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Hey! Surprise! I’m here!

Maye braved the cold air and rushed over to the inn with a sampling of goat milk soaps in hand. She started skipping down the sidewalk as soon as he was in her sights, which quickly turned into a jog, and ended with her crashing into him and him twirling her in the air. The rush of seeing him for the first time after a stretch apart was as exciting as ever.

When she stepped back and looked him over, something seemed didn’t seem right.

“Why do you look so weird?” She couldn’t place it, but something was…off.

“Oh, you mean this?” Chris said as he opened the long peacoat he was wearing to flash a single-piece bodysuit.

“What the heck is that?” Maye blurted.

“It’s my costume, duh,” he said as he tossed Maye a duffel bag that nearly knocked her over when she caught it.

“What’s this?” she said. “You traveled with this?”

“I had it shipped to the inn. It’s your costume.”

“Oh,” she hesitated, anticipating the pushback to come. “I don’t usually dress up. That’s more for the kids.”

Chris sighed. “Do we really have to do this, Maye?”

“What is it, anyway?” She peeked inside the bag.

“It’s from a movie I did recently. Here let me help you.” He pulled out a bulky, padded item, and then another one.

“Is this hockey equipment?” she asked.

“I recently worked on a film that is tentatively titled, A Goaltender-Hearted Love, where a goaltender in the Professional Women’s Hockey League is having a mental block and finds solace in the lessons from an aspiring Olympic figure skater who helps her rediscover her passion and find joy in the game again, and maybe even find love. You need help getting that equipment on?”

“Thanks for carrying the stick for me,” Maye said as she waddled toward downtown in the chest protector, trapper glove, blocker, leg pads, goalie pants, hockey sweater, and goalie helmet.

“Any time,” Chris said. “By the way, I’m sorry I kinda ghosted you while I was away. When people found out I was in town, a bunch of unexpected meetings popped up with my management team, producers, and lots of different people.”

“That’s okay,” Maye said, cooly. “I figured you were busy.” She left out the part about being on the brink of an endless catastrophizing loop.

“It’s my least favorite part of the job,” Chris continued. “Probably the only part I don’t love. I just don’t like to complain much, so I kept it to myself.”

“I get that,” Maye said. “But you can complain to me if you need to. This is a safe space. I mean, look at all this protective gear. Doesn’t get much safer than this,” Maye joked.

They arrived downtown just as Mayor Mayer was wrapping up his Halloween night kick-off speech.

“And so,” the mayor said, “it is with great pride that I announce the commencement of All Fall-ow’s Eve! Let’s say it together,” the mayor raised his hands like a conductor. “All…Fall…say it with me…All…Fall…all together folks…All Fall-ow’s Eve. That’s okay, it’ll catch on. I’ll see you all back here at 8 p.m. sharp!”

“Come on, let’s go,” Maye said as she tugged Chris through the entrance to the downtown market. “This is your last chance to see this place decorated for fall. Take it all in.”

“I get the feeling it won’t be my last time seeing it,” he nudged her gently.

Maye’s face warmed when she smiled. Though, the hockey equipment could have contributed to the heat.

At the end of Main Street, the ring had been replaced by a new feature.

“This is an All Fall-ow’s Eve tradition,” Maye said as the two stood in front of a scene that had been assembled to replicate a neglected brick building. Cryptic, oozing letters spelled out the words Fear Factory above the entrance doors. “Pretty cool, huh?” Maye said. “It’s actually just a couple of semi-trailers behind that portable wall. It all folds up. Impressive, actually.”

“A haunted house?” Chris said finally.

She hadn’t clocked his apprehension until then. “Ohh…” she said. “You don’t like scary stuff, do you?”

“I mean, I just…” Chris shifted his weight from one leg to the other, and then back again.