenly turns on... as does your bedside lamp, now flickering. Is that the sound of something moving behind your walls, straining to get out?
Covered in goose bumps, you pull your pillow over your head. But that doesn't stop you from hearing your horrid wallpaper being ripped open (from the inside), skittering insects crossing your floor, and a moan of pure evil.
In a moment of foolish bravery, you hazard a peek and see a hell mouth has opened in the corner, oozing hot lava and filling your bedroom with a fiery glow, wispy smoke, and hosts of creepy crawlies. Is that something under your bed? Is that something on your bed?
Up comes the pillow once more. In shock and fear you try to wake yourself up. Is this a dream? It has to be a dream? Wake up! Wake up!
Well, that's what I was going for.
The neighbours loved it. We had people driving up and letting their kids out just so they could see our house (and take our candy, of course). The biggest compliment I got was on the hell mouth itself. Nobody - including the sister with whom I grew up - believed that I built it from scratch.
And despite all of my work, the last minute addition of a jumping spider was the biggest hit. As I mentioned on Facebook, it scared a Boxer out of his wits. Another canine visitor - this one more like a small horse than a big dog - arched his back and nearly jumped over the fence to take on the spider. But it was the teenagers who were the most impressed. One 14 year old boy said: "You scared a 14-year old boy. Congratulations". Another teen said "I'm so happy people still do this kind of stuff. Thank you so much" (like he was hearkening back to the good old days - when he was 9 - and life was so much simpler).
(In case you're wondering about the spider...in front of the garage door was a mat for people to stand on as they looked in. The trigger for the spider was under the mat. For some, the sudden jump of the spider was a complete shock. Other, more savvy trick-or-treaters knew there was a trigger under the mat but thought - for sure - that it would make the person in the bed rise up. So they were looking to their right when suddenly a spider lurched at them from their left. Got them too.)
Much fun was had by all. Thanks for all of your great suggestions for this year's garage theme...I used none of them, but was inspired by...none of them. Better luck next year. And thanks for all the help from my wife and three daughters. I couldn't have done it without you. (My youngest positioned the cat, my wife otherwise kept her out of my hair, and the older two daughters encouraged me from afar - so yes, I was being sarcastic).
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