As someone who adores dressing up, mystery, and candy, hardly anything beats Halloween. It’s a small wonder I do most of my costume planning months in advance. To a shep, however, planning something months in advance is as far-fetched an idea as landing on the moon.
That is why I am now sitting on the floor in the costume room, watching Abie as she bounces around in a mask and cape. Costumes litter the floor, all ones that the shep has tried on: an old-sheet ghost, a crown and a glittery green skirt, a pair of butterfly wings… the list goes on and on, and I am beginning to lose hope that Abie will ever choose a costume.
We still have two weeks until Halloween, but when you’re me and you’re dressing the entire 8264 family, two weeks feels like two hours. Kai and I were originally going to go as Apollo and Artemis, the Greek deities, but after discovering an old plasma rifle in the costume room, I decided to go cyberpunk. Kai, naturally, declined, even though his blue hair is perfect for it. I eventually persuaded him to dress somewhat like Star-Lord, so that way we could be something vaguely reminiscent of Case and Molly in Neuromancer.
Abie trundles up to me and tries to crawl into my lap, but she trips on her cape and lands belly-up on the floor in front of me. She looks at me curiously with big brown shep eyes.
“Are you going to wear the superhero costume?” I ask dryly. If the shep says no, I have half a mind to leave her behind for the party.
Abie wiggles. shep does not know yet.
I sigh and bury my face in my hands. “Do you like any of the costumes?”
shep liked to be a scary ghost. but shep also liked to be a beautiful princess. and a happy butterfly! shep loved to be a happy butterfly!
“Can you decide between those three?”
Abie waves her foots in response.
“Abie.”
shep does not know which one shep wants to wear. shep wants to keep trying on costumes.
I am just about to explain to the shep that I am done with wrestling her in and out of costume after costume when Kai appears in the doorway. He’s smiling, but when he sees the costumes and me with my head in my hands, his smile dissipates.
“Sav, are you all right?” he asks, coming over. “Abie, what did you do?”
shep did not do anything. Abie blinks up at Kai innocently.
“It’s fine,” I say. “Abie just can’t pick out a costume, and she has tried on fifty million.”
Kai frowns at the shep; I lean against his leg, pressing the side of my face into his jeans. A smell, red and warm and rich, is embedded in the fabric – not cologne, something else. Food. Oh, bless the stars.
“Did you make taco soup?” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am.” Kai rubs the top of my head. “That’s why I came up here, it’s dinnertime.”
shep want taco soup.
“No,” Kai and I say in unison. The last time Abie had soup, it got over absolutely everything: the tablecloth, the table, me, Kai, the floor, the shep herself, the chairs… I shudder just thinking about it.
Abie wilts, disappointed, and I pat her head. “How about you go to your room and have a play?”
but shep does not want to have a play. shep want to eat taco soup.
“No,” I tell her.
Abie begins to whine, waving her foots and tail, and I am about to reprimand her when Kai steps in.
“Abie,” he says, “how about you stay here and pick out a costume while we have dinner?”
Astonished, I look up at Kai; I was sure he was going to scold the shep. He grins down at me.
Abie thinks about it, and then nods. shep do a yes, a fluffy yes! shep will pick out a costume.
“Good girl.” I pat her belly, and she giggles.
Kai then helps me up, and we head downstairs for dinner.
Kai and I are just beginning to clear up dinner when Abie comes downstairs and promptly bounces onto the table, nearly knocking over our glasses of Sprite. Her fur is bright green: excited.
shep picked out a costume!! she says, bouncing on her little foots (I move the glasses out of the way). come see shep’s costume!
“Abie, we’re cleaning up dinner,” I explain. “Can shep wait for just a second?”
shep want you to come now. Abie jumps off of the table and bites my jeans, trying to tug me towards the stairs.
I sigh and glance at Kai; he takes the glasses from my hands and smiles gently at me. “I can clean up. It’s no big deal.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“All right.” I follow Abie up the stairs and to the costume room, where the shep happily runs over to a pile of fabric.
this is shep’s costume, she says. help shep put it on!
“Abie, what exactly is it?” I ask, coming over. From what I can see, the pile is comprised of the ghost, princess, and butterfly costumes.
shep will show you! help shep put costume on! the scary ghost goes first. Abie drags out the old sheet and looks up at me hopefully; I drape it over her, adjusting it so she can see out through the eyeholes.
now beautiful princess costume. Abie nudges the sparkly green skirt with her nose.
“Over the ghost?”
Abie nods, and I pick up the skirt and wrestle the shep into it. Abie bounces happily. then a happy butterfly!
Comprehension dawns on me. “You’re going to be a ghost-princess-butterfly?”
yes! shep could not pick out a costume, so shep picked all three!
“Ohhh,” I say, helping the shep into her butterfly wings. Abie bounces around happily, and I laugh.
“Abie,” I say after a few minutes of watching her bounce around the room, “can ghost-princess-butterfly shep also be a helpful shep and help me clean up these costumes?”
Abie immediately sprawls on the floor and looks up at me balefully. no.
“Please,” I coo.
Abie doesn’t respond, so I begin to clean things up by myself, rolling up and folding various costumes and stuffing them in the various costume bins. Abie curls up in the corner and watches me through the eyeholes of her ghost costume.
When I am about halfway through cleaning up, Kai appears and, without a word, promptly drops to his knees and helps gather things. We finish everything, and Kai puts the bins away while I take care of Abie, who has fallen asleep. I carefully remove the skirt, wings, and sheet from the little shep before bundling her into my arms.
Kai comes over. “Are you just going to put her in bed?”
“Yeah.” I smile at him. “And then I’ll put you to bed.”
He smiles and wraps his arms around my waist, nuzzling into my hair. Abie is squished between us, but fortunately, sheps are deep sleepers, and she doesn’t stir.
After a few moments, I crane my neck up and brush my lips against Kai’s jaw before stepping out of his embrace. “I’ll put her to bed now.”
“Do you want me to get your pajamas out?” he asks, rubbing my shoulder.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
He kisses my forehead, and we split.