What a Cosmic Joke by Sarah Kathryn Ayers

Author:Sarah Kathryn Ayers [Ayers, Sarah Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-28T18:30:00+00:00

19

ZACH

As it turned out, Faber’s Fizz with floating jellied eyeballs was just the tip of the iceberg. By 7 p.m. on Halloween, the transformation of Sweet Dreams Café into an ‘80s kitsch nightmare was complete; Zach hardly recognized his own restaurant. If Toni had told him she had moved the party to a Spirit Halloween, he would have believed her.

Paper bats and silvery cobwebs adorned the vintage ceiling. The room itself, swathed in fog, had been cleared of tables for a dance floor. The chalkboard was covered in a black drape, on which Toni was projecting classic horror movies: currently, Nosferatu. And, the coffee bar was crowded with jellied eyeballs, soft pretzels, heaps of candy, and the centerpiece: a pyramid of gleaming red kombucha in mason jars, lovingly wrapped in custom, limited edition Halloween Faber’s Fizz labels. The sickly glow of the room bathed everyone and everything in flickering, greenish light, lending a creepier aura to their costumes than perhaps intended. Buzz’s Blue Man costume looked downright sinister.

In his pale blue hoodie, long, red bathrobe, plaid pajama pants, and gray crocs, Zach felt almost triumphant. He had picked comfort over style, for sure. He squeaked his way across the tiled floor bearing a sleeve of plastic cups to the coffee bar, where Dionysus (the line cook formerly known as Toni) was arranging bowls of snack mix; her bed sheet toga complemented by the 5 o’clock shadow of a beard she had penciled onto her jawline.

Toni snatched the cups from Zach and looked him over: “What are you supposed to be?”

Ouch. He thought it was obvious.

“I’m Thor—but after he got burnt out and depressed,” he explained. “You know, in Endgame?”

Zach had been quite proud of himself. He hadn’t had time to buy a costume or put a good one together, of course, and this had come together in a matter of hours. Plus, it was funny. Just an uncomplicated man trying to enjoy life but thwarted by his high-stress job. He could vibe with Thor.

Toni shook her head, the crown of grapes she wore on her mane of dark red hair coming dangerously close to slipping loose. She had clearly invested time in her costume; the toga was wrapped with a filmy, purple drape around the shoulders and held with a gold pin. She had arranged it in such a way that her toned arms were left bare, encircled with golden bands.

“The grapes are a great touch,” Zach gestured. “Dionysus, right?”

Toni grinned. “Who else do you know who would make a good God of Wine and Ecstasy?” She was fidgeting with the edge of her toga, a nervous tic he’d never noticed her have before. He patted her arm, hoping against hope she would calm down before Selina arrived. He wasn’t prepared for a replay of City of Yorke.

From the dining room, Zach heard a chorus of high-pitched voices back in the kitchen.

“Trick or Treat!”

He ducked through the curtain divider to find Amy—or, Little Red Riding Hood—had opened the kitchen’s back door to a pair of trick-or-treaters: familiar faces, or they would be under their masks.

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